Cleveland Webcam – Public Square from Old Stone Church

The Cleveland Webcam looks down on Public Square from the Old Stone Church on the northwest corner of the square. The camera faces roughly southeast across the northern half of the square. A curved stone walk and the seated bronze of Mayor Tom L. Johnson fill the foreground, the lawn and its lamp posts spread out behind them, and Superior Avenue crosses the picture beyond, with the orange umbrellas of the cafe plaza on the far side. The church calls it its Tower of Power cam, and the broadcast on this page has run without a restart since February 2019.

About Cleveland’s Public Square

Public Square is the 9.5 acre (3.8 hectare) green at the center of downtown Cleveland. It was part of the original town plan of 1796, laid out under General Moses Cleaveland of the Connecticut Land Company, and four of the city’s tallest buildings face it today: Key Tower, 200 Public Square, the Sherwin-Williams headquarters and Terminal Tower. A redesign led by the landscape architect James Corner reopened the square on June 30, 2016. The project closed Ontario Street through the square entirely and rebuilt Superior Avenue, the road that crosses this camera’s view, to carry buses only. The northern half became mostly lawn, and the southern half a paved plaza with a cafe and a water feature beside the 38 meter (125 foot) Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument.

The seated figure nearest the camera is Tom L. Johnson, mayor of Cleveland from 1901 to 1909. Herman N. Matzen sculpted the statue, which was dedicated on the square in 1916, and Johnson sits in a plain armchair holding a copy of Henry George’s book Progress and Poverty. A statue of Moses Cleaveland, the founder whose name the city took, stands in the southern half. The city itself counted 372,624 residents in the 2020 census.

The camera’s owner predates every tower that faces the square. The First Presbyterian Society was founded on September 19, 1820, and its present church, the Old Stone Church, was dedicated on August 12, 1855. Charles Heard and Simeon Porter designed it in the Romanesque Revival style, built from local sandstone. Fire struck in March 1857 and again in January 1884, and both times the congregation rebuilt and rededicated the church within a year. Inside are three Tiffany stained glass windows and a John La Farge triple window that looks out over Public Square, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1973.

Weather and Climate in Cleveland

Cleveland sits on the south shore of Lake Erie, and the lake drives its winters. January averages a high of 2.1 C (35.8 F) and a low of -5.4 C (22.3 F). Lake-effect snow is typical from mid-November until the lake surface freezes, usually in late January or early February, and it falls heaviest on the city’s East Side. The city averages 162 cm (63.8 inches) of snow a year within 1,042 mm (41.03 inches) of total precipitation, so the lawn in front of the camera often turns white in winter. In winter the view has also shown a tall holiday tree on the lawn and an oval ice rink set up in the plaza beyond.

Spring warms slowly, with April highs of 15.6 C (60.1 F) and lows of 4.9 C (40.8 F). July is the warmest month, at 28.7 C (83.7 F) by day and 18.5 C (65.3 F) at night, when the grass is at its greenest and the cafe umbrellas are out. October still reaches 17.6 C (63.7 F) in the afternoon and drops to 8.1 C (46.5 F) overnight. Damp autumn days can bring fog that turns the buildings on the far side of the square into grey outlines, while the statue and the walk below the camera stay sharp.

Things to Do Near Public Square

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument rises in the southern half, beside the cafe and the water feature, with the Moses Cleaveland statue nearby. The Old Stone Church holds its Sunday service at 10 am and a midweek communion service on Wednesdays. Terminal Tower stands on the square, and the former Higbee’s department store building beside it now houses the Jack Cleveland Casino.

Playhouse Square, about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) east, is the second-largest performing arts complex in the United States, with five historic theaters from the 1920s: the State, Palace, Allen, Hanna and Ohio. Its 4,600-piece LED crystal chandelier, completed in 2014, is listed by Guinness World Records as the largest outdoor chandelier in the world. About 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) southeast, the Gateway District holds Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians, and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the Cavaliers and the Cleveland Monsters play.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more of downtown Cleveland and other Ohio cities and lakefronts, try these cameras.

• Terminal Tower Webcam
• Dayton Webcam
• Lorain Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Cleveland Webcam?

The northern half of Public Square, seen from the Old Stone Church on its northwest corner. The Tom L. Johnson statue and a curved stone walk sit in front, the lawn and its lamp posts take up the middle, and Superior Avenue and the cafe plaza of the southern half close the view.

Where is Public Square in Cleveland?

In the center of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Superior Avenue divides it into a northern lawn and a southern plaza. The Old Stone Church, which runs this camera, stands at 91 Public Square.

Can you watch Public Square in Cleveland live today?

Yes. The church streams the camera on YouTube 24 hours a day, and the broadcast playing on this page has been running since February 1, 2019. After dark the picture depends on the lighting around the square.

Does the Cleveland Webcam show Lake Erie or the beach?

No. The camera faces southeast across Public Square with the lake behind it, so there is no water or beach in view. For the lake, the Terminal Tower Webcam looks northwest from high on the tower across the square to Lake Erie.

Who is the statue on Public Square in Cleveland?

The seated bronze nearest the camera is Tom L. Johnson, the reform mayor who led the city from 1901 to 1909, sculpted by Herman N. Matzen and dedicated in 1916. A statue of the city’s founder, Moses Cleaveland, stands in the southern half.

What is the weather like in Cleveland by month?

Average highs run from 2.1 C (35.8 F) in January to 15.6 C (60.1 F) in April, 28.7 C (83.7 F) in July and 17.6 C (63.7 F) in October. Lake-effect snow arrives from mid-November, and the city averages 162 cm (63.8 inches) of snow a year.

Can you see Progressive Field from the Old Stone Church camera?

No. Progressive Field and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse stand in the Gateway District, about 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) southeast of the square, and the buildings on the far side of Public Square hide them from the camera.

Source: The First Presbyterian Church in Cleveland