Cudell, Cleveland

Cudell is located on land which was originally the property of Franklin Reuben Elliott, a horticulturalist and fruit farmer.^[5][6] The land changed ownership multiple times before being purchased by Frank E. Cudell, an architect whose firm designed multiple buildings in Cleveland, including apartment buildings on W. 99th St.^[7]

Cudell also deeded a portion of land along West Blvd. to the city which was used as a public park and eventually became home to Cudell Recreation Center. Today, the Cudell Tower, a memorial to Cudell from his wife, stands on the site of Cudell’s estate near the recreation center in an area known as Cudell Commons.^[8][9]

Throughout the 20th century, Cudell was a working class neighborhood populated by workers from nearby factories.^[10][11] Cudell’s population peaked at roughly 17,600 in 1940.^[12] In the 1960s, Interstate 90 was constructed, isolating the southern portion of the neighborhood.^[13][14]

In 2014, Cudell Recreation Center was the site of the shooting of Tamir Rice.^[15]

As of 2021, Cudell had a population of 9,960.^[1] Cudell is a racially diverse neighborhood. As of 2021, the population was 46.8% white, 32.3% black, 3.5% Asian-American/Pacific Islander, and 17.4% other races, with 21.3% of the population self-reporting as hispanic or latino.^[1]

40.9% of Cudell’s population, 50.4% of Cudell’s child population, and 31.7% of Cudell’s senior population live below the poverty line.^[1]

The majority of Cudell’s population resides in one- or two-family homes, with the exception of a concentration of apartments near the RTA Rapid Transit's West Boulevard–Cudell station.^[16][17]

• Cudell Improvement Inc.