March 14, 200718 yr Don't just email it ... SNAIL MAIL it too!! Copy politicians, reporters and the leaders of the downtown community development groups. Nice job !!!
March 15, 200718 yr applause! i wouldnt be for saving this structure if it wasnt for the lackluster renditions of the new building. this project is going to be a huge disappointment.
March 26, 200718 yr Check the Design @ http://www.designrag.blogspot.com for a copy of the brochure created by 'Taxpayers Against Waste'
March 28, 200718 yr In response to this Thursday's Commissioners' Meeting in which supposedly, the Commissioners will vote upon whether the Cleveland Trust Tower will be torn down (or not), AIA released the following urgent bulletin to their listserve: "AIA Cleveland Urgent - Advocacy Bulletin" Cuyahoga County Commissioners to Determine Fate of Breuer Tower The Cuyahoga County Commissioners will be discussing the demolition of the Marcel Breuer designed Cleveland Trust (Ameritrust) Tower at it's next meeting at 11:30 AM on Thursday, March 29, 2007 at the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners Chambers, 1219 Ontario Street, 4th Floor. All AIA Cleveland Members are invited to attend the meeting and express their views on this matter. Over the course of the last several months, AIA Cleveland's Executive Board and Committee on Historic Resources has urged the Commissioners to reconsider demolishing the Tower and has called for them to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study of adaptively reusing the Breuer Tower for the new County Administration Center. If you cannot attend, please call or e-mail your position on this important matter directly to the Commissioners before Thursday's meeting. Their contact information is as follows: Commissioner Jimmy Dimora Phone (216) 443-7180 [email protected] Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones Phone (216) 443-7182 [email protected] Commissioner Timothy F. Hagan Phone (216) 443-7181 [email protected] AIA Cleveland Statement Cleveland, Ohio, January 30, 2007 - AIA Cleveland, a Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, urges The Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners to preserve and renovate the Cleveland Trust (Ameritrust) Tower. Designed by the pioneering modernist architect Marcel Breuer in 1971, the tower's prominent location, noteworthy design and contribution to downtown Cleveland's skyline, make the building potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. As stewards of the built environment, it is our community's responsibility to ensure that significant examples of modern architecture like the Cleveland Trust Tower endure for future generations. Furthermore, AIA Cleveland encourages the Commissioners to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study of adaptively reusing the Breuer Tower for the new County Administration Center. This study must thoroughly analyze the overall project development costs to the tax payers of Cuyahoga County and definitively justify the decisions made by the Commissioners. In addition, the impact of demolishing the twenty-nine story structure must be carefully considered from an economic, environmental and sustainability perspective. This study, coupled with a creative and transparent design process, will determine if and how the existing building can best meet the County's needs. Most importantly, we urge the County to engage the community during the decision making process so that all voices are heard on this major expenditure of public resources. AIA Cleveland stands ready to provide the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners with assistance and counsel in this most important matter and we look forward to a constructive community dialogue on this issue.
March 28, 200718 yr The topic of the Tower in this Commissioners' meeting was news to me... check out the agenda on their webpage (http://bocc.cuyahogacounty.us/) and note Item 23c where the Commissioners will vote on the abatement and demolition of the Tower contract going out to bid. From what AIA's release indicates, the Commissioners will hear statements from the public for the Tower's future. The meeting is on Thursday at 11:30 am in the Commissioners' Chambers at the County Admin Building on Ontario and Lakeside.
March 28, 200718 yr The commissioners are going to design review on Thursday afternoon to ask to demolish two other buildings (I believe they are the one immediately east of the rotunda and the ungly shorter gray building on Prospect).
