Calm & Cultured Collective
The Deed Said No Black Person Could Live Here, Now She Owns It w/ Sheila Sharpley- East
East Cleveland history, Black homeownership, racial covenants, and historic preservation collide in Sheila Sharpley-East’s remarkable story of owning a Rockefeller-connected mansion on Euclid Avenue. Sheila shares how a house she dreamed about for years eventually became hers—and why preserving it became about much more than architecture. The historic Rockefeller-Rudd House was once home to Mary Ann Rockefeller Rudd, sister of John D. Rockefeller, and her husband, William Cullen Rudd. But perhaps the most powerful part of its history is found in an old property deed that stated that no Black person could own or live on the property. Today, Sheila owns it. Together, we discuss what East Cleveland loses when historic homes are demolished, the extraordinary craftsmanship found inside its century-old houses, the legacy of racial housing restrictions, Black homeownership as reclamation, and the responsibility we have to reinvest in the communities that helped shape us. From original woodwork, leaded glass, built-in cabinetry, and clawfoot tubs to homes connected to some of Cleveland’s most influential families, Sheila reminds us that preservation isn’t simply about saving old buildings. It’s about protecting the stories, history, craftsmanship, and cultural memory that disappear when those buildings are gone. And ultimately, we wrestle with a larger question: What do we owe the communities that raised us—even if we no longer live there? This conversation is for anyone interested in East Cleveland, Cleveland history, Black history, historic homes, racial covenants, Black homeownership, historic preservation, neighborhood revitalization, adaptive reuse, housing justice, and community reinvestment. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ROCKEFELLER-RUDD HOUSE Encyclopedia of Cleveland History — Rudd-Rockefeller House https://case.edu/ech/articles/r/rudd-rockefeller-house FreshWater Cleveland — The Rudd-Rockefeller House https://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/RuddRockefeller092919.aspx Ghosts of Euclid Avenue — Rockefeller-Rudd House https://littlecapecod.blogspot.com/2015/07/ghosts-of-euclid-avenue-rockefeller.html WATCH & LISTEN TO CALM & CULTURED COLLECTIVE Youtube Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music CONNECT WITH THE COLLECTIVE Instagram https://www.instagram.com/calmandculturedcollective/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@calmandcultured The Culture of Calm Newsletter https://calmandculturedcollective.riverside.com/newsletter Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, Comment, and Follow. #EastCleveland #ClevelandHistory #BlackHistory #HistoricPreservation #BlackHomeownership #RacialCovenants #HistoricHomes #EuclidAvenue #Rockefeller #CommunityReinvestment #AdaptiveReuse #NeighborhoodRevitalization
