Outhwaite Homes

Named for an area street, which in turn had been named for a famous, early Cleveland family, the Outhwaite Homes Estate was one of the first twelve public housing projects nationwide constructed after the passage of the Federal Public Housing Act. The original segment, consisting of 557 units, was begun in 1935, while the second phase was built in 1939, consisting of 449 units.

The site design of Outhwaite, like other earlier CMHA projects, represents the formal layout of a large-scale building development popular in the thirties. This plan combines low, smaller building elements into a string with façade lengths ranging up to 1,100 feet in length. To further enhance the quality of design, the buildings are rare Cleveland examples of the “art deco” movement of the thirties. Balconies, detailed entrances, and the bands of soft red and brown brick enhance the international style of the building design. Buildings are grouped around courtyards, giving a “village-like” feeling to those units. Along Case Court, the site planners attempted to create a “European street scape”, with the buildings placed virtually on the right-of-way lines to give a confined, urban atmosphere to the area.

A major modernization program was introduced at Outhwaite with the award of a $12.8 million MROP Grant in 1992. Subsequently
CMHA also applied for a 1993 Hope VI Grant to renovate another portion of the estate, which was granted. Utilizing these funds, CMHA renovated and converted 489 units into 335 units at a cost of over $35 million.

The Housing Authority recognizes that the remaining Outhwaite Homes dwelling units, which have not been modernized, must be renovated in order to meet today’s standards and codes and to compliment the beautifully renovated areas. To that end, CMHA has included the remainder of Outhwaite Homes in its strategic plan for future renovations.

Outhwaite was also the home of two famous Cleveland brothers, Louis and Carl Stokes. Louis Stokes served in the U.S. Congress representing the City of Cleveland for more than 28 years and was instrumental in providing funding for the sustainability of public housing throughout the country. In 1967, Carl B. Stokes was the first African American Mayor elected in a major U.S. city. He was re-elected in 1969.

Outhwaite Homes also houses Miracle Village, a drug treatment center and Recovery Village, an after care program for families graduating from Miracle Village. Several residential buildings have been dedicated to these two programs, which strives to keep chemically dependent mothers and their children together while providing family therapy and counseling services. Implemented in 1992, this was the first residential substance abuse treatment center established within a public housing development. It has gone on to assist hundreds of families.