August 5, 20204 yr Exciting to hear that the Galleria is being considered for a later phase of redevelopment!
August 6, 20204 yr Winking Lizard, Dollar Bank, a couple of things in the food court, the local ESPN radio affiliate. I think that's it.
August 6, 20204 yr Hungarian Museum? I remember walking through there one of the first times and that was a curious find.
August 6, 20204 yr Forgot that is up on the top floor. There are some offices and conference rooms up there, too.
December 27, 20204 yr I don't know if this helps him proceed with a development like Wolstein's 60-year TIF promises. I guess we'll see.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 27, 20204 yr I'm just going to preemptively remind everyone that this is a development thread, not a politics thread. So if you have a point to make about how Kassouf's pardon may impact Erieview/Galleria redevelopment plans, cool. Any other discussion of Trump's pardons, etc not about the redevelopment of Erieview/Galleria redevelopment will be zapped the moment I see it.
March 6, 20214 yr This is a practical and market comment not a political one---with full respect to X's warning above. When I see "Trump" signs on a business or facility, I avoid that place as I'm sure others do as well. So, in the case of the Galleria, putting up such signs only means that businesses in there will die faster. Then again, who knows, maybe that is Kassouf's intent. Putting up "Trump" signs may be good for business in Alabama or Arkansas, but not in Cleveland. While there are Trump supporters in Cleveland, there are many more on the other side of the fence. Hence, such signage in Cleveland is bad for business and bad for development.
March 28, 20214 yr I don't think we've heard much of anything regarding redevelopment possibilities for the Tower at Erieview since back in August of 2020 when news of its $5 million state tax credit award was published. And I guess that news was not that impactful given the current ownership of the building and their lack of any gravitas in the development world. (please correct me if I'm wrong.) I've long thought that Erieview could be an amazing transformation if it received a new lighter color glass curtain wall and some world class lighting. I've personally never liked its dark green/gray (whatever color that is) facade. It seems dark and foreboding. But it sure has the height and "great body" (some sporty design features) to keep it sexy as it approaches the big 6-0. Maybe someone with more expertise could comment on whether such a facade replacement could be done - or if its simply off-the-table expensive. I would think its big windows and stunning views would be perfect for a modern residential repurposing, and I was very excited when the last hotel/residential possibilities were being rendered. I really think its just a matter of time for this building- eventually, it's going to be the last go-to option for a residential conversion. Think of how this tower as a residential building could energize that whole neighborhood - especially with the Avenue District gaining momentum. Seems like a better synergy with the struggling Galleria could then be created - a drug store, restaurant and other staples could take hold there. I hope somehow this building gets a great new life in the not-too-distant future.
March 28, 20214 yr Yes, the Green Monster is quite drab and its drabness is amplified by having no other tall buildings around it. I would like to see it re-imaged with a lighter, brighter exterior, although I am not sure of the feasibility.
March 28, 20214 yr I wouldn't change the exterior of Tower at Erieview. I've personally always liked the dark green/gray (whatever color that is) facade and how it contrasts with the rest of the skyline.
March 29, 20214 yr 16 hours ago, jbdad2 said: I wouldn't change the exterior of Tower at Erieview. I've personally always liked the dark green/gray (whatever color that is) facade and how it contrasts with the rest of the skyline. I agree. I think all the beige buildings we have are "drab" Tower at Erieview differentiates itself from most of our other tall buildings.
March 29, 20214 yr Most architects don't treat Skyscrapers like dry-erase markers to be changed later. I enjoy Erieview as it looks today. The dark green is very elegant and suits it well. In fact it's quite wonderfully distinctive, just give it a bath. I do love once again that U.O. commenters are so terribly concerned about "drab colored buildings" in Cleveland, yet positively love the idea of bland colors if such is designed to be built in a community like Ohio City where residents oppose. Edited April 1, 20214 yr by ExPatClevGuy
March 29, 20214 yr I'll just chime in and say I absolutely LOVE this tower. It's such a great example of Internationalist Style/Modernist architecture and is clean/nice to look at from a distance and close up. I think we have some good examples of different styles around town (hence why I'm on team keep rhodes tower as is - wonderful brutalist design). Some buildings are butt ugly and deserve recladding or redesign, but this ain't it IMO. The galleria on the other hand? Idk what you do with it, but hopefully something can be done with that cavernous space (they've also removed the T flag on the glass last time I was actually paying attention to the place).
