The stacks of the basic oxygen plant, known as the direct hot charge complex, of Arcelor Mittal Steel can be seen from the second floor bedroom in a home on Holmden Avenue.
Cleveland’s Holmden Avenue a.k.a., Holmden Hill, and before that Dutch Hill. The Dutch enclave was quickly replaced by immigrant Poles working the mills at the foot of the street. This is one the last homes occupied by such folks. It’s still solidly working people, though, but no longer ethnic Polish. And the mill still runs. Many swa the hill innthe Deerhunter, when the deNiro character was drunk in the wee hours of the night.
Former industrial cities built on immigrant labor no longer have the steady stream of fresh blood arriving, because the econmic opportunity for blue-collar folks has completely dried up in cities.
Today citizenship can be attained by promises of opening a major business, or joining the American military, but the old days of welcoming cheap labor, is subsumed by immigrating illegally to do the jobs that Americans will no longer take, and leave legal immigration and quotas for a differet type of citizen, than the millions that came to work cheaply in American industries way back when.
The Polish widow next door died, the home was demolished, giving the next Polish widow’s home this view, which she never had until the neighborhood’s deterioration. It’s last occupant was some young dude living on the streets, the so-called homeless. It was torn down in 2020.