ExPatClevGuy

Dateline Old Brooklyn: From town dump to town park --- ? "Four years after the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC) acquired the former Henninger Landfill on Pearl Road in Old Brooklyn, plans are moving ahead to convert the land into a 25-acre connector park that will link to Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and Brookside Reservation. Construction on the Lower Creek Big Connector Trail, as it's currently dubbed, is scheduled to begin this fall with completion in spring 2020. It's been a long road to get there, but project officials say it will be worth the wait."" https://www.freshwatercleveland.com/breaking-ground/LandfillPark072119.aspx

There's no abatement on income tax, and the people moving in would be high income. - Also, what property tax is coming in from that vacant lot as it stands today?

Perhaps an exercise in doubt and worry, but their website shows evidence of their superior use of design, space, color and texture. This is a historically protected property, so those historic and decorative elements at the Centennial are not likely to be damaged or marred. I fully expect they will be featured. McCartan's luxe portfolio indicates they understand how to work with grand spaces and elegant features to good advantage. I couldn't guess which design group is particularly experienced with updating obsolete monumental rooms for contemporary public use, and re-imagining them in order to create profitable spaces for business. It will require talent and imagination: Talent and imagination I think they've got.

Interior design work at The Centennial will be by http://www.mccartan.com/HomepageReturn.html McCartan, with offices in NY and Belfast was responsible for the look of renovations at the Westin Cleveland. Shown is the Sheraton, LA. Their downloadable brochure shows their accomplishments with creating memorable contemporary luxe public spaces.

Nice post of the stream and tree Dr. Rehm, but that Liberty Oak is a sycamore, (Platanus occidentalis.) They can be identified by their shaggy bark and white limbs. They are very tall and long-living trees. ?

Wishful thinking and unfounded IKEA/Target speculation is the biggest BORE to be found in the "Projects & Construction" suite of pages on UrbanOhio.

It's a birthday bath for both wings, and a birthday bash for the entire system. On February 17th, the (truly incredible) Cleveland Public Library turned 150 Years old https://cpl.org/cleveland-public-library-set-to-begin-celebration-for-150-years-of-service/

Not in anyone's backyard is the answer when it comes to sloppy work and disrespect of the neighborhood. In this case, those nimbys speak for all law-abiding neighborhood-loving Clevelanders who don't deserve to be walked on. No person interviewed for this story complained about development, but rather about the trash and poor site management of Tremont developers.

The first level up where I'm confident there's a connection into May Company from the Parkade is to the 3rd floor; into the Juniors Department, Liz Claiborne career separates, and across from plus sized dresses, LOL. That's the old employee entrance into the store from the garage, and the first level with access from parked cars.

If my math is correct, 400 feet tall is 11.8 inches taller than the Lumen. - BTW, Thanks to whomever has been updating the Cleveland skyline diagram at skyscrapers.com (below) with the Lumen, Beacon, Hilton, and E&Y towers. https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=147

...SCOOP!

A Saint Patrick's Day Announcement? - That's just 12 days away, lassies & laddies. (Who has one of the biggest St Pat's Parades in the USA?)

"Northeast Ohio Projects & Construction All projects and construction in NE Ohio. Planned, visions, U/C, etc"

'Looks like an almost perfect match to the renderings.

Some progress videos and photos were posted to Facebook within the past few weeks & days by Terra-cotta contractor Grunwell-Cashero. These were posted to a baby-boomer group I joined on Facebook some time ago. You won't need to log in to Facebook to view the items. these are public posts and should be easy enough to snoop through. A surprising quantity of content, rich with detail. - All pretty nice stuff. Grunwell-Cashero also appears to be working on the "Centennial" project at 925 Euclid for Millennia Cos. and posted some photos/video of action there as well. After clicking the link below, click a second time on the words "Grunwell-Cashero" in the upper left. The screen should automatically refresh and display the content https://www.facebook.com/pg/grunwellcashero1953/

The 702,000 citizens and 4.5+ million metropolitan residents in Washington, DC have no such parking bans on our similarly sized streets, and emergency-responders get where they are needed just fine. This is an example of Cleveland style hoo-hah that is apparent for all to see, visitors and residents alike. People actually leave (me) over silly processes and programs like this that get in the way of sensible/comfortable living.

Yanni, I stand corrected. I now recognize the site of these buildings and find this design to be acceptable. To me the two story parking garage disguised behind a flat surface is ungainly, dehumanizing and unappealing I'm not looking for new buildings to appear old, but rather that they foster human scale and integrity of design at the street level. If you're going to riff on Moshe Safdie from 1967; try and do it without inserting Robert Venturi into the surface treatments of floors one through five. I'm glad it's moving forward though. It is unique and distinctive, and even with this failing element I think it will survive the test of time.