March 29, 20214 yr Here is an old article on the Galleria from 1987. It mentions two new towers that were being planned across the street, linked by bridges. The new towers were never built. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-11-16-8703260799-story.html
March 29, 20214 yr ^Thanks. It’s so interesting to read about the enthusiasm of the 80s for this project. I’ve been in Milan’s galleria many a time, but it’s only in reading this article today, I’ve made any connection whatsoever to the development in Cleveland😅 My hovercraft is full of eels
March 29, 20214 yr I wish the Galleria portion of Erieview was removed and the plaza restored to it's original design. The 2 architectural styles never meshed well. Edited March 29, 20214 yr by dave2017
March 29, 20214 yr 28 minutes ago, dave2017 said: I wish the Galleria portion of Erieview was removed and the plaza restored to it's original design. The 2 architectural styles never meshed well. I wonder if the wind tunnel effect the caption references would be less extreme today? since it appears that there were fewer buildings to the north of the galleria than there are now. Edited March 29, 20214 yr by Ethan Grammar
March 30, 20214 yr I often wonder how the Galleria would have fared if The Avenue at Tower City never happened.
March 30, 20214 yr I don't miss the open plaza--a park with grass and a small playground is useful--but not a giant open plaza like that in area that is not otherwise packed with bldgs anyway. I'll take the galleria bldg over the plaza. Or tear down the galleria and build a new skyscraper, but no plaza!
March 30, 20214 yr An open plaza would be deserted half of the year. Perhaps @Geowizical can do a rendering of a tower on that site. Edited March 30, 20214 yr by skiwest
March 30, 20214 yr 21 hours ago, Ethan said: I wonder if the wind tunnel effect the caption references would be less extreme today? since it appears that there were fewer buildings to the north of the galleria than there are now. Doubt it. I worked at the Winking Lizard there and you could see patio furniture getting torn across the patio regularly. People getting blown over by the wind. Even in summer, only about half the days were usable for outdoor dining because of wind, rain, or midges.
March 31, 20214 yr Full Disclosure - I’ve never shopped at Galleria but I wonder if the reason for its lack of success is mostly about a lack of population (at least, in years past) downtown and the absence of great anchor tenants. Its location would fail to lure anyone from the burbs unless it was an outlet mall. And then there’s the parking... But with a growing downtown population, potentially much more vibrant Avenue District and a larger Campus District maybe it could now succeed. Put an Apple Store there and I bet there would be a lot more traffic. i wonder what collateral effect the possible lakefront outlet mall would have. I’d love to see the Galleria become a cool, or at least relevant place to go. Better minds might have the answer for how to do that. Edited March 31, 20214 yr by CleveFan
March 31, 20214 yr Regional malls' catchment areas are a hundred+ square miles and hundred thousand+ population, not the few thousand of Downtown of the 80's and 90's, or even few tens of thousands that we're aspiring to now.
March 31, 20214 yr My firm moved into new offices in the Erieview Tower contemporaneously with the opening of the Galleria. Its first five years or so it had a great tenant mix with few vacancies and good restaurants that were always packed. The food court was similarly packed at lunch. Contrary to the above, shoppers were mainly from the suburbs (as well as office workers especially at a time when people actually took lunch hours) and parking was not a problem as there was the huge underground garage with reserve spots for the mall, valet parking, the huge One Cleveland Center garage across the street and a fair amount of street parking. The lack of a anchor certainly did not help and downtown was definitely over retailed with two malls. Beginning in the 2000s downtown retail became problematic nationwide as has been discussed at length in this forum.
