THE LOOP

STATUS: Completed

FUNDING: Completed

THE STORY: Thanks to the generous donation of Pauline Swamberg, a longtime Shadyside resident and teacher, the Village of Shadyside was able to complete a traffic enhancement and beautification project on Central Avenue, known as “The Loop.” Ms. Swamberg’s donation was used as matching funds for an Ohio Department of Transportation Streetscape Grant.

With the donation and the grant, Shadyside was able to get new curbs, new sidewalks, new lighting, improve the roads, and move utilities. The Loop revitalization project was done without any cost to residents.

Project completion was celebrated by the community with a reopening ribbon-cutting during June 2016.

A monument was built on The Loop to honor Ms. Swamberg’s generosity. The monument bridges the old with the new, using bricks that paved Shadyside’s streets more than a century ago framing a digital sign. These bricks were saved after street repairs were completed on Central Avenue.

HISTORY: The Loop, which became Route 7, originally began as a dirt road over which cattle were driven to market. Travelers on horseback and in covered wagons soon followed. In 1865, the horse car appeared, and in 1887 came the trolley cars. Then in 1879, the Narrow Gauge Railroad ran through the center of town. Not long after the train ceased in 1931, work began on Highway #7.

Today, The Loop is a central part of the Shadyside community. The history of The Loop is celebrated annually at the Shadyside Loop Festival. Each year, the community comes together in celebration with a parade, various events, live entertainment, and more.