I thought work already started?

3 minutes ago, JB said:

I thought work already started?

Yeah let’s see some proof. 
 

I bet they started with the Chick-fil-A Kiosk…. Maybe new paint or signage?

9 minutes ago, ITakeTheRapid said:

Yeah let’s see some proof. 
 

I bet they started with the Chick-fil-A Kiosk…. Maybe new paint or signage?

Or new free weights at the Parker Hannifin YMCA in the Galleria.

I work in the building, it has started.

As you may have seen in other threads, I've been going through old memory cards - here's a few pics from March of 2008. Please try to tie comments into the original thread topic, thanks. 
 

 

 

Those are awesome Mayday! This is from an 1990 black and white photography shoot on school assignment. 

On 12/29/2024 at 4:49 PM, MayDay said:

As you may have seen in other threads, I've been going through old memory cards - here's a few pics from March of 2008. Please try to tie comments into the original thread topic, thanks. 
 

 

 

Would love some pics from its heyday after opening in 87 and also Tower City when it opened a few years later.  Was an incredibly hopeful period for Cleveland.

^ Yes, downtown Cleveland was certainly on a roll from late 80s - mid 90s.

3 hours ago, Willo said:

Would love some pics from its heyday after opening in 87 and also Tower City when it opened a few years later.  Was an incredibly hopeful period for Cleveland.

 

Christmastime 1990, and a directory from 1987

17 hours ago, JohnSummit said:

 

Christmastime 1990, and a directory from 1987

It looks like Tower City took a few spaces from the Galleria when it opened. I wonder if it would've just been better to focus on one. Internet era aside we'll never have the opportunity like this again, so many store have closed or merged under the same corporation. 

12 hours ago, MyPhoneDead said:

It looks like Tower City took a few spaces from the Galleria when it opened. I wonder if it would've just been better to focus on one. Internet era aside we'll never have the opportunity like this again, so many store have closed or merged under the same corporation. 

It Jacobs Bros. vs Forest City then. d**k Jacobs got his opened about 4-5 years before Tower City ever opened. Once Tower City lost the Rock Hall the entire Riverfornt phase 2 died and the phase 1 high-end retailers used that to break/not renew their leases one by one (reports alleged the Rock Hall had a hissy fit over the Tower Records store (remember those) that Forest City placed across the street from the museum site. Only in Cleveland.

Edited January 6Jan 6 by Willo

IMO, it probably would have been better if the Rock Hall stayed at Tower City.

2 hours ago, Willo said:

It Jacobs Bros. vs Forest City then.  d**k Jacobs got his opened about 4-5 years before Tower City ever opened. Once Tower City lost the Rock Hall the entire Riverfornt phase 2 died and the phase 1 high-end retailers used that to break/not renew their leases one by one (reports alleged the Rock Hall had a hissy fit over the Tower Records store (remember those) that Forest City placed across the street from the museum site. Only in Cleveland.

 

I'll post an image of a directory from Tower City around the time of opening on another thread sometime, but the music store in there was Record Town, not Tower Records.

I could have sworn there was a Tower Records at Tower City. 

Edited January 5Jan 5 by TBideon

Getting back on topic, are there still any shops or restaurants at Galleria?  I haven't been there in quite a while.

 

Edited January 5Jan 5 by LibertyBlvd

7 hours ago, JohnSummit said:

 

I'll post an image of a directory from Tower City around the time of opening on another thread sometime, but the music store in there was Record Town, not Tower Records.

Memory is bad whether Tower Records every opened or was just part of the drama with the Rock Hall. Record Town rings a bell as being there for a while.

7 hours ago, LibertyBlvd said:

Getting back on topic, are there still any shops or restaurants at Galleria?  I haven't been there in quite a while.

 

Sounds like it is being staged for the new development underway per other contributors but this book store may be there:

https://clevelandmagazine.com/entertainment/books/articles/browsing-room-bookstore-and-cafe-opens-in-downtown-cleveland

Otherwise maybe just the Parker Hannifin Downtown YMCA?

