Wednesday, August 17, 2011

FRATERNITY OF THE LANDFILL

The house you see pictured with this post was built 1906-7 for Louis Bing at 11327 Bellflower, Cleveland, Ohio, in a neighborhood highly desired by the upper-middle-class, two reasons being its proximity to the campus of what was then Western Reserve University, and to both Wade and Rockefeller Parks with their park-drives winding alongside Doan Brook.  Louis Bing was a prominent furniture retailer.  All of the homes in this immediate section were architect-designed; this one was designed by the Cleveland firm Searles, Hirsch & Gavin.  A half-century later, as suburban areas became more desirable, much of the grand homes here began to be used for institutional purposes.  The Bing House had been acquired by the college, now known as Case Western Reserve University, and converted to use as a fraternity house.  About two weeks ago, much to the surprise of anyone passing through this neighborhood, it was demolished.  At the time of this posting, nothing has been discovered to explain why this house, seemingly in very good condition, was razed.  Does anyone out there reading this have any knowledge of this?  This post will definitely be updated as any new, preferably confirmable, information becomes available, so please check back if you are genuinely interested.

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