blinker12

Thanks MayDay. I didn't have any photos.

This is from Tremont West Development Corporation's February newsletter. Gospel Press is one of the most beautiful old buildings in the city; it's great to see work finally starting on rehab! (I adapted the article somewhat to meet journalistic standards of putting the important stuff up front!) *edit* from MayDay - as always, it's good to have a pic for reference! *** Work will begin in early spring on converting the Union Gospel Press building in Tremont to market-rate apartments. The building will house 102 apartment units with a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom and a few 3 bedroom units. A small retail space is also planned for the building. Construction is expected to last two years. The building will also house 6 for-sale penthouse units that will have spectacular city views. [unclear whether the other units are rental or for-sale. -- B12] Architect Jonathan Sandvick is overseeing the renovation and adaptive reuse in conjunction with developers Stavros and Myrl Roberts, who purchased the property in 2003. Sandvick has become known for his sensitive historic preservation projects around the city. Only a few of the units will have the same floor plan, due to the unusual configuration of the building, which had multiple phases of additions and alterations over its 150 years in existence. The Union Gospel Press Building began its life as Cleveland University. The university closed in 1853 and the building hosted many successful education endeavors, including the Humiston Institute. The facility later housed a Mennonite religious publisher and an industrial metal artist studio. The building had been underutilized for an extensive period of time and is about to take on a new life. Through a 10-year relationship with this project, Sandvick was able to help developers Stavros and Myrl Roberts in the purchase of the building in 2003. Myrl Roberts stated that, "It was the most interesting and romantic building I have seen in the country." Union Gospel Press is at the northwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and West 7th Street and is a historical landmark in the Tremont neighborhood. Stavros and Myrl Roberts in partnership with Sandvic Architects have worked diligently to keep the historical fabric of the building in adapting its reuse. For more information contact Stephen Bloom at TWDC, 216-575-0920.

Good news. And isn't April way ahead of when they were initially planning to have these running? Could it be -- RTA ahead of schedule?! :-o

It's sad that that area has become so dangerous. It has one of the more in tact commercial districts (St. Clair in the 60s and 70s) in the city, and some nice old housing stock.

Well, at the rate MRN moves, we might see something there in about 20 years... I'm sorry, it's morning and I'm cranky! Seriously, this loss won't be too noticeable since the building is so small.

It was a combination of sluggish pre-sales and rising steel prices, according to what Arne Goldman told one of our classes a few months back.

^MGD, there's still a store in either the Galleria or Tower City, if memory serves.

DowntownDreamer, thanks for your post. You're right, I think all the doom and gloom is premature. We don't have any information on how well the pre-sale is going; perhaps they've sold a bunch. And mrnyc is right; we're all pretty young around here and that's shading our views. I think it's just that having seen District Park and Domain on Lee tank because of poor pre-sales (in about this price range), I'm a little gun shy. But I have to trust that Zaremba did his market research and knows what he's doing.

I just rechecked the Lakefront Plan, and you're right, KJP -- the Waterfront Line extension follows the existing tracks along Lakeside. That route, of course, would be of minimal use to the city as it currently exists (too far from residential and commercial districts).

Oh dear, that scares me... "making all the pre-sales requirements." I hope we don't end up with another District Park... :( Does anyone have word on how sales are going?

I don't think the neighborhood plan is online, KJP. However, I think I can get a digital version pretty easily; give me a couple days. And you may be right about the Waterfront Line. I thought I remembered seeing a pretty little dotted rail line along St. Clair -- but that might have been wishful thinking kicking in. ;)

Considering I said nothing to that effect, I guess my answer would be... no.

Nice shot of the Colonial Arcade! That place has always been overshadowed by the Old Arcade (understandably, I guess) -- but it too is so beautiful. Thanks MGD. I also like that you managed to get a shot of my favorite bowling alley -- Ambassador Superior Lanes, at E. 14th and Superior!

That is a nice one! That's right at Chester and E. 12th. And of course the Detroit-Superior Bridge (the last shot) -- looking magical as always. Thanks SuperstarMark. :clap:

^Good -- for some reason, that particular lot bothers me more than any of the others. Probably because it's right in the middle of what's otherwise a pretty solid urban landscape along Superior between Public Square and E. 24th (the endangered Artcraft Building).

Yes, the St. Clair-Superior CDC has a land-use plan for the area. I don't think there are any transportation improvements in that, but the Lakefront Plan does call for an extension of the Waterfront Line down St. Clair Avenue, one block to the north of Superior.

I wasn't advocating giving up the fight. However, there's a limit to how much fighting we can expect the average citizen -- even the average concerned citizen -- to do. In the case of gays, I think many in Ohio are tired of fighting and losing. And while it's not the path I'd advocate, I can understand why some, after years of struggle, would decide it's easier just to move a couple states away, where they don't have to deal with these venomous (and opportunistic) attacks on their character every time an election is coming up. Even more of a concern are the prospective *new* residents, gay and otherwise, we're scaring off with this crap.

We're kind of a gray town already, though (architecturally and meteorologically)... I wouldn't mind something a little more colorful. Like red.

This is truly stomach-churning. I'm gay, and a lot of my gay friends here cite the increasingly anti-gay bull that goes on at the state level as a reason they'd like to move away from Ohio. If we allow stuff like this to keep passing, we will lose not only gays but also other progressive people of every stripe. The anti-marriage law has already done enough damage. If you oppose this bill, please write to your state senator: http://www.senate.state.oh.us/senators/

Thanks for your observations KJP. The orchestra's performances are simply spine-tingling. And while we always mention them in our laundry list of reasons to be proud of Cleveland, how often do we take time to think about how lucky we really are to have that level of culture available to us?

Thanks for posting the pics! Now that is a serious bus! A relief to know it will at least look different from the norm.

I'll try to ask around about that dumpster. Yes, the leather shop is still operating. I see your point in a way about getting rid of it... but keep in mind, there's another leather store just a couple blocks east on Detroit (next to the Romanian Orthodox church) to take care of all your leather needs! ;)

Regarding the loss of street parking: That is actually something that is being discussed with local business owners. I think the general feeling is that enhancing the street's walkability will generate more pedestrian traffic, thereby making up for the loss of parking. With the widening of the sidewalks, too, traffic will be slowed and the need for a "buffer" from the street will be less acute. The whole plan aims to give priority to pedestrians rather than cars, particularly at the 65th/Detroit intersection. MGD, exactly what dumpster dock are you talking about? As for NWT's visibility: The hope is to acquire the one-story TRD Leather building, just to the east of Lou's, demolish it and create a plaza in front of NWT's new building, thereby giving it greater visibility from Detroit. But even if that didn't happen, the new building would be easily seen from Detroit.

Well, I know the buildings so I wasn't fooled. ;) I like them both a lot just as they are, though. Exactly the kind of smart, pedestrian-oriented design we want for the new Euclid.

Also new: Near West Theatre will not occupy any part of the old Lou's building. They will be entirely contained in a new building to be constructed in an empty lot behind Lou's on W. 67th. Richard Fleischman has been retained as the architect. (I've seen some renderings, but the design is still very much in process.) This new building has always been in the plans, but there was talk for a while of connecting to Lou's and using the ground floor as a lobby. Instead, Detroit Shoreway is looking for a restaurant to occupy the ground-floor space; NWT would collect the rent from this tenant.