About 40 years ago, the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland was one of the poorest areas of the city, according to one local civic activist. Today, however, it has become a changing neighborhood as federal money and visionary investors have enabled entrepreneurs and residents to renovate and restore buildings to their former beauty.
One excellent example is the renovation of a historic building on the 1800 block of East 81st Street, which had been designed by one of the foremost architectural firms in the nation, Searles, Hirsh & Gavin. The current owner, intent on restoring the exquisite exterior of the building, still wanted modern-day comforts inside, including a high-performance HVAC system equipped with fiberglass duct board supply and return ductwork.