"THE MONSTER WHO ATE FAIRFAX" (FORMERLY A CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOOD)

As the African American community in Cleveland, Ohio, grew substantially after World War I ended, there was a need to find new places to worship in the neighborhoods that were new to this community.  In 1923, East Mt. Zion Baptist acquired what had been Cedar Avenue Baptist, at 10302 Cedar.  This structure was built in 1892 for that latter congregation, according to plans provided by notable church architect Sidney Badgley, of Cleveland.  East Mt. Zion Baptist worshiped here for the next thiry-three years, and in 1955 they acquired the former Euclid Avenue Christian Church on Euclid at East 100th (where they remain today).  In 1956, another African American congregation, Calvary Hill Baptist, moved into the Cedar Avenue building, which they outright purchased in 1963.

Image: CALL & POST - 1956

Fast-forwarding to the present, Calvary Hill Baptist realized that, after being here for sixty-one years, they too had a need to relocate and, luckily for them, found that the former property of Hope Lutheran on North Taylor in Cleveland Heights was for sale.  They acquired it in August of 2017.

Image: Google Maps Street View - Aug. 2017

Simultaneously, they sold the propety at 10302 Cedar.  And, of course, it was purchased by the Monster Who Ate Fairfax (some know them benignly as the Cleveland Clinic), who for the past couple decades has been greedily devouring this entire neighborhood, property by property, hurriedly destroying whatever historic buildings that happen to occupy the properties so that they can construct shiny gargantuan buildings to add to their ever-expanding mini-city within the city.  There are many in the preservation community here that believe that a strong effort has been made in recent times to preserve the heritage of the African American presence in Cleveland.  But, despite this 94-year-long example, the outcome has been anything but preservation.

The church was demolished in March of 2018.