Clifton Park South Historic District, Lakewood, OH
Listed 2021
Located in the northwest corner of Lakewood, Clifton Park was created in the early 1890s as a master-planned, single-family residential community. It features curving streets, irregularly shaped lots, park areas and a beach on Lake Erie set aside for the exclusive use of Clifton Park residents. The plan included minimum investment requirements and uniform set-back lines for residences but allowed property owners freedom to design their residences. The result in Clifton Park is an eclectic mix of architectural styles popular in the first third of the twentieth century.
In the mid-1960s Clifton Boulevard was extended through Clifton Park to the east bank of the Rocky River, and then across Rocky River Valley over a new bridge. This project divided Clifton Park into northern and southern sections, which merited listing as historic districts in the National Register for the historic significance of its community planning and architectural quality and diversity.
Working with a key resident and project funder, Historic Preservation Group completed the nomination of the 98-building southern section, which joins the northern section, the Clifton Park Lakefront District, in the National Register of Historic Places.