March 28, 200718 yr Also from the Cleveland Restoration Society: Commissioners to Discuss Breuer Tower Fate Cleveland, Ohio March 28, 2007 The Cuyahoga County Commissioners will be discussing the demolition of the Marcel Breuer- designed Cleveland Trust (Ameritrust) Tower at their next meeting, to be held tomorrow, March 29, at 11:30 a.m. The meeting will take place at the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners Chambers, 1219 Ontario Street, 4th Floor, Cleveland and is open to the public. Review the meeting agenda (the Breuer Tower is on page 5 of this PDF): http://bocc.cuyahogacounty.us/agendasactions/Agenda07/03292007Agenda.pdf If you cannot attend the meeting, please consider calling or e-mailing your position on this important matter directly to the Commissioners before Thursday morning's meeting: Commissioner Jimmy Dimora 216-443-7180 Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones 216-443-7182 Commissioner Timothy F. Hagan 216-443-7181 The Cleveland Restoration Society is the region’s largest nonprofit preservation organization and a Partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Founded in 1972, the Society uses the powerful tool of historic preservation to revitalize our diverse communities, strengthen the regional economy, and enhance the quality of life in Northeast Ohio. For more information contact: Deanna Bremer Fisher Director of Marketing & Development [email protected] 216-426-3111 clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
March 29, 200718 yr Ameritrust Tower Demolition Expected 03-29-2007 5:45 AM (Cleveland, OH) -- A downtown Cleveland landmark appears to be headed for a meeting with the wrecking ball. The Cuyahoga County Commissioners will vote today to demolish the Ameritrust Tower, clearing the way for a new county administration complex. The county's architectural team is in favor of demolition, saying renovations would not make the building more efficient. Historic preservationists have pushed to keep the 36-year-old building, citing its Modernist style. Metro Networks Communications Inc., A Westwood One Company "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 29, 200718 yr Crain's: Ameritrust Tower to come down By JAY MILLER 4:21 pm, March 29, 2007 The Cuyahoga County commissioners voted 2-1 today to tear down the Ameritrust Tower at East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue and replace it with a new county administration building. The dissenting vote was cast by Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones. Commissioners Jimmy Dimora and Tim Hagan were in favor of replacing the 1971 tower designed by French architect Marcel Breuer. The decision to bring the building down was part of $22.6 million in contracts approved to remove asbestos from four buildings in the Ameritrust complex and demolish the tower and the 1010 Euclid Building. The architectural team of Kohn Pederson Fox of New York and Cleveland-based Robert P. Madison International recommended tearing the Breuer building down and will design the new building. Mr. Madison, who studied architecture in France and told the commissioners that his student work had been critiqued by Mr. Breuer, disagreed with those who want the building saved. He said while the opponents describe the Ameritrust Tower as an excellent example of Brutalism, a style of architecture that sought to elevate raw concrete forms, “It isn’t.” He said other buildings better represented the style.
March 29, 200718 yr I, for one, am disappointed in the two-to-one vote in favor of razing the Breuer Tower, although this certainly wasn't unexpected. However, I am surprised that there isn't a more unified international outcry on this matter. It seems as if the modernist aesthetic is found in every field of design and more than ever in architecture. One would think there would be a greater effort to protect its origins. Where is DOCOMOMO now? Marcel needs you.
March 29, 200718 yr Ameritrust Tower Demolition Expected 03-29-2007 5:45 AM (Cleveland, OH) -- A downtown Cleveland landmark appears to be headed for a meeting with the wrecking ball. The Cuyahoga County Commissioners will vote today to demolish the Ameritrust Tower, clearing the way for a new county administration complex. The county's architectural team is in favor of demolition, saying renovations would not make the building more efficient. Historic preservationists have pushed to keep the 36-year-old building, citing its Modernist style. Metro Networks Communications Inc., A Westwood One Company You mean they're not even going to implode it? At least give the building the respect of going out with a bang rather than being pecked at like a rotting corpse.
