I am starting this topic to see what some people think about Rockefeller Park.  Most agree that it does not live up to its potential.  If you were to create a master plan, what would you change? How could you better connect it to Wade Oval and to the surrounding neighborhoods? What would be some techniques that you would implement to ensure that it feels safe and well-maintained?  Ideas please.

Lots of great ideas at Hotel Bruce. The last print issue was a design challenge for Rockafeller Park

 

check it!

http://hotelbruce.com/home.php

 

I especially like the Counter Cultural Gardens..

Wow, that is fantastic.  It would be such a beautiful place to bike and walk and blade around without worrying about cars.  I hope the UC institutions sign on.

 

I do think some modest parking, in a lot or on-street somewhere, could help the gardens though.

 

Thanks for posting, Mike, and welcome!

Thanks Mike. Great article. And welcome aboard!

I think I mentioned this randomly in some other post once, but since it's actually relevant now, I'll say it again...

 

The Cultural Gardens have a ton of potential - they're uniquely Cleveland, have great (and sometimes sad) history, and could be really beautiful.  I know wim mentioned that some improvements had been made (at the Shakespeare Garden specifically).  If so, a lot more need to be made.  Most of the gardens are missing much of their statuary (some's in storage, some's just plain gone), many of the fountains don't work, and the landscaping is generally poorly maintained.  Here's what I'd propose (if money weren't an issue, of course): (1) restore all the statuary and fix all of the infrastructure that's there (in and of itself this is a big project - I think I saw a price tag of something like $25MM just to do this)  (2) Improve/restore the plantings and try to make them somewhat culturally relevant  (3) Finish the 2 newest gardens (African-American and Indian)  (4) Build a visitors' center that features (some) parking and exhibits giving a history of the gardens and suggested itineraries for tours of the gardens. 

 

Some programming would also help - several of the gardens have small built-in performance or gathering areas.  For a lot of info on the gardens, check out:

http://academic.csuohio.edu/clevelandhistory/culturalgardens/

 

Beyond that, it's always seemed remarkable to me that Rockefeller Park wasn't lined with Apt buildings that looked into the park (don't put the bldgs in the park, but adjacent to it), sort of like how the buildings in NYC frame Central Park.  Who wouldn't want that view?

 

Finally, spend some money and make Gordon Park a place someone would actually choose to spend time.  It's utterly depressing today.  Put a beach in, some recreation infrastructure (volleyball nets, maybe?), and landscape the thing a bit.  Right now it's basically a trash-strewn and weedy parking lot next to the lake.

Thanks for the welcome, KJP.

 

I think rather than find someone (or the city--ha) to write a big check and get a lot of work done, the city would gain the most by figuring out (and who does this I do not know, but the Cultural Gardens fed. would be a good start) how to capitalize on the grass roots involvement and therefore the catalytic effect the gardens could have. In otherwords don't just spend the money to get it all done, but figure out ways to motivate the multitude of ethnic groups and nearby property owners to act in their own best interest. Inspire them, and let them do their work. That could be work on the individual gardens, or it could be improving or redeveloping property along the edges.

 

East of the park are magnificent houses with that magnificent view--some in condemnable condition, many beautifully maintained. Seems to me that neighborhood is on the rise.

 

West of the park, more modest homes are in advanced decay. On a dead-end street along the eastern edge just above the African American garden are a series of houses--brand new construction never completed--that have been broken into and vandalized.  That's where the opportunity is.

I just have to say, the Park and Cultural Gardens are always open whether there are cars or not! Many people seem not to realize that.

 

The problem is that MLK is simply one-long driveway for University Circle. Not many people want to stop and take a look because there is no where to park. Parking needs to be improved, yet not become invasive. Additionally, there needs to be another reason to stop and get out of the car. Maybe we need to add other amenities; maybe we need to repackage the current offerings to entice more visitors.  I would prefer not to rely on park programming to infuse more people into the park.  Capital improvements need to be made.  Also, we need to make Dike 14 into a destination so that people will be drawn out of UC and into the park on the way to the lakefront.  How about a small bike rental facility?  How about creating better links up Fairhill and MLK by building bike and walking trails to entice the Heights to come on down the hill? The original land of Rockefeller Park included the Shaker Lakes!  We need to sew the severed stretch back together physically and psychologically.  Its always a good strategy to play off your strengths--we've got two of Cleveland's strongest neighborhoods just up the hill and we need to tie that into the Cirlce and beyond.

