Cleveland Landmarks Commission

CITY HALL - ROOM 514 - 9:00 AM

AGENDA - April 14, 2016

 

Case 16-016

Oliver Hazard Perry School

18400 Schenely Avenue

Demolition and new construction Concept Plan

 

A few of the graphics...

 

 

 

 

^ The window-to-wall ratio makes that look more like a water treatment plant than a school.

The old school is in good condition. It's also FULL of equipment, books and materials that can be used in other schools. Perhaps Cleveland needs a scandal the size of Detroit's so that its taxpayers can realize how much is wasted.

So many demolitions -- all on the East Side -- and at visible intersections including this gem at East 105th and Superior. Won't be anything left of the East Side if this neglect/demolition trend continues. If it is replaced, it's usually with schlock, soulless, cartoon-like, modern construction that looks like Anyplace, USA....

 

EAST DESIGN REVIEW

EAST2016-010 – Proposed Demolition of a 1 ½-Story Residential Structure and a 2-Story Residential Structure for the Campbell's Sweets Factory Expansion New Construction: Seeking Conceptual Approval

Project Addresses: 5001 Fleet Avenue and 3741 East 50th Street

Project Representatives: Dave Robar, Vocon

Christine Zakrajsek, Vocon

Marilyn Mosinski, Slavic Village Development

 

EAST2016-012 – Proposed Demolition of a 1-Story Commercial Building: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 7759 Broadway Avenue

Project Representative: Marilyn Mosinski, Slavic Village Development

 

NORTHEAST DESIGN REVIEW

NE2016-014 – Proposed Demolition of a 2-Story Mixed-Use Building: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 895 East 105th Street

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

NE2016-015 – Proposed Demolition of a 2-Story Mixed-Use Building: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 481 East 140th Street

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

NE2016-016 – Proposed Demolition of a 2-Story Mixed-Use Building: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 11807/09 St. Clair Avenue

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

NE2016-017 – Proposed Demolition of a 3-Story Mixed-Use Building: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 10520 Superior Avenue

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

NE2016-018 – Proposed Demolition of a 2-Story Commercial Building

Project Address: 10609 Superior Avenue

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

SOUTHEAST DESIGN REVIEW

SE2016-012 – Proposed Demolition of a 2-Story Mixed-Use Building: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 4124 East 131st Street

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

SE2016-013 – Proposed Demolition of a 2 ½-Story Residential Structure: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 12717 Union Avenue

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

FYI... this is 10520 Superior (on the left). Probably won't be long before the one on the right gets razed too. No one on the East Side maintains anything. And anything old is deemed not valuable:

 

10520Superior-Sept2015 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

The east side suffers from owners who have the least means to maintain buildings.  While this is especially true of homeowners, many small, mom and pop business owners who own their building are much the same, they just cannot maintain the buildings.  It's too expensive.  After decades of urban flight we have the poorest people of the least means concentrated in the city, living in homes and operating businesses in buildings at or near 100 years old.  So we have a situation where the buildings that need the most investment and care are in the hands of those least able to care for them.  I've wanted to retool programs like the storefront renovation program, and even home maintenance programs, to acknowledge this problem, which is painfully true on the east side and leads to the wholesale demolition of homes, businesses and entire communities.  There has to be a way to help people maintain their homes and businesses and save the city's historic housing and commercial stock. 

But I've also encountered CDC and city officials on the east side who simply do not like historic buildings, even ones that can be saved and repurposed. Yet when public sector investments offer resources to revitalize them, they choose not to. I've specifically heard public officials like Phyllis Cleveland and TJ Dow say they want more modern buildings in their wards. Even though historic buildings can be repurposed to offer modern, class A amenities. Whatever...

^You're also right about our "leadership" and that attitude is doing so much damage.  I also believe if we can't deal with the reality that our most historic and vulnerable structures are often in the care of those least able to invest in them we will have more and more structures fall into disrepair beyond saving.  It's a double whammy and it's hitting the east side hard. 

Your valuable leadership, like Dow, is often an obstacle to even modern developments to entities like CWRU and the Cleveland Clinic - two of the biggest job centers. They don't care about modern or historic buildings; it's about personal enrichment. Why do you think they care so much about adding the Don King honorary designation to Shaker Boulevard? He's a murderer, yet that's perfectly acceptable in some circles.

