Forgotten, But Not Lost: Cleveland’s Boldest Idea Rediscovered & Reimagined

What drove the boldness that built Cleveland, and what would it take to match it now?

This is not another history talk. It’s a creative conversation in a space where past and future collide. Hosted inside the private studio and gallery of artist Jason Toth at 78th Street Studios—one of Cleveland’s most distinctive art experiences, this event blends architecture, history, and art in an intimate setting that sparks curiosity and dialogue.

We’ll explore the vision behind Cleveland’s most ambitious plan, the Group Plan of 1903 and the City Beautiful Movement, and why so much of what we love today was imagined more than 120 years ago.

Guided by Greg Deegan and John Perse of Teaching Cleveland, with selected works by Jason Toth as visual anchors, this experience pairs historical insight with vivid, surreal reinterpretations of the city we call home. Together, we’ll ask: What do we value? What have we lost? And what can we still create?

This is a curated event designed for those who love Cleveland, crave meaningful conversation, and want to see their city through a new lens.

The conversation starts here. Where it goes next is up to you.

Conversation #1

When Beauty Was Policy: The Bold Plan Built our Pride Today, Do Our Values Still Allow It?

At the dawn of the 20th century, Cleveland embraced a radical idea: that beauty was not just an ornament, but a civic necessity. The Group Plan of 1903, rooted in the City Beautiful Movement, reimagined Cleveland as a city of grandeur—monumental architecture, expansive public spaces, and a design philosophy that believed the environment could shape character, pride, and progress.

More than 120 years later, those ideas feel surprisingly radical. In a time when functionality often eclipses beauty, what can we learn from a moment when our leaders believed aesthetics and ambition belonged at the heart of city life and at the core of its identity?

This conversation explores what the Group Plan achieved, where its promises fell short, and what traces remain in the Cleveland we know today. Through the lens of history, and the surreal, reimagined cityscapes of artist Jason Toth, we’ll consider what it would take to reclaim that boldness without repeating the mistakes of the past (and being mindful of the mistakes we’re certainly already making).