this is really turning into a disaster

 

I agree with you.  Tearing down the Cleve Trust skyscraper, which is NOT ugly and on many ways is handsome (and architecturally/historically significant), to replace it with a squat, space-eating building, is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of.  And we're planning on doing so with public $$ to boot... stupid, stupid, stupid!

^^Four. The Mather Mansion at CSU, the Howe Mansion (now CSU Administrative/Parker Hall), the Stager-Beckwith (aka Myers University) and the Foundation House (down by the Clinic.

 

"Also, it sounds as if a there is going to be protest/demonstration in front of the Breuer sometime next week."

 

I keep hearing this - organized by who, and when? And so help me god, if they schedule it during work hours (lunch is fine, 10am is not) ... :whip:

^^Four. The Mather Mansion at CSU, the Howe Mansion (now CSU Administrative/Parker Hall), the Stager-Beckwith (aka Myers University) and the Foundation House (down by the Clinic.

 

 

What about that one with the ugly curtain wall office front on the north side of the street in the East 70s?  Plus there is a second one near the clinic on the north side- not sure what it's used for now.  I think it was the Bolton house when built.  See, Euclid is practically unchanged since 1900...

 

Seriously though, per Jamiec's comment, Euclid downtown is actually still relatively intact (building wise).  I'm not for turning the city into a museum of old buildings, but c'mon, there's so much empty space all over town- there's no reason to be demo-ing all this great old stuff.

^^Four. The Mather Mansion at CSU, the Howe Mansion (now CSU Administrative/Parker Hall), the Stager-Beckwith (aka Myers University) and the Foundation House (down by the Clinic.

 

The encyclopedia project states that there are 3 (or 4 can't remember), and I believe they are using the more strict original definition with Millionaire's row ending at E. 55th

 

Preservation ohio says 8 1/2

 

I covered them in this thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4680.0

 

Oh, feel free to make a bruer 'back on topic' just for me.

 

 

I covered them in this thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4680.0

 

Man, somehow I missed this one back in '05- very cool, Pope.

How about some pics of 1020 Euclid?

 

 

 

 

 

 

1010 Euclid actually has some nice detailing:

 

And I have to say that the Breuer Tower can look really sleek under the right light:

 

Thanks for the photos....but now I'm depressed. :-(

 

I keep hearing this - organized by who, and when? And so help me god, if they schedule it during work hours (lunch is fine, 10am is not)

 

Not sure who is organizing, but is sounds as if it will take place right AFTER work.

I covered them in this thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4680.0

 

Man, somehow I missed this one back in '05- very cool, Pope.

Wow, no kidding! I didn't realize that much (or little) was left. The Francis Drury House is gorgeous.

Call me crazy but while we're at it, let's demolish a few (thousand) "ugly" Clevelanders!!!  :shoot:  They're the real asbestos problem!  :whip:

Guys, I may have spoken too soon on 1020 Euclid. I checked with the County and they do not own it -- yet.

This is the same building jamiec and I wrote letters to the current owner regarding its abysmal appearance quite a while ago (specifically the nasty Loretta's). I don't know about him but I never received a response; I don't think the owners, who are right next door, are too motivated to do anything with this building for the time being.

Guys, I may have spoken too soon on 1020 Euclid. I checked with the County and they do not own it -- yet.

 

what does that mean? does it mean that they are going to buy it and demolish later?

this makes me sick. the building is NOT ugly IMO and i like the way all the buildings form around it. STOP TEARIN MY CITY DOWN! please tell me the building in front of it wont be demolished. i would be ok with it maybe if they were gonna build a new tower that is taller/better but then again we've got enough surface lots on public square already. is there any way this building can be saved????

The old Cleveland Trust Rotunda won't be demolished. But everything I've heard about 1020 Euclid is that it will be taken down. Too bad. I think it would make a terrific residential conversion.

quick question.. am i just bad at locating pictures or do we have renderings of what they want to build? i mean, sure this sucks that they are tearing the building down.. but if i see some sweet looking thing they are going to put up well it might help take the pain away at least for a split second... i mean maybe we will get something thats pretty neat.. who knows yet.

^ See page 7

i like the third rendition. is that the one where they wanted to replace the exterior of the current structure?

well yes we have those.. but which one is final? because those are only six concepts.. i mean even though they have, i think, selected one of them.. its still just a concept right? nothing at all has been finalized yet..

 

FYI i am much in favor of keeping the building.. i just wish we had something concrete to compare it to.

Trust me, if the tower is demolished, the new building will look nothing like those renderings. Remember, nothing will be torn down unless approved by the City Planning Commission and as it looks now, they will not approve it - but that could change. They toured the building this past week.

 

On a different note:

 

When I was in Philly last week for the APA conference I spent a few minutes looking at the "art" in the host hotel. I noticed one image that had six old black and white images of random buildings from across the country all quite old. After admiring this particular piece for a few moments, I thought, "hey, that one on the top looks awfully familiar."