Wim, I think there is a bike path that winds down Fairhill from the edge of Shaker Square/Shaker Heights into UC and links up to the Rockefeller Park bike path.  Not sure I've ever seen anyone on the Fairhill leg though (it would be a great ride down but not much fun coming back up)...not that I've ever seen many folks on the Rockefeller Park leg either.  Someday when I'm home and get my hands on a bike...

Wim, I think there is a bike path that winds down Fairhill from the edge of Shaker Square/Shaker Heights into UC and links up to the Rockefeller Park bike path.  Not sure I've ever seen anyone on the Fairhill leg though (it would be a great ride down but not much fun coming back up)...not that I've ever seen many folks on the Rockefeller Park leg either.  Someday when I'm home and get my hands on a bike...

 

OUch....memories...the ride down is fun.....but the ride up is a b*tch!

 

As a kid we'd ride our bikes down the Fairhill.  Bikers & skateboarders often call it the "fairhill 500" because of the turns and speed.  going up Fairhill and Cedar Hill are both hell on your legs!  I rode to wade oval a few weekends ago...then on the way back I remembered why I started taking the bus back to shaker square!

I think that the biggest improvement that could be made in Rockefeller Park would be to clear out the underbrush.  The underbrush hinders visability and thus the perception and reality of safety.  The park is supposed to be a landscape park, anyway, so it's not as if the brush is really "in character".

 

Even more beneficial would be cleaning up the surrounding neighborhoods.  There is too much gang and drug activity near the park for people to feel safe in the park.  Also, there needs to be more high density housing overlooking the park.  They started to build out the overlooking streets in that manner 80 years ago, but there are too many abandoned buildings and vacant lots now.  I would redevelop the entire stretch of Ansel with new construction condos and townhouses, except for the few remaining brownstones.  Same for East Boulevard south of Superior.  Unfortunately, last I heard, East Blvd from Wade to E. 105th is going to be mostly the back of a parking garage.  Horrible waste of one of Cleveland's most beautiful streets.

Walk + Roll is a go-ahead by the way. It is starting this August! They will be closing MLK drive and depending on its success, they might expand it to include the whole summer in the future. http://www.speiglechiro.com/about.asp

In some thread, somewhere around here, I mentioned that the Cultural Gardens have a program every September with all of the nationalities having some sort of representation.  Well, the time has come--here is the article.

 

Cleveland Cultural Gardens putting on show Saturday

R Smith

Friday, September 08, 2006

If you've been meaning to discover or rediscover the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, now is a good time to visit Rockefeller Park. The landmark gardens are blooming with energy, new charms and even some flowers.

 

Sunday, the Latvian community will break ground on a garden honoring its Baltic heritage, three weeks before the Asian Indian community dedicates a new garden and unveils a massive Gandhi statue.

 

More at:

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1157704345124680.xml&coll=2

I'm excited about all the attention that Rockefeller Park is receiving in the press as of late. I can't help but think that upcoming garden dedications, Walk + Roll, Heritage Lane (and similar projects) will encourage nationality groups to spruce up/return statuary to their gardens. In light of this recent "re-discovery" and as a point of pride to show the parks off to new and returned visitors, I'm looking forward to more news like the 1100 new bulbs in the Italian Cultural Garden. (Do I have 1200 new flowers? Any takers? Irish? Polish?)

 

On a similar note, I can't recall seeing a wayfinding garden map along the pathways or at either end of the park. I think a few garden map locations, as well as road signage indicating recommended parking areas would be a relatively easy addition to futher encourage the use of the park - a first step to raise interest in future gardens, an interpretive center, residential investment on East Blvd, etc.

It would help if the gardens were relandscaped such that there was a path which could be followed through the gardens, instead of walking by them on East Blvd or MLK.  It would make for a more fluid "promenade".  The difficulty would be integrating it into the designs of the various paths.  But it would make for interesting transitions as one walks directly from one garden to the next through gateways or thresholds of some sort.

I actually think the Cultural Gardens are a gem as they stand. I agree with most of the recommendations above, but if I could have just one change, I would like to see a better pedestrian/cyclist connection to the lakefront trail. I've never really thought the park itself was inhospitable to riders or walkers; it's actually a pretty nice strip by Cleveland standards. At the same time, it absolutely sucks to have to navigate across N. Marginal Rd., the incoming exit from the Shoreway and then across busy MLK. Can we get a signature (pedestrian) bridge over heyah ... along the lines of the ones going up on the Towpath? Perhaps something that really celebrates the diversity of cultures that visitors are about to see?