8ShadesofGray

Ask Not What Artists Can Do For You Supply And Demand As Cpac Goes "from Rust Belt To Artist Belt' By Michael Gill, The Cleveland Free Times During the Community Partnership for the Arts and Culture's "From Rust Belt to Artist Belt" conference last week, the atrium at Cleveland State University's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs was filled with about 200 people. By a casual show of hands, much of the crowd had come from outside the Cleveland area. When the next show of hands came, it was clear that nearly half the room had come from out of state. Those numbers say a lot. But maybe the bigger lesson is that people from all those places - cities in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York and all around the Rust Belt - are hoping that artists can be the medicine for their post-industrial hangover ... ... For more information, please visit http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/55/ask-not-what-artists-can-do-for-you

Great shots, UrbanSurfin! Tower Press is indeed an art enclave. Below-market rents on the ground floor for artist lofts (primarily occupied by painters photographers), market-rate on the upper floors, which are a mix of business studios and residents (leaning toward the doctor/lawyer/designer type crowd). The tower suite is amazing (the 360-degree views from the tower are among the best in the city ... definitely the best "balcony" in town). The building also has Artefino (a coffee shop), the Wooltex Gallery, Noteworthy (an arts-based credit union that does a lot of work with local musicians), the Community Partnership for Arts & Culture and RED DOT Gallery. Perkowski developed a similar building in the Broadway/Slavic Village called Hyacinth Lofts that caters to film artists, and he's working on one just down from Tower Press that will be exclusively work space for creative types. See http://www.tremontlofts.com/. This whole stretch of Superior has quietly been "taken over" by artists. My estimates suggest about 400 artists are living and/or working in industrial buildings between 19th and 40th in at least 13 different buildings. City Artists at Work provides a nice introduction to a portion of these artists and locations: http://www.cityartistsatwork.org/.

It seems like the general assessment so far is that this is a bad idea, and among those who feel that way, it seems like reactions are bordering on incredulity. Did the Commissioners realize that their decision might garner a response like this? With the abundance of Midtown sites available, why this particular site, which seems to lack some of the merits that a site in more proximity to Euclid Ave. would provide? Both this site and sites along Euclid are served by the same CDC. The only meaningful jurisdiction difference I've seen is that the Chester site is in Ward 7 (Fannie Lewis), while a site on the east side of 55th along Euclid would be in Ward 5 (Phyllis Cleveland). But I've never seen anything that would indicate major beefs between the Commissioners and Councilwoman Cleveland, or any lovefest between them and Fannie Lewis. The remaining question that's almost scary to ask ... do any of the commissioners have either a direct financial stake, political connection or friendship with any individual with a controlling interest in the E. 55th site?

I agree with the vast majority who are saying "What?!" I actually do kinda like the idea of leveraging the convention center to increase connectivity of other revitalization projects. But with this particular site, I have to ask, connectivity to what?! The Clinic development is taking place 30 streets to the east ... I haven't even heard of any PROPOSED in-fill developments within 15 blocks to the east of the site. And to the West, I think you would be hard-pressed to find any mixed-use development ANYWHERE along Chester ... it's 30 blocks to the CSU Fitness Center, which is the only development I can think of, and it's 40 blocks before you start hitting the back-end of downtown development. Even as optimistic as I am about Cleveland's revitalization efforts, I think it would take at least a decade to create any meaningful connectivity to the east and DECADES before you could connect to activity centers to the west. I don't think Midtown is really the right place for this, but even if it was, I'm in total agreement with Straphanger ... why not EUCLID and 55th? There are several very large absolutely vacant parcels just to the east of the intersection, and I could be wrong, but I believe they are controlled by Midtown, so I would have to assume acquisition costs would be very low. Moreover, you're right on the BRT line, so travel to the Clinic would be far quicker and more pleasant than on a Chester bus. You're a block away from the Agora, so there's some activity there already, and you also have existing storefronts that could be rehabbed relatively easily into restaurants/retail. Again, I think this site is far from ideal, but it would present a much better picture of Cleveland for visitors than the Chester site. As far as overages, has the county considered potentially doing the Medical Mart / new county administration building in a common new development at the current administration building site? There would be no acquisition costs, and development costs could be offset by cost savings of doing two major development projects concurrently (saving tons of money on design and construction). I know that there would be some logistical issues figuring out how to separate uses in such a building, but between cost savings and the extra demand for restaurants and retail that might be garnered by having such a large county workforce right there, I would say it warrants some thought. I've increasingly felt critical of the job the county commissioners do, I've always held out hope for them because of the overtures they've made to trying to build a green economy. But I'm finally at a point where I believe they need to be replaced and that we need to strategically figure out how to bring some more progressive thinkers into county and city leadership positions. Whether it be a PAC or a progressive political alliance or whatever, we need to do SOMETHING to challenge the "old school" machine politics that Dimora and Hagan seem particularly guilty of.

