As early as the 1860s, there was an iron mill near Front and Millard. The Ironville community grew up with the steel mills and casting plants of East Toledo. At one time, a streetcar line ran through this area called the Blue Line because most of the homes along the line were painted a dull blue to make the factory soot inconspicuous.
Former Ironville residents have fond memories of the days they enjoyed pizza and pasta at Mama Cipriani’s or played in Lincoln Place Park at Front and Millard. They remember worshipping at two churches - one Methodist and one Lutheran - and they recall shopping at two grocery stores in the neighborhood. Even though it was a small community, people had a choice of five neighborhood bars.
Sadly, Ironville was abandoned and torn down as part of the Ironville Urban Renewal Project in 1965. The idea was to make room for a business industrial park using the Port of Toledo docks. Unfortunately, it took nearly 60 years to repurpose Ironville. Ultimately, it was transformed into a Port Authority terminal for the Cleveland Cliffs hot briquetted iron (HBI) production facility.
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