cadmen

Great image of all those local theaters. I grew up going to the La Salle for Saturday movies but I still remember that every neighborhood seemed to have their own theatre or two. And yes, all you had to do was walk a few blocks and there you were. Nostalgic. God I'm old.

A long time ago someone on this forum said the original plan for the new glass skin on the Federal Building included NOT completing the wrap around the entire building. If that is correct it may LOOK unfinished but its not. It IS finished. The idea has something to do with heating/ac and weather patterns in NEO. The explanation never made sense to me but since I'm not an expert on heating/ac nor am I an expert on how the government decides what a building should look like. But it does frustrate the hell out of me when a building in a prominent location looks like that AFTER a multi-million upgrade. Just seems like the lowest standards to me but I'm just one guy so who cares what I think?

Yes and as far as I'm concerned the Federal Building is still not finished on two sides. I'll never understand how anyone with a eye for design would sign off on leaving the top corner of two sides unfinished but that ship has sailed.

You know as much as I love all the news and talk about the latest project in Cleveland the truth is that info is really just icing on the cake; the cake being REAL economic development. After all, those developments wouldn't be happening on any scale without a strong and growing economic base. When you look at other regions that are growing (or shrinking) you notice that they usually have multiple entities that they are identified with. Detroit has auto. Cincinnati has P&G. Pittsburgh has its universities and Columbus has state government and OSU. Of course those cities have other strengths but those are the obvious ones. In Cleveland we have the Clinic. That's not enough. There are a few other possibilities like CWRU, Lake Erie/the Port, and NASA. The Clinic is large enough now that its continual excellence is probably on autopilot. I'm not sure what local government can do to increase the visibility, size and reputation of CWRU but the lake and port are underutilized assets. I get that Lake Erie is a a very popular recreational and fishing asset but I think that has been exploited as much as possible. I'm not sure how much more growth can be squeezed out of the lake. But the Port, now that has room for tremendous growth. Right now we have the largest container port on the Great Lakes but even so, the volume is miniscule compared to coastal ports. Covid and supply chain issues have presented us with an opportunity to leverage the Port's facilities. I think if local government and business focus on the possibilities we can substantially grow the Port and that could be a real shot in the arm for the local economy. Having said all that I think NASA Glenn has the potential to be the second strongest economic asset in Northeast Ohio. Right now its probably the weakest of the NASA facilities. But if our politicians and business leaders all pulled in one direction we have the possibility of making NASA Glenn a magnet for scientific research. Business would open new offices/labs here. That would create new high paying jobs. That would bring a more educated workforce to the region. It could start a virtuous cycle of high tech jobs bringing educated workers to the region and some of those workers would inevitably create new companies. It could help CWRU grow its research base and student body. The synergy could be such that all parties (NASA Glenn, new companies and CWRU) feed off each other. The whole becomes greater than the parts. Even the Clinic could partner on some of the research. Right now Cleveland is still near the bottom of most economic rankings. Our personal income is very low compared to the rest of the country. Business growth is tepid compared to the growing regions. Levering our unique strengths like NASA Glenn can help propel us forward. The only way that happens is if our leaders recognize that we have a very underutilized asset. We don't have to start from scratch. It's already here. We don't have to figure out some new idea to grow our economy. We just have to recognize those existing assets that have the potential to grow. We just have to get behind them and push. If we push hard enough eventually we can just jump on board and enjoy the economic ride.

Appreciate the post.

Thanks for the article Ken. Very happy to read the impasse has been worked out.

^ That place looks pretty nice. I wouldn't mind living there and besides, its free room and board. Yeah.

Yes! I know it's not my money (unless you count the couple of bucks l kick in for the library levy) but l think this development could hinge on the library/apartment building getting done. I doubt the buildings on the next block east get built if the only structure finished is the one being built now. This is a megaproject that links the Clinic with UC and the Cultural Garden's. Without the library l'm afraid all we end up with is a fizzle.

Unfortunately no. He's coming to tout funding for Great Lakes cleanup which is also very important to the region but he won't be talking about the proposed Lorain shipyard facility. I would love to be wrong though.

Hopefully the sale frees up capital for Act ll.

Life!

Case Western is our flagship university. It needs to continue to grow its student body, research dollars and of course, national ranking. Thst growth only enhances UC as a center of education, the arts and medical care. What an incredible asset it is for the region.

^ Oh hell no! Jacobs Pavilion is one of the best places to see a concert anywhere. It's in the Flats, ON THE RIVER. When the concerts over you can mosey on over to the bars and restuarants What more do you want? At the moment there is even plenty of nearby parking (hope that's gone in the future). And from the Warehouse House district that white canopy looks really cool. What's not to like?

Well a temporary pop up shop is better than an empty storefront but not much better. If it closes shortly after the All Star game then what was the point other than someone making a few bucks off of some visitors? I was hoping the activity was producing a real store but, really l wasn't expecting that either. I don't think we'll see much retail activity in the area until City Club and the Cenntanial are finished. Downtown and other neighborhoods are continuing to make real progress but we are climbing out of a decades long in the making very deep hole. Plus Covid and that stupid ass riot set us back several years. It's simply going to take more time but taking into account everything this town's been through l am very optimistic going forward.

It's hard to wrap my brain around what to do. It's like every question and possible answer is on steroids. Where to start? The present JC is brutal to look at and brutalist in style so tear it down. But we don't want to lose a downtown high rise so keep it and refurbish then. But at what cost and what would it look like? Wouldn't it be like putting lipstick on a pig? So tear it down and build somewhere else but does it have to be a low rise complex? Don't want that. And besides where would it go and at what cost? 1.2 billion...are you kidding me! And if we do build new on a different lot and tear down the old JC we know we will create another HUGE hole (parking lot) close to more empty space in the form of the Mall and Public Square. Regardless of your feelings about those spaces that is too much open area downtown. So round and round we go. And all of these conflicting ideas will take place over a decade or so. By the time it's over l think everyone will have a giant headache.

Ok. I'm going with bad different.

Great news for this Cleveland company. I wonder if they will need more employees to handle the growth? Even if they don't build their own tower taking up more space in 200 Public Square would be a good thing too.

So that's another deal the Kassouf family has pulled off with this planned overhaul. First Marriott and now a New York based company. Years ago I vaguely remember reading something about James Kassouf bringing his adult children on board and they planned on branching out from the parking business. They were a couple of announcements that fizzled awhile back but if they pull this off maybe we should chalk it up to the second generation because l don't think James ever built anything larger than a shed to keep the parking attendant out of the rain.

As excited as l am to see this building going up its offset by the continual delay with the library/apartment building. What are we missing here? As others have mentioned, it seems like this one should already be under construction - you have government money to augment private dollars plus a tenant ready to move in. The whole thing isn't all that big plus with the expansion of the Clinic nearby there would appear to be a demand for housing. Obviously the holdup is financing and the entire project is comprised of multiple buildings but you would think if any one of them would be held up it wouldn't be this one. The longer this takes the more concerned l am. If the library/apartment building doesn't happen what does it mean for the others? The entire development was an incredible shot in the arm for UC. It has the look of development you see in much bigger cities - shiny finishes, density and height. Fingers crossed that whatever the problem is it gets resolved.

That little complex is really different. What I can't figure out is it good different or bad different?

Hey, and the red does make it pop lol.

It's not like comparing apples and oranges. They are different. Public and private construction do have some overlying requirements. And government buildings usually have to meet requirements that private ones do not. That can add up quickly. But triple the cost? I don't think so. So like most discussions each side has their own relevant (and correct) points. Any one who has read articles about massive cost overruns with government contracts knows that waste is a major component. We don't like it but it comes with the territory. I think it's fair to say human nature play's a roll. You're likely to pay more attention to how you spend your money than how you spend someone else's

Looks pretty sharp to me.

That's a very good point there. Why is it that business seems able to build cheaper while government can't? Maybe it's because their using their own money while government is using ours.

Without having any inside knowledge l'm going out on a limb here and predict this project doesn't get the TMUD credits. It's up against a lot of competition around the state and l think there are more compelling projects. I know Cleveland has several horses in the race but if it came to it l would forgo all of them if it meant the Cenntanial got the credits. Bringing that massive building in the heart of downtown back to life is an economic multiplier. It would signal to others that investing in downtown is a safe bet. Come on down!