Cleveland Vintage Blog — History

Record Rendezvous is one of the most important record stores in the history of rock 'n' roll, and it was located right here in Cleveland, Ohio. But you wouldn't know it walking by 300 Prospect Avenue downtown and seeing the abandoned storefront today. It's a sad state for the place that was essential in helping Cleveland become the capital of rock 'n' roll. But let's go back for a second. Leo Mintz opened Record Rendezvous in 1938, moving to 300 Prospect Avenue in 1945, which is where the store sat until it closed in 1987. Mintz was instrumental (pun intended) in...

The city of Cleveland was recently sent into a tizzy, as the legendary Christmas Story house was put up for sale. The certified Cleveland landmark was used in the exterior shots of Ralphie's home in the 1983 movie A Christmas Story, which has become a holiday classic thanks to its 24-hour marathon on TBS every Christmas. Since then, Clevelanders have loved the house, located at 3159 West 11th Street. And since it was purchased in 2004, underwent major renovations to mimic the interiors in the film, and opened itself up to public tours in 2006, the Christmas Story house has become...

You already know the Cleveland Cavaliers of course, but the city had a rich basketball past long before they came into the picture in 1970. The Cleveland Rosenblums were one of those long-gone teams from the early 20th century, but they were also one of the most successful - and innovative.  The Rosenblums - named for owner and Cleveland department store owner Max Rosenblum - were one of the original members of the American Basketball League (a league Rosenblum helped create), playing from 1925 to 1930. Though their run as a team was brief, the Rosenblums - also known as...

This time of year, it is always fun to explore the spooky haunts and tales that are unique to any locale, but in researching some of Cleveland’s, we came up with some truly unique, and probably relatively unknown, Northeast Ohio haunts and sightings. The Most Haunted Places in Cleveland The Federal Reserve Bank Let's start with the Federal Reserve Bank at 1466 E. 6th Street in downtown Cleveland.  Still operating today as the Cleveland-based U.S. Federal Reserve System’s Fourth District headquarters, this majestic building is home to one spirit in particular known as Matilda. Matilda is believed to have killed...

Update: You can now book an overnight stay in Franklin Castle! That is... if you aren't too scared. Franklin Castle, named after the street it is located on - 4308 Franklin Blvd - indeed retains the dubious title of “The Most Haunted House in Ohio” for good reason, but our research found much more to the tragic, and at times even sordid, history of the location. What we found truly interesting is the wide variety of impressions that those native to Cleveland have of the spooky yet stately Victorian castle. It’s probably because the history and/or legends surrounding the castle include...