blinker12

I went to the open house at the Mueller Lofts building on April 20. It's an old electric company on E. 31st Street between Payne and Superior, in the Chinatown/Goodrich-Gannett neighborhood, being converted to 19(?) loft spaces by Tesco builders. One model unit is complete. The original building is two stories, with a third story to be added on top. Here are the photos. The exterior. Pretty. More pretty. Inside the model unit. The model. Too slick for my taste, but to each his own. Model. Great windows. Model. Ground-floor units have bamboo floors. Bedroom of the model. A buffet was available in unfinished space next door, with food from local restaurants including #1 Pho, Tastebuds and Koko Bakery. Interior windows. The elevator. I took the stairs up to the second floor and was much more excited by the raw space up there. Looking out a second-floor window. Some Asian neighbors across the street were observing the scene with bemusement. Across the street, looking toward downtown. Good old-fashioned Cleveland-style housing. Peering into a hallway on the second floor. Raw space. Yay... The second floor has oak floors that will be refinished. A doorway. Raw space.

KJP, have you tried the PD? I'm surprised they're not banging down your door. Or are you against working for the behemoth?

Thanks for the tour, KJP! Your photos make it clear that this is a corridor aching for better transit. I love the intersection of W. 25th and Clark. It's one of the few remaining city intersections where all four corners are occupied with commercial buildings at the sidewalk. As this project progressses, we'll need to keep an eye on NOACA and ODOT to make sure they don't propose demolishing such structures to make way for stations, as was done at E. 55th and Euclid for the ECP. There are always alternatives to demo.

Oh, KJP, I love your map. How beautiful. I think our best hope at this point is to try to scuttle the current Innerbelt project altogether, using techniques such as Hauser's. Once we have some more progressive thinkers running the city and state (yes, I'm an eternal optimist), we can revisit the project and propose something like what KJP has posted.

Cantonese, I think the Brownell Building is used for miscellaneous offices. In any case, it's maintained very nicely.

http://www.globest.com/news/521_521/global/144971-1.html RTA Taps TRA for Transit-Based Strategy By Brian K. Miller Last updated: April 20, 2006 07:41am CLEVELAND-The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has tapped TR Advisors of Boston to create a transit-oriented development plan for the region. The goal is to create livable and walkable communities centered on the city’s commuter train systems, which have a service area of 458 square miles that generates 55.5 million passenger trips annually. TR Advisors' parent firm, Transit Realty Associates, was formed in 1996 to be .........

No kidding?? ;)

Here are some shots of the "Prospect Place Apartments" building, which seems to have been originally called the Prospect Building. It's between E. 9th and E. 14th on Prospect, which has been a little hub of redevelopment activity of late. As noted above, renovation appears to have just begun. I'm not thrilled with these photos but they'll do for now. The facade. The top floor. Recently posted signs announce the project. Shaia doing downtown housing, now Frangos -- could it be the parking moguls are finally getting wise? Yay, grit... The rear of the building. If you look *real* close, you can see a ladder in one of the top floor windows. This, and the sight of construction workers with drills, let me know that work had finally begun. It doesn't take much to get me excited... Right next door to the Prospect Place building are two other housing projects, well underway. Here is Carter Manor, immediately to the west, a nearly complete Section 8 renovation that looks as good as anything market-rate. A couple of townhouse-y buildings further east on Prospect. They look almost done. Cool! The tiled entrance to one of these buildings. The rear of the buildings. For more info... For context: The Cleveland Grays Armory (1893) is right behind all of these projects on Bolivar.

