MayDay

"one of the gay guys commented on how open cbus was to the community and how it was "the san francisco of the midwest."" Riiiiight. Open to the community? Sure, but give me a f#cking break. :roll:

Welcome to the forum, Dan! For those of you who might not know, Dan runs cyburbia.org - probably the best urban planning forum out there. http://www.cyburbia.org/ "do I love Anatolia- best Turkish food ever." Oh god, yes! *drool*

^To the best of my knowledge, Circo was actually doing well but the Mallorca group (who own Mallorca, Sunset Lounge, and Brasa) wanted a space close to their West 9th spot for a Brazilian steakhouse. Thus, Brasa took over the Circo spot. In addition to an identity crisis, Flo's food was mediocre at best, the price points were all over the place, and the service was really spotty. Add to that the strange "theme" they tried to pull off and it's no wonder they didn't last. Sure, there's a limit to what Cleveland can support - and that's all the more reason that new places have to really step it up across the board. Honestly I'm not too worried - I believe the figure is like 90% of all new restaurants fail within the first year. With Stark's project going in just a block away - even if Jac's doesn't last, that space won't stay empty for long.

^^^The problem is that Jac's is trying to wedge themselves into an area already saturated with higher-end dining spots. Within two blocks you have Blue Point, Johnny's Downtown, XO, Brasa, Mallorca, and Osteria - all have pretty much established themselves as the bastions of the Warehouse District's fine dining offerings. That doesn't even take into account the less pricey/casual spots that are still nice enough for a dinner out (Metropolitan, Chop House, etc.). All have great food and fantastic atmosphere and each has found their niche. Jac's just seems like "hey, we're a nouveau/fusion/French/euro/etc. restaurant with cool decor!". If their chef had a following along the lines of Michael Symon - that might be okay, but that's not the case. No advertising? Why go into business in the first place? Looking at Jac's website - (http://www.jacsonwest6th.com/main.html) they're a few years behind their peers. Ten years ago in Cleveland, it might have been enough to advertise your space (lovely though it is) as "like nothing else in Cleveland", simply because it has exposed brick and state-of-the-art lighting fixtures. But now, exposed brick and funky lighting is a dime a dozen. Plus, thanks to a strong and growing "foodie" scene, new indie restaurants have to take it up a notch. What I really take issue with is the quote on the main page "many commented how they felt they were in Chicago and New York". That comes across as insulting - as though something so fabulous simply couldn't be in/from Cleveland. The crowd that will spend money on places like Jac's is more enlightened than that, and the restaurants that have thrived demonstrate that. It's also rather ironic that your experience was an empty place - just like the images on their site.

Parker (the chef) is pretty up there in years - although his was a niche dining spot, I doubt he had run into trouble.

Is this the same Kent State professor you've mentioned before? They sound like they need a tour.

musky, your first picture is the wrong staircase. Here is a pic showing the same view from the postcard: StrapHanger, you're not the first person to say that the Arcade looked "sterile" after the renovation but consider this: 1. By the 1990s, the owner had resorted to using roofing tar to patch holes and cracks in the skylight. Cleaning the skylight's exterior was cost-prohibitive and thus it was so obscured it was only letting in about 60% of the light available. For the renovation, every single piece of glass was replaced. 2. In addition to the glass, the wood and metal trim had never been thoroughly cleaned like they were in the renovation. In fact, most of the expense of the renovation was for labor/cleaning. 3. Some of the high-traffic vendors who moved out before the renovation didn't return, thus you have noticeably less foot traffic. That's not so much the case today. 4. The Arcade lacked adequate climate control for a facility of its size, and thus it was often unbearably humid in the summer and cold in the winter. The renovation also plugged the holes that allowed birds to take up residence - I can appreciate a well-worn patina while I'm eating lunch, birdsh!t on the other hand... What I'm getting is that while I understand that the before and after are quite a contrast, the after was a desperately needed improvement over years of undermaintenance.

I'll give you something to photoshop!

Well, my book sales have been going well so I figured what the heck? :lol: Seriously - $3 million? That's great!

