TWILIGHT TOWN (1988-2003)

This book, from 1988 to 2023, is a mix of Twilight Town and Fall Town, that are the last two books in a trilogy about this city, which is purposely anonymous, representing the dozens of cities and towns of the Rust Belt. It’s also what a coffee table photography book edit might look like, instead of my archive in book form format. After all i shot this over lots of time. Check out the Introduction here.

VIEW the slideshow.

Ruby Teague's Home, East 65th Street

In the oldest sections of the city, out eighty blocks from the center, the streets and blocks were a mixture of homes and apartments in many different architectural styles and materials. The Green House was one of the last remaining homes on the block, between Central Avenue and Quincy Avenue, when i shot it in 1990. I shot every structure on the block over a period of 12 years, until there was little left.

The Henry Steinbrenner, Unloading Wheat at General Mills on the Cuyahoga River

The Ship's top speed was 11 knots, was built in 1916 and was used mostly for moving grain. When the shot was taken, in 1989, it was the oldest operating or boat on the Great Lakes. It was one of three ships that still ran on coal. It was finally scrapped in 1995.

Henry, George's father built Lake freighters in Cleveland, then Lorain. His son sold the business in the 1970s, but still owned three ships under the Kinsman Line name. Kinsman was a neighborhood and home to many Jewish and Italians, getting their starts in town.

LTV Steel, C-5 Blast Furnace

Today the C-5 and C-6, behind it, are the last blast furnaces in Cleveland, and, are entirely operational.

Homes, East 33rd Street

his was a small Polish enclave that originated when the steel mills were located on the Lake. The larger neighborhood it was part of, was Croation, and two Croation sisters, it's said, originally lived in the two homes. A church, St. Josephat's, is still across the street, although it's become some sort of arts center.

Why a Polish enclave inside a Croation enclave? Early poles to this town, worked the steel mills, which were originally on the Lake around Eas 39th Street, later moving into the Flats district on a river, inland.

Holmden Hill & Jones & Laughlin Steel Works

J & L eventually went under, but LTV Steel, on the other side of the river, bought it and kept the mill going. Today there are three homes left, but the mill, bought by Cleveland Cliffs,in 2020, is booming.

Jack's Bar, Cedar Avenue - Gone

LTV Steel, Gas Lines & Blast Furnaces, The Flats

You'll never find a coke plant inside city limits again, and this LTV Coke Plant was demolished in the 1990s. The furnaces are still operational today, having gone through a number of owners.

Home, E. 67th St., Beaver Heights, forgotten triangle – gone

Union Hill Baptist Church, Gill Avenue, Forgotten Triangle - Gone

Making churches, as well as, bars and stores, out of homes is a common practice.

Union Hill Baptist Church, Interior Gill Avenue, Forgotten Triangle

Carved out of an old home, by the 1980s, the Triangle had become an endemic masterpiece.

Home, East 101st Street - Gone

Church & Apartment House, Scovill Avenue - Gone

Trinity Gospel Church & Magic Beauty Salon, Woodland Aveenue - Gone

Smith's Barber Shop - Gone

The Big Q Furniture Store, Woodland Avenue - Gone

The Big Q Furniture Store and abandoned apartments and retail -Woodland Avenue - Gone

American Republic Turning, Eagle Avenue Bridge & Downtown

C-5 Blast Furnace, LTV Steel

Columbus Road Bridge Moving

Grille, Mike Boros Cafe, Buckeye Road

The last Hungarian bar on Buckeye Road.

Eagle Avenue, Lift Bridge Moving & Downtown

The bridge closed in 2006 and is scheduled for demolition in 2026.

The Roof of the Colonial Arcade

Built by the Kenbridge Company in 1895 the colonial arcade was revamped in the late 90s and is still an operation today, although a much pricier place to shop.

The Sdaway Bridge

The cities only suspension Bridge, it was actually a pedestrian bridge and linked to distinct neighborhoods of Hungarians and the east side and Polish on the west side. Later, when blacks moved into the east side and tensions rose during riots in the late 60s, the Polish side set the bridge on fire. Since then it's been abandoned. The local joke for many years was what is the longest bridge in the world? The SIDAWAY. It links Africa with Poland.

Old FashionHot Dogs, Lorain Avenue

First opened in 1920, it closed in April, 2020 during fever along Lorraine Avenue

Steve's Lunch, Lorain avenue.

Steve's lunch and the entire building succumb to a fire in 2012 and was demolished.

Mike Boros Cafe, Beuckeye

The bar never was closed until May, 1998, when Willie is in his 80s, and, the son of the original owner, simply took off his apron, closed the bar in the afternoon, and locked the door.

That's, the night bartender, Dave, who, when Boros closed, bought a bar on Fleet Avenue, but, at that same time, he had to stop drinking and virtually close the bar. That happened when you need and get a liver transplant.

LTV Steel Basic Oxygen Plant, East Side & Homes

The steel mill is now owned by Cleveland Cliffs and all the homes on Dille Street are gone.

Rear of Shotgun Shack, East 38th Street