Commemorative Bricks Are Paving the Way for Monument to Westlake's Founders

Bricks are flying off the shelves for .

After just two weeks of sales, the Westlake Kiwanis Club has sold over 30 at $60 apiece, bringing in close to $2,000 for the project.

“We’ve been getting a little bit of everything,” said Rick Grane, president of the club. “Everyone has been really responsive.”

The class of 1940 is dedicating a brick as are local businesses, residents and others.

The Westlake Historical Society is also drawing all kinds of requests for dedications to community groups, PTA groups, high school students, former residents and even pets.

“I think this is a great project for the city for the bicentennial,” said Lysa Stanton of the historical society. “We have just as many people from outside of Westlake as we do from inside. A lot of people grew up here and now live somewhere else.”

Former resident Paul D’Amico, who now lives in Lakewood, said he plans to purchase one to dedicate to the memory of his parents.

“They were always proud of where they came from and this would be a great legacy to have for them,” he said.

According to Planning and Economic Development Director Bob Parry, the walkway will be about 1,000 square feet altogether between the existing sidewalk and the Clague Park monument located directly across the street from Clague Playhouse and the . The walkway will go back from the street about 70 feet with a patio of about 20 feet by 35 feet.

Parry said the city plans to finish installing the 6-foot walkway in September and celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The project will be funded entirely from brick sales, he said.

"If we sell enough, we designed it to break even so there won’t be any cost and if we sell more than the minimum, (the money) will go to other bicentennial events," he said.

Among the dedicated bricks, which were salvaged from the old Red Brick Schoolhouse building, there will also be larger stone plaques to commemorate Westlake’s founding families. Among the famous names will be the Porters, Johnsons and Halls, with a sentence about their contributions to Westlake.

The sale continues through June 1, so there is still plenty of time to get one.

“We hope to sell approximately 600 to 1,000 for naming,” Parry said. “And we could sell more. We could go up to almost 4,000.”

To dedicate a brick, call Rick Grane at 440-829-0974, visit the Westlake Historical Society website, call them at 440-721-1201 or email them.