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The Oldest Things In Cleveland

By Scene Staff

Cleveland was incorporated as a city in 1796. A lot has changed since then, with each year bringing another wave of redevelopment and new businesses. But a lot has stuck around. Here's to the staying power of Cleveland's oldest things.

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Oldest Market: West Side Market (110 Years Old)

Known by all, beloved by many, Cleveland's West Side Market has been kicking for over a century. Though even before its long life, Pearl's Street Market stood in its place during the mid-1800s, making the spot one of the oldest marketplaces in U.S. history and certainly the oldest in Cleveland.

Photo via The Cleveland Memory Project

Oldest Cemetery: Riverside Cemetery Chapel (146 Years Old)

This historic chapel was built in 1876 as part of Riverside Cemetery. Having undergone numerous repairs and renovations over the years, the Gothic Revival-style chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

Photo via Scene Archives

Oldest Bicycle Store in the City and Maybe Country (139 Years Old)

What started as a coal and feed store in 1883 moved into their current location in Ohio City in 1890 and took off as a bicycle shop from there. They have over 10,000 square feet of retail space and are still owned by the same local family.

Photo via Fridrichs

Oldest Theater in Cleveland and Oldest African American Theater in the United States: Karamu House (104 Years Old)

Karamu House and Playhouse Square were both founded in 1915. However, Karamu was first to lay roots by opening an actual theater in 1917, while Playhouse didn’t open any doors until 1921. Throughout its lifetime, the likes of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston wrote and debuted productions for Karamu. Today, it still stands as a testament to cultural celebration and inclusion.

Photo via The Cleveland Memory Project

Oldest Sports Team: Cleveland Baseball Franchise (124 Years Old)

Cleveland’s tried and true sports team happens to also be its oldest. The Cleveland Guardians are older than every other minor and major league team in the area, eclipsing the Browns and Cavs in age. In fact, both the Browns and the Cavs are barely over the hill with the Browns at 76 years old and the Cavaliers at an infantile 52.

Photo via The Cleveland Memory Project

Oldest School: Beaumont School for Girls (172 Years Old)

Tracing its origins back to 1850, Beaumont School for Girls has stood in Cleveland Heights since 1942, making it the oldest operational school in Cleveland. The private all-girls secondary school is also the oldest school in the Cleveland Diocese.

Photo via Scene Archives

Oldest Piece of Art in Cleveland: Vinca Idols- 6,000 years

One of two sister sculptures found together in Serbia marks a triumph in human technology. Made from fired clay and red paint, these sculptures act as worshipping idols during a time when humans were just learning about agriculture and farming. Thousands of years old, the CMA's two Vinca idols are considered to be one of the best preserved art pieces from the Neolithic time period.

Photo via Scene Archives

Oldest Festival: Feast of the Assumption (124 Years Old)

Started in 1898, this Catholic street festival has been shepherding Clevelanders into Little Italy each summer since it began. In celebration of the Assumption of Mary, as well as of Cleveland’s Italian culture, the Feast kicks off each year around August 15, bringing thousands and thousands of Ohioans out into the streets for an all-out block party.

Photo via The Cleveland Memory Project

Oldest Hotel: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel (105 Years Old)

First opened as Hotel Cleveland, this luxury mainstay has been around longer than most. With prime Tower City real estate, the Renaissance proves popular with locals and tourists alike. Aligned with Public Square, the Renaissance has solidified itself as both a modern getaway and a Cleveland landmark.

Photo via Scene Archives

Oldest Privately Owned Armory In The Country: Cleveland Grays Armory Museum (129 Years Old)

Known for being the oldest privately owned armory in the U.S., this Cleveland landmark was constructed in 1893 to house the Cleveland Grays, an independent volunteer militia company founded in 1837. .

Photo via EdselLittle/FlickrCreativeCommons