Browse Interviews

In this 2005 interview, Raymond Pianka, Judge of the City of Cleveland Housing Court, discusses the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. He first discusses the historical ethnicity of the neighborhood, including the immigration of Irish, and then later Italians and Romanians, into the area. He also discusses his own Polish heritage, and talks about his father and grandfather's industrial employment in Cleveland for a large part of the twentieth century. Judge Pianka also talks about the architecture…

Todd Michney, born and raised in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, reflects on his experiences as a youth and his familiarization with Cleveland culture in the 1980s. Michney describes how de-industrialization and economic deterioration impacted the youth culture movement of which he was a part during the 1980s. Cleveland's environment is described as an inspiration for hardcore punk, guerrilla art, and teenage rebellion.

Robert "Buzz" Rosenfeld talks about his experiences as a lawyer in the garment industry in Cleveland. He negotiated with unions for the companies for many years as did his father. He shares his experiences in the industry: negotiations with unions, how some of the factories worked, technology, and comments on its decline in the Cleveland area. He talked briefly about driving the mayor of University Heights in parades.

Ron Gottfried talks about his family's apparel business that started in the 1920s. His father, Emil Godfrey saw the need for specially sized dresses for ethnic women, who tended to be shorter and proportioned differently. Before Ron worked for his family's business he had his own college gear business in the 1940s. Ron Godfrey moved around the apparel business over the years, and relates some if the intricacies of running a garment business, from choosing styles to finding factories. He ends by…

Allen Ford's family has been in the area since the early 1800s. He is connected, therefore, to many of the buildings in downtown Cleveland and provides quick histories of many of those places. He worked for Pickands Mather and Standad Oil. He covers various topics that focus on energy sources including OPEC and fracking. He explains the importance for Cleveland to embrace and encourage technologically advanced businesses to come to the city to promote growth.