bizbiz

Edgewater <img src="http://clevlnd.com/sitebuilder/images/IMG_1286-458x300.jpg">

I noticed this too, and it immediately jumped out at me. At least this one is in the city proper - I think it is, or is that Cuyahoga Heights/Newburgh Heights borderline? Geis Construction is on this one and they don't play games, they're one of the biggest industrial players in NE Ohio. They threw down some warehouses the past few years in Glenwillow as big as Key Tower horizontally and they keep building more.

fine job mayday, i like this a lot.

Hello af2005mn, As a nearby business owner, I welcome you to the neighborhood! I have been watching the renovations take place and am very excited about this project. The coffeeshop has me very excited, as it is walking distance for me! This is an absolutely awesome development and I wish you the best!!

A few things to consider on a dilapidated house: bringing it up to code. Many times, when you get a house for next to nothing, it's been left to rot and decay for several years. Like what kinda stuff? Gas lines that froze in the winter, copper pipes stolen by thieves, broken windows, and the list goes on. If the house doesn't have any external problems, that's also not a free ride. Sometimes houses look great on the outside and the inside is a whole 'nother story. Foreclosure's on the sheriff's sale are off limits inside, so many times, it's a buy at your own risk sort of thing. One house I almost bought in Brecksville looked amazing on the outside. When I did my research, I found out it had 25,000 worth of mold damage that had been taken care of, but then the owner bankrupted in the middle of the mold rehabiliation, leaving a large house completely stripped of floors. With that said, buy the right house, do the right work, and you're in the go. You have picked a neighborhood that has potential AND is currently not up many people's alley's. That leaves you with a great deal, but also, it leaves you with the potential for a lot of work.

The new solar/wind study they are building at the CSU maintenance building is almost complete. It now looks like a water tower and has the CSU logo all over it. It is going to standout when it hits the top of the building. Very nice.

Grumpy, thanks for posting those links! Amazing how much the area changed when they built the innerbelt and the onramps.

Places like Little Italy, Tremont, and now many districts in downtown WILL NOT permit shit to be built at this point, because there are zoning restrictions in place, but more importantly, there are committed residents in each of the said parts of town who will not let shit pop up. We will never see crap built in Little Italy because the community would throw out the idea or reject it. The same can be said in most suburbs, although, depending on which suburb you are talking about, what is considered "crap" is open to your own interpretation. What Cleveland needs to do is stop letting crap get built in neighborhoods that are going to make a turnaround down the road. Let's take MidTown (my favorite example) and the pathetic Aldi's (I've used this argument at least a million times). If that or even worse, the new CVS on E. 79th and Euclid was never built, we would actually be better off with nothing, because that particular area has so much damn potential. The re-location of the Playhouse, the expansion of The Cleveland Clinic, the spin-off of Beacon Place, and all those beautfiul churches make this area an area that should be experiencing major growth. Instead, what we have is a cheap church that was built, a stupid pathetic and ugly Aldi's, a CVS that is setback from the intersection, and on the land of a former church, perhaps one of the best that ever set foot in Cleveland, and one damn ugly, poorly designed shopping plaza known as Church Square. Meanwhile, 2 beatiful churches and the remaining clock tower on the third sit nearby, there are multiple (gorgeously designed) apartment complexes undergoing renovation, there is the Baker Motors project, and there is all this other (good) planned stuff that could truly ehance that part of MidTown. Now, assuming in 10 years, this is some sort of gentrified neighborhood for doctor's and surgeon's from the Clinic, OR WHOMEVER, and developers invest shitloads of money into the neighborhood, be it on new highrises, retail, or just Clinic expansion, we're going to be stuck with that damn awful CVS. That was an absolute prime corner and the most important in that area. Now, CVS and the setback will never go away, since it's on a 50 year lease. There's not much we can do to remove the Burger King, McDonald's, Rally's, and KFC either. Sadly. Stop them from being built whenever that was, would have been the solution. What we need is to get in there and stop shit from being built in the neighborhoods of the future. There will never be a CVS setback from the road in Little Italy. And at that rate, we can say Little Italy and Tremont are intelligent and MidTown is not. So why then is it ok to build it in MidTown? We need to figure out who okays this stuff and why they do it. What would have happened if MidTown or the council for Fairfax said, "Hey you can build a CVS on 79th and Euclid, but it has to be designed for pedestrians on the Healthline, it has to include inititiatives for the neighborhood's future, and it has to be up on the sidewalk."

