Beachwood History
The early history of Beachwood dates back to the Western
Reserve, the establishment of the state of Ohio, the formation
of counties within the state, and the division of counties
into townships. One of the original townships was Warrensville.
Warrensville Township lost land over the course of a century
to seven cities and villages, including Beachwood.
Early state legislation permitted incorporation of villages
with a minimum of 30 inhabitants. Beachwood Village was
part of Warrensville Township until 1915, when it seceded
following a decision by township officials to close a school
in that area. On May 29, 1915, a petition signed by 57
freeholders of the northeastern part of the township was
filed with the trustees. They asked that their section,
containing a population of 151, be permitted to incorporate
as a village. On June 15, 1915, an election was held at
the schoolhouse at the corner of Richmond Road and North
Woodland Road (officially renamed Fairmount Boulevard in
September, 1925). Out of 47 votes, only one was against
the proposal. On June 26, 1915, the trustees of Warrensville
Township ordered the incorporation of Beachwood Village.
The Village started to hold regularly scheduled Council
Meetings on October 4, 1915. The first City Council Meeting
was held at the old, red brick schoolhouse. This building
was first erected in 1868 as a part of Warrensville Township.
The following Council Meetings and all Village business
was conducted out of the homes of elected Council officials
until June 24, 1924 when Council changed the official headquarters
of the Village back to the red brick schoolhouse, which
was shared with the Beachwood Board of Education.
In August of 1926, with an increasing school population,
the Board of Education erected a temporary one story wooden
building approximately 50 feet behind the red brick schoolhouse
on Village owned property to house additional students
while a new large school building was being erected up
the street. That building was later known as Fairmount
School, but upon completion in 1927, it was referred to
as "Beechwood School." That building also served
as the headquarters of the Beachwood Board of Education
offices until the building was demolished.
During the first ten years, the Council approved a water
contract with Cleveland, employed an engineer to prepare
a plan for laying out the Village, provided some street
lighting, and contracted with Cuyahoga County to keep prisoners
of the Village. Beachwood received its name from the Beech
trees that once covered the majority of our City. Rumor
has it that an early Village Hall clerk misspelled the
name on some official documents giving us today's current
spelling.
On May 14, 1929, the Village purchased the temporary wooden
building from the Board of Education for $3,887.19. That
same year, the red brick schoolhouse was demolished and
the wooden building was moved to the exact location of
where the red brick schoolhouse stood. A basement was dug,
and a lower garage was added. This building then became
the first permanent Village Hall of Beachwood. The rear
portion of the building, which formerly housed the Fire
Department, was added in 1961. The front of this building
became "The Beachwood Center for the Arts."
Next to the Beachwood Village Hall was the Centenary Church,
which was constructed in 1884. The stone foundation came
from a small quarry on the Bleasdale farm near the area
of Harvard and Richmond Roads. When anyone in the community
passed away, the Church bell was tolled once for each year
of his or her age. In the 1920s, it was moved back several
yards for the widening of North Woodland Road (now Fairmount
Boulevard). By the 1970's, the aging congregation was rapidly
decreasing. On August 4, 1980, the church trustees voted
to sell the church. It was purchased by the City of Beachwood
and formerly housed our Administrative Fire Department
staff until the new station was built in 2001.
At the corner of Green Road and Halburton Road, there is
the Warrensville East Cemetery which is now owned by the
City. There are gravestones that date back to 1813. Buried
in that cemetery are 47 veterans from six different wars,
including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the
Civil War.
Progressive growth has been a proud part of Beachwood's
long history. Over the years, many changes have taken place
in the schools and the City government. In 1960, Beachwood
attained "City" status, with the census showing
a population of 6,089. Today, there are more than 2,900
homes and more than 2,500 apartment and condominium units
in the City. A comprehensive plan concentrates commercial
development in certain areas. The City covers an area of
about six square miles, and has a population of more than
12,186.
View the City of Beachwood historical
photo gallery.
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