Watermark: Restoring the Presence of Giddings Brook in Cleveland’s Hough Neighborhood

Hundreds of reflective utility flags marked the path of Giddings Brook in the Hough neighborhood. The brook has been buried in a culvert for over 100 years.

 The CUDC, with partners Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, artist Mimi Kato, and archaeologist Dr. Roy Larik, organized a series of community events as part of the Watermark project. The project evoked the memory of the Giddings Brook, a waterway buried and culverted in the early 20th century.

Marking the path of the Giddings Brook with landscape paint.

Discovering and learning about Giddings Brook.

Watermark extended across vacant lots along the path of Giddings Brook.

At one Watermark event, Dee Jay Doc and Fresh Camp provided hip-hop entertainment, improvising lyrics about the history of the Giddings Brook, problems concerning lead in their neighborhoods, and other stories. Food, a rain barrel give-away, and an installation of the Watermark beach and pool also brought people out to the site.  

Splash pool brings water back to the neighborhood on a hot summer day.

Giddings Brook is one of several waterways buried as the city developed in the early 20th century. The Brook holds history as a recreation, entertainment, and restorative place of gathering. Luna Park, a theme park, a Fresh Air Camp, and multiple healthcare facilities were located along the path of Giddings Brook before its ultimate burial. Watermark seeks to ask how else we might consider the use of existing waterways today, as well as those now buried in so many neighborhoods throughout the city.  Watermark was made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.