blinker12

This is very heartening! :clap:

Kent State is moving its entire graduate program in architecture to Cleveland in the near future. It will join the Urban Design Center, which is already here. See: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8150.0 I agree, it is desperately needed.

Aside from the obvious solution of sending your daughter to a private school, some parts of the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood in Cleveland are in the Shaker Heights school district. In that one neighborhood, it is possible to live in the city but send your child to a suburban public school. The listings on the Realty One Web site will tell you specifically which houses this applies to.

Of course, it must be pointed out that Lakewood is an anomaly, and not representative of Cleveland suburbs in general. We also have plenty of places like Gates Mills and Brecksville, where cul-de-sacs are the order of business.

I understand the need to reappropriate the term "burning river" as a way of exorcising our demons, but I think that's better done through festivals and microbrews than housing developments. To this day, I don't get why we're so notorious for the Cuyahoga River burning. Dozens of rivers around the world were burning at that time. Why did we become the poster child?

Yeah, Cincinnati boomed before Cleveland so it has older-style architecture. It also uses much more brick than Cleveland, which is primarily a wood-frame town, so the housing stock has aged better. Still, there are many vital inner-city neighborhoods with lots of character. Ohio City, Tremont, Edgewater, Shaker, Little Italy to name the more prominent. The predominant pattern in Cleveland is dense commercial arteries with residential side streets, reflecting its boom during the streetcar era. In Cleveland, most inner-city neighborhoods have gone through a period of decline. This is true of every neighborhood except those on the fringes of the city, like Edgewater, Shaker Square and West Park. Unlike in Cincinnati, there aren't really any neighborhoods that appeal to high-income residents, although downtown is beginning to change that. Cleveland neighborhoods that are becoming hip -- Ohio City, Tremont, St. Clair-Superior, Detroit-Shoreway -- are still rough around the edges, and petty crime persists. Hence, they appeal mostly to the young and childless. They also must therefore struggle with the issue of gentrification, which I perceive not to be an issue in Cincy neighborhoods like Mount Adams, which has always been well-to-do. On the flip side, this gives Cleveland more dynamism and a greater sense of the city being "rediscovered" than I perceive to exist in most Ohio cities. Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights and Lakewood are the more urban suburbs. All were built around the streetcar, and Shaker Heights still has two light-rail lines running through it. Housing densities in the Heights are a little lighter than in the city proper. Lakewood, however, is denser than many city neighborhoods as they exist today, mostly because of its proliferation of apartment buildings.

Professor O'Neil?

St. Clair-Superior/Chinatown is an awesome neighborhood, but at this point I'd say it's primarily for the urban pioneer looking for cheap loft space. As of now, it lacks the cozy neighborhood feel that Ohio City and Tremont have. Ohio City, by the way, has a full-service supermarket in Dave's, at W. 28th and Bridge. It also has the West Side Market, one of Cleveland's most legendary attractions -- a true old-world market built in 1912 and in operation ever since, offering fresh produce, meat, cheese, coffee and tons of character. Ohio City's restaurant scene is among the best in the city (overshadowed only by Tremont). Among the options: a vegetarian-oriented cafe, a creperie, Great Lakes Brewing Company, a Cambodian place, a Middle Eastern place (with *the best* hummus ever), a coffee shop and lots of fancier places. Not as many bars as Tremont, but there are several. Tremont has no full-service supermarket within walking distance; the closest is the Dave's in Ohio City (a 5-minute drive). It is home to a slightly younger, more "hipster" crowd than Ohio City, and has lots of art galleries. Its restaurants are among the best in Northeast Ohio, and it has lots of characterful bars. As wimwar said, you will find traffic and noise to be minimal in both neighborhoods. Also notable: The "Rapid," a heavy-rail commuter line, runs right in between Tremont and Ohio City near the West Side Market. You can hop on it for a 20-minute ride to the airport; downtown is one stop away.