I walked around this cemetery for the first time this week, and was enchanted. I returned yesterday to grab some photos while the magnolias were still in bloom. Regrettably, I forgot to snap a shot of its most famous grave: that of Joc-O-Sot or Walking Bear, a Sauk chief. The cemetery is located south of Bolivar Road between E. 9th (formerly Erie Street) and E. 14th. It retains an intimate, peaceful feel despite its immediate proximity to Jacobs Field and innumerable freeway entrance ramps. It reminds me in age and atmosphere of the cemetery at Trinity Church on Broadway in lower Manhattan. The cemetery was established in 1826, on land purchased for $1 from Leonard Case Sr., replacing an earlier, temporary burial site near Public Square. I believe this makes it the city's oldest extant cemetery. A proposal was defeated in the 1920s to take the land for the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. (Info from Encyclopedia of Cleveland History and AIA Guide to Cleveland Architecture) Just outside the E. 9th Street entrance, the city bustles. Here is the glorious Rose Building at E. 9th and Prospect. The gateway arch, facing E. 9th directly across from Jacobs Field. The arch again. The arch viewed from inside the cemetery, looking toward Jacobs Field. A stone marking the remains of earlier settlers, relocated in 1939, presumably from the Public Square site? Looking east from the E. 9th entrance; at left is a monument to the Case family. Looking back toward Public Square from roughly the same spot. Some seriously old graves. Old. Very old. The magnolia-lined central lane. A mausoleum. I couldn't find any names on it. A young couple meanders through the graves; looking north toward Erie Court. Isn't that building, fronting on Erie Court, a beauty? Northeast toward Playhouse Square; the Hanna Building and Annex. Another shot toward Public Square. Looking south, toward the Brownell Building, a school built in the 19th century and once part of Tri-C campus. Looking west from the E. 14th Street entrance, toward Jacobs Field. The cemetery is bounded on the north by the brick Erie Court. The fence was built as a WPA project of sandstone from the demolished Superior Avenue viaduct. A closer view of that building I liked on Erie Court. That's all! If you're ever at the Jake with some time to kill, this is a great little walk to take -- an urban oasis.

Yeah, and Mister Good Day and I actually saw some workers in there drilling yesterday! Good to see this renovation finally getting underway. It's so funny how much the city comes back to life once the weather gets nice again.

I wish NOACA were as enthusiastic about *building* rail projects as they are about studying them. Still, I'm hoping for the best.

I have one big gripe with this story: "He’ll move his family here during the summer and wait until then to answer the perennial Cleveland questions: East Side or West Side? Inner ring or outer suburb?" Hey Steve, there's a little place called the CITY OF CLEVELAND in between those inner- and outer-ring suburbs. What is this, 1979? Sheesh. :bang:

I was glad to see the PeeDee buried the stabbing story at the bottom of its metro briefs section on B3. We don't need to be scaring people.

Does anyone have photos of the Midtown area? I've heard that's an up and coming neighborhood.

Beautiful. We've been needing some new photos of Tremont. :clap:

I'm not sure Bier's property tax-sharing proposal would go very far toward stemming abandonment. As long as new housing continues to go up at the rate it is now, other property will necessarily be abandoned, as he points out. Until this region starts growing again, we shouldn't be building anywhere new. It's as simple as that. He seems to be gearing up to making this obvious point, then wimps out. Empty buildings drain region's vitality Sunday, April 02, 2006 Thomas Bier We have many more build ings in Greater Cleveland than users to occupy them. That means that some buildings must be abandoned. Call it a real estate "surplus." More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

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^Good point.

^No, I work at Detroit-Shoreway's CDC. KJP, her name is Nicole (something). I forget the last name. Peabody?

Breaking news from the Arts District! :clap: A lease has been signed for the Kennedy Building, on the SE corner of Detroit & W. 65th. The tenant will be a bakery/coffehouse/lunch place called Gypsy Beans & Baking Co., owned by the former manager of Talkies Coffee House in Ohio City. The owner recently purchased Ohio City Muffins and will be moving operations of the bakery to the space. Significant build-out will begin soon, with an anticipated opening date of July 1. This is fantastic news for the neighborhood, and a harbinger of more good things to come!

