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Dr. Harley Manuel and Charles E. Jones were frustrated by the restrictive covenants and redlining that kept Black residents from purchasing homes in desirable Columbus neighborhoods. Deciding to create their own neighborhood, the two men purchased 10.5 acres of farmland in March 1945. They divided it into 42 lots that became Livingston Heights Place. The first lots were sold to pharmacist Waldo W. and Harriet Tyler in 1946. Other early residents included Edward J. Cox, William and Esther Toler, David D. White, Dr. William K. Allen, and Dr. Harry Jefferson. Later residents were Dr. John H. Rosemond, Llewellyn (Jack) A. Coles, Captain Amos A. Carter Jr., Sammy Hopkins, William “Bill” Willis, and Dr. Richard Ruffin. Twenty homes were built between 1948 and 1967 within the subdivision’s boundaries of Johnson Park, Livingston, Byron, and Waverly.
, OH
In the early 20th century, the City of Cleveland began opening public bath houses as a way to address the unsanitary living conditions of its overcrowded immigrant neighborhoods. Opened in January 1908, the Clark Avenue Bath House was Cleveland’s third public bath house. It cost $32,000 to build and was designed by prominent Cleveland architect Charles F. Schweinfurth. The semi-Colonial building featured heavy Ionic columns that framed the two entrances marked for “Men” and “Women” overhead. Clark Avenue Bath House had 35 private shower “cabinets,” two group showers, locker rooms, and a gymnasium with a spectator gallery. By 1921, seven such bath houses served the city. Today, five remain and four continue to offer public services to their neighborhoods as Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers.
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Prominent architect William S. Lougee designed the Woodland Public Bath House that opened in 1915 at a cost of approximately $90,000. The first floor of the facility included separate shower baths for men and women, an office, waiting rooms, and a gymnasium with a 53-yard running track. The second story was divided into four rooms: a club room, a small city library branch, a baby dispensary, and clinic. The basement featured an indoor swimming pool popular among adults and children. Like other public bath houses in Cleveland, the Woodland Bath House was an invaluable social space for its diverse community of largely Hungarian, but also Slovak, Bohemian, Italian, Lithuanian, and Jewish residents. In 1918, the City estimated that 254,508 residents had used Woodland Bath House facilities, enjoying classes, camps, baths, and clinics.