March 29, 200718 yr When we media folk use the term "wrecking ball" we do so to be overly cute or simply just to keep things short. That blurb was a "rip and read" piece for radio newscasters whose stations subscribe to Metro Networks. I suspect it will be an implosion, however. I recall seeing a program on History Channel, A&E, etc. on building demolitions where a skyscraper in Boston was imploded next to a building that would be kept. That building wasn't touched, except for the dust. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 30, 200718 yr From Litt's PD artical - "Commissioners set to demolish downtown tower" on MArch 29th, 2007: "Because the Breuer tower is so close to other buildings, the county won't be able to implode it, so it will have to come down floor by floor at a cost of $8 million to $10 million - maybe more. The county won't know until bids are in."
March 30, 200718 yr It is a sad day. Our children will hold this against us. Welcome to the forum Christora. Here is the article you referred to by Litt. ARCHITECTURE Commissioners set to demolish downtown tower Thursday, March 29, 2007 A majority of the Cuya hoga County commission ers is ready to sign a death warrant for an important piece of 20th-century architecture today. Anyone who wants to plead clemency ought to show up and make their views known. In a meeting at the county office building at 1219 Ontario St., starting at 11:30 a.m., two of the three commissioners -- Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora -- are expected to vote in favor of razing a 29-story downtown office tower designed by the great Modernist architect Marcel Breuer. In its place, the commissioners want to build a new administrative center designed by the New York architecture firm of Kohn Pedersen Fox, with Robert P. Madison International, of Cleveland, as the local architect of record....
March 30, 200718 yr Here is an additional article from yesterday's PD: County likely to raze old skyscraper Vote today on former Ameritrust building Thursday, March 29, 2007 Joan Mazzolini Plain Dealer Reporter Cuyahoga County commissioners are expected to vote today to demolish the old Ameritrust Tower, ending two years of speculation about what would happen to the long-vacant building. Commissioners Jimmy Dimora and Tim Hagan want the tower demolished. Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones, who would like to find a way to save the tower, is expected to vote against the demolition. The demolition is one of several large contracts to be bid today in connection with the county's plan for a new administration building that will bring together as many as 2,000 employees from other county-owned and leased buildings... for more information see http://www.cleveland.com/archives
March 30, 200718 yr ^Could you implode it without hurting the rotunda? Detroit thought they could demo the old hudson's warehouse with explosives without damaging the people mover. Nope just kidding, lost the track for a year. Also Ink, check out mayday's photo: http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/clevelandtrusttower.jpg You can see how an implosion would seem pretty much impossible without damaging the rotunda (I don't think you're that familiar with the layout/cleveland.)
March 30, 200718 yr despicable.. just despicable. I must be in the wrong line of work.. Apparently the County Commissioners have infinite funding to play with.
March 30, 200718 yr ^^True, I'm not that familiar with either, but having seen the photos and followed this thread, I was casting my own doubt. The question was more or less rhetorical.
March 30, 200718 yr This is such crap. Very depressing. Litt is dead on- this is such a terrible deal for three reasons: loss of Breuer building, waste of $ and opportunity cost of not spending all that $ on a building that will actually improve the city significantly (e.g., on a parking lot, or in desolate midtown). Not to mention the enviro concerns. And 2000 county employees are not going to enliven Euclid Avenue. This is just one more step in the transformation of downtown into anywhere'sburg... Doesn't help that I walk through a Breuer lobby every morning on my way into work and get all worked up every time. Grrr.
March 30, 200718 yr Has anyone called or emailed them? I shot off an email to both those commissioners earlier this week.
March 30, 200718 yr It's nothing special, and actually kind of cheesy... Dear Mr. Dimora, It has come to my attention that you will be holding a public meeting tomorrow whose agenda includes a discussion about the fate of the Cleveland Trust Tower as part of the new County Administration Center. I am unable to attend the meeting, but would like to express my hope and desire that the tower be incorporated into the new complex, rather than torn down. The tower is an important element of our downtown, and a unique example of Marcel Breuer's work. An adaptive reuse of the tower would preserve this important part of our heritage, save the taxpayers of Cuyahoga County $20 million in demolition costs, and if the tower isn't completely occupied by the county offices, possibly provide space for rent. Although there has been concern about the aesthetics of the building and about the size of the floor plates, I believe that there are creative solutions to these problems that will both please the public and the county administration, and demonstrate our county's commitment to honoring its past.
