BEACONS OF HOPE CLEVELAND’ S CHURCH STEEPLES LIGHT THE NIGHT SKY
By Karin Connelly Rice
E
ast Cleveland dentist Reinhold“ Ray” W. Erickson enjoyed a lovely sight when he drove along Interstate 71 between Hopkins International Airport and downtown Cleveland. In the daylight, drivers could see the steeples, towers, and domes on the many churches that anchor the neighborhoods flanking the highway, but at night they became invisible. Erickson thought those churches should be illuminated so they could be appreciated day and night.
Although he wasn’ t a religious man, when Erickson died in 1992 at age 87, he donated his life savings—$ 370,000— to the Cleveland Foundation with instructions that the church steeples, domes, and towers visible from I-71 be lit, with any remaining money to be used for dental education.
Erickson’ s bequest was one of the Cleveland Foundation’ s earliest donor-directed initiatives. Because the organization at that time was not set up to directly carry out projects like Erickson’ s, foundation officials contacted the Cleveland Restoration Society( CRS), a nonprofit historic building preservation organization,
about taking on the project. CRS accepted the challenge.“ Dr. Erickson’ s vision was that people go to Europe to look at the great cathedrals, but we have great cathedrals right here in Cleveland,” says Kathleen Crowther, CRS president and executive director.“ He felt this was a great opportunity to highlight Cleveland’ s diverse religious architecture.”
After three decades of illuminating Cleveland’ s sacred skyline, the unique initiative to light church steeples along I-71 has been completed— leaving behind 24 brilliantly lit beacons of hope across the city’ s neighborhoods.
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, illuminated by the Steeple Lighting Program. Rob Erick
6 SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2025