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Granted, but the classical style had been through that whole cycle by the time Caesar came around. It's been utilized ever since for good reason. And I'm not sure any amount of time will ever make Brutalism equal to that. Sometimes bad is just bad. I'm not saying this cafe needs to look like the Jefferson Memorial, but it doesn't need to look like a container for old CDs either.

There are plenty of buildings downtown that still look great 100+ years later. "Dated" often seems to mean "never any good in the first place."

Companies are pushing this independent contractor BS in every industry they can. I once had to sign a contract that said "regardless of state law, you agree with us that you are a contractor." FYI it doesn't work like that, but states have been lax in enforcement. Good to see they're starting to pick up the pace.

Generally speaking, I'm with Johnson on this. I appreciate his efforts on behalf of historical preservation and I wish he wasn't such a lonely voice against the chorus of destruction. That said, I'm cool with starting fresh on most of Cleveland's prewar housing stock. A lot of it wasn't very solid to begin with and wasn't built to last much longer than it already has. A clear distinction should be made between that housing stock and the stock of brick apartments and mixed-use buildings, which need to be preserved and rehabbed. We can't afford to lose them. Those buildings are what mark us as a major city, they should be in our future as well as our past, and I fear that the aforementioned chorus of destruction wants them indiscriminately wiped out.

I tend to agree, but both these and the Avenue District condos have high-end finishes and were initially listed at extravagant prices for their borderline locations. And their timing could not have been worse. It's possible that vertical condos could do well here if their prices and finishes line up better with their market areas than these did. I know there's the issue of justifying construction costs, but those costs are variable to an extent. The higher margins of top-end development are great when you can get them, but they alone don't justify building such units in areas where they can't sell. I'm guessing this development would have sold better in the core of downtown or in a choice part of the near west side, i.e. somewhere that's currently gentrifying. More specifically, in Shaker there are far better house options at this price point, while the people looking for smaller vertical spaces prefer to rent. People buying in Shaker are typically looking to raise kids there, and vertical condos are not seen as ideal for that. Meanwhile, lots of people coming in and out for the schools and the hospitals are interested in this type of space, and have money, but are in no position to buy there because their need is for 2-4 years, not 20-30.

Fixed that for ya Musky, I think I mentioned that quite a few pages back in this thread. When I was at CSU, I met with Ed re: an event for Levin College. He mentioned leaving in the near future because he was being pushed out after pushing back and asking for a mixed-use building in that spot. Truly a terrible loss for the University and I wish the many important Levin grads around town would put up more of a stink about it. Too late now with this building, let's hope they can get the campus back on track with the next one. Well, that gets my goat. Pushed out by whom? Pushed back against whom?

This is not a classic left/right issue. Regionalism seeks to reduce government and autonomy at the same time, giving everybody at least one reason to oppose it. And even from the most liberal of locals, I've encountered disdain for having those people at the table. But the identity of those people depends on who you're talking to.

These fare machines have been a consistent debacle from day one. I remain curious what steps have been taken within RTA to identify the causes of this failure and prevent any future failures of such magnitude.

Huntington had a retail branch there in the 90s, which I went out of my way to patronize. The lobby was so amazing that I felt embarrassed about the insignificance of my transactions. One day, I thought, I will stroll in here and deposit ten grand.

Crains errs on its initial thesis and it's all downhill from there. Public transit is not a business, so there's no sense in framing it or analyzing it as a business. The purpose of public transit is not to make money, it's to provide a service which allows the public to make money. A profitable business is a success, regardless of what services it provides. But a profitable transit system that lacks necessary services is a failure. When fire department services are cut back, "profitability" of the fire department improves, yet nobody ever views that as a positive development. Not even Crains. The same should be true for public transit.

But because they're in charge, Ohio is effectively anti-urban.

An earlier article, above, had said there would be a retail/restaurant component to this. It seemed implausible at the time... who goes out or goes shopping in a medical campus? No mention of that in today's article. At least UH gets the parcel right by the RR tracks, which minimizes the tax loss on the hospital footprint. Since the UH facility is just a transplant from main campus, the new jobs expectation must refer to the Geis portion. So 200+ jobs, involving medical suppliers, one story high on 11 acres? Sounds like a distribution center. I hope not.

He's got a point. Can't win if you don't play the game.

Oh wow is that cool. I need to get up there! How much is a beer?

I like what's happening in Columbus. The core is getting denser for sure. That's a good point though about the impact of lawns and dead ground floors.

Question: Why hasn't the population boom in Columbus led to more downtown development? Off the top of my head, maybe it's just not a downtown-centric city. Imagine if even half of the office buildings around 270 were instead built as towers downtown. But they weren't, which helps to fuel the typical view of Columbus being smaller than it is. But the same goes for many of the newer "big" cities, like Phoenix and San Jose, even Indy. They all have small downtowns, relative to their modern populations. And Columbus already has more skyline than any of those cities. Cincinnati recently added a major piece in Great American. Cleveland is getting at least three new towers this decade (E&Y, Hilton, Nucleus). Given how much it's outpacing the other C's in population these days, isn't Columbus also due for some next-level downtown developments? Is there a general sense that might happen soon?

We're reaping a harvest of bad leadership, bad planning, bad development. Corruption and fiefdom-orientation remain major problems here, across the city and the metro area. The good news is that all of these issues have shown improvement in recent years. Some more than others. As we continue to fix our problems, more and more people will vote for us with their feet. And yes, immigration is probably our biggest missed opportunity right now. That needs to become a priority with a visible focus. Cleveland's mayor has made embarrassing anti-immigrant comments and I just can't see him ever leading the city toward growth.

So why did our leadership cozy up with them? Grrrrrr..... Because our leadership is decades behind, and answers to its most vocal anti-urban constituents. See upthread for one example. There are others around town. Mixed use and density are not viewed as priorities in this city. At times they are openly frowned upon. That needs to change, on a fundamental philosophical level. I don't see that happening without significant turnover at city hall.

Atlanta lost on a last second shot yesterday too. It's contagious.

Brother Jed had a lineup of kids, dressed like it was 1870, who would spout off Bible verses on command. It always bothered me how he subjected those kids to the abuse he was bringing upon himself, calling every passerby a "fornicator" right in front of them. That was 20 years ago... I wonder how the kids turned out. Just like our favorite Boston Globe columnist, Brother Jed only made himself look bad in the end.

We had to fix the defensive front, it was garbage. Mission probably accomplished. We should get a lot more sacks this year now that Pettine's scheme is properly populated. I also think we upgraded our WR group significantly enough in FA to provide reasonable balance on offense. And the more I read about Duke Johnson, the higher his ceiling sounds. Jamaal Charles or LeSean McCoy type potential.

I like Duke Johnson, he could be a steal. That pick seems to be getting some accolades. Big speed boost on offense, he can get around corners and take off. Also a big threat as a checkdown receiver. Defensive front was horrible last year and we've added 3 studs to it, with 5 picks to go. But I'm pissed that the Ravens got that TE. If they didn't the Steelers would have, and we still need one badly, moreso than WR.

I like the radio concept, how it invokes local history and culture. But I hate the idea of invoking the history and culture of some other city. How hard would it be to say Coventry or Hessler instead of Haight-Ashbury? It's not like we don't have our own hippie districts.

Great first round. Kinda pissed Steelers got that OLB but we needed the OL help more.

I would not give up any draft picks for a player who won't sign beyond a year, for whatever reason. Shelton seems likely at this point. I can't see us trading up this year, maybe down.