The importance of East Ninth Street grew out of the establishment, at the turn of the century, of the first docks along the downtown section of Cleveland�s waterfront. By 1913, once-hollow land was filled, piers and large docks constructed, and passenger steamship companies had secured a lease on the East Ninth Street docks. Streetcars carried passengers between the lakeshore and the downtown core, cementing the importance of the street as a major downtown thoroughfare.