Earlier this summer, I spent an afternoon walking around the former location of Forest City Park. I had been meaning to see & photograph the area for quite a while, since the park was the first of its kind in Cleveland, and I suspect that many, or even most, Clevelanders today may not know that it even existed!
A Brief History of Forest City Park
The park was first opened in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood by George William Beyerle in 1883 as Beyerle Park, but was renamed Forest City Park when its ownership changed in the late 1880s or early 1890s (in my research, I found conflicting information regarding the exact year of this transfer). “The Forest City” was also a nickname for the city of Cleveland itself, due to the noteworthy abundance of trees in the region. The park was again sold in 1902 to the Humphrey family (of Euclid Beach Park fame), who implemented a policy banning the sale or consumption of alcohol in the park. These and other rules were also enforced at Euclid Beach to ensure that “nothing to depress or demoralize” would be present. The Humphreys operated the park until the 1920s (exact year unknown, to the best of my knowledge), when a combination of geographical limitations, financial strain, and fire damage led to its closure. One interesting piece of trivia is that throughout Forest City’s years under Humphrey management, tickets sold at Forest City Park or Euclid Beach Park could be used interchangeably at either park under the “Humphrey Park Plan.”
The Park Today
As of August 2026, on-site evidence of the park’s history is minimal. The surrounding neighborhood is named for the park and displays signage featuring the Forest City Park name, and a few of the residential streets around the original park entrance are named for George Beyerle and his one-time business partner, J. Sykora. Aside from these historical names, however, the only other possible remnant of the park I could see was a gap in the tree line where guests once entered the park from Sykora Rd.
Image Gallery
Links
- Cleveland Historical: “Forest City Park: Cleveland’s First Amusement Park”
- FreshWater Cleveland: “Beyerle Park: Trendsetter in late 19th Century resort amusement parks on the Interurban rail lines”
- Forest City Park – Western Reserve Historical Society
- FOREST CITY PARK – Encyclopedia of Cleveland History (Case Western Reserve University)
- Washington Reservation (Cleveland Metroparks) – Present-day park on the original site of Forest City Park.
- City of Cleveland Parks listings, including present-day Forest City Park in the area of its historical namesake