Poznan (est 1878)
The neighborhood’s history stems back to the arrival of Ansel Young and his family in 1817. Ansel was a tanner and a fuller who owned a factory on Doan Brook near Wade Park Avenue. Ansel Avenue was named after him, as his home once stood there.
In the 1830s, German immigrants such as Henry and Christina Hecker settled in the area. A German immigrant named Joseph Hoffman arrived in 1850. He and many other German immigrants were gardeners by trade.
As early as 1878, Poles, primarily Prussian Poles, settled near E. 79th Street and Superior Avenue. They came to Cleveland to work in factories and probably chose the area because of the existing German population. The neighborhood became known as “Poznan,” named after the Polish province from which the immigrants were from.
By 1892, the Polish population in the area was large enough to establish a Polish Roman Catholic parish. Joseph Hoffman donated the land for St. Casimir’s Church, located on Sowinski Avenue. St. Casimir’s is the second-oldest Polish parish in the city of Cleveland.
The neighborhood of Poznan encompasses the area bounded by Liberty Blvd., E. 79th Street, Superior Avenue and St. Clair Avenue.