Towpath Trail and Steel Heritage Center News

On Friday, May 25 between 1and 2 p.m., Cleveland Metroparks will preview new exhibits installed in the ArcelorMittal Steel Heritage Center and the long-awaited connection trail from Harvard Road to Steelyard Commons Shopping Center. This link makes the Towpath Trail continuous from Akron to the Tremont neighborhood in Cleveland.

The Steel Heritage Center was made possible through the cooperation of many organizations, including ArcelorMittal, Cleveland Metroparks, Western Reserve Historical Society and First Interstate Properties. The structure is an old-time clock building and it was moved by First Interstate Properties and placed next to the Towpath Trail in Steelyard Commons Shopping Center in 2006. Inside the 600-square-foot building eight illuminated photographs frame the space. A special exhibit “How Steel is Made” is currently on loan to the center from ArcelorMittal and includes a video presentation. Refreshments and visitor information will also be available at the Center, which will be staffed by volunteers, and open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the summer.

The approximately 720-foot section of the Towpath Trail parallels Old Harvard Road in Cleveland, north of Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation. It provides a safe and direct connection to Jennings Road, giving trail users a link to Steelyard Commons Shopping Center and a trail that continues to the Tremont neighborhood.

The trail was constructed by R.J. Platten Contracting Company at a cost of $22,864.

For more information contact Jane Christyson at 216-635-3229.