CleveFan

A big mistake, I think. Imagine it in the winter months.

Looks like there are leased units all the way up to the top floor. The top two floors have only 6 apartments but most floors have 11 units.

Makes me feel good all over! The repurposing of the May is a great metaphor for the resurgence of Cleveland as a vibrant city with a rich history and new energy.

We might’ve had something very much like that, had the Weston Superblock materialized. Those renderings by @MayDay show just how critical the SW HQ will be in changing the feel of the downtown skyline.

Agree with everyone above - a beautiful looking tower. And almost every unit in that tower will have a sensational view, either of downtown, the river, the lake , the Gold Coast skyline or some stunning sunsets. It will also really add to the feeling of connection between the downtown and the Flats and out to Ohio City. Can’t wait for this to rise!

Great video! Congrats, Cleveland! Looks like this is going to rise up in record time and wont it temporarily be the tallest timber tower in the US? I hope Stark sees this video - maybe there’s still time for Nucleus to speed things up with a new design!

Very cool! Thanks Geo & everybody for the cool images. It’s amazing how big Ameritrust really was, easily eclipsing Key Tower. Personally, I think Progressive looks like the skyscraper version of a junkyard (sorry). The original Nucleus, I wanted to like it - on its own, it was cool- but in context of the Cleveland skyline, it looked really out of place. . And the Tower City master plan was probably just fantasy, right? Let’s hope SW understands the powerful image they are about to (hopefully) unveil. It will potentially become a symbol of Cleveland as a Renaissance City. I doubt it will be a super- modern look, given SW’s traditionally conservative image. I just hope it has style worthy of its great neighbors on Public Square.

Hey, great new Thread on UO. Thanks for starting it, @Geowizical. Finally, a place where we can go off-topic and not be off-topic( I think!) So, I get that the first few requests were to see some of the world’s tallest buildings on Public Square - but Im going to put my request in before the lines jam up - Instead of what never is going to be, I’d like to see what almost was. Could we see the Cleveland Skyline with the inclusion of the biggest projects that “almost” happened - meaning “Progressive”, Ameritrust, the Weston Superblock and the original Nucleus - and (because I’ll never probably get this chance again) - could you throw in your favorite SW HQ massing, in an available space -( maybe at Bedrock?). Thanks, and Happy 4th weekend!

Sorry, Geo - corrected that. I like @Urbanetics, too!

@Geowizicals massings are among the most fun posts on UrbanOhio - great to see a range of possibilities come to life in his sketches. The SF number we're hearing for SW is close to 1 million square feet - but doesn't that apply to the whole project and couldn't that shrink the HQ significantly? Of course, I'd love something on the scale of any of the three examples above. I really like the synergy and dimensions of BNY Mellon Center the best, that version seems to somehow create a cooperative synergy with the other tall towers around Puc Square. It also reminds me of the "double take" effect between the new One Vanderbilt and the Empire State Building in NY. I also like the slightly narrower dimensions of the 3rd version best. 609 Main Texas actually "begins" to dominate the skyline with its bulk. Oh well, my two cents. We could be in store for a very crane-crowded sky between SW, City Club, (dare I say it? - Nucleus), the Viaduct residential tower and the midtown hotel project - Wow.

We were all so good over the last month and a half, not speculating - - but everybody was wondering what you were,@John D. Baumgardner - thanks for breaking the ice!! Gotta love @KJP’s answer - looks like even on the conservative side, we’re getting something close to 200 Public Square - and I won’t be sad if it eclipses Terminal Tower- though I don’t expect that. I’m with those hoping for something with a crown/spire of some kind - it would complement the big 3 perfectly and create a more aspirational, vertical presence.

Thanks @Rukenfor that fresh view - that shot also really helps one appreciate the US Bank Centre. (Just wish there was some traffic, but I digress..)

I like the name “Flats Bank South” - it quickly gives an idea of where the location actually is and it strengthens the Flats “brand”. Seems like there are a lot of neighborhood names in a small area already - this is simple- and it actually is a little more romantic than the reality - at least for now. But this is another very positive development and if it comes together it’ll be extremely cool. Cleveland has the opportunity for a truly unique residential and recreational draw.

I’m excited about the possibilities that a new CSU master plan might recommend. A vibrant CSU is a win-win for Cleveland as it moves towards being a national and even international draw. I would hate to ever lose the Rhodes Tower, though - the second tallest educational tower in the U.S. has become very familiar on the eastern edge of the downtown skyline. I get how it’s removal would be skyline-altering (negatively) but how would it’s renovation achieve the same? Here’s to a new tower of 40O feet coming in that master plan and supplementing Rhodes!

I believe, in total, there are 318 units.

If there was ever a time to try something a little “out of the box ” it’s in this market at this moment in time. I have no idea about all the challenges or restrictions that apply to rental properties that could interest potential buyers - perhaps insurance liabilities play a major role? But I’d love to see choices for buyers become more widely available in many buildings across the city that currently exclude them.

No prob, @KJP, at this point you’re entitled to a mulligan or two with all the great reporting you’ve brought us. For me, the biggest takeaway is the need to develop the Superior Viaduct into the kind of outstanding public space ;(like a version of NY’s High Line) that will make the area that much more desireable and, in turn, spur even more residential development. One positive domino leading to the next, to invert the old adage.

....another crane? Meaning, one for another new project ?

Imagine that view with the SW HQ Tower added and throw in at least one 23 story residential tower on the West Bank.

Yea, those pics are probably the best yet at demonstrating the Lumen’s real impact on the entire downtown skyline. It really expands the feel of downtown’s breadth. I’m not sure if this might’ve been a rationale for those controversial vertical stripes on the East face - but without them, the tower would have an amorphous nature and an even more mirror-like effect. The stripes break the reflective glass up and help redefine the buildings dimensions. I like it, looks like something you’d see lit up in Dallas, for example. By the way, particularly the 2nd picture - it reminds me how nice it would be to have the Nucleus Tower in the mix . Anyhow, stripes not withstanding, I’m pretty sure this is becoming one of everybody’s favorite Cleveland buildings.

@mtnbikefanIs there a rubric or assessment metric by which the state “picks” it’s projects for funding? Or is it just what they happen to “like “ on any given day?

Great shots @urbanetics_! I’m actually pleasantly surprised just how impactful on the skyline Church & State is. i think it will be incredibly impactful in terms of the positive energy it infuses in the neighborhood.

Looks like traffic is increasing too!

Thanks @Cleburger for sharing the June 23 Metroparks-lakefront article. I agree with @surfohio that there's a lot of good thinking - finally - being activated regarding the lakefront. Not to get too preachy here, but sometimes I wonder if our goals and timelines could be more aspirational - across the board, as a society. In 1960, when JFK determined to send a man to the moon in less than 10 years, it required a transformational application of technology and most importantly, will power. The ideas that are being talked about either once again, or for the first time that can really make our lakefront what it can and should be don't have to take 15-20 years to happen. There can be a not only a developmental impact but a tremendous economic benefit with hundreds (if not thousands) of new jobs created when we determine to take action and do something big. We can find the money - we just need the leadership, the sense of urgency and the commitment.