21 minutes ago, Willo said:

Memory is bad whether Tower Records every opened or was just part of the drama with the Rock Hall. Record Town rings a bell as being there for a while.

I remember a Record Town, then later a FYE. 

1 hour ago, Willo said:

Sounds like it is being staged for the new development underway per other contributors but this book store may be there:

https://clevelandmagazine.com/entertainment/books/articles/browsing-room-bookstore-and-cafe-opens-in-downtown-cleveland

Otherwise maybe just the Parker Hannifin Downtown YMCA?

 

there's a bank branch, a book store, a news stand, ymca, some sort of heritage museum

11 hours ago, Whipjacka said:

 

there's a bank branch, a book store, a news stand, ymca, some sort of heritage museum

The Bookstore/Cafe is great. The heritage museum is the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum which is really cool to see for any one else on here with some Hungarian ancestry, or if you're just interested in some local history. 

 

I worked in One Cleveland Center for a year in the mid 2010s, and back then there was still a big enough lunch crowd to sustain most of the food court. But I don't think that is coming back. 

 

Here would be the first 2 things I would do with the space if I was in charge...

 

1- Convert the foodcourt, old Winking Lizard space, and the 2nd floor area of each into a smaller format store, ideally Target. A lot of the lunch crowd is gone, but with the new housing in this area that is either already finished or on it's way along with the government and law workforce in this area it could be busy enough. There are a lot of hotels in this area, as well as tourists passing by on their way to the Rock Hall. The main issue is that this is just far enough away from most of the Downtown housing that I could see many Downtown residents not going often. That could be fixed by running the B-Line from 7am-9pm every day of the week and sending mailers about the fact that the B-Line exists to all Downtown residents. Most of the people I know who live/work Downtown didn't know it existed until I asked if they ever used it. Of course we could just build a streetcar using TIF funds, but that's a different conversation. 

 

 

2- Try to partner with the Botanical Gardens or something to fill the space with plants. Tall plants and trees, vining and climbing plants. Make it a place people would just stop in to walk through, and maybe they grab a coffee or something. Have 1 or 2 restaurants with most of their seating out on the concourse as an indoor patio with all of the plants and greenery. Here is an example of a similar building and restaurant in Vienna that also has a small indoor butterfly garden next door. 

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/CiQjNpZ6G9jZ3xdA6

 

Both would bring more foot traffic and possibly help a few other businesses set up shop. People using the Y would probably walk through the mall area as well. Erieview Plaza and the walkway behind the Federal building are such nice pedestrian spaces that are very underutilized. After crossing E9, you're mostly just crossing lightly trafficked side streets. But it's an easy and mostly car free walk to all of the government buildings, libraries, Public Square, Arcade, etc. Maybe we need some signage or maps to better advertise pedestrian spaces Downtown as well.  

 

Erieview Tower financing done, work starts ASAP
By Ken Prendergast / January 6, 2025

 

Closing of financing for the $218 million redevelopment of the 38-story Erieview Tower and Galleria redevelopment in Downtown Cleveland was announced today by two advisors to the project. The momentous occasion signals an immediate start for residential construction, although some of the remaining office tenants in the building told NEOtrans that site-prep work is already underway.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2025/01/06/erieview-tower-financing-done-work-starts-asap/

^ Okay who had this project on that "what's gonna happen next" thread lol. 

 

Not me!!! 

a mixed use w hotel with residences -- and a top of the town -- that's awesome.

 

On 1/5/2025 at 1:08 PM, TBideon said:

I could have sworn there was a Tower Records at Tower City. 

 

and i could have sworn i think it was the sister of famous postwar gallerist leo castelli had a gallery/shop in there briefly.

 

or maybe i'm misremembering, hmm. 

 

On 1/4/2025 at 2:07 PM, JohnSummit said:

 

Christmastime 1990, and a directory from 1987

Does anyone have the original directory of Tower City Mall?

3 hours ago, MyPhoneDead said:

Does anyone have the original directory of Tower City Mall?

 

I'm pretty sure it's been posted somewhere on UO, probably the Tower City thread.  You can use the search feature to try to find it.

