Now a hot night spot for twenty-somethings and urban professionals, Cleveland’s Warehouse District was once in serious disrepair after the businesses of its namesake had moved on. Prior to becoming one of Cleveland’s most popular entertainment districts, the Warehouse was home to the late 19th century Victorian wholesale commercial area. The metamorphosis to the Warehouse District’s current state can be attributed to the opening of Hilarities Comedy Club in the late 1980s (Hilarities has since moved to E. 4th). Following in the footsteps of the then burgeoning Flats entertainment district, the Warehouse District grew to the point of supplanting its older sibling as Cleveland’s premier weekend place-to-be.

This most recent transformation from empty, run-down warehouses to hip, happening clubs and restaurants is only the latest in a long lifecycle for the historic area. In the first half of the 19th century, before being occupied by warehousing and distribution terminals for more than 100 years, the Warehouse District was once part of Cleveland’s original residential area.

Although more than half of the original eight-block district north and west of Superior and W. 3rd has been razed and replaced by parking lots, the remaining restored buildings are home to some of Cleveland’s finest dining and hottest clubs. W. 6th is considered to be the heart of the Warehouse District and is usually where you’ll find the highest concentration of people on a Friday or Saturday night. Whether they’re enjoying live music at the Blind Pig, sipping under the stars on the Velvet Dog’s rooftop patio, or grabbing a late-night beer and bite at Panini’s, W. 6th is where the people are. Likewise, the delicious dishes of the Metropolitan Cafe, Blue Pointe Grill, and upscale Johnny’s Downtown bring the appetites to W. 6th as well.

See also

• Cabaret Dada