Welcome to the board PCHelpers ... you're getting too numerous for me to welcome you personally! We're all very excited to have you guys joining us in Cleveland. For those of you who haven't made locational decisions about where you're going to reside when you're here, I would highly recommend checking out the Relocation Assistance threads elsewhere on this forum. For those of you who are blown away by the Tyler facility (as well you should be!), this is just the tip of the iceberg ... Cleveland has a range of unique properties, traditional residential and live-work, and at a fraction of the price of most major metropolitan areas. I would definitely check out the GIGANTIC range of urban living options available on the forum, as well as at www.livecleveland.net. And us forumers are happy to provide additional information and advice. Welcome again, and thanks for coming to the Cleve :-)

How about an UrbanOhio orchard? I would love to see a publicly accessible plot where people can walk by and pick fruit at their leisure.

Not sure if this belongs here, as this was an overarching (read: amazing) article about the potential for Cleveland becoming a model "green" city, but there was a substantial amount of talk of the "green economy" aspect of environmentalism. Those About to Rock Can Cleveland bring itself back from the brink? By Kristine Hansen Grist, Environmental News and Commentary 15 May 2008 AGGGHHHH ... now I can't get this effing page to load, and I'm leaving for the day. Can someone else try retrieving this article at some point? http://grist.org.

IKEA, or I won't support the project! I kid, I kid! Actually, I think they have a great list of potential tenants. The only "Round 1" tenant I think is missing is the obvious need for a showroom and boutique division of Cleveland Institute of Art (perhaps in association with the Schreckengost space). It's really necessary for the suppliers to see that Cleveland is graduating this very talented group of young designers ... and for young designers to get an opportunity to see that there are huge employment options here for them. Now Round 2, I'd love to see them leverage the existing tenant base as more of a driving force for drawing tenants (beyond the "Hey, you can go to a theatre" hook). What about designers of lighting technology or theater seating having access to the 2nd largest theater complex in the country across the street? What about sound technology system / multimedia developers having access to a unique public radio/public television synergy in an incredibly tech-rich facility across the street? As the district moves east, what types of product designers would be most drawn to having proximity to a large collegiate base and a large urban university? And to the west, a density of financial institutions? That kind of focused niche marketing could really make this exciting ... and could also be an incredible boon for drawing people on the demand side, not just the design firms. Want to experiment with cutting-edge ATM design? Move into Cleveland's financial district and tap into its great network of people working on lending institution design work. Interested in the newest developments in mobile and adaptable stages, and want to see audience reaction to this untested technology? Hold a focus group performance in one of our many lovely theaters. Etc., etc. :)

Gated BLOCKS in the Flats? Sometimes I'm glad our city is declining in population, as I seriously would hate for these venom-inducing suburbanites to be more directly engaged in community planning processes. Sigh. But I shouldn't be too hard on them; despite the call for a "Rich People Zoo", he or she did seem pretty supportive of the project. It could be worse. Now, Trader Joe's ... I would LOVE to see that be a reality. Stayed in a great hotel in Seattle that was a mix of high-end condos, upscale hotel rooms and a Trader Joe's on the ground level. Yaya! Can someone refresh my memory? Are these plans architecturally accurate or just an idea of the overall size of the proposed buildings. I recall talk that Wolstein was planning on engaging multiple architects and pushing for a very modern diverse stock so it didn't look as much like a "project". Is this rendering pre- or post- the plans of those architects?

