I tried reading about it online and there's no information. Does anyone have any ties to city hall? Is there any new news if they are going to demo this or make it a historic landmark? It seems to be in the waiting mode. But what are they going to do in the meantime on the site?

It already is a landmark

Ok if it is a landmark and it is condemned than what is the purpose of keeping it? I took a friend from out of town around cleveland to show him around and when we past the site of where the parking garage is going his first comment was "why did they not knock down that building?" I did not have a direct answer so that is why I am asking. Also I can not find the answer on that thread since it is impossible to try to search on here.

It will be renovated

 

They've been working on it and are actually working on the exterior right now -- tonight.

 

"Why are they not tearing down that ugly building"

Yeah I wish they would've just knocked down all of these back in the day. Jesus what eyesores those turned out to be:

 

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,26230.0.html

 

I tried reading about it online and there's no information. Does anyone have any ties to city hall? Is there any new news if they are going to demo this or make it a historic landmark? It seems to be in the waiting mode. But what are they going to do in the meantime on the site?

 

try this  link

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=stanley+block+building+

Do I need to bring back my 'Death to the Stanley block' avatar?

Just trying to get the word out. The three story Walker and Weeks designed building adjacent to Viking Hall is in imminent danger of being demolished. Go to the CSU college town thread for more info http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,13086.new.html#new

 

I have a full report on a public meeting regarding it.

 

I have left it up to mods to decide where we should discuss it, thus is why I am cross posting.

 

This house in Ohio City could be seeing demolition in the near future.

 

http://g.co/maps/7kstm

This house in Ohio City could be seeing demolition in the near future.

 

http://g.co/maps/7kstm

 

Maybe it's too far gone, what needs to be torn down are the fenced in "gated" apartments over there.  Imjustsayin'!

Well this is effing awful: the Alhambra Apartments on Wade Park Ave in Hough are being demoed, as documented by the Cleveland Area History blog:

http://www.clevelandareahistory.com/2011/10/lost-biggest-apartment-building-in.html

 

It's a little sad to see any neighborhood apartment bldg get demoed, but this is (was) one of the most distinctive and largest apartment buildings left in all of Cleveland.  RIP Big City Cleveland residential architecture.

 

http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.515663,-81.626642&spn=0.003101,0.004823&t=h&z=18&vpsrc=6

Well this is effing awful: the Alhambra Apartments on Wade Park Ave in Hough are being demoed, as documented by the Cleveland Area History blog:

http://www.clevelandareahistory.com/2011/10/lost-biggest-apartment-building-in.html

 

It's a little sad to see any neighborhood apartment bldg get demoed, but this is (was) one of the most distinctive and largest apartment buildings left in all of Cleveland.  RIP Big City Cleveland residential architecture.

 

http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.515663,-81.626642&spn=0.003101,0.004823&t=h&z=18&vpsrc=6

 

Wow.  I was "seeing" someone that lived there.  Those apartments were almost as big as mine.  I wonder why they couldn't being her down to the studs and renovate?

There was a huge fire on the west side of Cleveland that took out an apartment building at west 98th and Madison. Such a shame. I woke up this morning to bits of ash coating my car. I had a really weird feeling brushing away the fragmented ash bits of cleveland's past. Neighborhood landmarks disappear so quickly now.

I hope the one on Wade Park is coming down for a reason.  Otherwise that shouldn't be allowed.  Whose ward is it in?   

^It wasn't the building on the northwest corner of Madison and 98th, was it?

 

Four story vacant apartment building.

 

There's already a massive "brownfield" vacant lot at W. 106th and Madison (right by Berea and W. 110th) that has been there since I worked in that area from '05 through '07.  It used to be the Midland Steel plant.

The Alhambra was completely open, gutted, and drew WAY more problems than people may realize. There was an attempt to bring it back by an investor a couple years ago, but the work was never completed and scrappers quickly either stole the new materials and windows which were installed or kids in the neighborhood broke them out. Yes, it was a large apartment building, but trust me when I say that many residents who live around Wade Park won't mind it being gone. Its a bittersweet loss since the building was open to drugs, crime, and prostitution but was a beautiful building nonetheless. 

^^^^Closer to 96th just past Belinda's.  Similar structures and a significant loss on that beaten-up stretch.

^^Thanks for the perspective, Oldmanladyluck, I can definitely appreciate that.  Just a bummer that the building couldn't be successfully redeveloped to eliminate the blight, preserve the architecture and provide safe, affordable housing, but the demo itself is probably a boon to the immediate area.