When you come visit Cleveland, definitely add Ohio City and Tremont to your list of neighborhoods to look at. They are both very close to CSU. I bike from Ohio City to CSU when the weather is warm, and it takes me 20 minutes. Same with taking the bus. Driving would be about 10 minutes. Cleveland's Edgewater neighborhood, just east of Lakewood, would be another place to explore. As much as I love Chinatown/St. Clair-Superior, I wouldn't recommend it to a Cleveland newbie. In general, I'd reiterate what peabody99 said. You might be surprised by what city neighborhoods have to offer -- and they require much less commuting than the burbs. Here's a clickable map of the city, with information and photos from each neighborhood: http://www.nhlink.net/neighborhoodtour/nt.php

Downtown Phoenix looks atrocious. Thanks for the pics, glad you had fun!

It especially stands out because it's surrounded on nearly all sides by windswept surface parking lots. This is good news!

What frustrates me most about Euclid Avenue is the County's site -- the corner of E. 9th and Euclid, perhaps the most critical intersection downtown aside from Public Square. Those buildings will likely continue to look like crap for the next 5-10 years, as the County dithers around with choosing an architect, deciding the fate of the Breuer, etc. As long as that corner continues to evoke thoughts of Deadwood, S.D., that whole stretch of Euclid is going to be no-go land.

The Metropolis article is just coming out. I'm not sure if it's on newsstands yet. It's not on the Web site.

Yep, that's exactly what I had in mind. I still think "The Rapid" is great (I daresay cute) local vernacular, but in the airport we should use something more generic. mrnyc, I did the NYC airport schlep many a time during my 7 years in the city. The sweating, the lugging, the cursing, the transfers... ugh.

Here's an article from the current edition of Metropolis. Doesn't have any new information, but nice to see the EC getting relatively positive play in national media. I also like the graphic.

Thanks for posting this! Some good new info: _ July groundbreaking expected, with first building taking 18 months to complete _ 7-10 years for entire project buildout _ Six committed buyers (I'm a bit disappointed in this, but I guess it's enough to make the first building a go?); 25 reservations

Heck, even New York City doesn't have direct rail links to its airports. I just had a friend in town from NYC for the weekend, and he -- like most people -- was stunned that Cleveland even had trains, let alone one that could take us directly from the airport to Ohio City (my nabe) in less than 30 minutes. On a related note, airport signs pointing people to the Red Line should be larger, more numerous and make it more explicit that "Rapid Transit" means *train*. I bet a lot more people would ride the Red Line from Hopkins if they knew what the heck "Rapid Transit" meant! (OK, sorry for the criticism in what's otherwise a very positive thread!)

Ryan, fer crying out loud, check the smilie at the end of that last post. And please, move back to the city from Hinckley as fast as you can (I know your parents uprooted you)! We need people with your energy and Cleveland pride living in the core.