But I've also encountered CDC and city officials on the east side who simply do not like historic buildings, even ones that can be saved and repurposed. Yet when public sector investments offer resources to revitalize them, they choose not to. I've specifically heard public officials like Phyllis Cleveland and TJ Dow say they want more modern buildings in their wards. Even though historic buildings can be repurposed to offer modern, class A amenities. Whatever...

 

Laziness.  Pure and simple.  Going after those funds and eliciting change means more than just sitting at their desk every day, collecting a check as they have the past decades.    In the end it's easier to mow down buildings and hope someone builds a new one than put forth an effort to reinvest in the old.

Your valuable leadership, like Dow, is often an obstacle to even modern developments to entities like CWRU and the Cleveland Clinic - two of the biggest job centers. They don't care about modern or historic buildings; it's about personal enrichment. Why do you think they care so much about adding the Don King honorary designation to Shaker Boulevard? He's a murderer, yet that's perfectly acceptable in some circles.

 

He also has money and friends/family that do as well.  Gotta keep that campaign cash flowing....

Images of the buildings to be razed are at:

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2016/07012016/index.php

 

FAR WEST DESIGN REVIEW

FW2016-012 – Proposed Demolition of a 2 ½-Story Residential Structure: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 3215 West 121st Street

Project Representative: Jim Maher, County Land Bank

 

EAST DESIGN REVIEW

EAST2016-014 – Proposed Demolition of a 2 ½-Story Residential Structure: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 6112 Carpenter Avenue

Project Representative: Jim Maher, County Land Bank

 

NEAR WEST DESIGN REVIEW

NW2016-022 – Proposed Demolition of a 2-Story Commercial Building: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 3025 West 25th Street

Project Representative: Ayonna Donald, City of Cleveland

 

NW2016-026 – Proposed Demolition of a 2 ½-Story Residential Structure: Seeking Final Approval

Project Address: 2808 Clark Avenue

Project Representative: Don Crawford, C&J Contractors

Man, Clark's transition into a suburban strip sure is pretty dramatic. No doubt useful retail amenities for the west side, but bummer to see an old commercial strip decimated. Maybe an OK trade-off if it's helped give the city the backbone to hold the line on Lorain.

Man, Clark's transition into a suburban strip sure is pretty dramatic. No doubt useful retail amenities for the west side, but bummer to see an old commercial strip decimated. Maybe an OK trade-off if it's helped give the city the backbone to hold the line on Lorain.

 

The trade-off is a false choice though.  I'm glad Clark is still so active commercially, but apartments on top could only help all those consumer-oriented businesses.  And the housing around Clark is in nasty shape.  This neighborhood deserves a few rental units that are up to code. 

But I've also encountered CDC and city officials on the east side who simply do not like historic buildings, even ones that can be saved and repurposed. Yet when public sector investments offer resources to revitalize them, they choose not to. I've specifically heard public officials like Phyllis Cleveland and TJ Dow say they want more modern buildings in their wards. Even though historic buildings can be repurposed to offer modern, class A amenities. Whatever...

 

The leadership of Cleveland openly wants to destroy it, which is the biggest problem we face as urbanists here.  Cannot emphasize this enough.  It is not a function of market forces, it is not a matter of no choice, it is a series of willful destructive acts in the face of better alternatives.

Funny, i was just looking at this building on Clark yesterday while at Popeyes (guilty pleasure). Not a huge loss there considering, but yes it is very sad what has happened to this neighborhood. Letting Zannonie's depart was the dagger to me. Zannonies was THE west side source for necessities to Italians, including my family since moving here. Mazzones is the last of a once great part of our city. I would love, love, love to see Clark and Dennison recover in my lifetime.

Funny, i was just looking at this building on Clark yesterday while at Popeyes (guilty pleasure). Not a huge loss there considering, but yes it is very sad what has happened to this neighborhood. Letting Zannonie's depart was the dagger to me. Zannonies was THE west side source for necessities to Italians, including my family since moving here. Mazzones is the last of a once great part of our city. I would love, love, love to see Clark and Dennison recover in my lifetime.

