Dec. 2: Committee of the Whole, Cleveland City Council
Covered by Documenter Dan McLaughlin (notes)
Money needed for African American Cultural Garden
Despite years of fundraising efforts, the African American Cultural Garden is about $2 million short in construction money. Obie Shelton, executive director of the Association of African American Cultural Gardens (AAACG), updated Cleveland City Council on the project Dec. 2.
Shelton attended a committee meeting to advocate for legislation related to the garden. It would free up $325,000 previously earmarked for the project. Council passed the piece later that night at its last scheduled regular meeting of 2024.
The legislation lets Cleveland send the money to a fund the AAACG holds with the Cleveland Foundation. The money, which the city has held since 2021, is intended for phase two construction and donor engagement.
But more money is needed.
‘We have money for everything else’
The idea for the African American Cultural Garden was first conceived in 1961, Shelton said. The garden was dedicated in 1977. The first phase of construction featured a “Door of No Return” installation. It acknowledges the forced transfer of enslaved Africans to the Americas. The installation was finished in 2016. It sits atop the garden’s hill, overlooking Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which weaves through the Cultural Gardens on Cleveland’s East Side.
Phase two construction — the focus of recent fundraising efforts — includes a terrace with seating for up to 300 people. It also has a water element that Shelton said reflects the Ohio River and the Great Lakes as “symbols of freedom.” The Cleveland Landmarks Commission approved plans for phase two in October 2022.
Altogether, the work will cost $4 million, Shelton said. He said half the financial goal has been met.
Council President Blaine Griffin, Ward 3 Council Member Kerry McCormack and Ward 16 Council Member Brian Kazy urged officials and project leaders to find more money to finish the long-planned project.
Kazy called on Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration to cover the funding gap in full.
“I implore you to find Mr. Shelton the $2 million to finish this project,” Kazy said. “We have money for everything else, and this is a project that is well needed, well deserved.”
Note: The Cleveland Foundation is a Signal Cleveland funder.
My Big Fat Greek Garden
The stewards of another Cultural Garden are also looking to make good on a decades-old plan. The Greek Garden Association of Cleveland is set to install a large stone artwork, called a frieze.
Cleveland City Council passed legislation tied to the art at its last regular meeting on Dec. 2. The piece lets the association accept $250,000 from State of Ohio and move forward with the installation.
In the earlier committee meeting, Cleveland Commissioner of Real Estate Susanne DeGennaro said the artwork was planned in 1939 along with the Greek Cultural Garden’s creation. But wartime shortages prevented the frieze’s installation.
The frieze is set to depict dozens of Greek historical figures.
Arches to arches
The iconic archway of Euclid Beach Park will soon have a new, nearby home. A company that knows a thing or two about arches is to thank.
McDonald’s is donating land to the city at 15891 E. 159th St. The land is vacant and directly west of the archway’s current spot. Planned changes to East 159th Street require relocating the arch, which greeted visitors to an amusement park that closed in 1969.
Cleveland intends to develop the vacant land into a park including the archway, DeGennaro said in the meeting. Council later passed legislation allowing the city to accept the donation.
Council reviewed 30-plus pieces of legislation during this marathon meeting. Read the full notes from Documenter Dan McLaughlin:
Watch parts one and two of the meeting on Cleveland City Council’s YouTube.
Suggested reading
The Cleveland African American Cultural Garden celebrates strong history and hope for the future
The executive director of the African American Cultural Garden shares the importance of the garden’s history and how to support the mission.