Connelly Rice
Karin Connelly Rice

Stories by: Karin Connelly Rice

Karin Connelly Rice enjoys telling people's stories, whether it's a promising startup or a life's passion. Over the past 20 years she has reported on the local business community for publications such as Inside Business and Cleveland Magazine. She was editor of the Rocky River/Lakewood edition of In the Neighborhood and was a reporter and photographer for the Amherst News-Times. At Fresh Water she enjoys telling the stories of Clevelanders who are shaping and embracing the business and research climate in Cleveland.
International flair: World music to take the stage at CMA’s Summer Solstice
Cleveland Museum of Art's Solstice 2023 is putting an international spin on the musical lineup—with groups from around the world making their Cleveland debut.
'Huge win:' EDWINS leader passed over for Beard Award, but still counts his victories
EDWINS Leadership Restaurant and Institute founder Brandon Chrostowski may have been passed over for the James Beard Award for outstanding restauranteur, but he still sees the nomination as a "huge win" for his mission. And he had a blast in Chicago.
Cleveland City Council approves $5 million in ARPA funds for Habitat for Humanity
Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance on Monday to provide $5 million in ARPA funds to Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. The funds will be used to build and rehabilitate homes in underserved neighborhoods under Habitat's five-year strategic plan.
Flat Iron Café: Cleveland’s oldest Irish bar
Cleveland Masterworks: The Flat Iron Cafe was established in 1910 on the east bank of the Flats, serving as a hotel and bar for hungry and tired workers and sailors. Today, 113 years later, the bar is still a Flats favorite.
Gardening victories: From war gardens to community gardens, Clevelanders have green thumbs
As Memorial Day weekend and the summer planting season approach, the FreshWater staff took a look at Cleveland’s history of community gardening to support the country’s war efforts and help with food insecurity.
Clean and Beautiful: Advocacy group plans second neighborhood clean-up event in Mount Pleasant
Neighborhood advocacy group Clean and Beautiful Cleveland Block2Block is on a mission to clean up Cleveland neighborhoods, one street at a time. On June 3, the group will be in Mount Pleasant, picking up litter and planting flowers. Volunteers are needed!
Warner & Swasey Observatory: A hilltop gem turned architectural relic
Cleveland Masterworks: In 1919 Worcester Warner and Ambrose Swasey built an observatory on a hill in East Cleveland, intending to use it for their own interests. In 1920, the partners in Warner & Swasey Company decided to gift the land and the observatory to Case School of Applied Science. For 60 years the facility was used for groundbreaking astronomical research before the city's light pollution forced it to close. Today, the observatory sits abandoned, decayed, and vandalized—a ghost of its former glory.
Metroparks Zoo prepares to open Susie’s Bear Hollow habitat
Early this summer the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will open its new Bear Hollow, an $8.5 million 18,600 square foot facility. Designed by Van Auken Akins and WDM Architects, the habitat will house two adult Andean bears and two adult sloth bears.
The Caxton Building: A haven for artists and entrepreneurs for 120 years
Cleveland Masterworks: Cleveland architect Frank Seymour Barnum designed the 1903 Caxton Building for a group of successful entrepreneurs who wanted to accommodate the needs of printers and artists. With its Romanesque design with great architectural detail, reinforced concrete floors, large windows, and its signature water tower perched on the roof, the Caxton continues to be a small business haven to this day.
Hanging out: Group aims to turn Coventry space into an outdoor living room
A group of Coventry residents and artists wants to turn Harvey Pekar Park on Coventry into an outdoor living room to encourage socializing and increase foot traffic to local businesses. The group is raising money through the ioby and Cuyahoga Arts & Cuyahoga Arts & Culture match program.
Marching on: Parade the Circle makes its triumphant return after three years
After a three-year hiatus, Parade the Circle is about to return. The huge workshop tent is going up and people are welcome to come create their costumes, take a workshop, or help the contractors and artists.
The Little Blue Cottage and Forest Hill: Real estate offices of Rockefeller development
Cleveland Masterworks: The Forest Hill Historic District in Cleveland Heights is one of the first planned communities in the country, with homes designed by Andrew J. Thomas for John D. Rockefeller's development. Now the Abeyton Realty office needs repairs.
New purpose: Longfellow Elementary gets new life as affordable housing
CMSD's 1924 Longfellow Elementary School in Collinwood, designed by Cleveland schools architect Walter McCornack, was saved from demolition by the Cleveland Restoration Society and has been repurposed as affordable senior housing.
Harold Burdick: Eclectic architect in the Heights
Cleveland Masterworks: Harold Burdick was known for designing 28 houses in Shaker Heights and worked on the design of the Federal Reserve building. But he might be most noted for the futuristic design of his own home in Cleveland Heights.
Fourth Civil Rights Trail marker to be unveiled at Glenville High this weekend
The fourth marker on Cleveland Restoration Society's Cleveland Civil Rights Trail will be unveiled this Saturday, April 29, at Glenville High School’s 10th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Program.
The fate of Euclid Beach Motor Home Park
After more than a year of planning and community meetings on the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park, Western Reserve Land Conservancy in February told the residents they must move out and the property will become a part of the Cleveland Metroparks and a larger revitalization project for North Collinwood and Lakeshore Avenue.
Woodhill Homes project earns $10 million HUD boost
The ongoing Woodhill Homes development project in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood—a six-phase, six-year $250 million development project by Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), the City of Cleveland, and Boston-based The Community Builders (TCB)—just received a boost through a $10 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods Supplemental Funding Grant.
Beyerle Park: Trendsetter in late 19th Century resort amusement parks on the Interurban rail lines
Cleveland Masterworks: The 1883 opening of Beyerle Park in Slavic Village marked the beginning of Cleveland amusement parks geared toward attracting guests to rides, entertainment, and relaxation by the water.
Artistic celebration: South Euclid calls for artists to honor city’s historic contributions to NEO
One South Euclid CDC is recognizing its historic contributions to Greater Cleveland through public art. The city has issued a public call for artists to design and paint a mural on the Johns-Carabelli Company building on Mayfield Road.
Tailgate year-round: Restaurant caters to Cleveland sports fans
The owners who brought the Haunted House Restaurant to Cleveland Heights in 2021 have just opened Tailgate Sports Bar & Grill with a Cleveland sports theme on the Cleveland State Campus.