CONTACT:
Felicia Hall
Director of Administration
Cleveland Restoration Society
Phone: (216) 426-3110
Fax: (216) 426-1975
E-mail: felicia.hall@clevelandrestoration.org

Celebration of Heritage: Spotlighting Cleveland’s Diversity

A Benefit for the Cleveland Restoration Society

Location:    St. John A.M.E. Church (2261 East 40th Street, Cleveland)

                   The Emeritus House (4450 Cedar Avenue, Cleveland)

Date:          Saturday, July 26, 2008

Time:           5:30 – 10:30 p.m.

The Cleveland Restoration Society this summer is highlighting Cleveland’s African-American history in the city’s Central neighborhood.  The honorary chairman for this event is Robert P. Madison, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and Chairman and CEO of the Cleveland architectural firm Robert P. Madison International.

The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with an inspiration musical program at St. John A.M.E. Church followed by cocktails and a buffet “soul food” dinner at the Emeritus House.  St. John’s congregation, chartered as the African Methodist-Episcopal Society in 1836, was the first black church, and the only permanent one, to be established in Cleveland during the antebellum period.  The neoclassical church building, built in 1908, has been lovingly cared for by the congregation.  Emeritus House, a nine-story brick structure built in 1927, is home to the Phillis Wheatley Association, a social service organization founded in 1911 and dedicated to serving the needs of Central’s children, families, and elderly.

The benefit is the first in a series planned by the Cleveland Restoration Society to spotlight Northeast Ohio’s racial and ethnic diversity.  Tables begin at $1,500 and individual tickets can be purchased for $175 per person.  Call the Cleveland Restoration Society at (216) 426-3111 for more information.

The Cleveland Restoration Society is the region’s largest nonprofit preservation organization and is a Local Partner affiliate of the National Trust.  Founded in 1972, CRS is dedicated to the preservation of Greater Cleveland’s historic resources.  CRS is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

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