I'm interested in collaborating with you guys on such a project or something to enhance the city, be it an art project or the development of pocket parks and whatnot. I have experience in purchasing properties and know a lot of people with the city, midtown, etc. who can assist.

I don't think the Rockometer is "awesome". What I think is awesome is that a guy has an idea and it is making the news. That this guy is willing to spend 35k of his own money to do studies. The end result may be a large developer buying his idea or the realization by the city or someone with the power to make it happen, making better use of the land, be it a Rockometer, a new-Landerhaven, or just something more than a fenced off "government building". I would love to see some retail, restaurants, and even a hotel down there. Right now, that's non-existent, north of Lakeside.

"Martini and bowling? Who will want to do that?" "A bowling alley where people drink martini's and watch others bowl, haha hahahahhahaha." "Another stupid idea in Cleveland." Maybe it's not all over Urban Ohio's E. 4th discussion, circa 2006, but hell, it was all I recall hearing when the project was announced. Of course, it's now the entrance to the hottest street in Cleveland.

The reason there is no crowd down there to sustain the Rockometer is because there is nothing down there to sustain a crowd. The Rockometer would bring and keep people down there, whereas, complaining how ugly, stupid, and un-purposeful it is, will continue to make the harbor a dead zone. Sometimes the best way to bring life into a neighborhood is to come up with a wild idea that will actually create news, sensation, and a vibe - then the spin-off development is what comes in and really changes things. Just look to E. 4th and recall how many thought a "martini bowling alley was stupid" and now look what E. 4th is. North Coast Harbor should be the hottest spot in Cleveland. And when I say North Coast Harbor, I mean the entire area north of Lakeside between W. 2nd and E. 12th. We often hear about how Burke should be closed and turned into prime lakefront real estate. Yet, we have the Muni parking lots that could easily be turned into prime real estate but we are too busy complaining about the airport to see that all those surface lots could be combined into 1 parking deck and all that land could be used more than 8 times a year, or whenever the Clinic needs pushover parking. That is some of the best land and yet no one ever talks of developing it. In Toronto, there are big things happening in a new district on former wasted land exactly like the Muni lot. The same applies to North Coast Harbor. Let's stop pretending a Rockometer is only possible when the government land is re-located. The guy who wants Rockometer can build this nearby for a lot less than 100 million. And so he has an idea. Let's support him and correct his mistakes if we think it's ugly, but let's not try to dismiss it because he is a citizen with an idea for the city and not a bottomless pocketed developer looking for more money to line his already bottomless pocket.

^ That's not how the media works. They make their bang and bucks on twisting the facts, hiding the good news, and repeating the bad stuff over and over, to the extreme. Just think of how they made the swine flu out to be the sequel to the 1918 Spanish Flu. Or about how in Cleveland, every news story about downtown has to include mention of the shooting at Perk Park. OTR is indeed on the up and up with new construction!

