CLEVELAND, Ohio — For nearly a century, Cleveland has devoted a stretch of its lakefront to a mammoth sports stadium with the help of tax dollars — a civic tradition that began with a bond issue and will end with the departure of the Browns football team.

It was in 1928 that voters approved a $2.5 million bond issue to build the city’s first stadium on the downtown waterfront. The proposal, backed by city officials and a group of citizens “especially interested in building a great downtown sports center,” passed with nearly 60% support — comfortably above the 55% required for approval, according to Plain Dealer stories from the time.

See Full Page