Cleveland Grays Armory, aka the Cleveland Armory, is the downtown "castle." One of the oldest remaining buildings downtown, it predates the Civil War. Built by a local militia, the Cleveland Grays (founded in 1837), it was awarded a historical marker on Veterans Day of 2003. In former days, it hosted all kinds of cultural events; before Severance Hall was built, the Cleveland Orchestra played here. Mario Lanza made his local debut there in the 1950s when Bill Randle brought him into town, and Alan Freed hosted a rock and roll dance there in 1952 that brought in between 30,000 and 40,000 people. The Armory was also host indoor model airplane flying contests back in the 1930s and '40s. Cuyahoga County Library hosts the Cleveland Grays

The West Side Market is Cleveland's answer to Seattle's Pike Place Market. It's located in one of the older neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio City. When it was built in 1912, the mayor of the time deeded the land with the stipulation that it must always remain a market place -- and it has been a very popular marketplace ever since. Fortunately, the market has retained much of its character over the past century; its beautiful Neo-Classical/Byzantine architecture is still evident, and the "Old Country" feel of the many different stands (of many different ethnicities) is always prominent. Their official site hosts a

Squire's Castle, located in the Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks, was intended to be merely the servant's residence for an elaborate, sprawling mansion on over 500 acres of land that was never built. Mr. Squire was an oil magnate, a founder of the Standard Oil Company. It's been said that the ghost of his wife still lurks in the halls of this structure, where she tragically and mysteriously died. They say that she can still be seen in the windows, carrying a red lantern -- but to myself and many others, Squire's Castle always meant a fun place to play as a child and hang out as an adolescent.

The Barton Center opened in 1964. It's located on the ground floor of Lakewood's early-60s Space-Age era Westerly Apartments. This senior activity center was the first of its type when it first opened, and is still a model for senior centers today.

Southland Shopping Center and the area surrounding it in Parma Heights is a beautiful paean to the space age.