Location and Context

Lake Pool Park is located at 1341 West 85th Street, which is within Ward 15 and the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, represented by City Council Member Jenny Spencer. According to The Center for Community Solutions and Cleveland State University's Northern Ohio Data and Information Service, the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood has a population of 10,159, of which, approximately 20% identified as Black or African American. The mean household income is $75,527. A location map of the park is provided in the Attachments section. A complete renovation of the park began in Spring 2024 and is anticipated to be completed, and re-opened to the public, by Fall 2024. Below is the conceptual site plan for Lake Pool Park.

Public Artwork Theme and Focus Area

City Council Member Jenny Spencer notified the Cleveland Public Art Committee that the community would like to honor local resident Walter B. Wright (1852-1939) in any public artwork in the park. Mr. Wright was a prominent African-American who lived directly across West 85th Street from the park between 1896 and 1939 upon his death. Mr. Wright's prominence was tied to his stature as the personal secretary to numerous railroad presidents, including the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad and the New York, Chicago, and St. Louis railroad. Mr. Wright began his career in the railroad industry in 1873 as a porter and was promoted to chief clerk in the purchasing department before his promotion to personal secretary, which he held until 1922 upon his retirement. Historian Russel H. Davis, author of Black Americans in Cleveland from George Peake to Carl B. Stokes, 1796-1962, referred to Mr. Wright's position as personal secretary as "probably the most outstanding position held by a Negro" in Cleveland.

The Public Art Committee, in authorizing the release of this RFQ, identified the theme for any public artwork be related to Walter B. Wright in response to the community's desire to honor him. A focus area in the park was not identified, therefore any area of the park is permissible for the public artwork.

Budget

The all-inclusive budget to complete the Lake Pool Park project is $20,000. This all-inclusive budget includes costs related to public engagement; the design, fabrication, and installation of the public artwork; any artist fee; and all other related expenses.

Conceptual Site Plan