Although we've known about it for some time, what a nice surprise to see the financing come together for this, and wow, $218 million makes this a major, major upgrade and many votes of confidence in its success.  With that, here's my wish list for this project:

 

1. Return to the Top Of The Town branding for the restaurant.  I get it, this may be counter to the brand image of W hotels, and I doubt they'll do it.  But done right, it wouldn't have to lean too heavily on the past.  Interior decor, and obviously food tastes have changed, so they have to recognize that.  But an otherwise modern restaurant with the name only as a nod to history isn't unheard of, either.

 

2.  A signature exterior lighting element to bring interest to the night sky.  Something more than a giant W at the top.  LED lighting has brought about so many possibilities here to get creative.  And doing something unique with the lighting reinforces this building's position as an anchor and the tallest building in this part of downtown and brings attention to the property.  It could be static or animated, in color or white.  Vertical strips at the top of varying height, like the Aura at College Park in Toronto (not to be too derivative - this is just an example).  But I'm wondering if the building's historic status would preclude something like this.

 

3.  Perhaps most importantly, a thoughtful and comprehensive strategy for the retail spaces.  Again, the world has changed - a lot - since 1987, and for sure the way people shop has too.  So we probably won't see a return to form of the traditional retail mall with mostly apparel stores and a food court.  But there's a lot of new thinking available, too.  And people willing to pay likely big bucks to lease a W branded apartment are not going to want to walk through a dead mall on their way home.  Nor would Marriott appreciate the impact of that on their brand.  No offense, but the Hungarian museum and Dollar Bank aren't going to cut it.  So we need thoughtful, creative design, programming, and leasing, and all of these elements need to appeal to both visitors and locals to bring much needed life and foot traffic to the space, and not let this become another arcade with a beautiful interior and next to nothing in it.  I'm not an expert, but we've seen a lot of what doesn't work.  Interactive?  Experiential?  Unique?  Just a few things off the top of my head, how about an Eataly?   Would something like Pinstripes or Silverspot work here?  Starbucks Reserve Roastery?  There's an urban format Ikea in Toronto, and now we have a lot of apartment dwellers downtown needing furniture and housewares, soon to be 227 more just in this building!  And again, these are just the simplest of ideas that came to my untrained brain.  The point is, I really hope they have engaged with experts who can develop a strategy to find the things and design the interior to be unique enough to make that space a success more than it ever had a chance to be in 1987.

3 hours ago, JohnSummit said:

1. Return to the Top Of The Town branding for the restaurant.  I get it, this may be counter to the brand image of W hotels, and I doubt they'll do it.  But done right, it wouldn't have to lean too heavily on the past.  Interior decor, and obviously food tastes have changed, so they have to recognize that.  But an otherwise modern restaurant with the name only as a nod to history isn't unheard of, either.

I would take this a step further and hope that Marriott/W are not operating the restaurant.    Hopefully they lease out the space to let a real restauranteur operate it, so it doesn't end up as a meh hotel restaurant with a great view.   W has a history of this, with their partnerships with Randy Lerner, etc.    Actually a "Whisky Sky" late night lounge akin to what they did in Chicago would be great for Cleveland.  

3 hours ago, Cleburger said:

I would take this a step further and hope that Marriott/W are not operating the restaurant.    Hopefully they lease out the space to let a real restauranteur operate it, so it doesn't end up as a meh hotel restaurant with a great view.   W has a history of this, with their partnerships with Randy Lerner, etc.    Actually a "Whisky Sky" late night lounge akin to what they did in Chicago would be great for Cleveland.  

 

I hope it's a full restaurant. The Bar 32 atop the Hyatt would get more visits from my family and I if it was a real restaurant. They won't even let my son go in there because it's just a bar and he's too young. Need more family-friendly places downtown, including a restaurant with a view.

Wonderful news! I was in the "Not gonna happen" camp. Happy to be wrong. But out of curiosity, isn't this the first non-parking lot project by Kassouf?