Nice to see the PD offering a kernel of optimism. Small businesses say economy looks good Friday, March 31, 2006 Emily Hamlin Plain Dealer Reporter Small businesses in the Cleveland area are a little more optimistic about the economy than they were last month, according to survey results released Thursday. National City Corp. asked 2,400 small-business owners in its seven-state region whether they had a positive outlook on the economy in March. Of the 158 Northeast Ohio businesses that responded, 79 percent said yes. About 60 percent said they planned to hire in the next six months... www.cleveland.com

Give us more money or we'll revive Flats ourselves, owners say Friday, March 31, 2006 Sarah Hollander Plain Dealer Reporter Owners of property on the east bank of the Flats could float a plan to revive the area as an entertainment mecca if negotiations to buy their land fail. Developer Scott Wolstein wants to acquire more than a dozen properties off Old River Road and Front Avenue to create a neighborhood backed by public investment in roads, a riverwalk and utility upgrades. A number of the owners are considering other options because they think recent purchase offers are too low. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

This makes me a little uneasy. I don't much mind demolition when we're talking about rotted-out A-frame houses. But when it comes to masonry construction, particularly warehouses and along commercial corridors, I feel we should preserve everything we have left -- no matter how bad it looks right now. We have apparently lost our ability to construct solid, attractive brick and stone buildings, so once they're gone they're never coming back. Unfortunately, Council is unclear about exactly what kinds of buildings they'll be targeting. Any thoughts, KJP?

Budget takes on blight, vicious dogs Thursday, March 30, 2006 By Ken Prendergast West Side Sun News City Council passed a budget this week that will include funding increases for demolishing blighted structures and to hire at least one additional dog warden to target vicious dogs loose in neighborhoods. The $503 million general fund budget increased by 5 percent over last year's budget, yet revenues are projected to rise only 3 percent to $489 million. Projected future cost savings and a carryover from last year's budget will be needed to cover the gap. Continuing to improve the qualify of life in our city is a priority for city council, said Council President Martin Sweeney, Ward 20. We must provide those service that are critical to moving Cleveland forward. To achieve cost savings, Mayor Frank Jackson announced in his State of the City speech Operation Efficiency Initiative comprised of city department heads, Ward 18 Councilman Jay Westbrook and other local leaders. Jackson said the initiative is intended to keep a lid on rising costs such as health care, labor, worker's compensation and energy. He said he would like to reduce costs by 3 percent to save $15 million. Sweeney said council identified the city's Department of Building and Housing as a priority for more funding. He contended more resources would make the department more effective. City Council is committed to cleaning up abandoned properties, addressing the root causes and finding solutions to this issue impacting our neighborhoods, Sweeney added. This budget, along with the efforts of the Joint Task Force on Vacant and Abandoned Properties, gives us the resources and mechanism to affect change. The task force has begun examining ways to tackle the issue of vacant and abandoned properties. It also has taken a four-step approach to the issue: detection, prevention, maintenance, as well as blight elimination and redevelopment, he said. The additional funds allocated by council will help pay for demolition, which Sweeney called the first and most essential step to eliminating blight. Council is also addressing the threat vicious dogs present to the quality of life in our communities, he said. Our policy research demonstrates a compelling argument for at least one additional dog warden. The city has only one dog warden following budget cuts in 2004 and a reassignment of police personnel by former Mayor Jane Campbell.

Here's the final article. Portland and Milwaukee are two cities with many parallels to Cleveland (scale, history) and we can learn a lot from both. I'm very impressed by these nominations. If I get a minute, I'll try to dig up more info on Montgomery's and Reilly's accomplishments. Cleveland's development team in place Thursday, March 30, 2006 Susan Vinella Plain Dealer Reporter Mayor Frank Jackson introduced his economic development leadership team on Wednesday and it features new faces from Portland, Ore., and Milwaukee. Michael J. Montgomery will lead the team in the new position of chief of regional economic development. He comes to Cleveland from Portland, where for the past year he had managed an effort to revitalize the Willamette and Columbia river districts. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com