Code,999005
Subject,William Merriman
Date,11/19/2005
Interviewer,Emma Yanoshik-Wing
Abstract,"In this 2005 interview, William Merriman, a deacon at St. Patrick's Church on Bridge Avenue on the near west side of Cleveland, discusses his involvement with the Ohio City community since beginning to do volunteer work at St. Patrick's in 1969.  Mr. Merriman exhibits a wealth of knowledge about the development of Ohio City as an independent city and later as an important neighborhood of Cleveland.  He speaks at length about the importance of diversity to Ohio City and how he, through his Church and in other ways, contributes to the Ohio City community. Mr. Merriman also talks about important historic institutions in and near Ohio City, including the YMCA building on Clinton, St. Patrick's Church on Bridge, and the old kosher stockyards near Clark Avenue.  He also discusses court-ordered busing and how in the 1970s it damaged existing diversity on the west side of Cleveland."
Special Notes,"(very thoughtful and interesting interview subject) detroit shoreway, urban renewal, cleveland public schools"
minutes:,94 min.
,999005A:
0,smalltalk
1,
2,introduction and background
3,growing up in chicago; GI Bill; moving to cleveland to attend John Carrol University
4,volunteering at St. Patricks Parish in Cleveland; traveling in East Africa
5,"Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, history: Underground Railroad"
6,
7,"""I'm told that the last [escaped slave] to be taken [by bounty-hunters] prior to the firing on Fort Sumter was a women caught on Church Avenue"""
8,from historic Native American Trail to Interurban Railroad route
9,Detroit Shoreway neighborhood improvement project: restoration and preservation
10,providing affordable housing
11,Women's Transitional Housing
12,Miller Building; 3607 Clinton Building
13,County Nursing Home/Fairview Hospital
14,"""this neighborhood has been an opportunity for me to let some of my interests and my gifts... come to the surface"""
15,[14:40] YMCA consolidation leads to closing of westside branch
16,
17,"philanthropy and community service versus ""the bottom line"""
18,"Neighborhood Development Organizations, interorganizational cooperation (Ohio City Near West, Tremont West Development Corporation, Detroit Shoreway)"
19,
20,"neighborhood development corporations: establishment, collaboration, funding"
21,
22,
23,
24,"mission: safety, housing preservation, development"
25,"Block Clubs, purpose: personal support, political pressure"
26,"Zone Recreation Center, establishment"
27,original proposed site
28,"secret highway project: ""by then our trust in state government... had been totally poisoned"""
29,"in response to community activism, the state withdraws project and provides land for Recreation Center"
30,urban decline: arson and highway development destroy westside neighborhoods
31,"[30:30] March on Columbus: ""[state government] has ridden roughshod over urban areas"""
32,[31:40] highway development and desegregation bussing cause depopulation
33,"cultural diversity: ""a model community"" before desegregation bussing began"
34,"as a result of depopulation, housing for african-americans becomes available on west side"
35,Cleveland Public School District [CPS]: changes in bussing and reorganization of schools
36,
37,"1960s: new school construction favored whites and discouraged integration, ""[Paul Briggs, of CPS] is personally responsible for much of the loss that the city has suffered"""
38,"open schools movement: Briggs' new buildings were ""just a big waste of money"""
39,Catholic Schools are successful under similar conditions with older buildings
40,
,
,999005B:
1,"YMCA building: housed in Wilson family mansion, closed by ""beancounters downtown"""
2,the rich history of Ohio city provides a model for independent neighborhood development
3,"YMCA building ""emblamizes that risk and that challenge [to preserve diversity and build community]"
4,community use of YMCA
5,"""we've got room in our community for those people that are marginalized"""
6,"Saint Patrick's Parish and other churches: community service, programming, charitable services"
7,"local churches ""are one of the most powerful things that keep the communities glued together"""
8,"West Side Market: ""one of the boat anchors of the neighborhood""; St. John's Church"
9,the value of preserving historic housing
10,
11,Saint Patrick's Parish: history
12,
13,debunking an urban legend about ship masts being stolen from Boston harbor for construction
14,work as a mail carrier for US Postal Service
15,"""it was a real priveledge [to work in my own neighborhood]""; story about discovering that a resident on postal route had died"
16,
17,"story about a serendipitous meeting on postal route: ""unfortunatley our society doesn't have people out on the street… it's not that hard [to bring people together]"
18,cities provide opportunities to connect with other people that suburbs cannot
19,
20,
21,Detroit Shoreway: community outreach beyond neighborhood boundaries
22,Ohio City and Detroit Shoreway neighborhoods overlap in residential perception of space
23,importance of collaboration and communication with other neighborhoods
24,"""there's no room for jealousy, or suspicion, or competitiveness"""
25,"Near West Side neighborhoods, assets: proximity to lakefront and downtown"
26,
27,diverse activities and diverse residents
28,"""beautiful architecture""; ""our little downtown on 25th"""
29,improvement of adjacent neighborhoods is also important
30,"Stockyards neighborhood: ""an area of promise… [but] in need of a lot of support"""
31,remembering a Kosher Slaughterhouse near Clark Avenue
32,"Whiskey Island: block club petition to ""save whiskey island""; nice story about a visit in 1971"
33,changes
34,"parkland versus Cleveland's shipping economy: ""it would be good… if people could intermingle with the shipping"""
35,"""it's kind of a religious experience to see these pyramids [of piled stone]"""
36,Bop Stop (jazz club): reflecting on the interplay of jazz and the urban-industrial mileau
37,
38,Detroit Shoreway Development Corporation: history
39,"importance of committed individuals (ray pianca, zone family, et al.)"
40,
41,"Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, urban culture:  ""it can't be replicated [by suburban shopping centers]"
42,
43,"Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, economy:  grocery and retail consolidation"
44,"""[family-owned businesses] are almost all gone now"""
45,
46,
47,emerging niche businesses and cultural trends encourage a better sense of community
48,"Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, community-building: Harvest Moon Potluck"
49,
50,establishing and maintaining the Kentucky Garden
51,
52,"living in the city: ""this is my life, this is who I am, there's nowhere else to go"""
53,
54,end