I stumbled across this on the Web and thought I'd post. It's a nice reminder that our rail system is pretty darn cool (though of course it could be a lot better). I have no idea when it was written. And yes, she gets some terminology wrong: Euclid Circle, Coventry Gardens, etc. http://www.newcolonist.com/bestof.html The Best of Our Towns by Justine Smith For the last two years, I have been in search of a city to live in. My partner and I made the decision to leave our hometown, Detroit, Michigan, and began researching on the Internet and by train, crisscrossing the country visiting cities that we thought would meet our criteria. We wanted a safe, clean, city with excellent public transit, and lots of jobs, culture and affordable housing. One of our goals was to live totally free of car ownership. If we had been looking in most of Europe or Canada, we'd have our choice of half a dozen cities that fit the bill. Alas, we were looking in United States, where the neglect of our cities is reflected in urban blight, flight to the suburbs, and mediocre public transit. Despite the hype of the Chambers of Commerce across the land, we really haven't found any cities that meet all of these criteria in United States. If we were to believe the Tourist boards every city is "world class" or "revitalized." Admittedly, we have only visited about eight cities so our list is far from complete. I've put together a list of what I found to be the best features of the cities we visited. If combined in one city, it would make for a great place. What follows is the best of what we have found so far in our visits to Buffalo, Chicago, Baltimore, New York City, Cleveland, New Orleans, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Our main objective was to discover the features that we thought would be important for daily life in these cities. With that in mind, we made a point of riding the public transit, visiting and walking in neighborhoods, and doing our research before we went. The downtown of New York or Chicago. The lakefront of Chicago The streetcar suburbs of Shaker Heights (Cleveland) and the Garden District (New Orleans) The neighborhood farmer's markets of Baltimore The 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica The intact art deco buildings of Buffalo The low crime rate of Toronto The affordable rents and real estate of Detroit, Cleveland, or New Orleans. The Euclid Circle area of Cleveland The clean and pleasant transit of Seattle and Cleveland As a transit rider, I look for some of the little things that make traveling by bus or train more pleasant and convenient for the rider - things like well designed shelters and clean, efficient rides. I was particularly impressed with Cleveland's regard for the people who ride the transit. I think that one can tell a lot about the attitude towards transit by the places where people must wait for the bus or train. Some cities offer paltry shelters, often graffiti littered boxes in desolate areas. In Cleveland, the rail stations are gracefully designed, each one a pleasant, welcoming place to wait. Local rail riders transfer between trains at the beautifully restored Terminal Tower building where the rails converge. Riders can shop or eat at the bakeries and coffee shops before embarking on their train from the station on the lower level. All the downtown buses stop out in front of the building. While there for our four-day visit, we made a point of traveling everywhere by bus and train: to Euclid Circle, the West Side Market, Lakewood, Little Italy, Shaker Heights, the Theater District, and Coventry Gardens to name a few. The drivers were all extremely helpful, as we were often hopelessly lost. I was impressed at how often the drivers went out of their way to help us--one even radioing ahead to ask another driver to wait for us so we could make our connection. Once, while we were coming back from a night on the town at the Warehouse District, the bus broke down on Euclid Avenue. I thought we were in for a long wait since it was past midnight on a Saturday night. However, within minutes a technician responded to the drivers radio call and after another three minutes had fixed the problem and we were on our way. Although the transit isn't as extensive as in some other cities, the cleanliness of the buses and trains as well as the courtesy of the drivers made riding it a pleasant experience. It would be something to look forward to rather than to dread riding on a daily basis. Cleveland spends $82 per capita on transit compared to Detroit which spends a pitiful $21 and Chicago which spends a respectable $62, and it shows. Unlike some cities that have recently cut transit, Cleveland is expanding theirs. Another city that impressed me in its efforts to serve transit riders was Seattle. Although the area had voted down light rail, there is an extensive bus system. The transit authority seems to be making an effort to ensure a pleasant and safe trip for all passengers. Not only can Seattleites bring coffee on board when they ride, small pets are allowed as well. After 9 p.m. riders can request they be let off anywhere along the route, not just at designated stops. This policy is reassuring for those concerned with safety while riding at night. Both cities have installed bike racks on many of the fleet and Cleveland allows bicycles on the trains at certain times of the day. These amenities may not cost much but go a long way in improving the quality of service. I took a short bus ride on a warm fall day up Euclid Avenue to Euclid Circle which houses the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Botanical Gardens, and other cultural institutions. Majestically designed buildings sit on a gently sloping grass covered hills. After visiting the museums, we sat on a hillside overlooking a pond in this bucolic setting. There, one feels far removed from the bustle of city life. This pastoral setting is ideal for strolling from museum to museum, or just contemplating life. The area