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Parma and Parma Heights finally have a place built specifically for dogs to run.

Reservoir Paw Park officially opens today, August 5, at Reservoir Park in Parma Heights. These photos show just how much room is inside the fence: roughly one acre of leash-free space, divided into separate areas for large and small dogs. Benches, waste stations and a drinking fountain for both people and pets are already in place. The newly planted trees are still small, but they are spaced throughout the grounds and will provide more shade as they mature.

This opening took patience. The Parma Area Dog Park Association began working toward a local dog park 14 years ago, starting with a petition that collected around 800 signatures. Parma and Parma Heights later partnered with Cuyahoga County, with each city receiving a $50,000 grant toward the approximately $120,000 project.

There is some local history behind the new use, too. Long before the fenced runs were added, this was open parkland behind the Parma Reservoir, a Cleveland Water facility completed in 1934 through a federal work-relief project. Reservoir Park has traditionally served the area with soccer fields, tee-ball fields and open recreation. Reservoir Paw Park now adds a dedicated off-leash space shared by two neighboring communities.

The ribbon cutting is scheduled for 5 p.m. today, August 5th. The park is located at 6098 Deering Ave., with access off Pearl Road.

Who plans to bring their dog for a first visit this week?

This south-facing wall between West 25th and West 26th holds several generations of Fries & Schuele advertising in one weathered surface.

The oldest visible layer appears to be a large painted version of the store’s name spread across the upper brickwork. At some point, Fries & Schuele repainted the name in a slightly different position, leaving one set of letters over another. As the later paint faded, both versions began to show through. That overlap is why the wall looks unusually busy and difficult to read today.

The yellow message came later. “PATRONS PARKING” and a yellow arrow were painted across the older store-name lettering, directing customers toward West 26th. Rather than removing the earlier sign, the store simply reused the wall. What remains is a layered record of the building’s commercial life: an early company name, a later repaint, then a parking message added as more customers began arriving by automobile.

Lower on the wall, the smaller boxed ghost sign reads “The Fries & Schuele Company” and “Peerless Blue Stamps.” These stamps were part of the store’s customer savings program, promoted from at least the 1910s into the early 1930s.

Fries & Schuele began in 1868 on Pearl Street, now West 25th, and grew from a dry goods business into a six-floor department store extending through the block to West 26th. It sold clothing, carpets, curtains, furnishings and household goods, serving generations of shoppers in the Market District beside the West Side Market.

The store closed on January 13, 1979, after more than a century in business. The building later found new residential and commercial uses, but these fading signs still preserve its changing identity, from the repeated store name to customer parking and the Blue Stamp program once used to keep shoppers returning.

West Side Market, Cleveland, Ohio- July 31, 2026

These aerials show just how much work is underway across the property.

The North Arcade is heavily under construction as part of the market’s larger transformation. Once complete, it is planned as a prepared-food hall with space for up to 12 locally owned food and beverage businesses, along with indoor and outdoor seating. The area between the arcade and Market Hall is also planned as a public courtyard with covered connections between the buildings.

The KeyBank Produce Arcade remains open and continues serving shoppers during construction.

The large masonry structure rising in the lot north of the arcade is the market’s permanent utility yard. It will house major infrastructure, including a new backup generator. That work is tied to a much broader upgrade of the property’s electrical systems, refrigeration, heating and cooling, and overall power resiliency.

Some of the biggest changes are happening below ground. Crews are rebuilding the century-old basement with improved food storage, vendor prep and cleaning areas, and the market’s first onsite commercial kitchen.

Cleveland, tonight is shaping up to be a great patio night, so we might as well make the most of it. Where are you heading for Friday happy hour?

Here is a full 360-degree look at the West Side Market renovation in Ohio City, with several phases of the project visible at once. Drag through the image to take in the full scene.

The fresh gray roofs wrapping the market mark one of the most visible exterior improvements, with restoration work completed on the historic arcades. The KeyBank Produce Arcade has reopened, while the North Arcade remains part of the next phase. Once finished, the North Arcade is planned to become a prepared-food hall with space for locally owned vendors, adding new food options and giving the market a stronger year-round draw beyond traditional shopping.

You can also see the new structure taking shape in the parking area north of the North Arcade. That is part of the market’s permanent utility yard, which will house a backup generator and other infrastructure needed to support the larger renovation.

A lot of the work happening now is behind the scenes, but it will have a long impact. The project includes a major basement overhaul, improved vendor support areas, upgraded electrical systems, modern refrigeration, a commercial kitchen, and HVAC improvements throughout the Market Hall and arcades. Together, those changes are meant to help preserve one of Cleveland’s most important public spaces while making it more functional for the next generation of vendors and visitors.

The current Market Hall opened in 1912, replacing the earlier Pearl Street Market that served this corner in the 1800s. This view captures another major chapter in that long history, with restoration, infrastructure, and future public spaces all taking shape at once.