April 1, 20214 yr Did any of our forum sleuths happen to get this in their email? Tower at Erieview owners appeal for historic tax credit variance March 31, 2021 In a first for the state of Ohio's historic tax credits, the owners of the Tower at Erieview have announced an appeal to the Ohio Development Services Agency for a recently awarded $5 million state tax credit. The 1960s tower's historic tax credits were awarded Wednesday, August 5, 2020. In an unusual move, the redevelopment plans retain the historic details of the tower, designed in the International Style while adding what the owners call "sensitive enhancements". The enhancements, partially revealed in a provided rendering include the addition of exterior elevators on the northern and southern facades, and the addition of spires atop the elevator structures. A notable mention in the press release was the potential for the reopening of the popular but long-closed Top of the Town restaurant. The firm TontAbril are listed as architects of record for the project. A spokesperson stated "these additions are harmonious with other buildings of the time, including the iconic Hancock Building in Chicago". Although aware of the strict guidelines involved, sources pointed out though the tower is near Burke Lakefront Airport, the additions have been cleared by the FAA, and will also provide income through leasing to mobile communications companies. More information here... clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
April 1, 20214 yr 5 minutes ago, MayDay said: Did any of our forum sleuths happen to get this in their email? Tower at Erieview owners appeal for historic tax credit variance March 31, 2021 In a first for the state of Ohio's historic tax credits, the owners of the Tower at Erieview have announced an appeal to the Ohio Development Services Agency for a recently awarded $5 million state tax credit. The 1960s tower's historic tax credits were awarded Wednesday, August 5, 2020. In an unusual move, the redevelopment plans retain the historic details of the tower, designed in the International Style while adding what the owners call "sensitive enhancements". The enhancements, partially revealed in a provided rendering include the addition of exterior elevators on the northern and southern facades, and the addition of spires atop the elevator structures. A notable mention in the press release was the potential for the reopening of the popular but long-closed Top of the Town restaurant. The firm TontAbril are listed as architects of record for the project. A spokesperson stated "these additions are harmonious with other buildings of the time, including the iconic Hancock Building in Chicago". Although aware of the strict guidelines involved, sources pointed out though the tower is near Burke Lakefront Airport, the additions have been cleared by the FAA, and will also provide income through leasing to mobile communications companies. More information here... Reminds me of a very boxy/dark take on the AT&T Batman tower in Nashville
April 1, 20214 yr Who made that rendering? Looks like something they did in their spare time. Couldn't they get a better picture of the tower?
April 1, 20214 yr 20 minutes ago, X said: Who made that rendering? Looks like something they did in their spare time. Couldn't they get a better picture of the tower? It is a Kassouf project, so to me the render above is a believable result. I was thinking it might go full-on Notre Dame de Paris Remodel -"The Kassoufs said that Sherwin-Williams’ decision to build its new headquarters on parking lots west of Public Square means downtown workers and travelers will need spaces, and that their lot is positioned to do well as a result. Edited April 1, 20214 yr by ExPatClevGuy
April 1, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, Gnoraa said: Reminds me of a very boxy/dark take on the AT&T Batman tower in Nashville I was thinking the same. Or a cheese grater. Despite the bad rendering, I don't mind the addition to the top to add a new vertical element to the design.
April 1, 20214 yr 2 minutes ago, simplythis said: Nice April Fools day joke. I can’t find the post but nothing will ever top the time I “lopped off” the top (more decorative) floors of the Terminal Tower waaay back in the day. Holy cow, a few people seriously blew a gasket on that one! 🤣 clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
April 1, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, MayDay said: I can’t find the post but nothing will ever top the time I “lopped off” the top (more decorative) floors of the Terminal Tower waaay back in the day. Holy cow, a few people seriously blew a gasket on that one! 🤣 This will have to do!
April 1, 20214 yr Oh @MayDaygot me good the one year he made the post about the Terminal Tower- that was the best out of all of them!
April 7, 20214 yr Was thinking the Galleria would make a pretty incredible Adventure Zone type place. Zip lining through the building, surrounded by all glass, rock climbing walls, trampoline park, all that stuff. Would be a cool family draw for downtown, and mesh with the existing YMCA there.
April 7, 20214 yr 1 hour ago, marty15 said: Was thinking the Galleria would make a pretty incredible Adventure Zone type place. Zip lining through the building, surrounded by all glass, rock climbing walls, trampoline park, all that stuff. Would be a cool family draw for downtown, and mesh with the existing YMCA there. Me gusta mucho, @marty15! And I like that it would be close-ish to the Science Center and Rock Hall.