Urban arts districts take center stage at CSU conference by Steven Litt, Plain Dealer Art Critic Thursday May 15, 2008, 3:50 PM Artists see themselves as devoted to creativity. City planners now look at artists and see something else: a highly valuable form of urban fertilizer. Sprinkle some galleries on a dying main street. Change the zoning to allow live-work loft space. Throw in some government money for facade renovation or mortgage assistance. Voila: Property values will jump, and you'll soon worry about how to avoid gentrification, which is what happens when people with money move into a former zone of blight ... ... For more information, please visit http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/05/urban_arts_districts_take_cent.html

The other tangential take-away I got from the event (I had many, many less tangential thoughts) was that, in terms of conferences' impact on the local community, the type of attendee can have different levels of impact as much as the volume of attendees. These were overwhelmingly community development professionals and artist service professionals ... the type of people who are ripe to have a love affair for Cleveland and other industrial communities. Almost all of them I talked to stayed in the city proper, and I think they were far more exploratory than the typical confrence attendee. Several walked from CSU over to Asiatown. I heard a number of them talking about exploring Ohio City and Detroit Shoreway. A couple were so excited about what's going on in Cleveland that they crashed the District of Design meeting to hear more about that development. These are exactly the type of people who a) spend more money in the city proper and outside of traditional convention facilities, particularly with local vendors and b) the type of people who have the grassroots capability to shape positive impressions of Cleveland back in their respective cities. Everyone I talked to had glowing things to say about our city ... people from Flint, from Pittsburgh, from California, from Oklahoma ... they all loved it.

Green City Blue Lake blogged live from the event, which we sold out (about 210 participants from 39 cities in 11 states): http://www.gcbl.org/arts/arts-economy/from-rust-belt-to-artist-belt

Welcome Radeona. I've lived just one block away from Tyler Village for the past two years and park on the street overnight all the time. I've never experienced any crime problems or even any situations where I was nervous. I've heard previously from one of the local CDC folks that Tyler is in the census tract has the lowest level of reported crime citywide. I haven't seen any firm data to verify this, but my experiences have been that it's incredibly safe. I've walked from the Town Fryer (next door to Tyler) past Tyler home at 2 a.m. in the morning before and it's always been perfectly fine. As with everywhere else, it definitely makes sense to be aware of your surroundings, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the neighborhood ... it's pretty amazing.

Unnatural Resources CPAC Examines The Art Of Filling Empty Buildings By Michael Gill Billy Delfs came back to Cleveland so he could afford to be a photographer. He graduated from the International Center for Photography in New York three years ago and wanted to make a living by taking pictures, not to support his artistic habit with a day job. And he has succeeded. His freelance work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, Cleveland, Audubon, Redbook and more than a dozen other magazines. But even with that level of success, it's hard to afford the freelance life. "I wanted to work in photography," he says, "and Cleveland's good for that because it's so inexpensive." ... The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture is hoping that a better understanding of that dynamic - combined with the availability of unique spaces like vacant churches and factories, as well as dignified old houses - can help retain artists and attract more to the region ... ... For more information, please visit http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/53/unnatural-resources

Event preview on Around Noon. http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/an/11895/ Response to the program has been great. To date, we have 122 participants from 37 cities in 10 states, and still climbing. In Ohio, we have representation from Cleveland and several suburbs, as well as Akron, Cincy, Dayton, Elyria, Kent, Mansfield, Toledo and Warren.