 

This is what I saw - what do you think?

 

That looks very similar, but the Ameritrust building doesn't have a colonade portico

That looks very similar, but the Ameritrust building doesn't have a colonade portico

 

Thats now the Ritz Carlton Philadelphia.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Ms. Daryl Davis, event coordinator

216-631-0557 (day) or [email protected]

 

TAXPAYERS PROTEST COUNTY COMMISSIONERS’

SPENDING $32 MILLION TO CREATE EMPTY LOT

 

A coalition of good government and fiscal responsibility advocates,

environmentalists and historic preservationists will assemble at 5:00 pm

on Thursday, May 3, 2007 outside the Ameritrust Tower, located at East

9th Street between Euclid and Prospect Avenues, to protest the Cuyahoga

County Commissioners' plan to raze the building.

 

Last year the Commissioners purchased the 29-story tower designed by

world- renowned architect Marcel Breuer for $21 million. Demolition,

including asbestos abatement, is estimated to cost $11 million. On the

surface this appears to be a $32,000,000 expenditure to create an empty

lot. Upon closer examination the costs associated with the commissioners

plan exceed this.

 

The coalition is picketing in order to call attention to the fact that

Commissioners Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora ignored input from their fellow

Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and architectural experts who objected

to the proposed project from the standpoint of its cost and the loss to

Cleveland's skyline of one of its historically significant buildings.

The coalition is opposed to the demolition of the tower, whether the

site is used to create a new county administration center or not.

 

Total cost for building the new county administration complex has been

estimated at $164 million with contracts of $10 million and $13.5

million already awarded to R.P. Carbone Construction and Robert P.

Madison International, Architects. It is likely that the estimated cost

is too low and will increase during construction.

 

Dimora and Hagan have said they want the new administration building to

be “green” or “sustainable”. Destruction of the Ameritrust Tower, and

the resultant waste of its “embodied energy” effectively cancels-out any

legitimate claim the project may make to environmental responsibility.

 

The “embodied” energy contained in the structure can be estimated at 15

gallons of gasoline per square foot; equal to approximately $11,000,000.

Discounting the other environmental costs associated with the demolition

of the tower, this figure brings the total amount of wasted public funds

to well over $44,000,000.

Thanks guv. I'll pass on the information.

I'll do my best to make it down there. this is pivotal.

i should be there, maybe, i'm a so so.

Reminder about the demonstration tonight at 5 p.m. in front of Breuer Tower.

Since the gathering is labeled as "historic preservationists," so this mean they are against changing the exterior (glass casing, new crown, atrium on top, etc.) or just knocking it down?

For those attending, please try to get a photo or ten. Thanks! :-)

Anyone know where the tear that mother down rally is being held?

That was last Tuesday afternoon, next to the Fulton Road bridge.  :wink:

I went for a while, 5-6 o'clock, to try to advocate for a public process, whether it results in preservation or demolition (though I didn't stress demolition too much).  It was a decent turnout and passers-by seemed receptive.  It was a mix of people who value the building's architecture, people who want to conserve the embodied energy present in the building, those who don't want to see so much money wasted, and those who were concerned with tranparency of government process.  The architects who proposed reskinning the tower were also present, though they acted as sort of a seperate protest within a protest (there was some grumbling from the main group, but no nasty exchanges).  The organizers created some really nice hand sketched placards of previous lamentable demos in addition to standard protest signs.

I went for a while, 5-6 o'clock, to try to advocate for a public process, whether it results in preservation or demolition (though I didn't stress demolition too much).  It was a decent turnout and passers-by seemed receptive.  It was a mix of people who value the building's architecture, people who want to conserve the embodied energy present in the building, those who don't want to see so much money wasted, and those who were concerned with tranparency of government process.  The architects who proposed reskinning the tower were also present, though they acted as sort of a seperate protest within a protest (there was some grumbling from the main group, but no nasty exchanges).  The organizers created some really nice hand sketched placards of previous lamentable demos in addition to standard protest signs.

 

Any pictures of the turn out?

Not from me.

Funny.  With all the different agendas mentioned by "x" is sounded like a WTO protest.

Yes, but can you imagine a bunch of architects getting violent like that?

I surprised that there was no press coverage on this, at least none that I heard.

 

I received this via email:

 

Meet the Bloggers: Peter B. Lewis on the Breuer Tower

Wednesday, May 23, 2007, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM 

Webtego

The Art Craft Building (Superior Avenue just west of the Innerbelt)

2530 Superior Avenue, Suite 600

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

 

> Once a month Meet.The.Bloggers, Midtown Brews and I-open host a

> community forum. Our theme this year is based on making Cleveland a

> global leader in lessening our carbon footprint and using it as a goal

> to drive economic development in our region.

