Brighton Park is located on a remediated former construction and demolition debris landfill, with nearly one mile of trails including paved all-purpose trails and natural surface trails meandering through restored meadow habitat on the property.
A scenic overlook with views of Big Creek and Cleveland’s Industrial Valley await visitors to this urban oasis. Brighton Park is the product of a collaboration between Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Cleveland Metroparks, Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, and numerous other community partners.
Brighton Park & Trail
Location: Cleveland
Length: Approximately 1 mile
Type & uses: 0.4-mile paved all-purpose trail and 0.6-mile natural surface loop trail
Challenge level: Easy
Hours of operation: 6:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Accessibility, Parking & Operations
Transit: RTA Routes 51-51A and 53-53A. Pearl Rd & Wildlife Way stop
Biking/Walking: Park access off of Pearl Road, Henninger Road, West 23rd St. and West 21st street. Biking and walking connectivity to Treadway Creek Trail via West 21st, Valley Rd. and Creston Ave. Connectivity to Wildlife Way and all-purpose trail access to Cleveland Metroparks & Brookside Reservation via Pearl Road.
Vehicle: Access off of Henninger Road
Parking: Parking lot access off of Henninger Road
Managed & Maintained by: Cleveland Metroparks
Description
Brighton Park is a 25-acre park resulting from the restoration of the former Henninger Landfill. Nearly a mile of trail provides critical connection from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Brookside Reservation to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, via the Treadway Creek Trail, increasing off-street trail access and connectivity in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. The park includes paved all-purpose and natural surface trails as well as a scenic overlook of Big Creek, the third largest tributary to the Cuyahoga River.
Points of interest & Amenities
Amenities
- Scenic overlook of Big Creek and Cleveland’s Industrial Valley
- Restored meadow habitat and nature observation
Points of Interest
- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
- Brookside Reservation
- Harmody Park
History
Timeline: Planning Beginning in 2006, the Henninger landfill property was identified as a key acquisition for public open space by project partners including the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, and Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation. In 2008, the property was designated as public greenspace in the Lower Big Creek Greenway redevelopment and Restoration Plan, and identified as an important potential linkage from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to the Towpath Trail. In 2015, Western Reserve Land Conservancy acquired the property through state funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission’s Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program. Environmental assessments and remediation of the site were completed in 2017.
Funding & Design: In partnership with the Cleveland Metroparks and Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, Western Reserve Land Conservancy raised over $900K from 10 different public and private funding sources for improvement including trails, parking, an overlook, and ecological restoration as well as park maintenance. Designs were completed by Cleveland Metroparks in 2020.
Construction: Groundbreaking on construction at Brighton Park took place in August of 2020, with construction complete and the ribbon cut on the new park in June 2021. Construction was completed by F Buddie Contracting.
Opening: The park was opened to the public on June 22, 2021.
Partners: Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Cleveland Metroparks, Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, the City of Cleveland, Big Creek Connects, Canalway Partners
Cost: $681,500 construction; $54,000 planning/engineering; $750,000 land; $150,000 environmental assessments and remediation; $200,000 donated property
History: Brighton Park has a rich industrial and commercial history. From 1948 to 1987, this 25-acre urban site was known as the Henninger landfill and used for disposal of materials from the construction of 1-71, foundry sand from the Ford Motor Foundry, and other construction and demolition debris. In the 1990s, Cuffari’s Go Kart operated on the western portion of the property, entertaining many families and visitors to Old Brooklyn on the repurposed land. In the early 2000s, local visionaries identified the site as a key acquisition for restoration along Big Creek and for provision of public open space, with the potential for important trail linkage between the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Towpath Trail system. Today, that vision has been fulfilled with the completion of Brighton Park, with 1,015 linear feet of the Lower Big Creek protected, ecological restoration of the property complete, and nearly one mile of trails established to create greater trail linkage in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood.
Maps
Contact: Isaac Robb, Western Reserve Land Conservancy
Content provided by Kelly McCarthy, Western Reserve Land Conservancy