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C−History
History · Brook Park

Brook Park dates to 1914, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #924 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

Most of Brook Park was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1961. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them the Zero Gravity Research Facility (B-2), a National Historic Landmark. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1920.

1914founded
1on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Brook Park’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Brook Park began

When was Brook Park founded?

1914

Brook Park dates its founding to 1914 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 861 in 19202020 census: 18,595112 years

How historic is Brook Park?

C−

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1891.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Brook Park’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brook Park is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #924 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brook Park’s overall grade.
Founding era1914, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19403.4% of homes (±2.5) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register1 listing, 0.5 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 18%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 7%

Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Brook Park’s 0.5 sits near the middle of its state (47% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1914.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Brook Park’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 19026 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1994. Watch Brook Park change.Boom and bustPeaked at 30,774 in 1970; 18,595 people lived here in 2020.A National Historic Landmark1 place on the National Register, including Zero Gravity Research Facility (B-2), a National Historic Landmark.Old housesHalf of Brook Park’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · On the map

Brook Park on the map, 1902 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brook Park. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Brook Park on the 1902 USGS mapBrook Park on the 1953 USGS mapBrook Park on the 1963 USGS mapBrook Park on the 1970 USGS mapBrook Park on the 1985 USGS mapBrook Park on the 1994 USGS map1902Berea sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brook Park.

People over time

Brook Park, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 30,774

Peaked at 30,774 in 1970; 18,595 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brook Park’s Wikipedia page.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Brook Park

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmark
1
Zero Gravity Research Facility (B-2)
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Zero Gravity Research Facility (B-2)
Zero Gravity Research Facility (B-2)★
Structures★ landmark
★ Landmark
Zero Gravity Research Facility (B-2)Structure

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Brook Park came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brook Park.

Read it all →

The city attracted national attention when 21 Marines of the 3rd battalion, 25th Marines Regiment, 4th Marine division headquartered in the city were killed in combat in Iraq on August 1 and August 3, 2005. The unit lost 48 Marines during the course of the deployment. On August 5, the city government printed and distributed American flags for every household in the city to display on their windows. On August 8, thousands of citizens from throughout Northeast Ohio attended a memorial service to show their support for the fallen Marines. National, state and local politicians also voiced their mutual support for the families affected and for the ongoing support needed for all of the service members still involved in their mission overseas.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Brook Park, 1891 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891Post officeThe McKinley post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1903Post officeThe McKinley post office closes
  6. 1914
    FoundingBrook Park is established
  7. 1958Born hereBilly Hufsey is born here
  8. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 30,774
  9. 1973In the archiveBROOK PARK HOMES ARE IN LANDING PATTERN OF HOPKINS AIRPORT JET PLANES
  10. 1985LandmarkZero Gravity Research Facility (B-2) named a National Historic Landmark
  11. 1986Born hereMelanie Miller is born here
  12. 1988Born hereChris Honeycutt is born here
  13. 1998Born hereJoe Bachie is born here
By decade

Brook Park, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s5 items
BROOK PARK HOMES ARE IN LANDING PATTERN OF HOPKINS AIRPORT JET PLANES1973BROOK PARK HOMES ARE IN LANDING PATTERN OF HOPKINS AI…FORD FOUNDRY IN BROOK PARK, JUST OUTSIDE CLEVELAND1973FORD FOUNDRY IN BROOK PARK, JUST OUTSIDE CLEVELANDFORD FOUNDRY ON INTERSTATE 71, IN BROOK PARK, JUST OUTSIDE CLEVELAND1973FORD FOUNDRY ON INTERSTATE 71, IN BROOK PARK, JUST OU…LOW FLYING PLANE IN BROOK PARK, JUST OUTSIDE CLEVELAND. THESE HOMES ARE IN THE LANDING PATTERN FOR NEARBY HOPKINS AIRPO…1973LOW FLYING PLANE IN BROOK PARK, JUST OUTSIDE CLEVELAN…SMOKING CHIMNEYS OF FORD FOUNDRY IN BROOK PARK, JUST OUTSIDE CLEVELAND1973SMOKING CHIMNEYS OF FORD FOUNDRY IN BROOK PARK, JUST …
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today1 recent
FEDERAL SIGNAL 2001-130 BROOKPARK SIREN2008FEDERAL SIGNAL 2001-130 BROOKPARK SIREN
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

BROOK PARK HOMES ARE IN LANDING PATTERN OF HOPKINS AIRPORT JET PLANES
Retake this viewBROOK PARK HOMES ARE IN LANDING PATTERN OF HOPKINS AIRPORT JET PLANES, 1973

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Brook Park’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Brook Park

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Billy HufseyAmerican actor · b. 1958
C
Chris HoneycuttAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1988
Melanie MillerAmerican politician · b. 1986
Joe BachieAmerican football outside linebacker · b. 1998
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, McKinley, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
McKinley
Gone or out of use
McKinley Post Officepost officeNeely Elementary Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Brook Park
Holy CrossSaint Marys

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Brook Park’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBROOK PARK HOMES ARE IN LANDING PATTERN…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cleveland282 historic placesA+Middleburg Heights1 historic placeC−Olmsted TownshipIts storyC−Berea9 historic placesANorth Olmsted4 historic placesB−Fairview Park2 historic placesC+Parma2 historic placesB+

Questions about Brook Park’s history

What year was Brook Park founded?

In 1914, according to Wikidata. Brook Park’s post office opened in 1891, and the census of 1920 counted 861 people here.

How does Brook Park rank for history?

Brook Park is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #924 of 993 in Ohio. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Brook Park?

One place: the Zero Gravity Research Facility (B-2) (listed 1985).

How old are the homes in Brook Park?

3% of Brook Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1961.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.