lafont

I really appreciate the interest some of you guys have shown with this Juniper Road house issue! Can anyone tell me what the project is at Carnegie Avenue and East 89th? Another Clinic building? I would have thought there would be a 'proposed building" sign up by now if it were the Clinic.

Not able to to coordinate a response to this Alumni House addition situation from my organization, I sent personal letters to the CWRU President and UCI President. It seems the project is well too far along for anything to be done, and it's a damn shame. Does anyone else want to try? I wonder if the so-called carriage house behind will be sacrificed, too (I'm sure it is) and what might be saved from the mansion (fixtures, doors, woodwork, etc. - the usual). It would be so nice if some part of it could be incorporated into the new structure, or another building or minipark nearby, but I doubt if the planners would think in such terms. The Alumni House did win an AIA/CRS preservation award a few years back, but that didn't inspire them or CWRU to retain the preservation ethic. I can't imagine a university more responsible for the demolition of its surrounding fine architecture than CWRU and its predecessors.

I'm trying to do something about the most unfortunate situation in that the CWRU Alumni House wants its neighbor, the beautiful mansion at 11320 Juniper Road, demolished for an extremely boring, nondescript second building for them to have weddings and other functions they feel they cannot have in the mansion they currently occupy. There are plenty of other venues in the area. This is like 50 years ago - demolition of another of the precious Wade Park Allotment mansions, in this case from ca. 1910, and in this case for a very dull building - it probably would be the least interesting institutional building built in UC in the past 50 years. This former residence, currently owned by CWRU, was purchased in 1913, for about $30,000, by the Hubbard family - connected with Cowell & Hubbard jewelers in downtown Cleveland. This stretch of Juniper Road was originally Magnolia Drive, which was a sweeping boulevard. The Alumni House won an AIA/CRS preservation award a few years ago but, imho, 11320 is even more beautiful now. I know some work was put into it in the past ten years. One of the local alternative newspapers had its office there in recent years, and currently the UC Police use the building. If you have any interest in saving it please write to the CWRU Board, Alumni Association, or University Circle Incorporated (UCI). Or whomever. I met with two ladies who work in the alumni office and it doesn't sound like the plan is set in stone.

Sorry - Tudor Arms Hotel (now Doubletree by Hilton) tour RSVP is 4/16. Our whole spring schedule is on our website: www.wrah.org.

This is good news and, in fact, the Western Reserve Architectural Historians is having an architectural tour of the facility on Sunday, April 19th from 1:30-3:30 PM [free but RSVP to Sarah Klann, 216-226-2820 or [email protected] by 5/7], but I think the Renaissance Hotel is more worthy of this "membership" in every way: age, always a hotel, what has taken place there, more central location, overall beauty. Of course, I'd like to see both hotels get this distinction - just saying between the two the Renaissance should have been first. In fact, it's Cleveland's only grand hotel remaining from pre-1980s.

??? This link has no relationship with East 118th Street. It pertains to the Natural History Museum.

Here, here!

Yes, the website is very explicit in its reference to the Warehouse District. Why don't the Hingetown people mention the Flats, while they're at it?

I noticed a writer in the PD today also mentioned the Harrod's Food Hall in respect to the new Heinen's....

Okay - I just ventured over to Hingetown's website and found it only says that Hingetown is located "Ohio City's Market District, the Gordon Square Arts District, and the Warehouse District." It does not say it is "inclusive of the Warehouse District," as was stated above. That, frankly, would seem terribly far fetched.

Wow - it seems so strange someone would link the Warehouse District downtown with the neighborhood around West 29th Street and Detroit Avenue with one name as one district! That's another reason I don't like the "Hingetown" moniker. Lakeview Terrace is not a "slum!" It is a public housing estate with many people without a lot of financial means, presumably (and, I also assume, with very few whites living there). As for the idea of turning it into a mixed-income development, I'm not against that at all if households are not forced out just for that reason. I like mixed income, and mixed age, too for single buildings and complexes.

donking - "Warehouse District" as part of Hingetown? You mean THE Warehouse District between West 3rd and West 10th Street, or are you referring to the buildings north of Detroit Avenue? As for Lakeview, I didn't say CMHA considers it is historic, I said it IS historic in the history of public housing in the U.S. I'll go along with what the historian wrote in the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: "Lakeview Terrace [is] internationally known as a landmark in public housing." And there definitely has been some restoration over the years, and I believe its impressive WPA artworks have been restored. There must be something to the fact that other CMHA estates - newer (e.g. King Kennedy) and older (e.g. Valleyview Homes) have been completely replaced or rebuilt, while Lakeview has remained. Also, Urbanophile, what "historic" properties were demolished to build Cleveland's public housing projects? You mean just "old?" If something actually historic was demolished, it would have been many decades ago when there was in general very, very little local interest in architectural preservation. There is far more interest here and the around the U.S. today, and there's no reason to link current CMHA policy with what the agency was responsible for sixty or seventy years ago.

