West Side Market, Cleveland
Location: Lorain Avenue and West 25th Street in Cleveland’s historic Ohio City neighborhood.
Provenance: The last of three public markets that catered to Cleveland’s immigrant communities in the early 1900s, the West Side Market was one of several municipal improvement projects initiated by erstwhile Cleveland mayor and political reformer Tom Johnson. Prominent local architects W. Dominick Benes and Benjamin Hubbell, who also designed the magnificent Cleveland Museum of Art, planned the West Side Market to be both beautiful and practical. A combination of Neoclassical and Beaux Arts architecture, the market opened in 1912 and featured a 44-foot vaulted ceiling; a 137-foot tower with a clock made by the Seth Thomas company; durable building materials such as brick, granite, and glazed tile; and natural light and ventilation. Although the 106-year-old building and its systems have been renovated and updated periodically, the market’s signature structural and design elements remain largely unchanged.
Significance: The West Side Market is not only Cleveland’s oldest continuously operated, municipally owned market, but also a beloved local landmark that serves as the cornerstone of Ohio City’s business district. In 1973, the West Side Market was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2008, the American Planning Association declared it one of its 10 Great Public Places in America.
Currently: Because of its history, architecture, and focus on food, the West Side Market attracts an average of 1.2 million visitors from around the world every year. Cleveland is famous for its wide assortment of ethnic groups, and the Market has some 100 vendors whose products reflect the city’s diverse cultural and culinary heritage. Among its cornucopia of local flavors are Hungarian sausages at Dohar/Lovaszy Meats; pita bread at Judy’s Oasis; ravioli, lasagna, and manicotti at Ohio City Pasta; stuffed cabbage and potato pancakes at Pierogi Palace; sticky rice in a banana leaf wrapper at Kim Se Cambodian Cuisine; and liquid nitrogen ice creams at Piccadilly Artisan. “People are fascinated with the building itself and all the different kinds of cuisines that it offers,” says Felicia Hall, the West Side Market’s manager.
It’s a little-known fact that: The West Side Market’s oldest vendor is Kauffman Poultry, which has been a purveyor of chicken, turkey, rabbit, and game birds since 1932.