 

KJP, on the forums, wrote on it - http://blog.cleveland.com/thesun/2007/07/zannonis_is_moving_west.html

 

From the article, taking advantage of a deal offered by North Ridgeville (tax abatements) in a new facility and poor effort from Santiago.

 

There's a lot more to this than first look: check out parcel 007-20-019 on the auditor's website, northeast corner of the Fulton and Clark. Several of the parcels surrounding it have been consolidated to 007-20-019. According to the auditor's website - http://fiscalofficer.cuyahogacounty.us/AuditorApps/real-property/REPI/default.asp - , parcel 007-20-019 wasn't transferred over until 2010. From 2007 until 2010, taxes weren't paid on the property (still owned by Zannoni) and it apparently went to a sherrif's sale and bought by Serrat Enterprises.

 

Oh, and in 2003, Zannoni took a $1.3 million mortgage on the property.

 

I have zero sympathy for Zannoni. Moves out and decides not to pay the property tax on his building. Real smooth.

 

^ good find. I was not aware of any of that fallout. There is no excuse for that. And I wish Zanonni would of ate some of his pride and would have been more commited himself to staying anchored in that neighborhood. Lets be real here though, on multiple accounts Santiago has proved to be shady at best. Reading between the lines a little it sounds like Zanonni felt like he was being pushed out. For better or worse many Italians do not like to be told how things are going to work, especially by another ethnic group coming in. Not defending this, i just know how the stubourn "gene"  works. Thats all I got. Whats done is done. Thanks for the follow up info.

^ good find. I was not aware of any of that fallout. There is no excuse for that. And I wish Zanonni would of ate some of his pride and would have been more commited himself to staying anchored in that neighborhood. Lets be real here though, on multiple accounts Santiago has proved to be shady at best. Reading between the lines a little it sounds like Zanonni felt like he was being pushed out. For better or worse many Italians do not like to be told how things are going to work, especially by another ethnic group coming in. Not defending this, i just know how the stubourn "gene"  works. Thats all I got. Whats done is done. Thanks for the follow up info.

Agreed, Santiago wasn't a saint from some accounts and I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't completely absolved here.

^Wow--awesome tile in the lobby.

Really, really bad shape!

 

 

I have noticed in recent weeks, several homes on the west edge of I77 between Fleet and Broadway that have been boarded up and appear to have been readied for demolition.  There may be as many as a dozen houses.....all very old.  I am wondering what might be planned for the site...... you don't just clear such a large area for nothing, right?

Anyone know what is going on there?  Thanks.

I have noticed in recent weeks, several homes on the west edge of I77 between Fleet and Broadway that have been boarded up and appear to have been readied for demolition.  There may be as many as a dozen houses.....all very old.  I am wondering what might be planned for the site...... you don't just clear such a large area for nothing, right?

Anyone know what is going on there?  Thanks.

 

According to the Councilman the houses have been condemned and are awaiting demolition. Might be tied to this info: http://www.clevelandcitycouncil.org/news-resources/current-news/2016/2016-01-news/fine-levied-against-serial-flipper-used-to-demolis

I was surprised the other day to see the Lakeshore power plant on the East Shoreway was in the midst of being torn down.  I guess I knew it was going to happen, just not prepared to see it. 

I have noticed in recent weeks, several homes on the west edge of I77 between Fleet and Broadway that have been boarded up and appear to have been readied for demolition.  There may be as many as a dozen houses.....all very old.  I am wondering what might be planned for the site...... you don't just clear such a large area for nothing, right?

Anyone know what is going on there?  Thanks.

 

That site is also next to a very large former mill property that was cleared, cleaned and leveled and prepped at great expense by the city and a real estate developer to make it ready for a return to productive industrial use. The site is clearly visible from I-77 and there is a billboard next to the highway marketing the site. Since there's only so many clean places to build large-scale industral facilities in the urban core, I'm hopeful the site will be developed soon, especially after reading two weeks ago that Charter Wire is adding to it facilities in Cuyahoga Heights with a new $150 million steel mill....

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2017/01/charter_steel_to_build_new_150.html

Whatever they do I hope they do it soon. I think it looks horrible to have all those homes rotting away right in front of everyone approaching Downtown from the south.

