Connect with us

Cleveland, OH

World’s 1st billionaire left a legacy in Northeast Ohio

Published

on

World’s 1st billionaire left a legacy in Northeast Ohio


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – “Oh, he was a real rich guy. He was the first really, really rich guy,” explained Tom Kelly, author of “The Cleveland 200: The Most Noted, Notable and Notorious in the First 200 of a Great American City.”

“Cleveland boomed because of Rockefeller,” he added

Born in 1839, John Davison Rockefeller boomed as well, making his fortune in Cleveland with the founding of Standard Oil in 1870.

“He was brutal with his competitors,” said Kelly. “He found ways to put them all out of business.”

Advertisement

He not only built an oil empire but a mansion on Millionaires’ Row on Euclid Avenue, then a summer home at his estate at Forest Hill in East Cleveland, all while Standard Oil grew.

“He just kept building his business,” Kelly explained, controlling not just oil but the refineries and transportation. “He just kept buying everything up that just made it a total vertical and horizontal monopoly.”

That monopoly was broken up by the Supreme Court in 1911. Standard Oil was split into 39 different companies, but Rockefeller still prospered.

“He was very strait-laced person where he really didn’t have any fun with his money,” Kelly said. “He went to church. Oh, he loved golf! He was a terrible golfer, but he loved the game but that was his only recreation.”

Rockefeller left Cleveland over a tax feud in 1913, only returning when he died 25 years later in 1937 at almost 98 years old.

Advertisement

“He never came back to Cleveland again,” Kelly said. “It was regrettable that Cleveland pushed him away; Cleveland would have been New York City in a few more years.”

Aside from his family burial plot at Lake View Cemetery, signs of Rockefeller’s wealth and impact dot the city: he donated Forest Hill Park in East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, the Rockefeller Building still stands on West 9th Street at the top of The Flats, Rockefeller Park just north of University Circle, and the Rockefeller Homes developed by his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. are a few of his lasting legacies.

Rockefeller came from humble beginnings, the son of a con man, “Wild Bill” Rockefeller. He rose to heights previously unseen. And he proved something in the process.

“You didn’t have to come from royalty, you didn’t have to have Old World connections, you weren’t born rich, but you worked hard, you got rich, and you worked harder, you got richer,” said Kelly. “I think he was a model for millions of Americans.”

“I don’t think there’s ever been anyone quite like him.”

Advertisement



Source link

Cleveland, OH

Man shot on Cleveland’s West Side

Published

on

Man shot on Cleveland’s West Side


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A man was shot in Cleveland’s Cudell neighborhood Tuesday night.

Cleveland Police 1st District officers responded to the 10100 block of Madison Ave around 9:00 P.M.

A man approximately 45 years of age was found with a gunshot wound.

EMS took the victim to MetroHealth Hospital. This incident remains under investigation.

Advertisement

There is no information on any suspects or arrests.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Cleveland, OH

Leaders in Washington and Cleveland take aim at affordable housing in Northeast Ohio

Published

on

Leaders in Washington and Cleveland take aim at affordable housing in Northeast Ohio


CLEVELAND — Ahead of her Third Annual Housing Expo this Saturday at Tri-C Corporate College East, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) rolled out her Safe and Affordable Housing Agenda on Tuesday. It’s a series of four bills aimed at lowering home costs while strengthening lead paint and pipe abatement.

“We wanted to bring something forward that would improve the living conditions, to make things more affordable and more accessible for not only the constituents of Ohio’s 11th Congressional District but those who are experiencing the same challenge across the country,” Brown told News 5.

The Housing Supply Fund Act is legislation that encourages the building of more affordable housing by filling financing gaps that are holding back construction. The legislation would establish a competitive program within the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to address financing gaps that prevent otherwise viable housing projects from moving forward.

“We want to make sure we do not give up on affordable housing; we want to make sure that it is more accessible,” Brown said.

