Written by Kerry Adams
Cozad-Bates House (Photo: Cleveland Restoration Society)
Constructed in three phases between 1853 and 1872, the Italianate Style Cozad-Bates House continues to present a commanding presence along busy Mayfield Road in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. Previously owned by University Hospitals, the building had been chopped into 18 apartments and then left vacant for many years. Without the benefit of local landmark status or any preservation protections, the house seemed destined for a very uncertain future as development began to encroach upon the area.
The rescue and renaissance of the Cozad-Bates House was long an ambition of the Cleveland Landmarks Commission and the Cleveland Restoration Society, a Local Partner of the National Trust, but the effort really picked up steam in 2003 through the heroic efforts of 73-year old Joan Southgate, who raised the profile of the property’s potential involvement in the Underground Railroad (UGRR) during the 1850s. Scholarly research provided insight that not only was Cleveland a hotbed of UGRR activity, but nearby neighbors Horatio and Cyrus Ford were safe house operators. Since the Cozad family were also known abolitionists, it appeared very probable that the original portion of the home may too have harbored slaves on their way to freedom in Canada.
To raise awareness about the importance of the Cozad-Bates House and Cleveland’s UGRR activity, Ms. Southgate, a social worker and activist, walked 519 miles along the trail blazed by slaves from Southern Ohio to Southeastern Canada. She founded the non-profit, Restore Cleveland Hope, carefully crafting the name to include the UGRR’s historic code name for Cleveland - “Hope.” Her mission evolved into classes and workshops which involved participants in UGRR safe-house re-enactments. Joan chronicled her journey in the book, In Their Path.
The tide continued to turn in 2004, with the support of late United States Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, former Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, and various city and county officials who urged University Hospitals to maintain the house and expansive lawn as a monument to Cleveland’s Underground Railroad legacy.
In April 2006, University Hospitals finally transferred ownership of the property to University Circle Incorporated, a community development corporation that has worked in partnership with Restore Cleveland Hope and the Cleveland Restoration Society to restore the building as an Underground Railroad learning center. Over the past three years, the Cozad-Bates House has become a Local Cleveland Landmark and the exterior has been secured. A recent grant from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission will fund complete roof replacement and restoration of the house’s signature cupola. On-going fundraising by Southgate and UCI will pave the way for a historic structure report and feasibility study.
Kerry Adams is a Senior Historic Preservation Specialist at the Cleveland Restoration Society.
Dawn Ellis
February 12, 2010
I’ve been doing some research on this house as part of the Historic Preservation program at Ursuline and I think it’s great that it’s getting some national exposure!
Jim Miller
February 12, 2010
In the 1970′s and 80′s, the University Circle Tenants Union successfully organized to save the houses and apartment buildings on E. 115th St., between Mayfield Rd. and Cornell Rd. in University Circle in Cleveland. The Cozad-Bates House was one the structures on that street which would likely have been torn down in that period to provide surface parking, etc. for University Hospitals. University Circle, Inc., operating in large part as the agent for University Hospitals and secondarily for CWRU, had very little interest in the islands of residential living which remained in the Circle, viewing them as an impediment to its mission. Over 30 years later, that has changed, fortunately. Tenants Union activists, of which I was one, were well aware of the importance of saving the pre-Civil War Cozad, although we were not aware of a possible UGRR connection. All of us must salute Joan Southgate and her co-workers as they continue the struggle.
Chuck Levy
February 12, 2010
I lived in one of the apartments in the Cozad House for many years, finally leaving in 1985. It was always a grand structure, with its high-ceilings and circular rooms. I have vivid memories of the people who loved in the house and in the neighborhood, including Jim Miller. I too joined protests against the destruction of the homes, many of which are gone.,
The Cozad deserves to be celebrated. I am glad that it is getting it due.
Sally Thomas
February 13, 2010
As Curator of a museum, dedicated to an Abolitionist family who were financially and actively involved in the Underground Railroad, the Sutliff Museum in Warren, Ohio, I applaud the news about the Cozad-Bates House! Levi & Phebe Sutliff and Levi’s brother Milton (Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court for a term) have left us an inspiring heritage here in Trumbull County and we are mandated to educate people about the UGRR. When the Cozad House is ready, we will make one of our annual One Day Bus Tours to see and learn from it.
Carla Rautenberg
March 2, 2010
I, too, lived in the Cozad-Bates house from 1969 to 1971. My then-husband and I had a two-room apartment (large kitchen and large living room, plus of course a bathroom) to the right of the front door. Since we had a baby grand piano in the living room, we decided that our bed would have to be in the kitchen. It worked just great! The rent was $85 a month including parking, heat, electricity and water. After our daughter was born, the quarters were too cramped and we moved to a spacious two-family in Cleve. Hts.
Joan Southgate is a heroine and an inspiration. I hope the entire community will be generous in supporting the efforts of her organization, Restore Cleveland Hope, to save this beautiful historic structure and preserve the legacy of the Underground Railroad.