I was surprised the other day to see the Lakeshore power plant on the East Shoreway was in the midst of being torn down.  I guess I knew it was going to happen, just not prepared to see it. 

 

It's about 2/3 torn down, for some reason they have left most of the wall facing 90 standing.

I have noticed in recent weeks, several homes on the west edge of I77 between Fleet and Broadway that have been boarded up and appear to have been readied for demolition.  There may be as many as a dozen houses.....all very old.  I am wondering what might be planned for the site...... you don't just clear such a large area for nothing, right?

Anyone know what is going on there?  Thanks.

 

That site is also next to a very large former mill property that was cleared, cleaned and leveled and prepped at great expense by the city and a real estate developer to make it ready for a return to productive industrial use. The site is clearly visible from I-77 and there is a billboard next to the highway marketing the site. Since there's only so many clean places to build large-scale industral facilities in the urban core, I'm hopeful the site will be developed soon, especially after reading two weeks ago that Charter Wire is adding to it facilities in Cuyahoga Heights with a new $150 million steel mill....

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2017/01/charter_steel_to_build_new_150.html

 

It should probably be noted that this is the site of the Forman Mills fire and some of that cleanup was necessary for safety related reasons.

It should probably be noted that this is the site of the Forman Mills fire and some of that cleanup was necessary for safety related reasons.

 

I thought this was a Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad yard that was abandoned when the W&LE was abandoned through Slavic Village about 20 years ago? Are you thinking of the Worsted Mills fire in the early 1990s. In terms of size of buildings destroyed, that had to be one of, if not the biggest fire in Cleveland history, BTW.

That was a New York, Chicago and St. Louis (Nickel Plate) yard and what appears to be a coke plant for the steel mill (that closed around 2000?) (via http://historicaerials.com?layer=1994&zoom=17&lat=41.46875481041432&lon=-81.66374802589417).

 

Interesting to note, check out the stub at Broadway for the US 21 freeway, which is still visible today. The alignment, when it became I-77, shifted west to avoid impacting more of the neighborhood.

That was a New York, Chicago and St. Louis (Nickel Plate) yard and what appears to be a coke plant for the steel mill (that closed around 2000?) (via http://historicaerials.com?layer=1994&zoom=17&lat=41.46875481041432&lon=-81.66374802589417).

 

The yard and its overall Cleveland Division line to Canton was built by the Connotton Valley Railway in 1880, acquired by Wheeling & Lake Erie in 1899, leased to the Nickel Plate RR in 1949, became part of Norfolk & Western after the 1964 merger, mothballed in 1974, and sold to a new start-up Wheeling & Lake Erie regional railroad in 1990. The tracks north of the South Broadway neighborhood and into the Flats were abandoned circa 2000.

That explains why the line over I-490 near its eastern end is practically abandoned now. Were the tracks redundant?

That explains why the line over I-490 near its eastern end is practically abandoned now. Were the tracks redundant?

 

Different right of way owner. The line that bridges over the east end of I-490 was the main line of the Erie Railroad's Mahoning Division's Second District. It was significantly downgraded in the five years following its absorption into Conrail in 1976. After 1982, the tracks weren't active west of Broadway Ave where it served a small petroleum business. It was all that remained of Standard Oil's massive #1 refinery that had been there for more than 100 years.

It should probably be noted that this is the site of the Forman Mills fire and some of that cleanup was necessary for safety related reasons.

 

I thought this was a Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad yard that was abandoned when the W&LE was abandoned through Slavic Village about 20 years ago? Are you thinking of the Worsted Mills fire in the early 1990s. In terms of size of buildings destroyed, that had to be one of, if not the biggest fire in Cleveland history, BTW.

 

Yeah, Worsted.  Though I thjnk East Ohio Gas in 1944 had it beat.

Yeah, Worsted.  Though I thjnk East Ohio Gas in 1944 had it beat.

 

You may be right. I remember driving past the huge site after the fire. The crumpled, charred remains of those massive brick buildings looked like a war zone. I've heard the East Ohio Gas explosion site looked the same, especially since it occurred during World War II.

 

Worsted Mills fire

http://frank-dutton.blogspot.com/2012/08/cleveland-worsted-mill-fire.html?m=1

Yeah, Worsted.  Though I thjnk East Ohio Gas in 1944 had it beat.

