It is indeed fascinating.
The old glory days of Cleveland. The Winton Hotel building is still standing but inside it's a shadow of its former self. I'd love to find more photos of what it used to look like inside. Actually in the 1970s, the whole area went through a period of depression and urban blight. Fortunately, a guy named Ray Shepardson helped lead the fight to save the Playhouse Square theaters that were dilapidated and had been slated to be torn down to make way for yet another parking lot.
That is unfortunately what happened to some really fabulous buildings in Cleveland, as the previously linked article (and book,
Lost Cleveland) point out.
Thanks to Shepardson and to the wives of rich Cleveland movers and shakers, the Playhouse Square theaters were rescued from the wrecking ball and renovated over a long period of years. Very fortuitous, since the theater district (the country's most notable outside of NYC) is now the heart of of Cleveland's downtown rejuvenation. Here's an interesting documentary about that fight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXCpNy8Lr_I
Here's more about Chef Boiardi, and how the demand for his delicious pasta led to the eventual mass production of his famous recipes:
https://coolhistoryofcleveland.wordpress.com/tag/hotel-winton/
Thanks again, Ryan. There are always so many interesting and inspirational nuggets you generously share with us. And its great to see the history of figure skating intertwined with an understanding of local community history, cultural highlights and inevitable transformations.
