Code,990010
Subject,Philmore J. Hart
Date,6/3/2013
Interviewer,Timothy Klypchak
Abstract,"Phil Hart was born in Jewish Glenville in the 1920s. His mother and father's families were both in the community and he talks about growing up in the Glenville area, going to School at Patrick Henry and Glenville High School. After high school he started college at Ohio State, then going to Western Reserve University, then to Oberlin under the V-12 program with the Navy. Upon returning from the Navy he returned to Western Reserve and met his friend Robert Madison. He was politically involved in Cleveland Heights, where his mother had relocated while he was involved with World War II, as a councilman and he helped prevent the construction of a freeway dividing the cities of Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights. He is still involved with the Jewish Community Federation."
Tags,"Jewish, Glenville, World War II, Navy, John D. Rockefeller, E 105th St., Massey Ave, Patrick Henry Junior High, Glenville High School, Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Democrats, Republicans, Freeway, Lee Road, Robert Madison, synogogue, Van Sweringen, deed restrictions, Shaker Heights, Little Italy,Tommy's Subs"
Special Notes,Phone rings multiple times in the last twenty minutes of the interview. Volume changes as he moves toward and away from the microphone as well.
minutes:,
0,"Introduction, Philmore J. Hart, Born in Cleveland, Ohio at Mt. Sinai, St. Luke or Lakeside"
1,"Glenville, bound by St. Clair and Superior, East Blvd. to East Cleveland; Glenville High School was the focus, 95% Jewish"
2,"Area was a self made ghetto, 105th St was a highlight, corsette shop to plumbing shops, funeral homes, movie houses; Communist hotbed in the 1930s"
3,Speakers Corner; anyone who wanted to talk about their philosophy could; everyone knew everyone; open on Jewish high holidays
4,"Jewish life was centered around synogogue vibrant neigborhood; school was academically well, in band and ochestra in high school"
5,"people just trying to assimilate, Phil's parents born in the US; one side came from Hungary, the other from Lithuania"
6,"cluster from old countries were still present, father was born in Hungary; paternal grandfather was in the gold rush"
7,"was a bartender; opened up a couple bars in Cleveland (Hungarian); maternal grandfather was a tailor, came to New York in late 19th century"
8,"Joseph and Feis, opened his own tailor shop on W 25th, maternal grandfather dressed up"
9,"Lived on Massie Ave, 105th and Massie, Solomon's Deli ;opened up retail on third floor"
10,"grandfather had 9-10 people living in house; 12 years old Phil was runner from basement presser to third floor "".25"", presser was first black guy he got to know"
11,"Only one black guy attended Glenville; Gangster living on Massie Ave., Sully Hart, operated by contract, would rob poker games"
12,"rumored to have killed council person from the area; father was large, black hair and blonde eyebrows, could play piano by ear and sing"
13,"father started out as a plumber, worked for standard oil, got into construction of gas and oil depos around Ohio"
14,"John D. Rockefeller antisemite; father was let go at 24 years and some months; father started own business and made more money, original name Hurskowitz"
15,talks about family change name and from Herschkowitz to Hart going into World War I
16,"Passover was a special holiday, one with mother and one with father, every saturday poker at mothers, fathers family played pinnacle on Sunday"
17,"father died at 54 of cancer, father taught him baseball, dad was a pitcher and Phil was a catcher; mother was oldest of her family"
18,"mother was queen of the family, lost when Phil's father died, went to work; worked for Jewish Community Federation, Jewish Welfare"
19,"Park Synogogue, had the only pool in the neighborhood (now in Beachwood); mother had nine sibilings; Passover had 35-40"
20,"One maternal uncle went to college and became a lawyer, mother had 9th grade education; cooked as well"
21,"off  E 123rd, still Jewish but different, Jewish but less pronounced by East Cleveland, always rented the upstairs of houses; house was on a cliff above creek by forest hill park"
22,"went to Chesterfield Elementary, Patrick Henry Junior High; sadistic home room teacher"
23,"teacher would hit boys in the back of the neck, dragged Phil by his hair out of the room; father put a stop to teachers antics with Phil only"
24,"said a bunch of class mates stood up to teachers; Glenville, Sydney Vincent- Director of Jewish Communiy Federation"
25,"talks about female teacher who had him sit in front of her, reading Treasure Island"
26,teacher had Phil draw instead of writing a report on Treasure Island
27,"got a job at Loew's State Theater downtown, worked at White Motor on St. Clair, was making half tracks anf Scout Cars"
28,"Worked at Murray Ohio on assembly line, parents knew was going to college, father suggested Phil become an architect; Phil went to Ohio State"