I don't know when it dawned on me, but I finally realized one of the most amazing things about Cleveland and the inner-rings is the number of beautifully constructed churches. I could write a book about all I have seen and learned. As a matter of fact, I own a book all about churches in Cleveland and I think it's time to pull it out and read it cover to cover. I am working on taking some pictures of my favorite churches and posting them on Urbanohio in the coming weeks. One thing that prompted me to make a thread on the subject was the demolition of a gorgeous church on Superior Ave in downtown Cleveland. I don't think this thread should be about "church closings" but rather, the actual architecture and design of the churches, and also the re-adaptive use of some, be it partial or full demolition, expansion, or conversion. I hope we can talk about what churches we DO have and not mope on the one's that no longer exist. One church that saw new life, rather than emptiness was converted into residential on Euclid Heights Blvd. in Cleveland Heights. Another church on E. 33rd near Superior in Chinatown was converted into an art gallery - an excellent addition to the neighborhood! One of my problems I have with our churches is remembering all of their names - there are simply so many that I find myself constantly remembering churches by location rather than by name. One that I do know by name is Epworth-Euclid on Chester, designed by Walker & Weeks. This will be the first one I visit for photography - both inside and out are stunning with detail. I hope this thread can turn into discussion, photo's, and other talk about the churches in NE Ohio. I think all you Urbanohio'ers also need to check out the churches tucked away in Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, and Lakewood - some of the most gorgeous churches I've seen in all my life are in our suburbs! "St. Paul's Episcopal", on Fairmount in Cleveland Heights (designed by none other than the firm of Walker & Weeks) and St. James on Detroit Ave. in Lakewood - sadly this one is planned to close, but based on the architectural detail, this beauty will quickly have a new religion or use inside in no time. Most importantly, I would love to see some discussion on here about all of our churches in NE Ohio. I must say this is one of Cleveland and NE Ohio's richest assets. And believe it or not, our middle-ring suburbs have a few modern masterpieces as well. I won't divulge, as you should find them for yourselves, but look to places like Highland Heights and Highland Hills for 2 great examples.

Ah, the solution is quite simple. Use an air filter or fan on high power to eliminate the noise. I can not sleep without one. When I lived in Lakewood, there was a bus station, a church, and a main school crossing with guard all outside my window and it got loud in the morning. So I got a device that eliminates all noise. I've stayed in the Arcade and my window faced E. 4th St. from about the 4th floor. 3 AM might not be a busy street, but the few who are still out can be very loud and drunk.

Wow! This is big.

This list includes the MSA, which significantly changes things, especially for Cleveland. Like I always say, Cleveland may be poor and dangerous in some parts of the city, but when you throw in all the weathly suburbs, it's one of the wealthier and safer metropolitan region's. Just imagine what Hunting Valley, Bratenahl, and Gates Mills alone do to the GDP. Now, as for crime level, yeah, add 50,000 in Lakewood, 90,000 in Parma, and 100,000 on the inner east rings, and you added 250,000 to the MSA, but probably no more than 1 homicide. Whereas in Cleveland, there are usually 100-130 homicides for 450,000. Major stats change, yet, I concur, Forbes is still crap. Add in places like Mentor with 50,000, Strongsville, another 50,000 and before you know it, you have over a million people with almost the same homicide and brutal crime count as with Cleveland by itself. This study looked specifically at homicides and 3 other criteria of similar nature.

Stupid... the entire list is poorly constructed and the two-tiered list is also poorly done. Congratulations to the organization for hinting that intelligence doesn't play a role in media publications.

This is in front of the Chester I-90 West on-ramp. CSU Maintenance Bldg on left. This is freestanding and not on top or connected to the building itself: <img src="http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt189/cleveland_ohio/IMG_1641.jpg"> <img src="http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt189/cleveland_ohio/IMG_1642.jpg"> <img src="http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt189/cleveland_ohio/IMG_1643.jpg">

