Old Brooklyn is a neighborhood on the West Side of Cleveland, OH, United States, located approximately five miles south of downtown Cleveland. It extends east to west from the Cuyahoga River to the city of Brooklyn and north to south from the Brookside Park Valley to the city of Parma.
A neighborhood is more than a collection of buildings. It is home. Pulsing with pride. Thriving for business. Respite in worship. Revelatory in nature. Old Brooklyn is a neighborhood that offers you a chance to design, live, and discover. Old Brooklyn encompasses all of Cleveland’s Ward 13 and the southwestern portion of Ward 12. Its population, according to the 2010 census, was 32,010.
The residential sprawl of Old Brooklyn is home to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where gorillas, giant snakes, and jungle cats live in landscaped zones modeled on native habitats. The surrounding streets are dotted with mainstream clothing stores, popular suburban brunch spots, and low-key neighborhood bars. Brookside Reservation has nature trails through wild parkland.
Commercial development in Old Brooklyn reached its apex during the period of 1920–1960. Shopping districts spread along Pearl, Broadview, and State Roads and were followed, after World War II, by the development of shopping plazas at the intersections of Memphis-Fulton, Broadview-Brookpark, and Pearl-Brookpark. The original Honey Hut ice cream shop, a favorite of many West-siders, can be found on State Road near the south end of the community.
The most ambitious period of residential construction extended from the early 20th century to the 1950s. During the 1980s and 1990s, residential development experienced a resurgence, particularly in the South Hills and Jennings Road areas. Housing values in Old Brooklyn, today, are among the highest within Cleveland proper.
Old Brooklyn is bounded on the north by Interstate 71 and by Denison Ave. The western boundary is Ridge Road, the southern is Brookpark Road, and the eastern is the Cuyahoga River and State Route 176 (the Jennings Freeway). Most of Old Brooklyn’s northern and eastern borders are with other neighborhoods of the city of Cleveland, while some of its western boundaries are with the city of Brooklyn. Its southern boundary is large with the city of Parma, though it also shares a short border with Brooklyn Heights.
Old Brooklyn’s most notable landmark, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, was created in 1907 when Cleveland’s Park Board relocated the Zoo from University Circle on Cleveland’s east side to Brookside Park. The 145-acre park lies entirely within Old Brooklyn and is one of the 16 nature preserve reservations of the Cleveland Metroparks system.
Buckeye-Shaker
Olivia’s Kitchens of Cleveland