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I was thinking of the Hollenden House as well. I loved that tower on the corner.

And a very valid point that is... The article is looking at Shaker Square as an investment that Coral has made. If he leases out the former JB spot, the entire area is effectively leased and the Square has healthy again. I would prefer a better CVS. The current one is as dumpy as they come. But, if there were a more exciting tenant who could fill that space, it would be better than a drugstore. A good drugstore is important for the tenant mix, though. What else could you put there? I can't think of anything better than a large bookstore. Given the fact that there is a good chance that B & N will build a large bookstore at Ford & Euclid, I wouldn't want competition at Shaker Square. It will take a while before Cleveland's market could absorb a major bookstore at Ford/Euclid, Shaker Square and at Severance.

The crappy CVS is not part of Shaker Square. That little strip is owned by someone else.

If this building is renovated, then Euclid is pretty much set between Public Square and E.9th. Sure, there is still a parking lot and a parking garage to build on, but otherwise the street would be sufficiently occupied.

It was Corwin Thomas, the former real estate business writer for the PD that mentioned in his column that the Atrium's foundation wouldn't support a renovation. I am glad to hear that the building can be saved.

This would be fantastic news. Lets hope that we hear something soon.

X, I was under the impression that the new zoning overlay would not permit CVS from doing this sort of development.

I find the bit about Shaker Square Beverage interesting. Sounds like sour grapes. I also disagree with his assessment. I think Shaker Square can only thrive if it serves the neighborhood. It will be unique if it serves the neighborhood (there are not too many places in Cleveland that actually can do that). I think this two-themed strategy is a great idea. It keeps the place lively and relevant all day. As I look to buy a new home, it is a big draw if I can walk to buy all my basic necessities.

sounds like some good news! Shaking up the Square Beachwood developer’s ‘day and night’ tactic drawing diverse mix of tenants to East Side shopping district By JOHN BOOTH 6:00 am, January 30, 2006 Shaker Square may be one of a kind, but it's becoming very much a space with two faces. Nearly two years after developer Peter Rubin's Coral Co. of Beachwood agreed to buy it, the historic shopping district on the Cleveland-Shaker Heights border is clearly being shaped by the company's 'day and night' approach. 'In terms of the tenant composition to achieve our theme for Shaker Square … we're right on track,' Mr. Rubin said. 'Its daytime (function is) to serve what we call the `city' of Shaker Square. The nighttime personality is cinema, food, entertainment and the arts.' Mr. Rubin said Coral has met three of its four concrete goals since taking ownership: extending the lease of Shaker Square Cinemas, and bringing in Dave's Supermarket and Sergio Abramof's Sarava restaurant. The fourth hurdle — filling the northeast quadrant's anchor spot that formerly housed Joseph-Beth Booksellers — may be cleared soon. Mr. Rubin would not confirm or deny a well-circulated rumor among Shaker Square business owners that a CVS drugstore will fill the quadrant, but he did say Coral is 'just weeks away from signing a major retailer for that space.' Occupancy at the square is at 85%, Mr.Rubin said. When Coral bought the property in September 2004, it was 45% leased. Different perspectives Dewey Forward and his partner, Diane Armstrong, on Jan. 7 opened Dewey's Fair Trade Coffee and the adjoining Popcorn Shop Factory. At midafternoon on a recent cold, gray Tuesday, more than a dozen people were eating and drinking in the coffee shop. Mr. Forward, who grew up in the area and hung out at the square as a kid, says things are going better than he expected. 'Shaker Square is just a market waiting to happen,' he said. 'It's got kind of a solid direction.' Mr. Forward said the new 'night and day' approach is a good one. 'In the day, it's a neighborhood place:a drugstore, a dry cleaner, a grocery store you can buy staples in,' he said. 'At night, you have great restaurants. It's a different place.' Merchant reactions to Coral's moves vary:Some are enthusiastic, while others are reserving judgment. Shaker Square Beverages owner Dr. Gene Veronesi — who has, by his own admission, a 'soured' relationship with Coral stemming from philosophical differences about the square's direction and fines for late rent payment — decries the 'day and night' talk. He'd prefer a focus on garnering more daytime shopping traffic, and as he sees it, additions such as a dry cleaner, tax preparation firm H&R Block and the rumored CVS detract from the square's personality. 'We now have become ordinary,' he said. 'There's just really no sense of synergy here, or people coming from one place to another. Lord knows what Shaker Square will look like in three years.' But Playmatters manager David Johannson, who has run the toy store since 1995, said the square is 'back on an upswing' under Coral's approach, which places a high value on a loyal customer base. 'They (Coral) recognize it's a neighborhood shopping center,' he said. 'It's not going to draw from far away, which is a good thing. It's a sustainable thing.' More to come Plans to revamp the public space comprising the center of the square — areas that are adjacent to the RTA rapid transit tracks and are dubbed the North Lawn and the South Lawn — still are in the works, Mr. Rubin said. Concepts for an amphitheater on the south side and 'reading gardens and a very iconic water sculpture' on the north are complete, Mr. Rubin said, though it will be awhile before they're a reality. 'We're now going into the fund-raising stage of getting those built,' he said. 'The next step is a series of community meetings. I don't think we'll see construction until the spring of 2007.' Negotiations also are under way to add another restaurant, which would occupy a space temporarily used by the Cleveland Museum of Art. As for adding residential housing, another component of the redevelopment Coral originally proposed, Mr. Rubin said it's still part of the long-range plan, with market research for the project likely to be done this year.

