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Great exposure! If I had any sort of film skillz, I'd love to do a movie on Elliot Ness and the Torso Murders - a period thriller filmed locally.

I'm excited about all the attention that Rockefeller Park is receiving in the press as of late. I can't help but think that upcoming garden dedications, Walk + Roll, Heritage Lane (and similar projects) will encourage nationality groups to spruce up/return statuary to their gardens. In light of this recent "re-discovery" and as a point of pride to show the parks off to new and returned visitors, I'm looking forward to more news like the 1100 new bulbs in the Italian Cultural Garden. (Do I have 1200 new flowers? Any takers? Irish? Polish?) On a similar note, I can't recall seeing a wayfinding garden map along the pathways or at either end of the park. I think a few garden map locations, as well as road signage indicating recommended parking areas would be a relatively easy addition to futher encourage the use of the park - a first step to raise interest in future gardens, an interpretive center, residential investment on East Blvd, etc.

I think Liquid Planet would be a great fit... and from I understand (I could be wrong) they are owned by the same people as the Waterstreet, so there's a bit of experience already in the Downtown market.

^I agree that the posted designs should be taken more as an indication of basic design principles - urban placement/massing (tower on Euclid or Ninth, entrances?), engagement of the rotunda (giving it some breathing room or building up to it) and anticipated floorplate sizes/efficiencies. Its even difficult to gauge some of these principles as #1, for example only shows a lobby space, and #4 doesn't include a full view to Prospect Ave. Hope Litt can give us a little more to discuss, or better, that the County could post the images and team proposals online, or on location at Ninth and Euclid. My biggest criticism is not in the images of the buildings that have been 'designed' at this very early stage - most of these teams are capable of working with the county to meet their needs and for creating a beautifully designed and appropriately urban building - my biggest concern is that the county, which aims to promote sustainability, has decided to build a complex sprawling across an entire city block and tear down a building which does not NEED to come down. I would have loved to see one of a couple of decisions made (given the County already committed to the E9th and Euclid site): build on the northern half of the site (tear down the tower if it couldn't adapt to the floorplate efficiencies) and commit the southern site for future private development and temporary park/plaza OR shop the tower for spec office, luxury residences (how cool could the tower be for condos), and build county offices somewhere else on the site - somehow connecting to a renovated rotunda space. I understand that the county would love to bring life immediately to an entire stretch of the CBD, but I think that the sq. ft. program requirements don't necessitate an immediate entire build-out of the block. Maybe the remainder of the site could be an investment opportunity.

I suppose you are one of those people who do not like the Breuer Office Tower (soon-to-be County Office) either, no? No problem, you cannot have good architecture without bad architecture. It's kinda like the Force. :-D Design aside and urbanism in mind, I tend to get overprotective of Euclid every time a building goes up in Midtown - I'm afraid some second cousin to the Applied Technologies building will move in to the neighborhood and try to recreate exurbia... ten minutes from Public Square. At the very least, I think that 4600 needs to pull its edge to the other sidewalk.

While one view of the new building - it shows me enough to consider what I'm most concerned about in recreating the massing needed to fill in a major urban artery (in this case THE urban artery in our City). Personal design preferences aside (which I determine with the use of my 'super vision', I guess), it still cries of a suburban office building that pushes its flattest side against the sidewalk. It fills a hole, thanks for that.

I'm with you X, while I'm always glad to see new construction, we shouldn't have to settle for just having SOMETHING there. I don't understand why the design can't just hug those corners... Sometimes I think contempory architecture is always about trying to making a statement through form - trying to invent some sort of shape or massing that has never been used before, regardless of what the building will be used for (or where it is located, as in this instance). I tend to think that some of the most beautiful urban buildings are those that are articulated rectangles. Not just because they are beautiful by themselves, but because they complete a much larger composition along a street. I am glad that there is new construction in a much needed area, and that the construction hugs Euclid Avenue, but I am NOT happy that there isn't a 'nod' to the existing fabric and NOT an opportunity to created a consistent fabric around it.

I really enjoy the Superior stretch of the photo tour - When I walk between Public Square and Ninth, I find my self oblivious to anything but the buildings. I think I'm mesmorized by the steady march of bldgs with relative cornice lines and heights with different representatives of each design 'period'. I think that the collection of neoclassical buildings in that single stretch is among the best in any American city. Great Job! Can't wait to see the next photo tour! :clap:

If the project gets beyond rumblings KJP, maybe I'll be a neighbor of yours in a few years.

The City was trying to market the Delorean site at a recent real estate conference as I read recently. I agree about the site - its probably the space in that neighborhood I'd most like to see occupied. BTW, maybe its a good thing that that block wasn't developed years ago as speculated - it was once proposed as a set back shopping strip like that at Marc's in Lakewood or Church Square in Fairfax from what I can recall (before the New Urbanist bug caught on).

Can't wait to see the article... born and bred in Lakewood, I'm excited to see the Rockport Square project moving along. Now that there are residents moving into a couple of the units and the buildings look bout completed, I can't say I'm stunned with the first phase, a little heavy-handed design-wise (and I hear there have been structural problems to clean up, as well e.g. cantilever) but it does create the urban-massing on the street (no vacant lots :-D) and a continuous streetscape on Detroit that we've been looking forward to. Can't wait until retail spaces are put on the street! Besides the old Chevy lot that Rockport is building on, and the lot Rosewood is taking, I have my eyes on the other car dealerships marching westward along Detroit Avenue...

While a digression regarding the street names, I'd find much more appealing the idea of "Erie St." attached to the Ninth St. name instead of "Rock 'n' Roll Blvd" - I agree that the numbered grid makes for easy navigation. I like the logic to streets and addresses throughout Cleveland. An "Erie St." name attached to Ninth would further reinforce an "Erieview District" name - not the Zaremba development name. "Erieview District" gets my vote.

I do think that as the Avenue District, Warehouse District, Gateway District or, in fact, any district Downtown continues to grow as its own piece of neighborhood, we'll find each to begin to blend into the other and Cleveland's historic Avenues (Euclid, Superior, Erie St.-err 9th, etc, etc) will once again become linkages through and between these areas. As a natural result, we won't have to speculate where the most exclusive shopping, dining and entertainment will re-bloom, they will and should be on Euclid, as one example. And in fact even the Galleria would have its place as an indoor avenue of sorts (like the Arcades of old) in a much further built-up Avenue neighborhood. On another thought... why not E. 9th become Erie St., West 9th become Water Street, and many of the Downtown north-south arteries' names reborn. I think the names have some strong history of their own and would have an identifiable presence in the neighborhoods that once existed and those neighborhoods we envision (where neighborhoods once were). So maybe Erie St., for example, gives a point of orientation for "Erieview", or the "Erie St. Bookstore", and following Erie St. far enough north will land you onto the "Erie St. Pier" and into the Great Lake. I think you can be forward thinking by choosing not to disregard a rich history, as Erieview Plan and Urban Renewal of the 60's aimed to forget. Off my soapbox for now...

Still no action at Perk Plaza... any hope that it could be re-dedicated to coincide with the completion of the first phase of the Avenue District? Or sooner? I can't help but imagine what sort of boost it would be to the developing District. I've got to admit selfish motives, too - I'm looking forward to having my lunch in a much less oppressive space come warmer weather. B