blinker12

I really love the castle-like building that houses the United Way offices, on Euclid near E. 14th. It's right next to Idea Center. Sorry, I couldn't find a photo!

How outrageous and, frankly, inane! If he and the rest of the police were doing their jobs well in the first place, he wouldn't have to worry about someone "getting out and coming to visit" him. Two, why wouldn't this person be able to find him in the suburbs, if the person were so determined? Three, despite the absurdity of this fear, it's one reason why he should live in the city -- it gives him more incentive to protect his own backyard, and thus the backyards of all city residents.

City residency rules in peril Legislature OKs bill to let workers live in other places Thursday, January 19, 2006 Reginald Fields Plain Dealer Bureau Columbus- The Ohio House on Wednesday passed a bill that will eliminate residency rules passed by local voters, like the one in Cleveland requiring municipal workers to live in the city. One Cleveland lawmaker said the bill - once it is law - could devastate the city's hopes for an economic recovery, while a fire official blasted city leaders for not making the city a desirable place for firefighters to live. The vote was a victory for police and firefighting unions across the state, members of which filled the public seating area of the House chamber to witness the vote. The unions had lobbied for the better part of a decade for a state residency statute that overrules local laws. House lawmakers obliged them, approving Senate Bill 82 by a vote of 66-38 even though many supporters questioned whether the measure will stand up to a legal challenge. more at: http://www.cleveland.com

Cool! :speech:

Thanks for the update ella! Can't say I'm surprised -- sigh. Looks like we have our work cut out for us. :type:

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughtful responses. KJP, it would be *great* if you could help spread the word on this. In fact, to whoever is reading this thread -- please send the link to anyone you think would care. I agree with others that the loft buildings would be the greatest losses. Of those, the most heartbreaking losses in my view would be the two large buildings that already house artists live-work space -- the Artcraft and 1400 E. 30th. Those two buildings are among the most visible in the near East Side's nascent live-work movement. To destroy them for a highway project would demonstrate that we as a state are more interested in accomodating motorists than in building vibrant, livable urban communities. Already, as I noted above, developers interested in converting some vacant loft spaces (such as the Daniel's building) have abandoned their projects because of ODOT's plans. But what about the less spectacular buildings? Sure, Klein's Newspaper Service with its surface parking lot and nondescript one-story building will never make it into an urban design textbook. But it does house a viable business that creates jobs and generates tax revenue in the urban core. What will happen if we wipe it out? Will it relocate to the suburbs or to another area entirely? This is to mention nothing of the elimination of downtown exits. ODOT will essentially be limiting access to downtown while destroying some of what remains. There is hope. Joe Cimperman, the Councilman whose ward includes every building pictured above, is very much opposed to ODOT's trench plans. He's a big supporter of live-work and sees its potential for revitalizing the city. He has led opposition in City Council to ODOT's plans; as Sun Newspapers reported several months ago, Council has blocked needed permits for the project until ODOT completes an economic impact analysis. Yet we also need to generate greater public discussion about this project. Please, if you don't want to see these buildings lost, help spread the word! Construction is still a few years off, so there's time to make this plan better -- or failing that, to stop it entirely. OK, stepping off my soap box now. ;)