 

You may be right. I remember driving past the huge site after the fire. The crumpled, charred remains of those massive brick buildings looked like a war zone. I've heard the East Ohio Gas explosion site looked the same, especially since it occurred during World War II.

 

Worsted Mills fire

http://frank-dutton.blogspot.com/2012/08/cleveland-worsted-mill-fire.html?m=1

 

Looked it up.  EOG killed 130, this was fewer than the Collinwood School Fire that killed 174 and about the same as the Cleveland Clinic fire in 1929..  It did about a quarter billion dollars damage in current dollars, and the explosion has been calculated as 1/6 of a Hiroshima. 

 

 

Looked it up.  EOG killed 130, this was fewer than the Collinwood School Fire that killed 174 and about the same as the Cleveland Clinic fire in 1929..  It did about a quarter billion dollars damage in current dollars, and the explosion has been calculated as 1/6 of a Hiroshima. 

 

 

It's why there's a few streets of post-war bungalows surrounded by a sea of pre-Depression era Cleveland Doubles south of the blast site.

Looked it up.  EOG killed 130, this was fewer than the Collinwood School Fire that killed 174 and about the same as the Cleveland Clinic fire in 1929..  It did about a quarter billion dollars damage in current dollars, and the explosion has been calculated as 1/6 of a Hiroshima. 

 

 

It's why there's a few streets of post-war bungalows surrounded by a sea of pre-Depression era Cleveland Doubles south of the blast site.

 

A really stubborn and determined elderly community leader named Anton Grdina made that happen.  People literally moved into new houses with the exact same neighbors.

 

The blast was on the same absolute scale as Port Chicago and Texas City.

Shoreway power plant remains are to be blown up at about 1am tonight.

Here's video of the power plant demo:

 

WATCH: Lake Shore Power Plant smoke stack comes crashing down

http://fox8.com/2017/02/24/watch-lake-shore-power-plant-smoke-stack-comes-crashing-down/

 

Jump ahead to the 2-minute mark:

 

Here's video of the power plant demo:

 

 

#ThingsIHaveSleptThrough

What will become of the land where the power plant formerly stood?

^ I am assuming a lot of remediation will be needed before anything happens.

Agreed. Does CEI have plans for it or will they unload it?

Agreed. Does CEI have plans for it or will they unload it?

Latest plan is a grass field for now.

 

I know there's been talk about moving the Shoreway, but I drive by there all the time and as long as a building was raised a bit (perhaps over a parking garage) it's close enough to the lake to be considered "lakefront".

Driving by the remains, it looks like they may not have done such a good job.

 

I suspect the stack was meant to fall in that direction, but the boiler building appears only partially collapsed.

In the demolition, the boiler building looks like it just rolled over.

In the demolition, the boiler building looks like it just rolled over.

 

Which is how the wreckage looks.

Driving by the remains, it looks like they may not have done such a good job.

 

I suspect the stack was meant to fall in that direction, but the boiler building appears only partially collapsed.

 

I think this may have been done on purpose. In watching many demo's seemlier to this one, buildings are usually meant to fall a certain way, and this demo mimic's many others that can be found on YouTube.

Near West Design Review District

Agenda

(8:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 8th, 2017)

Dollar Bank, 3115 West 25th Street

 

8:30 a.m. 1. NW 2017-005: Commercial & Residential Building Demolition ©

4302 Pearl Road

Project Representatives – Bob Goff, Jr., Leelila, LLC, Property Owner & Andy

Kiss, Andy’s Empire Demolition, Inc.

Proposed demolition of former commercial/residential building.

 

4302PearlRoad-Goff by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

Anyone know what Scranton Averell Inc is up to? This building has a 300k demolition order pending.

Anyone know what Scranton Averell Inc is up to? This building has a 300k demolition order pending.

 

Might want to post that in the Scranton Peninsula thread!

https://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,4043.0.html

 

BTW, I know someone who owns a lot of Scranton Averell stock and goes to their shareholders conventions. Every so often he hears little nuggets about Scranton Peninsula and passes them along, but I've not heard from him in a long time. I should bug him to see if he knows anything.