The Alhambra was completely open, gutted, and drew WAY more problems than people may realize. There was an attempt to bring it back by an investor a couple years ago, but the work was never completed and scrappers quickly either stole the new materials and windows which were installed or kids in the neighborhood broke them out. Yes, it was a large apartment building, but trust me when I say that many residents who live around Wade Park won't mind it being gone. Its a bittersweet loss since the building was open to drugs, crime, and prostitution but was a beautiful building nonetheless. 

 

Pretty classic example of crime inhibiting development, I'd say.

^It wasn't the building on the northwest corner of Madison and 98th, was it?

^It wasn't the building on the northwest corner of Madison and 98th, was it?

 

Four story vacant apartment building.

 

There's already a massive "brownfield" vacant lot at W. 106th and Madison (right by Berea and W. 110th) that has been there since I worked in that area from '05 through '07.  It used to be the Midland Steel plant.

^^^^Closer to 96th just past Belinda's.  Similar structures and a significant loss on that beaten-up stretch.

 

Yeah. It was this building: http://g.co/maps/gfdxu

 

The entire stretch of Madison in Cleveland between W 65th and Lakewood is pretty much a blight zone now.

 

 

"Yeah. It was this building: http://g.co/maps/gfdxu"

 

"the Alhambra Apartments on Wade Park Ave in Hough are being demoed"

 

 

 

2 more casualties in Clevleand's unstoppable march towards...

If there's crime afflicting a particular building, and everyone knows about it, then put a cop there.  Don't tear down the building.  I saw two Cuyahoga sheriff cars clocking speeders on 77 last week.  We're not so short on manpower that demolition is our only answer to crime.  If the area's not going to be patrolled, what's to stop people from doing their drugs in a vacant lot?  This does happen and it's disquieting.  I feel less safe in empty areas, I'd rather have buildings around.       

Belinda's, across the street, is a pretty hopping place on the weekends.

 

Not a surprise, but the Paris Theatre, 3151 W. 25th Ave, was demolished on Monday.

Two more Eastside commercial buildings getting the axe:

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2011/pdf/NEAgenda_11-15.pdf

739 East 185th is listed for sale at $59,500 for a 5000 sf commercial building on a fairly viable retail corridor.  I'm pretty sure I drank a beer or two in that bar back when I worked at Euclid Hospital, and I know we ordered Chinese from the place on the end of the building.

 

http://www.howardhanna.com/property/property.asp?PRM_MLSNumber=3262183&PRM_MlsName=NorthernOH&VAR_AgentCode=53463&VAR_OfficeCode=259

 

The street view for E. 105th shows a pretty standard 2 story commercial storefront, but there is a cool old service station next door that I hope is not included.

 

http://g.co/maps/tybwy

 

 

From the FB group Save Lower Prospect Avenue:

 

Following up on our idea to monitor the design review agendas for proposed demolitions: 1512 Euclid Ave is proposed to be demolished for parking for Playhouse Square. It is adjacent to an existing parking lot. It is on the Downtown/Flats Design Review Committee Meeting agenda for 9:30am Nov 17 Rm 514 City Hall. There is no public comment at these meetings but the public can attend to listen. The building is identified as the Hanna Building Annex but don't confuse it with the larger building behind the Hanna Building also known as the Hanna Building Annex.

 

This is the old Xtian Science Reading Room: http://binged.it/uTI0im

Did this building used to have a different facade? It would appear so from the side.

From the FB group Save Lower Prospect Avenue:

 

Following up on our idea to monitor the design review agendas for proposed demolitions: 1512 Euclid Ave is proposed to be demolished for parking for Playhouse Square. It is adjacent to an existing parking lot. It is on the Downtown/Flats Design Review Committee Meeting agenda for 9:30am Nov 17 Rm 514 City Hall. There is no public comment at these meetings but the public can attend to listen. The building is identified as the Hanna Building Annex but don't confuse it with the larger building behind the Hanna Building also known as the Hanna Building Annex.

 

This is the old Xtian Science Reading Room: http://binged.it/uTI0im

 

For whatever reason, I am not opposed at all to the demolition.  It frees up more land for development (which may be inevitable at this point as CSU and PHS continue to grow) and showcases the Hanna building...temporarily.  Not to mention, any aesthetics it once had seem to be gone.

 

Long story short, I hope the site becomes ever more attractive for developers, butting up against the beautiful Hanna Building.

^I hope so too but that has been an annoying surface parking lot for a long time (decades?).  We always say this or that surface parking lot should be developed, and state the obvious reasons why, but it seems to be the rare instance downtown where this actually occurs. 