5 hours ago, KJP said:

 

I hope it's a full restaurant. The Bar 32 atop the Hyatt would get more visits from my family and I if it was a real restaurant. They won't even let my son go in there because it's just a bar and he's too young. Need more family-friendly places downtown, including a restaurant with a view.

Certainly with that kind of floorplate it would have to be a full restaurant with attached bar.   Even the bars at the Chicago Ws were a fraction of the size of that floor. 

14 hours ago, JohnSummit said:

 

 

 A signature exterior lighting element to bring interest to the night sky.  Something more than a giant W at the top.  LED lighting has brought about so many possibilities here to get creative.  And doing something unique with the lighting reinforces this building's position as an anchor and the tallest building in this part of downtown and brings attention to the property.  It could be static or animated, in color or white.  Vertical strips at the top of varying height, like the Aura at College Park in Toronto (not to be too derivative - this is just an example).  

I agreed with all of @JohnSummit’s points - certainly, there’s a whole lot to celebrate with this news - a return of a top floor full service restaurant, perhaps one with some live music, will be awesome. 
 

But the idea of some signature lighting atop the Tower is something I’ve wanted for a long time - it would almost feel like a new skyscraper in the night sky and really expand the nighttime skyline.  
 

The only thing that would’ve made this more wonderful would’ve been if they decided to add those extra floors as someone proposed a few years back. 

 

Anyway, Fantastic news for Cleveland! 

Edited January 8Jan 8 by CleveFan

My quick and sloppy submission for lighting.  It would just be W's circling the top for some unique branding, or M's if that's what you're into, and have a sort of crown look to it.  

 

1 hour ago, PlanCleveland said:

My quick and sloppy submission for lighting.  It would just be W's circling the top for some unique branding, or M's if that's what you're into, and have a sort of crown look to it.  

 

So many possibilities - let's hope they do something dramatic or subtle as these NYC and Dallas examples

I was going to post your Dallas example.  That's what I always thought would work well for this bldg, but I like the other ideas as well.   

Great point @JohnSummit. That side of downtown is lacks any significant structural lighting (at least in terms of skyline views). Lets hope they don't miss the opportunity here. It can really extend the feel of the skyline at night. I guess now is also a good time for my annual complaint of a building named The Lumen not having anything whatsoever. These two together would make downtown look much bigger at night

Drove by there about an hour ago and there were a couple CAT power trucks parked out front.  Must be having generator work done?  

I always felt there was a disconnect between the architecture of The Galleria with The Erieview Tower.  I would love and hope the colors of the entire Galleria align with the dark tones present with the original tower.

MIchelle Jarboe report on Erieview. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/a-transformation-is-under-way-at-one-of-downtown-clevelands-tallest-buildings

I don't understand the hotel demand, but glad it's happening.  We're shedding office workers as part of a "workforce" shift in huge numbers since the early 2000s, yet adding more hotel spaces.  Where were all the hotels when office space was jammed with employees in the 90s?  I suspect there were alot more business travelers visiting downtown Cleveland then versus now.

I’d wager most of those people filling the offices in the 90s were desk-jockeys who didn’t really attract visitors. Business travel has been steadily rebounding since Covid, while domestic tourism has exploded. 

10 minutes ago, Jenny said:

I don't understand the hotel demand, but glad it's happening.  We're shedding office workers as part of a "workforce" shift in huge numbers since the early 2000s, yet adding more hotel spaces.  Where were all the hotels when office space was jammed with employees in the 90s?  I suspect there were alot more business travelers visiting downtown Cleveland then versus now.

For real. I worked down there in the early 90s. Just along 9th street - Ohio Bell, East Ohio Gas, National City, Ameritrust, IMG (I know there’s a ghost of it left), Ernst & Young, and many others all gone. 

51 minutes ago, Jenny said:

I don't understand the hotel demand, but glad it's happening.  We're shedding office workers as part of a "workforce" shift in huge numbers since the early 2000s, yet adding more hotel spaces.  Where were all the hotels when office space was jammed with employees in the 90s?  I suspect there were alot more business travelers visiting downtown Cleveland then versus now.