First of all, Welcome David. A few thoughts to share: a) The idea of having the whole, Lakeview complex is, I believe, going way too far in promoting the concept that every great setting should be occupied by the wealthy. Lakeview is nationally historic. It is not a slum which is nothing but a blot on everything around it, but a well conceived, well constructed, brick public housing estate that has been renovated and restored over time and includes important public art. We have many locales, now, that take advantage of marvelous views of downtown Cleveland - many in Tremont alone, and going all the way to Chestnut Hills Drive bordering Cleveland Heights and the Gold Coast in Lakewood. About 80 years ago this project was conceived to replace a decrepit shantytown, and that was enough of a major rehaul, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, those low-rise public housing buildings along Franklin Boulevard, east of West 25th, were already demolished over ten years ago - that in itself created a lot of well-located land to redevelop. I don't care for the enormous subsidized highrise on West 25th, but I certainly wouldn't advocate, either, its demolition, with all the needy people that would affect. b) Just my l'l opinion, of course, but I don't particularly care for the "Hingetown" moniker. It is all part of Ohio City - historically (all the way back to the early 19th century), and today as far as the Cleveland Planning Department is concerned. I'd like everyone to associate that vicinity with the entire remainder of Ohio City - the Market District, St. Ignatius, and all the rest. I'd like people to think of Ohio City as going all all the way to Lake Erie. I'd like people to link the Victorians in so-called Hingetown with the Victorians along Bridge Avenue or even south of Lorain Avenue, or the shops in so-called Hingetown with the shops on Lorain Avenue. As the name "Hingetown" is not historic there's no cause d'etre there. If the concept of the name is the area serves as a "hinge" between Ohio City and Gordon Square or Detroit-Shoreway, it is not really that geographically. That might be somewhere around West 48th into the West 50s. Just the trite "my two cents"....

I got to Heinen's somewhere around 2:30 pm on Friday, its third day, and it was not crowded at all. A decent, manageable number of people - in the rotunda and in 1010. No real lines. The few staff I dealt with were friendly and helpful, as I'd expect. One young guy said he came from the University Heights Heinen's, where I typically go with my wife. This guy said he thinks UH is three times the size. He also shared what he recalled in comparing prices on honey between the two stores - one more downtown, one the same, he thought. He pointed out a detail on the price tag which he thought indicated this. Yes, it's beautiful, but I had been looking in the doors and I'd been plenty prepared so certainly no shocker. I also had gotten in several times when the space was unused - on tours.

It's absolutely ridiculous there hasn't been a decent sign up on the property informing everyone what is coming there. Such a sign would be part of the upbeat, very positive signs of all the new development going on in downtown Cleveland. It would also get some people to think in terms of keeping the hotel in mind when their visitors come to mind, etc. This is true of other hotels downtown in the process of construction or renovation, but the Kimpton is the farthest along and there's really no excuse. :-o

The Food Hall of Galeries Lafayette, in Paris, recently moved across the street to the home store. I'm sure the offerings are tremendous and topnotch, but the main building of that department store makes our Rotunda pale in comparison: http://www.arkanta.com/?attachment_id=1422

The Food Hall of Harrod's flagshop store, London. Actually there are six food halls there:

I've already posted on Facebook gorgeous photos or mentioned London's Fortnum and Mason and the food halls of Harrods, Selfridges, Printemps, and les Galeries Lafayette. In your travels, what have you seen in American or Canadian food stores that are anything like the new Heinen's? I'm looking for supermarket-type places, not the large public markets (e.g. at least partially outdoors) all large cities have. I'm also talking ornate/grand architecture - particularly historic.

This shouldn't be expected to be an-all gourmet supermarket. It is not a Whole Foods nor a Mustard Seed Market & Cafe. It's still a Heinen's, which one should expect to be a sizable grocery store with, in this case, lots of prepared foods, a pretty snazzy wine department, a lot of fairly ordinary fruits, vegetables, frozen stuff, etc. A mix - intended to fully fulfill the needs of downtown-type residents, plus some downtown employees, some visitors, etc. No, not every sandwich is going to be up to exactly your favorite from a specialized take-out place you're very used to. People will start getting used to new tastes, new policies, a new-to-them floor arrangement. Enjoy Heinen's for the unusual, and the usual, too, all in a fabulous setting - aesthetically, architecturally, and historically.

That church is completely unfamiliar to me. What a loss!

What's there now where the proposed townhouses would be built ( Franklin and West 32nd Street, east of proposed new apartment house on Clinton)? There's a blizzard outside right now and I don't know when I'll get back to that neighborhood (nor do I know the street numbers to look up on Google Maps).

In fact some had written they expected that construction might begin as early as December, 2014. This is disappointing, of course. The Rapid station will be open and, if we're "lucky," there will be this big construction project going on that may make everyone reluctant to patronize the whole Euclid Avenue commercial/museum district.

Does anyone know if this will be the smallest Heinen's in the area? If they take over the Chagrin Falls Giant Eagle space I'd imagine that one would be smaller yet.

I haven't seen any information about the new planters(?) along Waterloo, designed to resemble huge black apples (olives????) - sometimes with stems - and all placed at a tilt. Who designed them? Are they all installed now? Are they wood? I'm glad to see this added decorative element and one I haven't seen' anywhere else, and I like the sporadic placements. Actually, if a business gets at least one apple (olive?), does that mean the business was the sponsor? What's going on with the plans for a new coffeehouse on East 185th to open?

Funny the article doesn't once mention the new restaurant is situated right in AsiaTown. Actually, I'd like to see AsiaTown denser with Asian-related stores and restaurants, but - oh well....