One by one, they keep coming down on Euclid.  The Hanna is now marooned on all sides, not thinking that has any impact on marketing...

The street view for E. 105th shows a pretty standard 2 story commercial storefront, but there is a cool old service station next door that I hope is not included.

 

http://g.co/maps/tybwy

 

Ha, I love that service station too!  I'm kind of annoyed to see that storefront go.  With the VA and new/rehabbed residential nearby, I had hoped it could find a new life.  There is another old storefront across the street that's occupied, but the VA area E105th master plan shows that as being demoed too, so it's days are probably numbered.  I'd guess the service station will be gone soon too.  Those storefronts may be "standard" but they are dwindling in number, especially in that area.  It's astonishing how little of the East 105th retail corridor remains along its entire length.  North of Superior it's almost all church parking lots and a few churches now. 

 

Another imminent demo flagged by CRS is this awesome old brewery complex qt Union Ave and East 70th, though tough to imagine any other fate given the location:

 

http://tinyurl.com/dxnrf5d

The church-parking-lot-ification of E 105th was detailed in a Free Times article a few years back.  Every time one of these buildings comes down, the neighborhood around it gets further away from revitalization.  Without the history and the big-city feel, what exactly are we offering?

BTW, flames demolished a two-story warehouse on West 78th Street north of Lake Avenue, near Battery Park. Some renovated homes next to the warehouse were damaged. The pictures of their melted siding is pretty amazing. See the article and gallery at:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/11/fire_destroys_warehouse_on_wes.html

^ Whoooaaa.... flashback

It looked like the pizza pan/cleaners building on carnegie and 83rd was being torn down this morning.  I don't know the story on that one.

BTW, flames demolished a two-story warehouse on West 78th Street north of Lake Avenue, near Battery Park. Some renovated homes next to the warehouse were damaged. The pictures of their melted siding is pretty amazing. See the article and gallery at:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/11/fire_destroys_warehouse_on_wes.html

 

A friend and I were on the way to the happy dog late that night when that fire broke out. We were really worried it was W. 78th. So we parked by Reddstone and managed to walk pretty close to the fire. There were embers flying all over the place, even across the shoreway! It's a lucky thing that the wind was straight out of the south, or else we'd be talking a lot more damage.

 

^^ Strap that brewery looks pretty cool.

It looked like the pizza pan/cleaners building on carnegie and 83rd was being torn down this morning.  I don't know the story on that one.

I'm not sure on that... I drive past every day, and the last few days it looks like they are taking off the old exterior in hopes of rennovation. The cinder block walls underneath everything suggest the place was once some sort of auto service garage.

I'm not sure on that... I drive past every day, and the last few days it looks like they are taking off the old exterior in hopes of rennovation. The cinder block walls underneath everything suggest the place was once some sort of auto service garage.

 

Well, I would have never guessed it, but you were right.  They took down everything except the roof and the rear wall and are now building it back up.  I mean, that must be due to some regulation, right?  It couldn't possibly be cost effective to save an old roof and a cinder block wall as opposed to taking down the whole thing and starting over.  This baffles me as much as the never finished grocery-store-turned-storage-unit  across the street from it.  It's like the bizarro intersection.

 

At the Dec. 19th City planning commission meeting:

 

Pending demolition for 3 adjacent buildings on Broadway. One of the buildings, former Goodman's Furniture, has some nice architectural elements on the outside. The Design Review Committee tabled this demolition because they wanted to save some of the ornamental features. Its owner, the city of Cleveland, is going to find out how much it will cost to salvage those elements (and find someone to take them, because they do not have the storage space for them). One hasty quote [for removing them] that the city received was $10k; But they're going to get firmer quotes, and this will come back [as far as I remember] to the Commish at the next meeting.

 

My guess is that if it's anything over $10k or if they don't have anyone interested in the elements, they'll demolish it. The overall time frame on this building is relatively fast, city hopes to have this demo'd in 6-8 weeks. These buildings are right next to Holy Family Church, near the intersection of Harvard and Broadway]. Addresses: 8414, 8418, 8358 Broadway.

The buildings' internal structure is nearly all wood.

- There's no redevelopment plan yet for the land.

^I have always admired the facade of 8358 Broadway. Hopefully they can identify an interested party or partner with the Cleveland Restoration Society to store it for reuse (e.g. facades in downtown Dayton).

