CMH_Downtown

I couldn't agree more, it's definitely something we can all be proud of.

CINCINNATI AKRON TOLEDO CLEVELAND COLUMBUS Wildly popular Ohio is a zoo state Led by Columbus, five Ohio zoos have earned national recognition, and three attract more than 1 million visitors a year. It's a distinction that only California comes close to. Sunday, May 20, 2007 3:41 AM By Story by Matt Tullis THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/20/ZOOTOPIA.ART_ART_05-20-07_A1_RT6OTT6.html A deep-blue glow emanated from the glass walls of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's Discovery Reef. Brothers Liam, 5, and Ewan, 3, stood with their faces plastered to the glass, watching the fish dart and slide by noiselessly. For more information, click above link. [email protected] Zoos' claims to fame ■ Columbus: Western lowland gorillas ■ Akron: Close proximity to animals (African lion pictured) ■ Cincinnati: Sumatran rhinos ■ Cleveland: Rain forest (Bornean orangutan pictured.) ■ Toledo: Polar bear cubs

Razing of Woodland to include roads, too Tuesday, May 15, 2007 3:30 AM By Kevin Mayhood THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH An owner of a blighted East Side apartment complex said yesterday that he understood that the 122 buildings would be torn down by the city, but he argued that the roads, sidewalks and other infrastructure should remain. "Our current plan is the redevelopment of the 52 acres as affordable housing," Jorge Newbery, managing member of Woodland Meadows, told Franklin County Environmental Judge Harland H. Hale. He told Hale that to replace the roads, parking lots and walkways would cost $7 million to $8 million. But Hale, who in February ruled that the complex was a public nuisance, ruled yesterday that he won't stop the demolition and clarified that he intended that the acreage be reduced to a "clean slate." Assistant City Attorney Robert A. Beatty Jr. had argued against limiting demolition. Leaving the roads would make it easier for people to dump such things as cars and trash on the property, he said. Beatty also pointed out that the city's list of complaints against the complex had included all paved areas. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/15/woodland.ART_ART_05-15-07_B3_256NJG2.html

I've got to say, if the worst thing the GOP can come up with to oust Coleman is the current state of the City Center Mall (as opposed to police and fire coverage, school, taxes, etc), then he must be doing a damn good job. GOP candidate challenges Coleman on mall GOP candidate uses empty City Center as political forum Tuesday, May 15, 2007 3:30 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Republican challenging Mayor Michael B. Coleman promised yesterday that he'd present a redevelopment plan for City Center Mall on his first day in office and get it under way during his first year. William M. Todd accused Coleman of idly watching the departure of shops and shoppers from the once-popular Downtown center. The mall's latest blow came last month when Limited Brands decided to close its last four stores there. He called City Center "the world's biggest above-ground cavern," and he offered a new twist on an old Ronald Reagan line as a potential solution for its ills. "Mr. Mayor, tear down this mall," Todd said. Todd offered no specifics for his City Center plan beyond saying he thinks the mall should remain an entertainment and shopping area. He said he meant "tear down" rhetorically; his plan won't necessarily include razing City Center. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/15/ccenter.ART0_ART_05-15-07_B3_256NIS6.html

City's priorities Capital budget aids fire division Tuesday, May 15, 2007 3:32 AM By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Mayor Michael B. Coleman's proposed $817.6 million capital improvements budget for 2007. The proposed capital budget includes $6.8 million to buy eight fire engines, seven medic units and an air-supply truck. Four ladder trucks also will be delivered this year. Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who plans to outline the proposed $818 million capital budget this morning, said last night that the city is getting the new trucks because it finally can. The city has an additional $100 million in capital money this year, thanks in part to higher-than-expected income-tax revenue from 2006, said Joel Taylor, the city's director of finance and management. The budget is more than the $677 million package the city adopted last year. Much of the increase this year can be attributed to sewer and water projects that have been planned for years or are required under a settlement that calls for Columbus to separate its storm and sanitary sewers. The mayor's plan includes $518 million for sewer, electric and water projects, up from $328.7 million last year. That includes $123.2 million for three new Columbus water reservoirs in Delaware County. Construction is scheduled to begin next year. The city also would spend $1 million to resurface Broad Street, from Marconi Boulevard to I-71 Downtown. That would begin this fall. Other streets Downtown and in the Northeast, Southeast and Northwest sections also will be resurfaced, Assistant Public Service Director Mary Carran Webster said. Also in the mayor's plans are $7.2 million to beautify a tired section of N. High Street between Lane and Arcadia avenues in the University District. Another $17 million would go toward refurbishing the former police headquarters at 120 W. Gay St. for city offices. Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/15/CAPBUD.ART_ART_05-15-07_A1_2K6NIKF.html

