CONNECTIONS
NURTURING
Where diverse communities come together
Irishtown Bend Park will bring communities together in an inclusive, equitable, and accessible green space. It will serve as common ground for all — because it was designed by diverse residents from the area.
Irishtown Bend Park will be a local, regional, and out-of-town attraction. This Park will be welcoming, safe, and enjoyable for all, including people with limited mobility and those who use wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers. Its unique features include a two-acre event lawn, a playground with rocky climbing areas, an Irish archaeological site, connections to the Ohio City Farm, and a natural outdoor amphitheater oriented toward ship traffic. Trails will meander down the Park’s slope, connecting Ohio City to the river’s edge, which boasts an expansive, half-mile boardwalk.
The impact of Irishtown Bend Park will go far beyond the green space. It will carry over to the near west neighborhoods, downtown Cleveland, and to all who visit.
Where industry and nature co-exist
Before Irishtown Bend Park is created, its hillside has to be stabilized to eliminate the risk of collapse into the Cuyahoga River, a vital shipping channel.
The Park design team has partnered with stabilization engineers and the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority to maximize its design, creating a location where nature and industry will co-exist in a mutually beneficial — and beautiful — way.
From barrier to bridge
For decades, the Irishtown Bend hillside has sat vacant, disconnected from the bordering neighborhoods.
By reclaiming this land and building a world-class Park, we will break down historical boundaries and reconnect residents and the riverfront in a way that has not been possible or accessible until now.
This Park will be transformative in its ability to provide access to trails, neighborhoods, natural features, and attractions.
Irishtown Bend Park will include the last half mile in 101 miles of trails that connect Cleveland to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and beyond. Additionally, Irishtown Bend Park users will enjoy improved connections to:
The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail
Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail
Lake Erie
Ohio City
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Properties
The Flats
The Cuyahoga River
Downtown Cleveland
Red Line Greenway
Edgewater Park
Tremont
“Irishtown Bend Park — with its walking paths, open air, and green space not often found in the heart of a city — will be a place for families, cyclists, hikers, and people from across the region to come to relax. People who can’t ordinarily access green space and the waterfront will now be able to reap their benefits because of public transportation. Irishtown Bend Park will be a multi-cultural draw that can totally rejuvenate our community.”
— Dr. Donald Malone, Jr., M.D. President, Cleveland Clinic Ohio Hospitals and Family Health Centers; former President, Cleveland Clinic Lutheran Hospital (Ohio City); Ohio City resident; Irishtown Bend Park Strategy & Campaign Committee member