Cleveland Vintage Blog — History

Is Cleveland's Renaissance Hotel haunted? It’s a question that can be asked of pretty much any location reported to have either actual ghost sightings or unexplained occurrences associated with it. Once a sighting happens, the focus becomes on who might the person or persons be, how long they have been there, and - probably most importantly - what has caused them to become permanently attached to a particular place or property. One of Cleveland’s oldest hotels, the Renaissance, is at 24 Public Square and its rich history is certainly no exception. The Renaissance began as the Hotel Cleveland in 1918...

Clevelanders who were lucky enough to be around for Dick Goddard are likely well aware of what a woolly bear is. But let's take a look at the furry little creature that was beloved by the also-beloved Cleveland meteorologist. What's a Woolly Bear - or Woolly Worm? You've likely seen these fuzzy little black-and-brown caterpillars before. They are the larva of the Isabella tiger moth and can be found just about anywhere. Though the woolly bear is a pretty cute-looking insect, the most notable thing about this caterpillar is its supposed ability to predict winter weather. Can the Woolly Bear...

If you're a fan of Pop-Tarts, you've essentially got Cleveland to thank for their existence (and really, you should be thanking Cleveland for a lot - like traffic lights!). Brands use specific cities as test markets all the time, and in September of 1964, Cleveland was the test market for the four original flavors of the Pop-Tart (the Fab Four, if you will): strawberry, cinnamon sugar, blueberry, and apple currant. In fact, the new breakfast pastry was so popular in Northeast Ohio, Kellogg's completely sold out of the 45,000 test cases they had of each flavor. And when the Pop-Tart...

We’re fairly certain that just about every city has its fair share of “haunted history," but through our research we discovered that the Greater Cleveland area, at least in our opinion, has some of the most unique locations with haunted histories to regale. Unique not only because of the locations or structures, but the overall history behind the structures or locations themselves. This includes the House of Wills, which started as Gee & Wills in 1904 at 2323 Central Avenue. Gee passed away in 1907, but the business continued to grow and was considered the largest black-owned funeral home in the...

Variety Theatre Update: The Variety Theatre property is once again up for sale. After being acquired in 2022, Variety Properties LLC is looking to sell to someone who would be looking to embark on a full redevelopment of the theater and the surrounding properties (whether or not the theater's ghosts stay in the deal remains to be seen). Luxurious theaters with their large seating capacities were a staple in the Cleveland area as far back as the 1920s. I myself grew up with one in Maple Heights - the Mapletown Theater. Most started out as single-screen movie houses that were...