"Columbus Clippers, our team is number one, Columbus Clippers, our fans are half the fun! No matter who they're playing, they'll always play 'em well, Columbus Clippers, ring your bell!" *Cowbells ring* "They'll always be team players, they'll never let you down, That's what makes our Clippers the talk all over town! No matter if they're winnin', or if they've had a spell, Columbus Clippers, ring your bell!" *Cowbells ring* "Catch that Clippers spirit, help 'em score another run, Catch that Clippers spirit, keep a-ringin' till we've won! Get behind our Clippers, so the final score will tell, Columbus Clippers, ring your bell!" *Cowbells ring* Ahhh...the memories. I remember I always wanted a cowbell to ring at Clippers games as a kid. It's a shame they don't play the song anymore (or so I've been told).

I don't recall ever seeing the plans mentioned. All I remember hearing and seeing in the papers was trying to a get a Home Depot to commit to the area (which, last I checked, wasn't a very pedestrial-friendly development at all). I don't think this development was ever meant to be a new urban tract of dense, mixed use properties meant to be traveresed primarily by foot. As Colday mentioned, the entire Morse Rd. corridor is already the antithesis of "pedestrian-friendly," minus the hulking mixed use development further east known as Easton.

Brewery District still is evolving One-time hot spot has cooled with rise of the Arena District Monday, May 14, 2007 3:24 AM By Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Brewery District is growing up. A decade ago, the tiny neighborhood south of I-70, between the Scioto River and German Village, was the homecoming queen of the young singles scene. But the spotlight has moved elsewhere, and residents say they're happy to have a quieter neighborhood of familiar, friendly faces. Now, people take their dogs to bars and softball games, and poker nights have replaced ladies' nights. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/14/BREW.ART_ART_05-14-07_B2_2V6N7MK.html

While I'll most certainly agree that the collection is substandard, I wouldn't go as far as to call it pathetic. Granted, if you're a fan of the early masters (i.e. what most people consider "good art"), then you're going to be disappointed. Remember, the Columbus didn't have any Rockefellers or Libbys bequeathing their private collections to their city's respective museums. The costs associated with acquiring just one such piece nowadays would completely drain the money allocated just for the expansion plans. Remember also that the CMA is severely lacking in space, which is why you find the early masters collection comprised entirely in one room and hanging on top of each other. Now if you're a fan of modern art, such as the impressionist and cubist works of Monet and Picasso, respectively, then the Columbus Art Museum actually has a decent collection. Several famous names grace the walls of the musuem (the rest are in storage somewhere), including works from the above-mentioned as well as Matisse and Renoir. The museum also has a good American artists collection (centering primarily around Columbus native George Bellows), and a good-sized glass exhibit featuring works from Dale Chihuly (though honestly, who DOESN'T have works from Chihuly?). Post-modern/contemporary art is visable at the museum, but it's not very prevalent, mostly due to the fact that there's a dedicated contemporary art center of over 175,000 sq. ft. located north of the CMA at the Wexner Center for the Arts. The museum's world art collection is essentially non-existant, mostly due to the fact that, once again, there's just no space. Several early Asia art pieces are finally being displayed again...but in the Riffe Center and after being in storage for 5 years. So yeah, the CMA's visable collection does suck, but at least they're trying to improve the situation.

Image from The Dispatch: Redesigned CMA website: http://www.columbusmuseum.org "Art Matters" Link: http://www.columbusmuseum.org/involved/artmatters.php

Image from The Dispatch:

$80 million revival Developers unveil plan for Northland Saturday, May 12, 2007 3:28 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/12/NLVillage.ART_ART_05-12-07_C10_4F6MS6J.html Developer Mo Dioun remembers Northland Mall as more than a Lazarus and JCPenney. He lived about a mile to the north when he first came to Columbus in 1980. Back then, before newer malls sprouted and Northland died, it was as much a community center as a shopping center to Dioun and his young family. Near the JCPenney store that's now vacant, Dioun announced an $80 million plan yesterday to revive Northland Mall as Northland Village, a mix of offices and shops that he said will be a "gathering space and civic hub" for the area.