I'm surprised by the tone of this story ... I don't usually expect an editorial tint from Crain's as much as I do the PD. I could be overreading, but terms like "city's struggling central business district" and "'charming' Huntington Building and a key downtown address" and "erase a once-famous part of the Old River Road entertainment district " seem a little sensational. And to use a line like "Concern is growing over the loss ..." without providing any quotes that actually support this statement is pretty shoddy.

I've heard that a groundbreaking ceremony will be taking place May 14th. But that might just be the Capitol ... not sure.

Weepinwillow, I saw the Building 44 signage last night driving home and almost ran my car off the road!!! It looks really great, and plays well with the little courtyard it borders. I know I tend to gush about Tyler all the time, but I must say once again that this is one of the most interesting projects taking place in Cleveland, and it's a real shame that its visibility isn't higher.

Well, since you asked ... :-D Participants will hear what GLUE is and how the group will function on the local level. The GLUE model is very participatory, so local participants will help shape the local agenda. We'll be discussing how to advance progressive ideals throughout the industrial Midwest (and, of course, particularly in Northeast Ohio). GLUE is also putting together regional advisory committees (regional being all cities in the Great Lakes region) on particular progressive issues: Environmental Justice & Sustainability; Responsible Economic Development; Empowerment of Communities & Individuals; Quality of Place; and Civic Participation & Government Transparency. We'll also have some interaction with local meetings occurring in other Great Lakes cities at the same time.

Cities tied together by Rust Belt Midwestern towns embrace their identities By David Giffels, Beacon Journal columnist Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 I'm not sure when the term ''Rust Belt'' made the transition from mark of dishonor to badge of honor. I'm not even sure if that's happened, or at least if it's happened completely. But there's definitely plenty of evidence that, in the past half-generation or so, the phrase has been adapted by people who came of age after the rust had already formed. Instead of growing up with the smell of factory smoke, they grew up with stories of that smell, and so their perspective is unique, and uniquely ''postindustrial'' ... For more information, please visit http://www.ohio.com/news/17121526.html

^ Yes, Dayton and Cincy folks, email Abby and Sarah at [email protected]! GLUE is exciting, necessary, relevant ... and like nothing any of us have seen before in the industrial Midwest. Sure, there are tons of young professional groups out there, but GLUE is different for at least two reasons: First, they're focusing on progressive policy ... transit orientation, social equity, environmental policy, quality of life, progressive community development strategies, etc. Second, they are helping link efforts throughout the industrial Midwest so that we can all learn from each other and use our collective numbers to influence change on a broader scale. So we need Cincy and Dayton on board! If you're interested in participating in the Cleveland/Akron/Youngstown meeting on Thursday, PM me your name/affiliation, and I'll forward an RSVP to the Cleveland group leader.

Congratulations rockandroller. That's terriffic.

Welcome, and congrats on the move! I live over on East 33rd, so I'm more or less your new neighbor. You'll love the neighborhood. Thanks also for the link; particularly interested in how the motherboard wall turns out ... very creative concept.

Wasn't sure where to put this, but it seemed appropriate for this thread, as the issues of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender youth are often overlooked in homeless policy, not just in Cleveland but most places. Documentary 'While We Sleep' shows plight of local gay teens Friday, April 04, 2008 Rachel Dissell Plain Dealer Reporter Akeem Rollins was 14 when he found himself couch surfing through Cleveland. "I was kicked out because I told my mom I was gay," Rollins said. It was the first, but not the only time Rollins found himself homeless after his sexual preference caused trouble at home ... ... For more information, please visit http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1207297935260790.xml&coll=2

Madison reduces its resource consumption by employing naturally reproductive picnic tables rather than purchasing new ones all the time. - PigBoy in Madison, WI: One of the Midwest's Most Beautiful Cities (http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,15618.0.html). His whole photo commentary was hilarious, but that quote and corresponding photo was brilliant. And then David, later in the thread ... Madison is an overprotective soccer mom's wet dream.