Okay, anyone who has gone on a walking tour with me has heard me blather on about the Superior Avenue staircase in the Arcade. I'm always saying it's not original, and that it used to be in a Y-shape and I always point out the remnants of it. Finally, after years and years of looking - I have proof! See? I'm NOT crazy*!!! *Okay, I'm crazy but I know what I'm talking about! :-D

"3a) Get Uncles MayDay, ColDayMan, the Pope and KOOW to babysit" I'll remind you that I'm the proud owner of "Mommie Dearest" on DVD - I realllly don't think you want to expose a child to my parenting skills! :evil:

"Many people on a site such as this have things to say that can and should be heard." As I've said before, this forum has many active members from working architects and planners, to architecture/planning students, to developers, to journalists, to simply said - concerned people who give a sh!t. Thus, when Litt writes something to the effect of "where are the people who care?", I have to wonder if he's ever looked up anything on the internet.

I'm an Admin - I know who is on here :-) And when I say participate, I mean actively.

"If he would actually get involved with the local scenes in Cleveland's neighborhoods, he may have a different view. Or maybe, just take a look at what we talk about here on UO every damn day." I have to agree - a few years ago, I sent Litt a lengthy email introducing myself and my site. It was cordial, civil, and obviously given the subject - something right up his alley so I asked for advice, suggestions, etc. Did I receive a reply? Nope. Nada. Zilch. When another forumer (Paul_In_Cleveland) started his "Downtown Cleveland Building Projects" site, he sent Litt a similar email. Instead of a "hey, that's a great resource, etc." - Litt said little, other than to chastize Paul and ask if he had permission to post architect's renderings from the PD. I understand why Litt would ask that, but there's a constructive way to go about things. He also isn't the most supportive of local architecture firms - more than once I've read one of his articles that infers that local firms aren't cutting-edge enough to win commissions for say, the MOCA project. When it comes to his column, Litt is more than happy to complain that people don't care and aren't interested. A prime example is the Cleveland Trust Tower proposal. The CSU forum was good, but even then - Litt basically said it was "too little, too late" and that the community suffers from apathy. UrbanOhio.com's forum has proven otherwise and that begs the question - why, as the "voice of architecture and urban planning" in Cleveland's leading print publication - why isn't Litt here, on this forum, participating and actively working against the apathy he's so quick to accuse us of?

Just two new Cleveland avatars:

Here is a list from the Cleveland Restoration Society - numbers 1, 2, 4, and 6 should be of interest: http://www.clevelandrestoration.org/PreservationAwards/currentawards.htm

From the Main Avenue Bridge, Dec. 29th:

^The one issue with the live-work townhomes is that they're only appropriate for artists of certain fields. If we're talking about designers, small scale painters, photographers, etc. - they're fine. Then again, as blinker12 said - I hope they're on the higher end of the pay scale because most full-time artists I know would be priced out of the Avenue District. I'm not saying that they're expensive units but most working artists in Cleveland would be hard-pressed to afford it. However, metalsmiths, sculptors and the like usually work in conditions that would make most "sophisticated patrons" cringe if they knew they were living next door. I was a jewelry/metalsmithing major at Kent - we routinely used annealing torches (awfully similar to flamethrowers), oxy-acetylene torches for casting, and then there are the chemicals (vats of acetone, liver of sulfer, acids of every variety), and I seriously doubt anyone would want to put up with the non-stop hammering involved with raising and forming (aka hammering a flat sheet of metal into a bowl form). Most art studios are messy and filled with plenty of dangerous chemicals and/or equipment. I don't know that the residents of the Avenue District would be terribly fond of having that environment in such close proximity. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a artists' colony develop there - but there's a reason that some artists tend to locate in dumpy warehouse areas.

Well par for the course, the washing looks like it was done in perfect Cleveland half-@ssed fashion :roll: Where's Mommie Dearest when you need her - "do you think it's CLEAN!?!?! We'll clean it TOGETHER!!!!"

^That's impressive! KJP, no 15 seconds of fame for you! (Kidding - I'm just removing it since it was a duplicate).

Actually one place I haven't taken a shot from is the Harvard-Denison Bridge - it looks like it would have a good vantage point. The only concern would be a place to pull off :|

I'll try to snap a pic tomorrow.

Sooo, if someone had their camera and ran out this afternoon to take a pic, would the powerwashing be evident? :-) Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "yeehaw, take down 1010 Euclid". It's a nice, taller old building and I agree it creates a nice backdrop for the tower and rotunda. I just think that if something has to go, I'd rather see it demo'd for the completion of the tower's second phase. We definitely agree on one thing - the proposal you posted is absolutely atrocious. It's like a b@stardized version of the Clinic's Heart Center and a sloppy "homage" to the rotunda.

That's just crazy talk! :drunk:

Super secret you say... ;-) Great shot, I love how that angle shows a good glimpse of most of the taller buildings.