$80 million fundraising campaign Art museum thinks big Larger endowment, expansion envisioned for facility Saturday, May 12, 2007 3:26 AM By Bill Mayr, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Columbus Museum of Art last night announced a drive to raise $80 million to expand and renovate the building at 480 E. Broad St. and to significantly increase the museum's endowment. The museum already has raised $38 million toward the goal. The plan includes: • Expanding the museum's size by 56 percent, to 150,000 square feet. • Renovating the facility. • Constructing a parking garage. • Increasing the endowment for operations to 3 1/2 times its current level. The museum has hired Tod Williams Billie Tsien of New York as design architects for the project. Specifics are far from complete, including exactly where the expansion will be built. The museum's visitors parking lot between the rear of the building and E. Gay Street is a logical expansion site, which might explain the proposal for a parking garage. Read much more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/12/0__MUSEUM_NEWS.ART_ART_05-12-07_A1_656MSI4.html

Menards home improvement chain to anchor new Northland development Friday, May 11, 2007 2:30 PM THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A year and a half after Home Depot backed away from plans to build a store at the former site of Northland Mall, another home-improvement chain is making plans to move there. Wisconsin-based Menards is to open its first Columbus location at Northland Village. The store is planned for the east end of the former Northland Mall site, officials announced today. Northland Mall closed in 2002 and Columbus purchased the site for $7 million in 2003. The city and its nonprofit development arm, Columbus Urban Growth, have been working since then to find a developer to reuse the site, which was once the commercial heart of the Northland neighborhood. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/11/NORTHLAND.ART_ART_05-11-07_A1_8L6MJF5.html

More info will come in the Sunday edition of the Dispatch. Now I know in comparison to Ohio's other art institutions this isn't much, but for the Columbus Museum of Art this is definitely big news, and the expansion is desparately needed. The article also partially explains the uphill battle the Columbus Art Museum has to face compared to its nearby counterparts. Museum of Art to launch $80 million expansion project Friday, May 11, 2007 6:30 PM By Bill Mayr THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Columbus Museum of Art will raise $80 million for an expansion and renovation of its building and a significant increase of its endowment. The new “21st century museum” is intended to be ready for the Columbus bicentennial in 2012. Already, $38 million has been raised toward the goal. Museum administrators and board members for years have said the building, last expanded in 1974, is too small to accommodate its permanent art collection, hold major temporary exhibitions and provide space for education projects. Plans call for: - Expanding the museum's facility by 56 percent, to 150,000 square feet - Renovating the existing building - Constructing a parking garage - Increasing the endowment by three and half times - Groundbreaking for the expansion could take place in late 2009 or early 2010, Maciejunes said. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/arts/stories/2007/05/11/museum.html

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GREEN Joe Recchie thinks there’s big money in environmentally friendly condos By Sara Smith / May 10, 2007 Joe Recchie isn’t an epiphany kind of guy. The CEO of National Community Builders, developer of the sprawling Jeffrey Place community north of Downtown, Recchie plans for everything; he watches the market and studies consumer trends. So, seven years ago when he purchased the vacant slab of Italian Village concrete where the Jeffrey Manufacturing Co. once turned out mining machinery, he already knew he wanted to build an eco-friendly neighborhood. Read more at http://www.theotherpaper.com/TOP5-10/5-10_coverstory.html

Clarmont update http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/08/REST08.ART_ART_05-08-07_C10_RM6K92U.html Thom Coffman is considering several plans to keep his classic Clarmont restaurant going during the time it takes to turn the site into a new Clarmont, condo and retail development. One of the ideas is to relocate temporarily to a nearby, undisclosed location, which he says has plenty of parking and space for banquet rooms. The Clarmont would be on the first floor of the eight-story building with a new Thom's Clarmont Club, similar to big, open rooms at the former Maramor or Tommy Henrich's.

Franklinton: The new Short North? Could the neighborhood west of Downtown become a haven for hipsters? By Jordan Gentile / May 3, 2007 Three years ago, Chris Sherman was frustrated. The 28-year-old designer lived in Old Towne East, rented a workshop in the Short North and ran his remodeling business from a third location. He needed a place to consolidate all of the disparate elements of his life. But it had to be versatile—spacious and durable enough for working but stylish and convenient enough for living. A SoHo-style loft was the obvious choice. “I wanted to have the freedom,” Sherman said from the second floor of his ultra-sleek home, “to be able to design my own space, and this allowed me to do it.” Franklinton, the weathered neighborhood just west of Downtown, turned out to be the only place he could have pulled it off. “Something like this in Victorian Village could be $500,000 to $800,000,” he said. “This building was like an eighth of that amount.” Read more at http://www.theotherpaper.com/TOP5-3/5-3_substory3.html

Columbus praised for inner-city successes Activist calls on federal government to enact policy to aid such urban projects Thursday, May 10, 2007 3:50 AM By Debbie Gebolys THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/10/LCITIES.ART_ART_05-10-07_B4_2R6LFRF.html Some secrets are not best kept. Recent development successes in Columbus' inner city ought to be a springboard to getting national attention and federal help. Instead, they aren't much known locally or beyond...