Hi everyone, This is a project I've been working on for the past couple weeks, in the hopes of getting it done before my classes start again. I just made the deadline. ;) What you'll see here is a photo essay of all the buildings that ODOT has marked for taking as part of its Innerbelt reconstruction project. If ODOT has its way, these buildings will be demolished to make way for new access roads and a softer Dead Man's Curve. This issue has been getting much less attention than another aspect of the plan: The new bridge to be constructed over the Cuyahoga River Valley. Some of the threatened buildings are nothing special. But I believe quite a few -- particularly several old loft buildings that house or could house artist live/work space -- should be saved. I believe these structures hold what could be one of the biggest keys to revitalizing our region, because of their ability to draw artists and creative types from areas like NYC, where similar loft space has become prohibitively expensive. More broadly, I question the wisdom behind further demolitions in a city that was decimated by the initial wave of highway construction in the 1950s and 1960s. Many of these buildings host (or could host) viable businesses, right in the urban core. I believe Cleveland needs to at least maintain its current downtown density, rather than allowing it to be further compromised by a project that will ultimately ease people's ability to blast through the urban core without a second glance. Here then is the tour. TREMONT Beginning in Tremont, several residential properties and one industrial building are threatened. These three houses are between 1422 and 1430 Fairfield Avenue, on a steeply sloping street leading down to the Industrial Valley. The current Innerbelt bridge can be seen in the background. Another view of 1422-1430 Fairfield. Another view of 1422-1430 Fairfield. A cold storage building at Abbey Avenue and W. 15th, overlooking the Valley. Fairly compromised exterior, but it's in an ideal location and could look great with a lot of work. Architectural detail of above. A residential property at 2195 W. 15th Street. (The street is brick, but you can't see it because of the snow.) Another view of 2195 W. 15th Street. *Note: There are a couple buildings in the Flats that I couldn't get to because of bridge closings. They are: 1996 West 3rd, 2394 Canal Road and 300 Central Viaduct. DOWNTOWN AND NEAR EAST SIDE The Innerbelt trench through downtown is to be reconstructed with new access roads. Several exits are also being removed to prevent what ODOT calls dangerous "weaving" (another issue that has upset downtown business owners). Dead Man's Curve is also being softened (it's currently 90 degrees), which according to ODOT would require the demolition of several loft and office buildings. Independent Towel Supply, at 1802 Central Avenue. I believe there were plans to redevelop this as residential until ODOT's plans were released. Can anyone confirm? Independent Towel Supply. Independent Towel Supply. Collins Gordon Bostwick Architects, 2729 Prospect Avenue. A pristine terra cotta building on the edge of the Upper Prospect Historic District, typical of the modest and beautiful structures on the street. The architecture firm displays models in its front window. Showing some of the Prospect streetscape. Detail of the building, showing egg and dart frieze. On Euclid Avenue just east of the Innerbelt, several 1960s-era office buildings are threatened. This is the Parkwood, at 2829 Euclid. The building housing Project: Learn, at 2728 Euclid. The building to the left in this photo is not threatened. A loft building at 2630 Payne Avenue, on the western edge of Chinatown. The spitting image of the recently renovated Payne Avenue Lofts, a bit further east. Hard to imagine anyone being too upset about losing this one, but it does house a working business, Klein Newspaper Services, at 2635 Payne. This old loft building, at 1748 E. 27th Street, struck me as pretty special. Detail of 1748 E. 27th. The lintel above the doorway at 1748 E. 27th reads, "The Musterole Company." Just north of Payne, between 1600-1606 E. 27th, are two residential properties marked for taking. The street itself is brick. This could be a charming block with a little TLC. The houses again. Daniel's Furniture, at 2800 Superior Avenue. This building is not on ODOT's official takings list, but Councilman Joe Cimperman told our Emerging Cleveland tour last week that it is in fact marked for demolition. He said a developer had plans to convert it to live-work until ODOT's plans were released. Detail of the Daniel's building. 2975 Superior Avenue, housing a working carpet store and supplier. The 1400 E. 30th building, another of our biggest potential losses. This is another functioning artists' live-work building. Facade detail, 1400 E. 30th. Frieze detail, 1400 E. 30th. The ground floor houses Tastebuds organic restaurant, run by one of the resident artists. It's normally packed for lunch, but was quiet on a holiday Monday. Tastebuds. The light-filled loft apartment of Bill and Harriet Gould, inside the 1400 E. 30th building. (Photo by E.A.) Another shot of the Goulds' apartment. (Photo by S.S.) A *bit* less spectacular is this abandoned strip club ("Bada Bing"), at 30th and St. Clair. It was slated to be redeveloped as a restaurant employing 30 people, but the developer scrapped the project once ODOT's takings list was released. Bada Bing again. The large building in the background is 1400 E. 30th. 3100 Hamilton Avenue, home of State Industrial Products, Zucker Building Company and several other businesses. 3100 Hamilton. The Cleveland Mounted Police stables, on 11.3 acres north of Lakeside on E. 38th Street. Stable grounds. Architectural Real Estate Company, at 3000 Lakeside Avenue. It was hard to get a good perspective on this building, but it's pretty cool. Another view of 3000 Lakeside. The Cleveland Fire Training Academy, in a neat 1950s-era building at 3101 Lakeside. That's the end of the tour. I will write more on all this later, but in the meantime please post your thoughts.