Advertisement

There is also the Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act, which is legislation to maintain and preserve existing HUD-assisted housing. This legislation establishes a new HUD preservation authority to provide targeted financing and intervention tools for distressed HUD-assisted multifamily properties at risk of deterioration, foreclosure, or loss of affordability.

The bill is designed to help preserve affordable housing, facilitate responsible ownership transitions, and protect existing federal housing investments serving seniors, working families, and vulnerable residents.

The other two bills introduced deal with the issue of lead abatement. The GET THE LEAD OUT Act of 2026 would create a new federal grant program to replace lead pipes, fixtures, and taps. The legislation would create a broad federal framework to address lead in drinking water and housing by funding removal of lead-based pipe and tap hazards, establishing training and certification requirements, directing federal standards and state programs, and integrating lead plumbing remediation into major housing programs. Brown’s legislation creates new authorities and financing mechanisms to drive national action on residential lead plumbing hazards.

The Removing Existing Pipes with Lead and Advancing Clean Environments (or REPLACE) Act improves existing lead paint and lead pipe removal programs within the federal government. This legislation would amend existing HUD and Safe Drinking Water Act authorities to strengthen lead-paint hazard remediation in housing, improve local implementation capacity, and better coordinate paint and pipe removal efforts.

“We know that this has been a longstanding issue in the City of Cleveland,” she said. “What we’re doing is trying to supplement and amplify the opportunities to be able to address these issues that have long-standing impacts in our community.”

Advertisement

Brown’s announcement comes on the heels of the Bibb administration’s announcement of the creation of the Housing Innovation District, a 1,500-acre swath of land covering St. Clair, Superior and Hough where efforts will begin this summer to repopulate streets that have lost more than half of their homes in recent decades with new housing starting on East 67th south of St. Clair, where ten homes will go up later this year.

A recent New York Times piece cited that among the barriers to building more housing are restrictive zoning and permitting, something the city addresses in this district.

“One of the big things that we’re doing is eliminating permit fees for single-family home construction, which is again a real sort of barrier to this sort of work,” said Tom McNair, Mayor Justin Bibb’s Chief of Integrated Development.

They also established what they call a “Pattern Book,” where they’ve pre-approved designs for certain types of homes in this district to speed up the process.

“When there’s a vacant lot that the city owns, it will be like this is the home you want, this is the lot you want to build on, here’s your permit,” he said.

Advertisement

Congresswoman Brown sees their efforts helping citizens towards the same goal.

“Our legislation would dovetail perfectly into what the mayor is putting forth as well,” she said. “People are doing all of the right things, they’re working hard, but they’re still having trouble getting ahead, and we want to be able to again address that gap as it relates to the opportunity to build wealth in our community, and this legislation will certainly help put people on a pathway to do that.”

Part of that pathway includes Brown’s Housing Expo for constituents of the 11th Congressional District. “It’s a one-stop shop for everything housing, so whether you are a renter or whether you are a first-time home buyer, whether you are looking to renovate, whether you are a senior that’s aging in place. We wanted to bring every aspect of the housing industry under one umbrella, and so we will do that.”

Constituents can register for the free event here.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Cleveland, OH

Fire crews battle Cleveland duplex blaze, ammunition heard popping inside

Published

on

Fire crews battle Cleveland duplex blaze, ammunition heard popping inside


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Division of Fire responded to a 2 1/2 story side-by-side duplex fire Monday afternoon.

According to Cleveland Fire, the call came in just after 5 p.m. at 2154 and 2156 W 98th St.

The fire started in a second floor bedroom that spread to the attic.

Due to the size of the house and the volume of the fire, an extra engine and ladder companies were called to assist.

Advertisement

Cleveland Fire said a total of eight adults and three children were displaced from the fire and the Red Cross was called to assist.

Fire crews battle Cleveland duplex blaze, ammunition heard popping inside(Source: WOIO)

Firearms were inside the structure and firefighters said they could hear ammunition going off as they fought the fire.

The fire also extended to an old tree that caught fire.

Total estimated loss is $120,000, Cleveland Fire said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and no injuries were reported.

Advertisement

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending