Htsguy

McCleveland...I curious where that 14 million tourists a year number comes from. Does that include, for example, a couple from Richfield with tickets to a Broadway show at Playhouse Square?

That's great MayDay. Congrats. You seem pretty stoked about it and for good reason.

^Hope the people at Zinc as just as "pretty" as Balthazar (and the food just as good). Once had a waiter spill a glass of water in my lap at Balthazar (an accident...I didn't say anything to get him mad). He didn't get too worked up about it.

If anyhing gets built it is not going to be by the original owner/developer who are fighting for their financial lives (Goldbergs).

^^^Yes, there have been a rash of armed robbiers in Solon. Last year, the Game Stop which is right around the corner from the police station was robbed not once but twice. In the same shopping district the Donato's was held up a few weeks ago. Across town the Giant Eagle pharmacy was robbed by a guy showing a gun. And just recently the Blue Fig. Of course this means nothing...suburban crime only happens in the Heights.

Bummer about One Walnut. It has been a while since I have been there but I once had a soup there that was so good my reaction embarrased the rest of the table.

^It is a D-6. It is only about $500-600 for the whole year.

Closed on Sunday is not a downtown phenomenon. Scores of restaurant in the burbs, especially independents or those which are family owned, are closed on Sunday.

Cleanest major American city I have ever been in. Maybe it has to do with all the retired military.

Very interesting article (and seems well balanced which is a pleasure these days).

^Do you mean the space is physically there...I heard it closed a while ago which bummed me out because I thought they had great food (really liked this angel hair pasta in a light lobster cream sauce) and it was a good spot to people watch on the square. I don't know this for sure as I have not been in the hotel in quite some time.

^Actually...no body is building condos today because builders cannot get financing for them and buyers have an almost impossible task to secure a mortgage loan for a condo. And if you are looking for retail space I can point you towards a one brand new one in an upscale neighborhood that has stayed vacant now for about a year.

Sorry...I have seen it in person and do base my humble opinion on that prespective. I do, however, like the education building very much as well as the improvements they made to the law school building a couple of years ago. In fact the law school building is 100% better on Euclid, although that was not hard given its former "glory".

^Sure...in my opinion it looks like a bunker with architectual elements that don't seem to have any rhyme or reason. Not crazy about the various colors. Just does not seem inviting from the street and in fact seems to isolate itself from the street like the old student center. I am not an architect but I would have prefered something with or more airy feel with lots for glass...sort of a "jewel box" on Euclid.

Hmmm...I know these are only a very few pics of the interior and it is far from completed but I was hoping for more than bad suburban shopping mall....especially given how the exterior is quite frankly a complete failure (as anticipated since the renderings stage). Hopefully I am wrong about this and a few images will reveal a stunning interior...but right now I am totally disappointed by this whole project. I also think OSU's new Union exterior is pretty bad (suburban office building chic) but at least the interior is more impressive.

Don't have any idea but I think Gilbert would be crazy unless he got one hell of a deal. They have had water issues in TC from day one. Why would you want to have those headaches when you could have a completely new building.

Thank you for the pics. Was curious. Would have liked more interesting lighting.

Boy is that a diverse selection. If I had to pick from that list I would choose Bay Village as close to the lake and Rocky River as possible.

^People (I guess especially from the suburbs) have a funny prespective about homeless people. I worked downtown for 25 years...besides being bothersome they were generally some of the most harmless people around...some were even polite and gentle and often "halirous" as they tried to come up with a convincing story for $$. There are differently other people that I would be concerned about that were not homeless (mostly young and drunk) and also more concerned in the neighborhoods than downtown.

^How many people go to Mall A now for the lake views?

This thread is getting a bit confusing. It appears some people are discussing moving Postively Cleveland into certain space while others are talking about a temporary casino in certain space. Maybe I am wrong but I think McCleveland was saying that the Ameritrust building would be wrong for Postively Cleveland not a temp casino, although I don't think he would be in favor of that for the same reasons stated.

^^Hopefully they will be able to attract a consistant business throughout the day and week. An ice cream shop needs more than Friday and Saturday night theater goers to survivor (even if packed on those nights).

Also...price range, buying or renting, single family house or apartments or condo, transportation needs and are schools an issue. That would help.

^No, the poster has a point. I did a fair amount of construction litigation and while there are cost over runs on both new construction and rehabs, by far they are more likely on rehabs (and in fact seem almost guaranteed). Rehab costs over runs usually result from unforseen problems or hidden problems that probably should have been uncovered in the design stage but were not. Not much you can do when you are in the middle of a project other than issue the (often time expensive) change order and then (unfortunatley because it may effect quality) value engineer the remainder of the project where you can (cancel the historically accurate light fixtures for example). New construction over runs most often are weather related (especially at the beginning of the project) or are due to late design changes the client wants. They are definitely easier to control. Unfortunately (since I prefer re-habbing these buildings) the powers that be at the state have much experience in pricing construction and know what can go wrong so, given limited funds, you cannot blame them for going the safer route. They do have a job to do and it is their butts when there are cost over runs and every body and their mother are out to qet them.

Very happy that it appears to front the street. Cannot believe there will be any retail given its function (lab...cannot imagine many visitors) and location. I for one would not risk my hard earn cash to open a restaurant in that location. When and if the Clinic starts doing "such things", Euclid and the heart of the campus makes more sense.