Two of the best mid-sized parks in the country are Washington Square Park and Madison Park, both in New York City. They have a feel, upon entering, that you've left the busy streets of Manhattan and entered an oasis in an otherwise un-green city. There are very mature trees that house birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. That is the first thing that Cleveland parks don't feature. We keep cutting trees down and planting new ones that will take another 75 years to mature. Just like we like to demolish buildings, we like to cut trees down. The purpose of an urban park is to create a sense of nature where it's otherwise not available. The first thing I think of in most Cleveland parks are these perfectly arranged planter-trees that are spaced exactly 10 feet apart in perfect alignment. Is that natural? Is that nature? Especially when all the trees are of the same gene and offer no diversity. Is that replicating the feeling of wooded areas? Not in my mind. Maybe yours! The same thing applies to fields of grass. Perfect green fertilized lawn is not found in nature. I think that's very boring and if anyone believes we need more grassy fields in downtown, then maybe downtown isn't for you. Minding, there is already Willow Park, Voinovich Park, Mall A, B, and C, amongst other grassy fields already available in central downtown that are under-utilized and under-used. The new plaza that was built on the west and east sides of the Federal Building is highly dissapointing. The CREDIBLE architect and design firm promised a "heavily wooded" atmosphere and what we got was nothing better than the new fountains of crap in front of the Cleveland Clinic. Obviously these firms and city officials have not visited other cities and learned anything. Maybe Frank Jackson should take the city council and spend a year in France, not a week. University Circle has some great wooded areas and sculpture gardens, such as David E. Davis Park, Rockefeller Park, and the Lagoons at Wade Oval. Rockefeller Park is the best designed park in Cuyahoga County and sadly, it's not used by many people and even more dissapointing is that it has become a vehicle thruway more than anything else. The Cultural Gardens are beautiful and also neglected by Clevelander's. Rockefeller Park (the kind of park I want more of in Cleveland) is very similar in design to Central Park and Prospect Park near Park-Slope in Brooklyn, both considered 2 of the greatest parks in this country. What makes Rockefeller "a great park"? The bridges are immaculate! The Cultural Gardens and greenhouse are beautiful, the housing along East Blvd. is gorgeous (most of it that is). And it connects right to Wade Oval. That to me is a park and while Perk Park is not comparable in size or dimension in anyway at all, Rockefeller's *design* SHOULD serve as a model for all parks in Cleveland. Implementing public art, sculptures, and ***well-planned landscaping*** (not fake, ugly, suburban mcmansion re-creation) is a key to making any park attractive. That is the #1 thing missing from Cleveland's downtown parks. And like I said, everything else earlier - that too is missing and needed. Otherwise, we'll always have "average parks" with no more than 5-10 people in them on a sunny afternoon. We have the ability to accomplish more than an elevated green lawn. Howabout this instead: <img src="http://www.intrepid.com.au/wp-content/upload/central-park-new-york-city.jpg">

My problem with this is that they show all these people laying in the park. *sigh* please don't try to get our hopes up! That's doubtful.. If they want to show a real park scene, then the drawing should show 5-10 people smoking outside of the office building on the edge of the park and 2 fat people eating lunch on a bench at high noon. I walk by this park daily and a 3 million dollar improvement removing cement and adding grass won't magically make it an attraction. The real aesthetics that are missing (which I hope will be implemented): preservation of any mature trees and the planting of new ones, squirrels, dog walkers, street vendors, thick brush/heavy landscaping on the entry path, a cafe, wi-fi access, and public artwork/murals. The residents and office workers are there and this is the case of "if you build it RIGHT they will come!" Just please, please, please, don't plant a patch of grass and expect people to lay in it. My fear, which is probably not a fear, but a reality, is that the scaled down version removes all enhancements to the park EXCEPT the patch of grass. If I want a patch of grass, I'll go to the suburbs or Mall A, B, and C.

Awesome! I think that it's a very cool little village of FLW inspiration indeed!

I haven't seen mention of it yet on here, maybe I missed it, but CSU is building a rooftop garden above the fairly new Rec Center. Here is the link: http://www.csuohio.edu/offices/shs/rooftop/

I think you'll all like this! Next door to Flower Child, where The Clifton Web that closed on Clifton and W. 115th was, is being replaced by Big Fun Cleveland. This will be their 2nd location, the other being on Coventry. An excellent store indeed!

Well, one thing we can all agree on is that we want to stop the demolitions, at least of those pertaining to significant history to the city. That indeed is relevant to this discussion, and if it's not, let's create a thread on city discussion. I for one, am very interested in finding out who allows this demolition after demolition to actually happen and secondly, I would like to put an end to it. Our grandchildren will thank us one day. Someone paid for the recent demolition on Euclid. Who financed it? Was it public or privately funded? The amount to demolish a building and clear the parcel out is not cheap. Perhaps, preserving or creating funding to find a preserver is an option. Perhaps all of this information is already known, and if so, why wasn't this stopped? I think this city has improved as a whole since the true destruction of Euclid's mansions. Let us save what still exists! As it stands now, I can not even keep track of all the demolition's taking place. Just a retrospective of the last few months: Scene did a story on a church torn down at Superior and E. 55th. And recently, a beauty in Collinwood was brought down. OK, so the demolition of University Center at CSU was fine with me, the rest are not!