History 400: Local History

In this 2005 interview, Richard Horton, former executive director (1975-1989) of the Shaker Lakes Nature Center, discusses the history of the Shaker community in Cleveland, the Shaker Lakes, the failed Clark Freeway that threatened the land upon which the lakes are located, and the founding and operation of the Shaker Lakes Nature Center. Mr. Horton grew up in Geauga County with a love of nature; became a teacher; volunteered at the Nature Center shortly after it was established in the 1960s;…

In this 2005 interview, Andrea Sweazy, niece of legendary Cleveland Agora founder Henry LoConti and (currently) the booking agent for the Cleveland Agora, discusses her childhood, including her love of music while growing up; her college years in Chicago, including her early efforts to combine business acumen with the love of music; and her eventual entry into the family business in 2003. Sweazy also discusses the current rock-n-roll scene; how bands are booked at the Agora; quirky requests by…

In this 2005 interview, Charles Berry, a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, discusses his life growing up in Cleveland in the 1930s and his involvement with the Scottish Rite Masons with whom he had been a member a the time of this interview for 48 years. Berry is a volunteer worker at the Masonic Library in Cleveland, and has acquired a wealth of knowledge of Masonic history by reading many of the books at the Library. Along the way, Mr. Berry has also met many famous Clevelanders who were…

In this 2005 interview, Thomas Yablonsky, executive director of both the Warehouse District and the Historic Gateway District. Mr. Yablonski discussed his involvement with downtown Cleveland, first as a high school and college student in the 1970s, and then later in the 1980s as a volunteer and ultimately the executor director of two of the historic districts of Cleveland. Mr. Yablonski has worked the last 20 years in downtown Cleveland in the area of historic preservation and redevelopment. …

In this 2005 interview, Penny Rakoff, currently (2010) a Professor of Art at Akron University, discusses her role in creating public art for the Cleveland Gateway Project of the early 1990s. Ms. Rakoff talks as an artist about the value of public art in an urban environment. She also discusses the research and other work that she did in preparation of two art projects she collaborated upon for Gateway. One of her projects was the "Market Place/Meeting Place" a concrete bench with ceramic tiles…