29,"went in 1941, was disappointed because the school was huge, pledged to a fraternity, did not tell his fraternity he went out for Ohio State baseball team and made the team"
30,"transferred to Western Reserve and had a better time; Navy V-12 program, two years of college then officer, went to Oberlin"
31,Oberlin did not have architecture; took philosophy;story about helping chief petty officer having the design wrong
32,"transferred to University of Illinois, would up at Colombia during later part of the war; was officer incharge of LCT"
33,"talks about LCT and the duties of being ship to shore; put on LST, got to Pearl Harbor"
34,"tells story about a chipping hammer and get rid of old boats; talks about blacks in the navy, the were mess boys and gofers"
35,tells story about blacks moving the ammunition and dumping it in the ocean
36,talks about coming home and going back to Reserve University; left the military in 1946
37,tells story about Robert Madison and going to little italy and discrimination
38,
39,"tells about Bob trying to get into Western Reserve University, using his military uniform; Bob told Phil he was passed out of school as fast as possible"
40,"dean would communicate to Robert Madison through Phil; Phil went to Illinois Institute of technology, Phil studied Ludwig Mies van der Rohe"
41,"Seagrams building in New York, worked out of Chicago, Phil left him to start his own practice in Cleveland; three year certificate course in Gestalt Institute"
42,Summer in England studying New Towns and constructions of the towns
43,called it socialism in the United States; around 30-40 in England; Call from Chicago and was asked to teach fifth year for achitecture
44,became chair of department of Arcitecture and was removed from Case Western Reserve University around 1971
45,"taught at John Carroll, teaches at Jewish Community Center; got into photography"
46,father died while he was over seas; lived in big house on Massie in the time of White Flight; mother moved with uncle on Ivydale; Phil and wife first lived in Glenville
47,bought a house on Essex Road for 44 years; moved to current residence mid 2000s
48,talks about being a liberal and a democrat; got involved with politics and first the schools; ran for precinct committee man
49,story about telling mom about winning committee man; was on the board of zoning appeals for 5-6 years
50,talks about woman taking in borders in singe family house; talks about lawyer on board of zoning
51,"talks about Cleveland Heights being Republican, and the Van Sweringen deed restrictions"
52,deed restrictions
53,permission from 3 of 5 neighbors and borrowing money from bank
54,talks about Jewish guy who built house with own money
55,talks about paint restrictions and other ordinance restrictions for Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights; talks about Dems (democrats controlling council); was councilman for 12 years
56,loved dealing with the public and said was not a good politician
57,talks about helping locate the parking garage in coventry; talks about parking garage on Lee Road
58,"Community Improvement Awards, was on committee then chaired committee for 10 years; talks about freeways"
59,"talks about Lee Freeway from 480 along Lee Road, dividing Shaker and Cleveland Heights; talks about teaming with Shaker, forming a committee"
60,"talks about defeating the freeway running through two cities, battle was decided on, talks about 60 acre change"
61,talks about republicans and democats working the system
62,Children went to school in Cleveland Heights
63,
64,talks about Robert Madison building houses
65,Bob became chair of planning commission
66,
67,"talks about Lee Sideman, friends with Tommy from Tommy's Subs; High Tide Rockbottom"
68,"Glenville Riots; Bruce Klunder (did not know him, their childen went to school together); talks about working with people in Hough to rebuild"
59,tried to get a sense out of what was torn down; riot around Kent State; department of architecture was outgoing
70,"architecture and photography, stuff would get lost from dark room"
71,"talks about putting people in charge to not lose anything; Western Reserve Riot, guys wanted to take dark room"
72,dark room story; talks about wife on Euclid almost being run over by policemen on horses
73,"talks about board of trustees taking over Case Western and possibly ending Architecture, Education and Anthropology"
74,talks about bringing in militant President of the University; loss of department of Architecture
75,talks about Cleveland State not having architecture
76,not getting of urban planner
77,"President of AIA of Cleveland, would go to Washington; went to several congressmen"
78,talks about  meeting with Dennis Krusinich
79,what materialized was a symposium; a guy from the Cleveland Foundation and Gund Foundation picked up on his solution
80,"Sustainable Community Symposium; Cleveland State was involved, three symposiums"
81,"Dennis helped push for the symposium, still conducted through College of Urban Affairs"
82,End of Interview