The Detroit-Superior Subway whisked passengers from downtown to Cleveland’s West Side for many years before finally coming to a halt in 1954. It’s a fascinating piece of Cleveland history that still exists, even if Clevelanders can only visit it when special events are held there. Here’s what it looked like then and now, as well as what construction looked like when the bridge was first built.
(All vintage photos courtesy the Cleveland Memory Project. Recent photos by Jeffrey Stroup.)
Bridge Construction, 1900sBridge Construction, 1900sBridge Construction, 1900sHigh Level Bridge, 1917East End Construction, 1920sColumbus Road Viaduct Construction, 1926Columbus Road Viaduct Construction, 1927Columbus Road Viaduct Construction, 1927Station Area View, 1929High Level Bridge Abutment, 1931Streetcar Heads Down Track, 1939Ghost Lanes, 1939View of Arch, 1939Doors to Street, 1943Underpass, 1943BStairs Under Bridge, 1946Subway Entrance at West 25th and Detroit, 1946U.S. Navy Sailor Waits for Streetcar, 1946Stairway in High Level Bridge, 1946Stairway to Underpass, 1946Streetcars Emerge on Superior Avenue, 1948Upper Level Towards Ohio City, 1948Subway Entrance From Superior, 1954Trial Roadway, 1955Lower Streetcar Deck, 1978Pier #3, 1978Superior Avenue Viaduct, 1979Subway Signs to W. 9th and W. 11th StreetsPassengers DisembarkingMan in Subway EntranceWoman ascends StairwayTransit Car Travels WestsboundTunnels