UHHS mulls central office site Owners offer up 668 Euclid building as possible downtown locale By STAN BULLARD 6:00 am, January 30, 2006 University Hospitals Health System of Cleveland is considering the consolidation of hundreds of administrative employees from throughout the region into a single office — a move that could revive downtown Cleveland's dormant 668 Euclid Ave. building. Thomas Zenty III, president and CEO of the UH system, confirmed the far-flung hospital system is looking at putting into one location back office, administrative, public relations and other support personnel from both its University Circle campus and other parts of Greater Cleveland. Local real estate industry insiders say 600 jobs and 100,000 square feet of space could be involved in the consolidation. Mr. Zenty refused to comment on those parameters, saying, 'We're very early in our search.' He also wouldn't say which sites are under consideration. However, one location that definitely is interested in the UH system as a tenant is 668 Euclid Ave., the former Atrium office complex owned by the Goldberg family, which also owns Ohio Savings Bank. David Goldberg, the Ohio Savings vice chairman who handles the family's real estate interests, said the family has an agreement with a developer he wouldn't identify who is pursuing the UH deal. 'I've kept the building off the market hoping this would happen,' Mr. Goldberg said. 'It's a very exciting proposal.' http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5258130/UHHS-mulls-central-office-site.html

Urban, Which properties are "too suburban"? What do you know about the "unnamed developments"?

All very valid points. Regarding the last beach proposal, I don't think it was that bad. There were many different renderings of the same basic scheme. The last one was pretty neat, but the others were too flat. You can chalk that up to the different steps in the architectural process. While just about all of the projects that have been announced for UC are institutional, it heartens me because it should create a larger demand for housing in the area. Case wants more market rate housing and UCI wants more market rate housing. CIA wants its own dorms. When I say 'want', it means that each group is actively pursuing these goals. I can see CIA and UCI working together. I have also heard that Case and UCI have been butting heads lately. It is an interesting time in the Circle.

Healthspace sent out an email today saying that they are not closing (as of yet). They simply say that they are selling the building to the Clinic. My take is that the Clinic will allow them to operate as long as the Clinic doesn't want to use the space. Its a strange block. The musuem is next to a beautiful mansion. Would the Clinic level the mansion so that it could build on the land??? The Clinic also has recently extended offers to buy the land where the churches are located, just east on Euclid of the new cancer center. In one respect, it is a very good sign that our largest employer is trying to get as many land as it can. Let's just hope that they have learned from their very recent architectural mistakes.

I have been a fan of most of Shapiro's moves. I don't know about this one. We are giving up a lot. Marte has some great potential, but..

Good job, Guv!

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KTM, The basic tenet of "American philosophy" is the democratic process. These rules were voted in by a majority of the Cleveland's citizens. It is very questionable for the state legislature to disrespect the election process. Most likely, the state legislature's actions will prove to be unconstituional. Ohio is a home-rule state, which grants the power of local self-government. Actions by the state legislature that infringe on his right are unconstitutional. However, I feel that your argument is based on emotion rather than established law. Taken to the extreme, your argument would take away the employer's right to establish job qualifications. That is a very slippery slope. Is that really what you are advocating?

Liberty is a word that many people like to thrown around. Using it to rationalize a personal agenda can distort the meaning given to it by the constitution. KTM, You are throwing around a bunch of cliches. Also, when did the ACLU and child molesters come into play? The right to pursue life, liberty and happiness is not absolute. Such an interpretation was never intended by the Framers. If it were, I would be exercising my right to cheat on my taxes or steal my neighbor's car.

Why is the Penton Media building displaying this? Is the archiect located there? How long has it been in the building?

I can see the validity in that. But, it would be awfully expensive for the VA to abandon its existing infrastructure in UC and build completely anew. I would think it would cost them an additional $500 million to reconstruct what they already have. What if the new development spurs redevelopment in the surrounding neighborhoods? I was talking with someone at the VA who said that 70 employees have already purchased homes in nearby Cleveland neighborhoods because of the move. One doctor bought his wife a condo in downtown because "he didn't want her to drive all the way back to Brecksville when a snowstorm hits".

Strap, In your opinion, what "sucked" so much about the last plans for the Beach? How could the design have been improved?

Its amazing how much construction materials have increased in price over the past 3 years. $200 million in 2003 would have bought a much better Euclid Ave than it would buy now. If they would have stuck to the timeline, the end project would have been much better. Why ARE they so far behind?

How sad!

I don't feel like this is significant. At the very least, we are more secure in that we have another tenant who will be around for a while. I would like to keep office density in key places, such as the theater district. But, I feel that the Halle building should be one of the easier buildings to rent out. I believe the FCE owns it.

^nothing like a Cheesecake Factory in my front yard! I am sure that I will live an interesting life with all the artsy folk that will become my neighbors. On a serious note...I think my grandfather used to own land that is now part of Crocker Park.