March 30, 200718 yr And 2000 county employees are not going to enliven Euclid Avenue. Overheard at a separate meeting yesterday by a very high ranking county official discussing the upcoming vote: "I don't know what those two are thinking. Everyone knows count employees never leave the building to go out for lunch,let alone coffee." (paraphrased)
March 30, 200718 yr And 2000 county employees are not going to enliven Euclid Avenue. Overheard at a separate meeting yesterday by a very high ranking county official discussing the upcoming vote: "I don't know what those two are thinking. Everyone knows count employees never leave the building to go out for lunch,let alone coffee." (paraphrased) Who is this person? These inborn self defeating obstacles need to stop IMMEDIATELY! The person who said it, needs a reality check. A statement like that, however ridiculous it might seem, can be "perceived" in a why to ring true.
March 30, 200718 yr ^Actually, I think that person is the one providing the reality check to the folks who think the infusion of county employees is going to transform Euclid Avenue.
March 30, 200718 yr I 'm gonna agree with Strap on this one - especially because of the person who actually said it.
March 30, 200718 yr ^The design of the building can have a large impact on whether the employees spend any time outside. One thing that could go a long way toward increasing activity is not placing a cafeteria in the building or, at the very least, making sure the cafeteria is on the street level and accessible from the outside to the general public.
March 30, 200718 yr ^I'm thinking I'm going to have to be pretty darn hungry to actually choose to eat in the county caf as a member of the public... My point is that office workers, particularly those who drive, aren't great street enliveners. How many employees are there in the Huntington Bldg or NCB building already (many of whom are well paid)? This is just an incrimental increase to this area, not some transformative event.
March 31, 200718 yr Speaking of which, I was amazed the first time I found the little city that exists under the Huntington building.. Too bad there isn't anything really good enough draw people to it, it's a pretty cool area.
March 31, 200718 yr ^^It my impression that County employees and government employees in generally are probably some of the largest per capita users of public transportation of all downtown employees.
March 31, 200718 yr here is a short blurb from the PD. at least there is some resistence to approving the demolition of the tower: 2 Ameritrust demolitions OK'd The city's Planning Commission voted Friday to allow the demolition of two buildings to begin making way for Cuyhoga County's new administration center. The commission also signaled it wants a lot more information before it votes to demolish a taller building on the site - the old Ameritrust Tower, which a number of preservationists want saved. The commission voted to approve razing the Huron and Prospect buildings and three pedestrian bridges, near the corner of Prospect Avenue and East Ninth Street. The approval came with six conditions, including a commission tour of the Ameritrust Tower, a master plan for redeveloping the site and a presentation on plans to preserve the tower. Commissioners voted 2-1 this week to demolish the tower.
March 31, 200718 yr ^^It my impression that County employees and government employees in generally are probably some of the largest per capita users of public transportation of all downtown employees. Could be, but wouldn't surprise me one bit if they were not. Even so, even high per capita transit use is still pretty low, unfortunately. After all, one of the benefits of this site in the eyes of the Commissioners was that big fat parking garage already there. Totally different context, I know, but in NYC, one of the dirty little secrets is that city employees have among the highest rates of NON-transit use in Manhattan due to parking privileges. Seriously, a higher % of city workers drive to work than lawyers in Manhattan.
March 31, 200718 yr ^The design of the building can have a large impact on whether the employees spend any time outside. One thing that could go a long way toward increasing activity is not placing a cafeteria in the building or, at the very least, making sure the cafeteria is on the street level and accessible from the outside to the general public. ^I'm thinking I'm going to have to be pretty darn hungry to actually choose to eat in the county caf as a member of the public... My point is that office workers, particularly those who drive, aren't great street enliveners. How many employees are there in the Huntington Bldg or NCB building already (many of whom are well paid)? This is just an incrimental increase to this area, not some transformative event. I disagree. When I worked at SOHIO, we had an amazing cafeteria. Not only did employees from the SOHIO building dine there, but employees from nearby buildings ate there. The cafeteria, AKA "the lakeview room" would be filled to the gills. diners had the option of sitting in the atrium or the lake. It was open to the public from 6:30 AM to 3 PM. If done properly and the menu is right, people will come.