>

> Since we have an issue confronting us here in Cleveland concerning

> the Breuer Building and its Carbon Footprint vs. the Carbon Footprint

> of a brand spanking new county administration building, we thought

> that a special Community Roundtable to discuss the county's plans for

> East Ninth and Euclid was especially appropriate. Our discussion will

> include the "green" initiatives included in the plans, the embedded

> energy at the site and how the plans will lessen our carbon footprint.

> In essence, how do these plans benefit our regional community and

> economy?

>

> We have invited all three county commissioners to participate in this

> forum. Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones has accepted our invitation.

> Commissioner Jimmy Dimora has a prior commitment but will be sending a

> representative to the forum. We have yet to hear from Commissioner Tim

> Hagan.

>

> Our conversations are usually lively, and everyone benefits from the

> exchange of ideas and opinions. We would love to have you participate

> in this discussion. Ample parking is available behind the building.

> (Go to the loading dock; the elevator operator will take you up. The

> view of the lake alone is worth the visit).

Anybody notice the typo in the title of the event above?  Now that would be something I'd be willing to fly back from Beijing for!

The windows on the first level of the tower were cleaned yesterday morning.  Not sure if it was county workers doing it, or just some guys that decided to take the grime off.

I think they cleaned what appeared to be messages written in the dust or something. I saw it the other day traveling south on 9th. But I could not make out what was on the windows due to traffic on the north bound side.

Still, I am sure the clean windows make a difference.

And the threats begin, from our own elected official, no less. Nice.

 

Cuyahoga County Commis sioner Peter Lawson Jones, intent on saving the vacant Ameritrust Tower downtown, may instead be swinging a wrecking ball on his relationship with his fellow commissioners.

 

Commissioners Jimmy Dimora and Tim Hagan voted to raze the Marcel Breuer-designed tower to make way for a new county administration building against the objections of Lawson Jones, who sides with preservationists. But the vote hasn't ended his activism. Jones has lobbied the city's planning commission in hopes that it would deny a demolition permit.

 

"They should stand up for their position just as I should stand up for mine," he said of his commissioner colleagues. "They've talked to members of the planning commission to express their perspective. They've talked to the mayor. They're lobbying as well."

 

Dimora said if the building doesn't come down, it would be put up for sale rather than renovated for county use.

 

"What kills me is no one cared one iota for this building until we talked about it," Dimora said. "It can sit as a vacant, empty building."

 

Said Lawson Jones: "It would disappoint me if that were the ultimate decision of the board."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1179131823228010.xml&coll=2

"Dimora said if the building doesn't come down, it would be put up for sale rather than renovated for county use. "What kills me is no one cared one iota for this building until we talked about it," Dimora said. "It can sit as a vacant, empty building."

 

Look at the little ( :lol: ) baby pout when he can't get his way.

Anyone else picturing Baby Huey in their heads right now.... or is it just me?

 

Actually, I'd rather see the thing out of the county's hands!

Fine, let it sit empty until a developer turns it into some bad ass condos.  But don't tear it down thinking you're doing us a favor you fat bastard.

Fine, let it sit empty until a developer turns it into some bad ass condos.  But don't tear it down thinking you're doing us a favor you fat bastard.

 

if detroit can turn a honeycomb into condos (by smithGroup), why can't cleveland? (1001 Woodward if anyone really cares)

Fine, let it sit empty until a developer turns it into some bad ass condos.  But don't tear it down thinking you're doing us a favor you fat bastard.

 

if detroit can turn a honeycomb into condos (by smithGroup), why can't cleveland? (1001 Woodward if anyone really cares)

 

When I was in D-----t last, one of the staffers mentioned that only the top few floor will be condo, not the entire building.

Actually, I'd rather see the thing out of the county's hands!

 

Exactly what I was thinking.  Oh what a shame it would be if the county was forced to build on some precious, precious surface parking lot.

Fine, let it sit empty until a developer turns it into some bad ass condos.  But don't tear it down thinking you're doing us a favor you fat bastard.

 

if detroit can turn a honeycomb into condos (by smithGroup), why can't cleveland? (1001 Woodward if anyone really cares)

 

When I was in D-----t last, one of the staffers mentioned that only the top few floor will be condo, not the entire building.

 

You're right (I didn't expect anyone to care that much). But honestly, would you rather stare at parking lots from the 5th floor or the 20th?

Fine, let it sit empty until a developer turns it into some bad ass condos.  But don't tear it down thinking you're doing us a favor you fat bastard.

 

if detroit can turn a honeycomb into condos (by smithGroup), why can't cleveland? (1001 Woodward if anyone really cares)

 

When I was in D-----t last, one of the staffers mentioned that only the top few floor will be condo, not the entire building.

 

You're right (I didn't expect anyone to care that much). But honestly, would you rather stare at parking lots from the 5th floor or the 20th?

 

Chuck, I'll take neither for $500!