Excuse me for not being more clear. I meant "derivative" in the pejorative sense, and indeed as a criticism. Dense but ugly is no way go through life. This is hardly an architectural homage, and laughably hard on the eyes. Many building owners and their architects manage to create pleasing historical references in brilliantly scaled structures all the time; dense too.

Derivative. Also, why does it look like it's growing out of an out sized planter? (Photo: Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67, Montreal)

Hah, You're right! Thanks - fixed it. I must have misremembered it using the wrong allusion to the ancient world.

The Colonnade Cafeteria was in the basement of the Ohio Savings Plaza on E 9th at some point. [Corrected: I wrongly remembered it as The Forum] When I worked at Huntington, there was a tunnel under Chester Ave that connected to the Colonnade dining hall at the basement level, and to the Ohio Savings Garage, which was used jointly by workers in both buildings. These images of the arcade are screenshots from the website of the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA.) Since it's a govt agency, I can presume they are in the public domain and are free to share. It's exactly as I remember it - minus any signs of life, or the many tenants. - The last image (construction) was a new one for me, so I dropped it in here just for fun. Post Office windows near the Chester Avenue side, close to Perk Plaza (formerly called Chester Commons) Stairs from the arcade up to Chester Avenue near E 9th. Also, access to the main banking hall during business hours. Shops, and the American Express Travel office Convenience Store and the former Lemon tree cafe on the left. Location of Joseph Scafidi Custom Tailors on the right. Entrances to the shoe shine stand, florist shop, Guv'nor Pub, and safety deposit room obscured by the first column Beyond all are elevators & stairs that take you up the Euclid Ave side of the building. To the left of the sundries shop are freight elevators and a passage out to the large alley that runs out behind the Huntington Bldg & John Hartness Brown Bldg. 1926 Photo-op for your your great grandpa's new Buick

This makes me very sad. My grandfather was a vice president for Union Commerce Bank and my father's main business office was upstairs in the Huntington building. In college I worked as a teller for Huntington Bank, in the grand vaulted banking room - upstairs from what I always thought was the very classy Rickey C. Tanno Jewelry store. My dad bought all his suits from Joseph Scafidi in the Huntington Arcade, and much of my mother's jewelry was purchased or repaired at Tanno's. I honestly didn't think they were still down there; across from the old Lemon Tree cafeteria and the Guv'nor Pub retaurant. In fact I've been away so long, I didn't consider that any parts of 925 were still accessible. I was never up to the roof when it was known as the Mid Day Club, but did have the chance when it was reopened as Sammy's Metropolitan Club in the 1990s. The Union Commerce Bank building is so excellently old school in the most essential ways, with a six-chair shoe shine stand; a well stocked magazine and tobacconist kiosk built into the foyer; the polished brass safety deposit room; a full service US Post Office; and so many places that seemed to be frozen in the 1930-1950s. I hate to think of that place without Tanno's. All things must change, but the arcade downstairs was perhaps one of the last remaining vestiges of Cleveland when it was at the top of it's game and a headquarters city of the highest caliber. - Through it all was Tanno's. Rickey C. Tanno jewelry shop to close as Union Trust Building project looms (Crains) https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/rickey-c-tanno-jewelry-shop-close-union-trust-building-project-looms

A post about The Old Arcade this week in the Urban Ohio Northeast Projects and Construction pages included some vintage images of the Old Arcade, which sent me looking through my own library of vintage travel books. Happily, I landed on this cool old image of the still extant front Gates of the former Stager Beckwith mansion on Euclid Avenue (Built 1860s - Now the Cleveland Children's Museum.) "America: Picturesque and Descriptive," by Joel Cook Published by H.T. Coates & Co., Philadelphia: 1900 Text is from pages 419-420

I know we all love the Old Arcade. I crow about it too, to anyone who will listen, but it is sloppy research to say it is America's oldest indoor shopping center/mall. The elegant Greek Revival Westminster Arcade in Providence, RI predates it by around 50 years, and it is still a gem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Arcade No dis on Cleveland, it's just better to learn and know the truth before making extravagant claims like 'first' or 'oldest.'

Mr Clifton, I agree. I would add that the Landmark Towers (Midland Bank) are among the chief detractors along this strip. For all their spectacular beauty and architectural achievement, could a more wondrously elegant structure be employed to any less success than this? It's not that there are shallow pocket tenants in these buildings owned outright by one of our city's top corporate citizens. Shame on Sherwin Williams for neglecting an opportunity to spruce up the neighborhood surrounding their headquarters. I know everyone loves the new banner on one wall in support of the Cavs, but the unfinished brick facade on those south and eastern facing sides of the tower (for 88 years) are also an unsightly blight on the city. They speak regularly to a national audience about stagnation and slow growth of Cleveland's urban core.