slopes down a little from Euclid Avenue creating a different feeling from museums that sit smack dab on a busy street with horns blasting and car fumes filling the air. An inexpensive mini bus circles the area, stopping at each of the major buildings. Unfortunately, it seemed emptier than one would expect on the day we visited. Someone told us later that Cleveland, a city built for one million people, now houses less the half a million, hence the sparseness of many areas. Sister Wendy found this art museum fit to be featured on her public broadcast of her favorite museums in the United States. A hustling bustling downtown does not exist in Cleveland like it does in Chicago or New York. Chicago's downtown is filled not only with people working in the loop but a vibrant retail district as well. A strong retail presence downtown is now unfortunately rare in U.S. cities and towns. In New York and Chicago, department stores still adorn their windows with interesting displays during the holidays, ice skating is enjoyed in an outdoor rink with piped in music, and shoppers walk from store to store in the downtown districts. The city of Chicago made a wise decision when it preserved so much of its lakefront for public use. Several beaches along the lake are busy with swimmers and sunbathers during the brief summer. The zoo in Lincoln Park is free. Some people might not like the lakefront because it is so crowded with people, but they are people out enjoying themselves and the beautiful lake. Bikers, walkers, skaters are out in force, especially during the warmer months, giving the lakefront area a lively appeal. Chicago's rents might be considered reasonable by coastal standards but the average purchase price of a house in a neighborhood with good schools and low crime is around a quarter of a million or more, out of reach for many. Detroit on the other hand boasts some inexpensive housing. In neighborhoods within a mile or two of downtown Detroit, beautiful apartments with natural wood floors, built in cabinets, and bay windows can be had for well under $700 a month. Apartments in poorer condition are available for under $500. Modest well-kept three bedroom houses in Hamtramck go for $70,000 on the average. (Hamtramck is a small city within the city of Detroit where a lot of artists and recent immigrants live). Inexpensive flats can be found in the Ohio City area of Cleveland. So many young adults want to live in cities like Chicago and Boston, which have wonderful parks, cultural life, and jobs. Demand drives the prices up. If all our cities were truly vital, perhaps prices would level out since the demand wouldn't be so great in just a few areas. Although Baltimore struggles with poverty and a high crime rate, the sense of community I've felt in many of its distinctive neighborhoods seemed almost palpable. Several neighborhoods have their own farmer's market, which serve as gathering spots for the local residents. Some of them even have bars that are open evening hours. I cannot find any large city in the United States that has a very low crime rate, so I will name Toronto as the ideal. As a nation we've come to accept crime as a fact of life in our cities, and our media bombards us with horror stories on the 6 o'clock news. Meanwhile, we are told we have reason to be optimistic because crime has fallen in the last fifteen years or so. New York and others have made remarkable progress in driving down the crime rate by combining quality of life issues with aggressive policing. Compared to any city in Canada, though, we have no reason for jubilation. The proliferation of violent crime and the destruction of the fabric of city life that goes along with it are just unacceptable, or should be. Streetcar suburbs grew along the rail lines and had several features in common. The area near the stop was rich in retail so that when passengers disembarked they could shop before heading home. The Garden District in New Orleans is an example of this type of development, with retail along Charles Avenue and large homes built close to the sidewalk within a short walk. Several blocks away sit more modest cottage style homes, still within easy walking distance of the streetcar stop. Shaker Heights, a planned streetcar suburb in Cleveland, is still served by heavy rail. The central retail area has recently been redeveloped with a bookstore, movie theater, and several restaurants. Within a short walk of the rail stop is a mix of housing which includes apartments, townhouses and single family houses, all accessible to transit riders.

Nice photos!

:-o That is jaw-droppingly ugly!

10 years? If we're lucky, the conceptuals *might* be done by then... ;)

From the May 2006 "Inside Tremont": "The project team for the renovation of the Gospel Press has taken up residence at 2190 Professor. Welcome!"

Could progress on this project *be* any more glacial?? Friday, April 28, 2006 County considers razing Breuer-designed Ameritrust Tower' By Steven Lit Plain Dealer Architecture Critic A Cleveland office tower designed by a giant of 20th century architecture could be razed to make room for a new county administration building. “We are exploring the viability of tearing it down,” Cuyahoga County Administrator Dennis Madden said Friday, speaking of the 28-story Ameritrust Tower, designed by Marcel Breuer and completed in 1971. But first, the Cuyahoga County commissioners want some free advice. Earlier this week, the county sent a letter to 11 architecture teams vying for the job of designing the new county offices. The letter asks each team would it approach the assignment. It also raises implicitly the question “whether the architects want to go on record as to tearing down the Breuer building,” said Mig Halpine, director of communications for the New Haven, Conn., architecture firm of Pelli Clarke Pelli, one of the firms seeking the job...

I posted some photos of the Mueller building here: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8722.msg95255#new