willyboy

That is pretty big news... Incredibly good buy for them. I'm anxious to see what they do with this gem... I'm really just glad that someone like K&D didn't end up with it.

I love this somewhat secret space. Im not sure about photography, but Ive never had any difficulty seeing the space. There is a gaurd in the main lobby of the Landmark, but if you say "you want to see the Van Sweringen arcade". I have never had any trouble with them not letting me in to see it. After hours you can get to it through the Hyde Park restaurant, which also carries through the wonderful architecture, complete with a bank vault, just ask the server to show you or give you a tour. Mr. Clifton, Cleveland is actually pretty well known for having a very good collection of art deco buildings , architecture and even murals. Some of it has to be sought out (like this lobby) and some has been torn down :-(. Thus they are holding the World Congress of Art Deco in Cleveland in 2015 and hin 2006 hosted a several day art deco tour that the participants are still raving about. From one of the stories about the upcoming World Congress: “Cleveland has such an Art Deco legacy,” he says. “There’s Cowan Pottery, Viktor Schreckengost, Severance Hall, the Guardians of Transportation on the Lorain Carnegie Bridge, which are unique in the world. The Greyhound Bus Terminal is probably one of the finest examples of the “streamlined moderne” style anywhere in the country. The old Ohio Bell building, the lobby of old post office, Higbee’s Silver Grille, the English Oak Room in Terminal Tower — its lighting fixtures are very art deco.” ..

As I already stated thay arent closing because they werent doing well. If that was the case, likley they would have found a way to stay put until the casino opened. Also, you are right, again as I already stated after talking to the owner, he has run out of steam, which is why even if they do reopen it likely wont be anytime soon.

As hubz1124 said, whats going on on the West side! Although I showed a few pages back the stats indicating the increases in crime (for you Clevelanders in denial), and once again in just about all areas, with the exception of Ohio City and Tremont. But the continued spree and listing this morning including places like Lakewood and even Brookpark (and in one case Westlake, since likely thats where the stores were that they wanted to steal from) I wonder if it is just a shifting of crime or a general increase and spreading. At least a couple have East side connections. Nothing like more motivation for the whiteys and middle class to move even further west in droves. :-( Theres a few in the first part of this, plus other things from the past few days, weeks.... http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/12/am_news_links_mom_abandons_bab.html http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/12/woman_shot_this_morning_on_cle.html

Where the Phoenix Coffee was.

I imagine this was posted somewhere but... This is in addition to earlier funding: U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Awards $150 Million to Michigan to Expand High-Speed Rail in the Midwest Tuesday, November 22, 2011 Contact: Brie Sachse Tel.: 202-493-6024 U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today awarded $150 million to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for a high-speed rail project that will increase the safety and reliability of Amtrak’s Wolverine and Blue Water services between Detroit and Chicago and put more than 800 Americans back to work this spring. “With America’s population set to grow by 100 million over the next 40 years, high-speed rail will play a vital role in meeting America’s long-term transportation challenges,” said Secretary LaHood. “Projects like this will employ local workers, use American-made materials and lay a strong foundation for future economic growth.” http://www.fra.dot.gov/roa/press_releases/fp_FRA%2036-11.shtml

No, Muse is the current Ritz Carlton restaurant off of the hotel lobby floor. Not the same space.

Well, It will certainly be better than all the cracked granite and cheap fixes that are currently there. Hopefully there wont be pools of water either. Yeah, I was going to ask what condition things were in, since I havent been in that spot for a while. So it should certainly be a plus then.

Yes, Century was actually a great restaurant, but it was part of a dying breed. Things had been moving away from "fine dining - formal - high end" to "more casual - and affordable", and Century just didn't fit that. Marlin Kaplin can vouch for that with his closed One Walnut as well as Paul Millano and his former Baricelli Inn, which when he announced its closing last year stated "fine dining is finished in Cleveland". They are both operating more casual eateries today.

Also made it to the Joe Crea food column in the Plain Dealer: Food-truck owner Chris Hodgson to open restaurant where Zinc Bistro is closing Published: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 5:13 PM By Joe Crea, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer It's been rough sledding for Zinc Bistro since opening chef Tom Quick left. Executive chef and general manager Ron Bell tells me Zinc will close by the end of this year, maybe as early as Christmas Eve. But the space won't sit empty for long. By early spring, the lovely spot on Euclid Avenue -- a stone's throw from East Fourth Street's restaurant row -- will be home to a high-profile young chef. Food-truck operator Chris Hodgson, who achieved nationwide recognition when he finished second on "The Great Food Truck Race" on Food Network this year, will open Hodge's, his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, there in late March. "We're going to do fusion comfort food, the more playful sides of what we do on the streets," says Hodgson. "There'll be some mix-and-match and some rustic cuisine." One chef will be preparing food right at the bar, "creating smaller plates -- things like deviled eggs, chicken-liver toasts and other snacks, from $1 to $4," says Hodgson. "We want to have a high-energy interaction between the guests, the bar chef and the servers. Keep it fun." In season, that bar chef will shift his or her show to the restaurant's fabulous 100-seat patio, where the partners are working to install a clean-burning, coal-fired oven. http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2011/11/food-truck_owner_chris_hodgson.html