I really hope they save it. In the meantime, I'm just glad to see it getting any attention at all. This has been a real eyesore for about four months now!

GREAT photos, MGD! What a classic "Day in Cleveland." Especially loved the Hessler shot -- I haven't been down there in ages.

KJP, I love the idea. But what about making it a private entity? That would free NEO-TOD of the need to rely on the ever-shrinking pot of grants and sponsorships available in Cleveland. And frankly, I believe there is enough demand for TOD to warrant private investment. I say, subvert The System and go it alone.

^hehehehe. Good one! Seriously, one could do countless photo threads of this area. The ethnic diversity is truly astounding, and not something you find many other places in the world. What I posted here barely scratches the surface.

Very well put, MGD. As you know -- I came back for the exact same reasons, and we continue to meet others who are doing so too!

I'll put in a plug for the Brecksville Reservation, often called the "jewel" of the Emerald Necklace. Brecksville is where I grew up, and the Metropark there was definitely the best thing about the town. Dense forest, hills, creeks galore, miles of trails... It also borders the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, creating quite an expanse of green space.

Stunning! :clap:

Right. It's the idea that city employees will have a greater stake in the city itself if they live there. JDD, you and all other city employees are welcome to leave the city -- you just can't take your jobs with you. I don't think that's unreasonable at all. As someone else said, you knew what you were getting into when you took the job.

That building had a drab 1960s facade nailed to it until a few years ago, when the owner, David Goldberg, had it removed to see if the original stone facade could be restored. The facade was deemed restorable, but the foundation was apparently determined to be unsound. Thus, the building sits in limbo, awaiting likely demolition. I agree that it is quite an eyesore.

Gee, between relentless highway building, inequitable school funding policies and now this, could the state try *any* harder to hurt Ohio's cities?

I think Cleveland will be quite a different -- and much better -- place in 10 years, though I don't think it will be manifested in traditional terms like massive population growth or new Fortune 500 companies. I think what you'll see in 10 years is a city that has rediscovered its sense of "urban-ness," with lots of new residents and retail downtown and an impressive slate of revitalized city neighborhoods. Several major development projects will be complete by then, and young people who do not hold their parents' negative attitudes toward the city will begin to populate both new and old urban neighborhoods. I see evidence that Cleveland is finally starting to embrace the things (density, historic structures, transit) that distinguish it from the suburbs, rather than absurdly and unsuccessfully mimicking them.

brtshrcegr, what a great debut post! :) That is certainly all great news about the Pinnacle; I'm dying to go inside now. Welcome to the board, and as Wimwar said -- come back to C-town when you're done in DC! Exciting stuff going on here for urbanists.

I'm not sure anything with a sea of parking in front of it is transit-friendly, and certainly not pedestrian friendly. I suppose replacing/revamping it will be a project for our generation. ;)

^Good point. It's the first downtown development I can think of that promises to create a real neighborhood -- rather than a bunch of new apartments with no amenities around them.

This is a bit off topic, but Wimwar, do you see Church Square being redeveloped into something more pedestrian- and transit-friendly anytime soon? I'm imagining not, considering it was just put up about a decade ago, but one can always hope.

I think it's smart to put the sales office in the Galleria, right across from the Food Court. That place still gets major lunchtime traffic.

New signs on the way for 110-mile Canalway Friday, January 13, 2006 The Ohio & Erie Canalway Association has unveiled the draft of new signs that will one day be a familiar sight for users of the Towpath Trail, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and federally designated "scenic" roadways. All are part of the national heritage corridor that stretches 110 miles from Cleveland to New Philadelphia. The corridor features historic and cultural attractions near remnants of the Ohio & Erie Canal, which revolutionized Ohio's trade and transportation in the 1800s. http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1137144624199150.xml&coll=2

Groups seek long-term fix to Cleveland's image woes Friday, January 13, 2006 Sarah Hollander and Becky Gaylord Plain Dealer Reporters Why should anyone want to live, work, visit or invest in Cleveland? A coalition of civic groups plans to develop a regional marketing campaign to answer that question. The initiative, tentatively called the Cleveland Marketing Alliance, would fill a vacuum left by the disintegration of similar efforts in the past few decades, such as New Cleveland and its successor, Cleveland Today... www.cleveland.com