So the old Cleveland School for the Arts building should be coming down very soon in University Circle.  We talked about previously, and for the most part I actually like the new building that will be built there, but it is just a shame at the same time that they couldn't save this build the new one of the many empty places.  It should have a nice presence in that spot though.  They have been removing the arch for reinstatement in the new building. 

 

From the Cleveland Restoration Society Newsletter:

 

Auld Lang Syne 

(but not in a festive New Year way...)

 

Bid a sad farewell to the beautiful Cleveland School of the Arts building (2064 Stearns Road, Cleveland). The school, in University Circle, was approved for demolition to make way for a replacement structure on the same site.

The stately,  four-story orange brick Cleveland School of the Arts building is highlighted by three ornate terra cotta entrances. Built as Observation Elementary School in 1910, it is one of the oldest school buildings in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. 

 

In 2002, the CMSD completed an exterior renovation of the School of the Arts building, through the "Warm, Safe & Dry" initiative that included installation of new nine-over-nine windows, cleaning of the terra cotta entrances and reconstruction of the entrance stairs. The standing seam metal roof and brickwork appear to be in excellent condition. From the exterior, the building is in very good condition. It is hard to comprehend that this is not a wasteful loss.

 

A team of preservation experts from the board and staff of the Cleveland

Restoration Society toured the school in 2007 and urged the CMSD to consider creative solutions through careful study of programmatic needs, the current facilities, and the Ohio School Facilities Guidelines for school renovation, which would enable the preservation of significant portions of the original school structure. 

 

We were very disappointed when the school officials were not at all open to the reuse of the historic building. All involved from the school side were set on demolishing the historic school for a new facility in that exact location. It seems a shame to demolish this building when there is so much vacant land in Cleveland. Why must we destroy our heritage for new construction when land is no longer at a premium? If not a school, this structure could have easily been adapted for housing, as many schools have been in Cleveland and across the country.

 

The building is not listed in the National Register of Historic Places, although it is likely eligible, nor is it a local Cleveland landmark, but it is also eligible for that distinction, in our opinion. None of the buildings in Phase I of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's demolition plan were locally landmarked and thus little could be done to stop their demolition, unless the individual council person spoke in favor of the unrecognized landmark. With CRS's advocacy efforts, many buildings in Phase II of the district's plan have been locally landmarked.

 

A presentation at the Cleveland Planning Commission in November 2011 showed the design of the new Cleveland School of the Arts building, which includes an intention to salvage the historic school's terra cotta for use on the interior of the new building. Click here to see what the firm Moody-Nolan presented to the commission. Kathleen Crowther, president of CRS, spoke in favor of the historic school building, even though its fate was already decided. Click here to hear what she had to say.

 

Terra cotta removal started in late December 2011. Demolition will begin very soon. This is another example of a sad, unnecessary loss of Cleveland's architectural legacy.

 

 

Another demo......

 

Southeast Region Design Review District

Agenda

5:00 pm, Wednesday, January 11, 2012

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2012/pdf/SE020306Agenda.pdf

 

 

SE 2012-002 – Vacant Commercial Building ©

Project Type: Demolition

Project Address: 17410 Harvard Ave.

Project Representative(s):

Approval Type: Final

 

For what appears to be 1970s architecture, it's an interesting looking building....

http://tinyurl.com/7opcsqa

^ Justifyably, those rims are now immortalized.

A lot of good architecture/history on the chopping block  :-( :

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2012/01122012/index.php

My niece goes to Marshall.  They're talking about packing grades 10 - 12 in the building that hosts the 9th graders.  Martin Sweeney's not happy with the idea, at the prompting of the neighbors.

I've been covering this story for Sun Newspapers. Sweeney said he is listening to the residents and alumni who oppose demolition of Marshall, but doesn't see a better plan. So he'll probably go along with demolition. He says he doesn't want any more delays in the construction of a new school.

Nice to see people that care. 

 

John Marshall 5-4 approved for demolition.

 

Phyllis Cleveland filling in for a member for the meeting "I dont really know a lot about preservation or architecture, but I do like new buildings. I vote demolition" and this cracked me up"If I could, I would put a ferris wheel in the middle of east 55th, but we cant have what we wish, only what is cost efficient" (referring to John Marshall renovation as maybe being best in a no money scenario).

 

So I am pretty convinced the landmarks commission is broken. Between someone like Cleveland being allowed to substitute for a memeber and vote, complete disregard of public opinion, and all the council members on the commission having a tradition of voting in line with the ward councilpersons wishes, a new system needs to be in place.

So the person who is the deciding vote for demolition admits she is completely ignorant about the subject.  Awesome!

I wonder who at City Hall suggested her