CleveFan

Visited Kent this week - wow, the changes! I see what @KJPmeant about feeling old when visiting the campus ( but I digress) Some progress on the Hasawi Building -

Wow, five years to complete the project?

Great news - investment in buildings that we may not think of as “aging” (but are) may be as important as the construction of new ones. And the Fifth Third Center, for my money, is a beautiful and possibly somewhat under appreciated tower. It may look less commanding then it would just about anywhere else in the city with it’s close proximity to Key Tower- but it elegantly combines both classic and contemporary design elements. I’d love to see lighting to accent the building’s spire.

Actually, The Beacon adds in substantially in those fine pics by @NorthShore647

I wouldn’t have been mad about them squeezing the extra square footage into an extra 50 feet of verticality - but it’s all good right now!

Then why doesn’t the shrinking population, the lack of championships, high price per game, stagnant region and lack of a new stadium affect the Browns? And are you validating those reasons or just offering them as an explanation? It’s clear that “the culture” in Cleveland has shifted away from baseball but the malaise with a team that’s performing so well above expectations is still a bit surprising to me. Are the local tv ratings low as well?

I get that the franchise did not endear themselves to most fans in Cleveland by changing their name from Indians to Guardians -and I know the front office is perceived as cheap (and arguably IS) - but - given the effort of this young team (now ranked in the USA Today top 10 power rankings) why is so it hard to get more than 11,000 fans (Tuesday night attendance) to attend a Guardians game in Cleveland? Really disappointing .

University Circle is taking on an increasingly sophisticated urban look - and having a home at The Artisan sure looks like it would be a cool place to be.

Wow sexy thread!!!

Thanks for re-sharing that article, @KJP- pretty exciting stuff. All things being equal and barring some new pandemic-like setback, I’ve got to believe that Cleveland is on the verge of some significant new downtown residential construction - of the high-rise variety. The city has really turned around its image, - it’s now desirable to live downtown. Cleveland provides a fairly big city experience ( three big-league sports teams and world class cultural institutions like Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Orchestra) - at a far more affordable price tag than east or west coast and “glamour” cities. I’ve got to believe that, given the dwindling number of convertible old buildings for residential - we’re on the verge of some significant new residential construction in the core. How ‘bout a couple Artisan- type buildings in the warehouse district? I think they’d lease out quickly. And for those reasons, I think Cleveland skies may look like Nashville’s in the near future - more cranes in the air. Cannot wait for the new builds that are developing behind the scenes now to come to fruition.

Lol, Litt’s article was “over the top” in immediately framing Cleveland as a “shrinking industrial mid-continent city with a perennially bruised ego” by the second paragraph. And no direct flights to London. We know that Cleveland is not London but geez… Anyway, I’m excited about the “get” of Hassall by Playhouse Square and the possibilities for the continued growth of the district as an Arts center. @plinth857- I like the idea of a movie house at PS showing more art films and Sundance type stuff - I think it would add a cool dynamic to the district. To @LibertyBlvdjust want to remind you that a city doesn’t have to be gigantic to become an arts center capable of pulling off first class productions - I think of Stratford, Canada as an example. Cleveland’s got the capability of being an amazing arts center if the right people are involved towards that goal. PS is already an attraction and just needs to continue to be fully fostered and appreciated. The Lumen added a great dynamic to the neighborhood and hopefully, at some point there will be more investment and development in the district.

@ColDayManIn Cleveland, We really know how to celebrate our new skyscrapers!

I’m glad you guys have the future all figured out lol. Sports rarely plays out exactly as predictors think - we may or may not make playoffs this year (barely). I doubt it, but I hope I’m wrong. I don’t know all the up and coming players in the farm system, but I’ve heard we’re pretty loaded with talent. Acquiring a Sean Murphy, a great defensive catcher with a pretty strong bat would’ve been my guy to bring in . I agree - you’re not catching the likes of the Yankees or Astros, but you might’ve accelerated the Guards arrival as a playoff team by a year with a key addition like Murphy. Of course, the devil is in the details - you can’t give up too much and mortgage the future - I understand all that. So, the Guards may have made the right move by not trading - but I do think we have a fan base that is a bit less satisfied than some of you good fans here at Urban Ohio.

And that may be part of the problem - it shouldn’t be an “either-or” binary choice when you’re in a weak division and within one game of first place as August began. Tito is an all-time great manager, but he’s also a total company man toting the company line when he says “ it might muddy the water to make a trade” And as for the front office brass predicting their future superstars (quite an assumption) will be ascending as the other teams in the division “descend” - that’s more company wishful thinking and nothing more. Yeah, we’ve got prospects - but the future is definitely a question mark. The fans deserve a chance to have the best product on the field (within reason) and the Guardians could’ve made a move to improve the team without giving away “the farm”. Fans on social media haven’t been kind to the Guardians lack of action - and I think they’re perfectly justified.

I see most of the contenders picked up someone of note before the trade deadline - but the Guardians front office made only one very minor trade and signaled the fan base not to take this season too seriously. Too bad because the AL central was there for the taking. Even one bat to help this lineup would’ve been welcome.

Still some very worthy projects - I’d love to see the Erieview Tower remake to a W Hotel, residential and a new top floor restaurant happen. Erieview has never lived up to its original expectations but this plan would really kick start the district and infuse new life to this downtown neighborhood.

Normally, I’d agree - but this setback greatly increases the lake and downtown views for apartments at Intro 2 - I’m a huge “view” person - and probably, many others are as well. So, from a resident standpoint, the setback makes sense.

We’ll be happy to read what you do know!

Yea, the comparison to 200 PS is fitting. SW and 200 will be bulky brothers, protective Guardians on either side of the square, as the elegant TT and lofty Key Tower reach skyward. City leadership didn’t want 200 to exceed the height of the TT and so it’s massive square footage was designed accordingly - and you get some of the same sense with SW - almost a conscious effort to not dominate the skyline as it surely would have if it had been built on the smaller Jacobs lot.

More and more, I’m liking that the tower wii be set back a block off the square. Think it will add to a more open, expansive feeling for PS, with the barely there “Shack” (at least) not getting in the way. And I like how it will position the tower slightly more to the west. As others have said, this is going to completely transform the feeling around the square and the sense of completeness there.

Anything that brings families and people, in general, to Tower City = good. Is this “park” (much too complimentary a word for these decorations) going to move the needle? What do you think?

Downtown’s tallest buildings give way to the low rise structures of the warehouse district suddenly. I’d love to see even a couple high rise buildings to the west of SW - it would help balance the skyline and extend the downtown vibe. Residential towers there would have amazing views of the lake, western sunsets and the cityscape.

The glassy SW and the new 55 with its pedestrian friendly plaza will juxtapose with one another very nicely.

I would venture to say that the bomb already dropped this morning on Urban Ohio. Several. High-rises. Planned. Multiple Locations. Downtown.

An excellent question, @Htsguyand one that’s probably of high interest on this forum.