 

Hotels locate near to where people live. You add more residents -- they add more hotels for visiting friends, family, weddings, etc.

58 minutes ago, Jenny said:

I don't understand the hotel demand, but glad it's happening.  We're shedding office workers as part of a "workforce" shift in huge numbers since the early 2000s, yet adding more hotel spaces.  Where were all the hotels when office space was jammed with employees in the 90s?  I suspect there were alot more business travelers visiting downtown Cleveland then versus now.

 

Ancecdotal for sure, but since I'm not exactly chained to an office anymore I am able to travel much more frequently. 

1 hour ago, Jenny said:

I don't understand the hotel demand, but glad it's happening.  We're shedding office workers as part of a "workforce" shift in huge numbers since the early 2000s, yet adding more hotel spaces.  Where were all the hotels when office space was jammed with employees in the 90s?  I suspect there were alot more business travelers visiting downtown Cleveland then versus now.

 

Idk whether this is restricted to the city proper but I've seen this stat mentioned in like half a dozen places. 

 

Quote

According to a Boutique Hotelier survey in 2023, Cleveland was the fourth priciest city for hotel rooms, with an average rate of $234 a night.

 

Out of state visitors react to Cleveland high hotel room rates

https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2024/03/01/visitors-in-cleveland-pay-a-lot-of-money-for-a-hotel-room

I responded in the hotel thread with some more context. They only looked at centrally-located hotels with 3+ stars... same for all of the other cities.

 

 

11 hours ago, Jenny said:

I don't understand the hotel demand, but glad it's happening.  We're shedding office workers as part of a "workforce" shift in huge numbers since the early 2000s, yet adding more hotel spaces.  Where were all the hotels when office space was jammed with employees in the 90s?  I suspect there were alot more business travelers visiting downtown Cleveland then versus now.

Sure, downtown was jammed with employees who drove in then retreated to their mundane suburban homes after the 9 to 5 grind.
 

Today, downtown sees millions more annual visitors and tourists, while the residential population has grown by 15,000 and continues to rise. 
 

Remember the old joke about rolling a bowling ball down E9 after 5pm or on weekends without hitting a soul? Tell that to a 20yr old today, and they wouldn’t just laugh—they wouldn’t even understand it. 

Edited January 18Jan 18 by Clefan98

I think a lot of people base trips around staying at nice hotels for a short stay. Mix in some good food, going to the museums or a show and Cleveland is an awesome spot for a long weekend. That is how I approach places like Nashville. Really curious to see what this new hotel looks like. 

I think this is actually quite an important development. While a new tower usually gets all the buzz re-purposing  a building like Erieview/Galleria can bring much needed life to that location. It's kind of a dead spot between the lakefront and all the foot traffic around the sports facilities, 4th St. and Public Square. Plus, l may be in the minority here but l was always a fan of the barrel vaulted Galleria. Bringing it back to life is very urban. And reading that the W brand combines hotel rooms with for sale apartments in high end cities makes me think Cleveland has joined a select group. If the project is successful maybe those rentals will be turned into for sale condos. We certainly need more of that downtown.

 

All in all l'm very happy to see a project like this happening, especially getting done by such an unlikely developer as the Kassouf family.

14 hours ago, simplythis said:

MIchelle Jarboe report on Erieview. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/a-transformation-is-under-way-at-one-of-downtown-clevelands-tallest-buildings

Here’s the YouTube link on @mjarboe’s reporting

 

3 hours ago, Clefan98 said:

Sure, downtown was jammed with employees who drove in then retreated to their mundane suburban homes after the 9 to 5 grind.
 

Today, downtown sees millions more annual visitors and tourists, while the residential population has grown by 15,000 and continues to rise. 
 

Remember the old joke about rolling a bowling ball down E9 after 5pm or on weekends without hitting a soul? Tell that to a 20yr old today, and they wouldn’t just laugh—they wouldn’t even understand it. 

Idk still seems pretty applicable still to be honest. The idea that downtown is a ghost town after 5p is still strong, including amongst 20 year olds.