May 2, 20214 yr Texas-based group has residential vision for vacant 45 Erieview tower "Another dormant downtown Cleveland office tower might see new life as housing, in an ambitious project dreamed up by Texas-based investors." "Their target is 45 Erieview Plaza, a nearly 493,000-square-foot building that once served as the headquarters for the Ohio Bell Telephone Co. In interviews with Crain's, the co-founders of Bluelofts Inc. of Dallas confirmed that they've signed a contract to buy the 16-story structure at East Ninth Street and Lakeside Avenue." "Ike Bams and John Williams wouldn't discuss the pricing or timeline for the acquisition. But the partners said they hope to start construction early next year to transform most of the space into 280 to 300-plus apartments, with coworking facilities, a rooftop deck and first-floor retail." https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/texas-based-group-has-residential-vision-vacant-45-erieview-tower
May 2, 20214 yr I was made aware of this development last January and wrote an article about it in February but was asked to sit on it until it transferred. It still hasn't transferred but since Crain's reported it, I've posted my article.... Sunday, May 2, 2021 45 Erieview Plaza has a buyer and a plan According to sources who spoke off the record, the former Ohio Bell Telephone headquarters now called 45 Erieview Plaza has a buyer with a plan. While the details of the project are still being developed, it reportedly will be a mixed-use development with 280 residential units, a couple floors of offices and some retail. The buyer's name was revealed by the sources but asked that it not be publicized for the time being. However, the buyer is from out-of-state, showing the growing interest by outside investors in Cleveland real estate. MORE https://neo-trans.blogspot.com/2021/02/45-erieview-plaza-has-buyer-and-plan.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 2, 20214 yr I remember many years ago looking out at that building from my office and could not help but think that the building should have been built much taller.
May 2, 20214 yr That is one on my favorite buildings downtown, a nice change from all the "shoebox" buildings. And yes, a taller version would have been nice as it would be much more prominent in the skyline.
May 2, 20214 yr @KJP"The buyer's name was revealed by the sources but asked that it not be publicized for the time being. However, the buyer is from out-of-state, showing the growing interest by outside investors in Cleveland real estate." That's very gentlemanly of you. However, if Bluelofts is giving interviews to Crain's and not anonymously, you may as well as mention them by name (as people WILL look for it). If you don't share it, you'll lose the edge on your cutting edge journalism, as that information is already out there in the public domain. Third sentence in the Crain's article: "In interviews with Crain's, the co-founders of Bluelofts Inc. of Dallas confirmed that they've signed a contract to buy the 16-story structure at East Ninth Street and Lakeside Avenue." https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/texas-based-group-has-residential-vision-vacant-45-erieview-tower
May 2, 20214 yr I also want to maintain good relations with sources so I will honor my prior commitment. I may update the article tomorrow however after I have a chance to talk with them. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 2, 20214 yr 2 hours ago, KJP said: I was made aware of this development last January and wrote an article about it in February but was asked to sit on it until it transferred. It still hasn't transferred but since Crain's reported it, I've posted my article.... Sunday, May 2, 2021 45 Erieview Plaza has a buyer and a plan According to sources who spoke off the record, the former Ohio Bell Telephone headquarters now called 45 Erieview Plaza has a buyer with a plan. While the details of the project are still being developed, it reportedly will be a mixed-use development with 280 residential units, a couple floors of offices and some retail. The buyer's name was revealed by the sources but asked that it not be publicized for the time being. However, the buyer is from out-of-state, showing the growing interest by outside investors in Cleveland real estate. MORE https://neo-trans.blogspot.com/2021/02/45-erieview-plaza-has-buyer-and-plan.html Great to see this potentially elegant mixed use format for a unique building that may have its greatest years ahead of it. The curvature and height reminds me of the famous Watergate complex in Washington DC and with those large floor plates and room for a large atrium, perhaps it could’ve been a great hotel space. Hopefully, we’ll learn more about what’s to come very soon. The conversion there will be another extremely positive piece in downtown’s renaissance.
May 3, 20214 yr So I've got more information about 45 Erieview and these guys are actually on the cusp of something innovative for Cleveland (and even among other cities). I have another article to write first, so look for the 45 Erieview folo later this week. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 3, 20214 yr It will be super interesting to see how this team carves units out of those huge floor plates.
May 3, 20214 yr 2 minutes ago, StapHanger said: It will be super interesting to see how this team carves units out of those huge floor plates. It is indeed interesting, and a pretty smart approach. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 3, 20214 yr 20 minutes ago, StapHanger said: It will be super interesting to see how this team carves units out of those huge floor plates. Potential for some really, really cool views of the lake and E9 in general. Rooftop restaurant/bar would be solid too!
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