Bank to lend millions in poor areas Huntington joins Columbus' revitalization initiative Thursday, May 10, 2007 3:41 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/10/invest.ART_ART_05-10-07_C10_JV6L7GA.html Huntington Bank will lend $270 million during the next five years to people who want to buy and renovate houses or start businesses in lower-income Columbus neighborhoods, bank officials said yesterday. Huntington also will give the city abandoned and vacant homes in its foreclosure portfolio so they can be repaired or razed more quickly...

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM CITY, DEVELOPER At last, there's a plan for Northland Stores, office space, homes part of mix Friday, May 11, 2007 3:35 AM By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/11/NORTHLAND.ART_ART_05-11-07_A1_8L6MJF5.html Northland Mall has been gone for five years now, leaving the aging neighborhood without its commercial heart. Today, residents who have worried about Northland's future find out what comes next. Stonehenge Land Co., based in Gahanna, will redevelop the old mall site into stores, offices and some homes. By today, the company will have signed an agreement with the Columbus Urban Growth Corp. to redevelop close to 60 barren acres. Stonehenge plans to buy that land from Urban Growth, the city's nonprofit developer, which controls the site. City leaders have scheduled an announcement for 1:30 p.m. today at the mall site. They're calling the project Northland Village.

Experience Columbus moving to Arena District Friday, May 11, 2007 3:29 AM By Jeffrey Sheban THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/11/Experience.ART_ART_05-11-07_C10_P36LNGA.html Experience Columbus is ready to experience another part of Columbus. The organization formerly known as the Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau is leaving its offices at 90 N. High St. for new digs in the Arena District. The move to 277 W. Nationwide Blvd. is expected to occur by October, the group said yesterday.

Two sites, one last chance for funding Cleanups in limbo Projects at two former Columbus factories depend on Clean Ohio money, developers say Saturday, May 5, 2007 3:35 AM By Debbie Gebolys, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/05/05/CLEAN.ART_ART_05-05-07_C10_JF6JLFR.html Two inner-city Columbus revitalization projects hang in the balance, developers say, as state officials prepare to make what might be the last grants from a cleanup fund. Developers in two of the city's neediest areas are asking $3 million each to demolish and clean up former factories. A grant on the South Side could ultimately bring jobs to a neighborhood that's lost thousands. A grant in Weinland Park near Ohio State University could help convert a hazard into a neighborhood.

Splendid as ever Moving into its ninth decade, Palace Theatre lives up to its name Saturday, May 5, 2007 3:24 AM By Barbara Zuck THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/life/stories/2007/05/05/1_PALACE.ART_ART_05-05-07_D1_0D6IGT0.html Theater magnate Edward F. Albee had a grand vision for his new Columbus vaudeville house in the 1920s. The interior would be modeled after the Palace of Versailles, the opulent home of French kings...

$12 million in renovations Curtain to go up in '08 at new Lincoln Theater Thursday, May 3, 2007 4:05 AM By Robert Vitale THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Restoration work has yet to begin at the historic Lincoln Theater, but a Broadway veteran and a homegrown talent show are already waiting in the wings. Dancer, director and choreographer Maurice Hines has signed on as artistic director for the theater, which will be renovated, expanded and reopened by the fall of 2008. And Live at the Lincoln, a Monday-night series of amateur revues similar to the nationally televised, Harlem-based Showtime at the Apollo, has a spot in the theater's opening-season lineup as well. "It's going to be utilized, no question," said Columbus lawyer Larry James, head of the Lincoln Theater Association and the King-Lincoln District Redevelopment Corp., which was created to oversee the city-funded project. James, city officials and representatives of the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts have begun showing off their plans for the 79-year-old Lincoln, a headliner on the black cultural scene during its first few decades but a vacant symbol of decline on the Near East Side since the 1970s. Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/05/03/lincoln.ART_ART_05-03-07_A1_3D6ITIP.html