Likely the Casino folks have pressured Forest City to upgrade the Public Square plaza entrance to the TT, or Forest City just figures there is no better time to upgrade the entrance to (hopefully) a soon to be improved shopping mall. Although Im not sure how much of an improvment it will be... They are taking out granite and using concrete bricks.. :| Otherwise, nothing too exiting on the City Planning/Design Review agenda, some street improvements plus the usual demolitions. 1.DF2011-082: Tower City Exterior Plaza Project Location: 50 Public Square Project Representatives: John Williams, Process Creative Studios Julia Cyganski, Process Creative Studios http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2011/12022011/index.php

Huh... Its in the side of the 200 PS building on the square. I liked that spot, because it is a vital connecting spot for various areas of activity and hotels and needs something that could be a draw...

Also, talked to Mr. Zamborsky over the weekend (owner of Fat Fish Blue), and they are definately closing in December. Expect to be Fat Fish Blue-less for a while at least. Likely he will take some time off before considering reopening somewhere. I did my best to convince that as a Cleveland original and local institution that it needed to be re-opened. I suggested looking at the old Frank and Pauly's space in 200 Public Square, but indications were that the West Bank of the Flats had been considered.

A lot of comments have been made about theft, damage to personal property, damage and disregard for the building property, and management's seemingly lack of doing anything about it. A number of the reviewers cited the building's mixed-income and allowing of Section 8. BHG, make sure that the reviews of National Terminals were from the past year, since they are fairly recently under new ownership that promised to make improvements. I know that a couple of the conversions on W. 9th had some affordable units due to the tax credits used in conversion, but I have a hard time believing that they would accept section 8, with the demand for rental housing downtown.

Also, I would suggest Edward Glaeser's "Triumph of the City". It has some brilliant observations and ideas about density. It's most applicable to mega type city's, therefore you may not agree with everything as it would relate to Cleveland.

It will be half liquor store and half Barroco Grill (the same as in Lakewood).

WHD.. I believe where Liquid is (if its still called that)

Well apparently, like with the Bar Louie space in the Warehouse district, the Kilt folks offered Mr. Zamborsky something that him and his investors couldn't refuse for the space. Despite the often light crowds, they did do ok there and were not planning to close. The Cincinnati outpost that they opened on the other hand, they took a bath on.

Seems to be strictly a financing issue, from the article: "A developer hopes to close this month on financing for a hotel next to University Hospitals." Which seems to mean they were just waiting for the financing to close before they could start construction.

But also homeownership means neighborhood stability, and ultimately thats what they are trying to do.

Yeah I posted on the previous page...

Strangebrew, Im sure that being on the trail could actually appeal to a number of people. I wonder about the Artist element that I thought was going to be a big factor there, but it sort of went kaplooey (maybe too many nieghborhoods already trying to capitalize on this in an already extremely affordable city. There is still a bit of the old world charm left around there that I thought was appealing a while back, but it seems to be disapearing fast. St. Stans will always be amazing though! NSP funds are a good bet with this, and as far as I know the city is still on their NSPII funds which they will have to commit soon I believe or risk losing.

That's why Cleveland won't do it. Several city council members I asked about it responded off the record in almost the same way: "what would East Cleveland contribute to Cleveland?" They predicted that annexing East Cleveland would end up hurting Cleveland financially, unless some fire, EMS, police and other city services could be reduced as a result. Thats what I told you guys along time ago...

Thats the other thing I was going to ask. Would this be using any NSP funds Strangebrew. I know they have been using alot of this to leverage projects like this there.

I was born in the Little Warsaw area and my grandparents moved back there about 1980 or so. They had their funerals at Mosinskis and St. Hyacinth. I've also always had a lot of Italian friends and lived on Murray Hill Road for awhile in college. So I'm familiar with both. There is one great-big-huge difference between the two neighborhoods. That's safety, or perhaps more accurately perception of safety. On second thought, both. Italian-Americans feel quite safe in Little Italy. Their reason for doing so.....well to quote Rodney Dangerfield "it's not the boy scouts". I know firsthand that even not that long ago, and probably still today, there was something to that. To be blunt about it and use cleveland.com language, the thugs discovered and wrecked Riverfest, and they're beginning to do the same to Rockin on the River (Cuyahoga Falls). But not the Feast of Assumption. The Mafia still seems to have enough teeth to protect its area. I'm not sure you're going to be able to duplicate that in Slavic Village anytime soon. Not without investing a lot of money or political capital. Little Italy's situation may be somewhat unique. Thats a very good point. Totally different in that respect. My brother did a Cleveland home program in Slavic Village well before it really went down hill and needless to say he wasnt able to fulfill the the program requirements because he had to get him and his familly out of there. This also illustrates why more likely market rate places dont work very well in many Cleveland neighborhoods and why Little Italy and Case area would be one of the few.