by Kara Hamley O'Donnell
Courtesy of “Focus on the Heights,” published
by the City of Cleveland Heights, here are some rudimentary tips for researching
your house.
To begin with, you will need the house’s address and the permanent parcel
number, which you can get from your deed or by calling the Cuyahoga County
Auditor at 216-443-7092. The Auditor also maintains a web site from which
you can glean basic information about your house, as well as the permanent
parcel number. The address is http://www.cuyahoga.oh.us/auditor/.
Cleveland
Heights City Hall, 40 Severance Circle, Cleveland
Heights
At Cleveland Heights City Hall, Original Building Permits, which give
the name of the owners, builders and architects involved are available
for many homes built after 1915. Also at City Hall, the Planning Department
has plat maps from 1898, 1912, 1914, 1920 and 1941 available for reference.
Cuyahoga
Country Archives, 2905 Franklin Avenue, Cleveland
Ask to be taken to the room at the southwest corner of the building and
look at the “big maps.” They are well organized and clearly labeled. They
show the various owners of the property and when they acquired it. The
Archives also stocks old City Directories, which are similar to today’s
phone books. However, in addition to a person’s name and address, his/her
occupation is listed. Lastly, building cards (tax assessor’s cards) are
available at the Archives. You may find one with a 1950s-era photo of
your house on it.
Cleveland
Public Library, 325 Superior Avenue, NE, Cleveland
The Cleveland Public Library has a wealth of information. For example,
the Photo Archive has a box of photos for Cleveland Heights. However,
you must wade through the pictures in hopes of finding one of your house.
The Library’s
Necrology Index is another information source. Once you have
discovered the names of your home’s previous owners, you can find out
more about them by looking through the Library’s obituary index on microfilm.
Lastly, the Library’s Map Room contains plat maps and the “Sanborn” maps,
which are on online
and on microfilm. These fire insurance maps show a footprint of the building,
much like the plat maps available at City Hall.
Cleveland
Heights Main Library, 2345 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights
The Heights Library stocks clipping files on various topics and a reference
selection of several local history books. The Sun Press is also on microfilm
as far back as the 1920s. Also see the City Directories from 1930 and
after.
Cleveland
State University Library, 1860 East 22nd Street, Cleveland
Special
Collections houses many historic documents and is home to the
Cleveland
Digital Library. The Cleveland
Press clipping file is arranged by topic. You can click up
names of people, places or events and search out a file.
Western
Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Boulevard,
Cleveland
There is a wealth of information here, including a detailed photo archive,
historic postcards, maps, books, personal papers of prominent Clevelanders,
and information from the Women’s Civic Club of Cleveland Heights.
Cuyahoga
County Recorder, 1219 Ontario, second floor
This is where you can find the deed history of your property. It is time
consuming and tedious work; however it is easier if you have most of the
names and dates from the Cuyahoga County Archives.
Kelvin
Smith Library, CWRU, 11055 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland
This library has an interesting archive. You will find The Plain Dealer
on microfilm, as well as Cleveland history books, old plan books and general
local information.
The
Cleveland Heights Planning and Development Department also
encourages you to contact them with additional questions about researching
your home. The number is 216-291-4885.
The Cleveland Heights Historical Society recently acquired a
lengthy list of
Property Research Tips from the Cleveland Public Library. CHHS
extends its thanks to CPL.
* Discovering
the History of Your Historic Home
* Tracing
the History of Your Property
*
Finding the History in Your Home
* How
to Find the History of Your House
* Researching
the History of Your House
* Investigating
Your House’s History
* Piecing
Together Your House’s History
* House
Historic Research Guide
* Historic House
Architecture
* Society of Architectural
Historians
* Researching
the History of Your Home
* History
of Your Historic House
* Finding
the History of Your House
* How
to Research the History of Your Home
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