Uptown + Hessler Court

Uptown, University Circle’s vibrant corridor where arts, culture, and campus life converge. Rooted in its origins as an early 20th-century mercantile district, the neighborhood today reflects layers of history shaped by education, activism, and evolving urban life.

Steps away stands the Cozad-Bates House. The last remaining pre-Civil Ware structure in University Circle, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and in 2006, designated at a Cleveland Landmark. The home is significant to its connections to the Underground Railroad a role in the abolitionist movement in Cleveland.

Stroll to Hessler Court and Hessler Road, where preservation and protest meet. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this quiet, tree-canopied street is known for its rare wooden-block paving—the last of its kind in Cleveland—and its legacy as a hub for the counterculture movement of the 1960s and ‘70s. Once home to communes, artists, and the beloved Hessler Street Fair, the area remains a symbol of grassroots activism and community pride.