March 31, 200718 yr MTS, I'm not dissing caf's in general (I eat at my employer's awesome caf almost every day), but I'm gonna guess that the county caf isn't really going to be on that level. Lunch on me if I'm wrong. In any case, I'm pretty sure a county cafeteria is not what people had on their wish list for a reinvigorated Euclid Avenue streetscape. Don't mean to sound so anti-county, I'm just still annoyed by the site selection.
March 31, 200718 yr MTS, I'm not dissing caf's in general (I eat at my employer's awesome caf almost every day), but I'm gonna guess that the county caf isn't really going to be on that level. Lunch on me if I'm wrong. In any case, I'm pretty sure a county cafeteria is not what people had on their wish list for a reinvigorated Euclid Avenue streetscape. Don't mean to sound so anti-county, I'm just still annoyed by the site selection. Understood, but the point im trying to make is, you're jumping to conclusions when not one floor plan or rendering of the final space has been release. :-D :wink: :wink: Lunch...we'll since your paying, how about Aquavit, Fresh, Leverhouse or Peacock Alley? :laugh:
April 1, 200718 yr "The Talk" of today's New York Times Style Magazine has the following definition for the style that define's the architecture of the Ameritrust Tower: "brutalism / (broot l ism) / n. / a muscular style of socially conscious architecture practiced between the 1950s and the 1970s by the likes of Le Corbusier and Paulo Mendes da Rocha. Brutalism took its name from béton brut, the French phrase for “raw concrete,” its signature material, but ultimately became a term of derision. After 30-some years, however, it suddenly looks sexy again." While looking sexy is evidently not what the county commissioners are after, one would hope they might appreciate the fact that the form is just now coming back into style. Do you think they'll get the memo too late? I particularly like the description, "socially conscious architecture." What could be more appropriate or necessary at this point in American history?
April 1, 200718 yr The $1.4 billion county operation deserves a "signature building that will last 100 years or longer with people in it," Hagan said. "For 19 years, no one gave a damn about the [breuer] building. "Just because it's got the guy's name on it, doesn't mean it's a good building," he said. "It's a building that shouldn't have been built in the first place because it didn't have a future. If it was a great building, it wouldn't be vacant." This Hagan cat needs to go. I don't even know what to say on the subject anymore, but if you see people chained to one of the five columns of the building during rush hour, I'll be one of them. Anyone that's interested in doing it, send me a PM. Once again for your viewing pleasure...
April 1, 200718 yr Oh yeah, now Hagan's email isn't accepting new messages. Here's the error I keep getting: The message that you sent was undeliverable to the following: cntfh (UNUSED)
April 1, 200718 yr Send them to the other two. I'm more concerned about our larger and hairier commissioner then Hagan. Both of them will have a hard time getting re-elected the next time they are up.
April 2, 200718 yr FYI - "The Sound of Ideas" is going to discuss the Ameritrust Tower with Steve Litt as one of the guests on Tuesday, 4/3/07. "The Sound of Ideas" is from 9am to 10am on WCPN, 90.3 FM. Hope everyone can listen in.
April 2, 200718 yr Remember that Hagan doesn't have a track record of being shrewd with finances - he was one of the people leading the charge for Gateway. I think they're still waiting to make a dime off that, aren't they? He needs to be called out, imho. clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
April 2, 200718 yr I went to the commissioner website two days ago and left them all a meesage of displeasure over the suburban style design replacement building they chose to go with.....
April 2, 200718 yr p7 and p8 of this thread have some of the original proposals. i'm not sure how concrete any of the ideas are though.
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