3592
E. 149th
Street
Built
in 1953
Single-family
dwelling: three bedrooms, two bathrooms
The
Place
The
makeup of the neighborhood of Mount Pleasant has undergone both
ethnic and socioeconomic shifts since it was first settled in 1826.
The
first residents hailed from the Isle of Man, near Ireland. Then, in
the late 19th
century an influx of Jewish settlers from Bavaria arrived, only to
move out again in the 1930s. Other immigrant groups in the 19th
and early 20th
century included Czechs and Italians.
In
1921, Mount Pleasant became a neighborhood instead of a rural
community: streets were mapped and trees planted along Bartlett Ave.,
just half a block away from 3799 E. 149th
St.
Now,
it’s a predominantly African-American community. The first
African-American settlers came to the community during World War I.
In the 1940s and 1950s, African-Americans became the majority ethnic
group in the area.
The
neighborhood’s socioeconomic makeup has been in flux since the
mid-20th
century. Philip Richards, an African-American writer and professor
who grew up in the area, wrote about the population shifts in the
neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s, as seen by his own family:
“[Richards’ parents]…departed Mount Pleasant as it filled with
black newcomers from the inner city. Years earlier, when they had
moved into Mount Pleasant, both the Eastern European immigrants and
the black middle class were leaving.”1
Now,
Mount Pleasant is an area with a rich history and hope for the
future. Many positive programs have been initiated, including a
painting program to revitalize existing structures, home ownership
workshops, an energy efficiency program, and other community outreach
through Mount Pleasant NOW. Luke Easter Park and the Zelma Watson
George Community Center also provide opportunities for community
building in Mount Pleasant.
The
People
The
house from which your [table/countertop ] was made was built in 1953,
a time when racial tension was a prominent issue for the denizens of
Cleveland. Phillip Richards wrote about his experience coming of age
in Mount Pleasant in the 1960s, and we can imagine that those who
lived in the house had similar experiences.
Richards
attended elementary school in a mostly white part of town and then
went to Alexander Hamilton Junior High School in Mount Pleasant. As
he grew up, he struggled against his anger even as it was provoked by
seemingly everyone around him--black or white. He found solace in
academia and is now an English professor at Colgate University. You
can read more about his experiences in the Cleveland
Magazine article from
20062
or in his book, An
Integrated Boyhood: Coming of Age in White Cleveland.
April
McClellan-Copeland, a reporter for the Cleveland
Plain Dealer, recently
participated in a multimedia series3
that takes a look at Mount Pleasant’s past and present. She fondly
remembers her childhood on 138th
St., recalling family parties and playing outside with the large
number of children who lived on her block. She spoke of the respect
for neighbors that was characteristic of that close-knit community.
Tommy
LiPuma, legendary Cleveland music producer and Verve label head, also
grew up in Mount Pleasant, very near where the house once stood. The
first record he made was the O’Jays early regional hit, “Lipstick
Traces4.”
LiPuma continually gives back to his hometown, donating funds to the
Cleveland Art Museum and to Cuyahoga Community College.
The
Wood
The
house at 3799 E. 149th
Street was built of Southern Yellow Pine, the strongest softwood
lumber. A popular choice for home-building because of its strength,
ability to hold fasteners, and its resistance to wear, Southern
Yellow Pine played a key role in building during the Industrial
Revolution. Europe imported vast amounts of Southern Yellow Pine in
the 19th
century.
It’s
a high density wood that grows in a band from East Texas all the way
to Virginia. It has been used in home construction since the 1800s
and is also used extensively in wooden roller coasters, docks, and
utility poles.
There
are four main species: shortleaf, longleaf, loblolly, and slash.
Each of these species has similar characteristics, but can
demonstrate variation in color and grain. Color ranges from light
orange to dark red, and can even sometimes be a cream color. The
grain pattern might be wavy or knotty. Sometimes its long needles
are used in holiday decorations when it’s cut.
A
popular wood still in abundant use today, Southern Yellow Pine grows
rapidly and is renewed more quickly than it is harvested. Growing it
does not endanger old growth forests.
.JPG) |
| Harvesting the Wood! |
1
Richards, Philip. “Coming of Age at Alexander Hamilton Junior High
School.” Cleveland Magazine. October, 2006.
2
Richards, Philip. “Coming of Age at Alexander Hamilton Junior High
School.” Cleveland Magazine. October, 2006.
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