Cleveland Central High School

2225 E 40th St, Cleveland, OH 44103

-Abandoned 2013

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History of Cleveland Central High School

Cleveland Central High School later Cleveland Central Jr. High School, and Carl & Louis Stokes Central Academy. Is a abandoned school in East Cleveland, built in 1940. Before the building now known as Cleveland Central High School was built in it’s final place in 1940 it was housed at East 9th St. and was the first free public high school west of the Allegheny Mountains, this school was built in 1846, 15 years before the civil war and when Cleveland as a city was only 10 years old. When Cleveland Central celebrated its centennial in 1946, it had graduated over 10,000 people. Including the likes of Hughes Langston, John D. Rockefeller, Louis Stokes, and many more throughout it’s 100 years of operation. In 1952 the school was merged with the East Technical High School, and was turned into a Jr. High School. The years as a Jr. High School continued into the 2000s, when it was then turned into a elementary school under the name Carl and Louis Stokes Central Academy. It operated until 2013 when it was closed and abandoned for a district reorganization plan. Since 2013 it has been decently preserved compared to many schools. Many books, papers and other artifacts remain in the school. In 2024 or 2025 the school received metal VPS like boards on every opening in the building.

Recollection from the author

Cleveland Central High School was a massive school at over 120,000 sq ft. Many artifacts had been left behind, including brand new like books and photographs from previous years of the High School and Jr. High School days. The Gym and Auditorium spaces a awe to the eye upon seeing them for the first time. Many things not seen in schools for decades I saw in Central, from full sets of World Book, to even Encyclopedias. In the hallways lines of desks, tables and other clutter. Many display boards had remained intact and still perfectly readable, along with many beautiful murals in many of the main spaces.