I don't mind it.  Reminds me a bit of Merwins Wharf.  Love the wood elemnts along the roof lines.  What I like is it incorporates some of the "Old Flats" with it being two stories, and opening up to the Boardwalk. 

The rendering is awful, almost think it will look better in real life with people, vegetation, etc.

How wonderfully bland.

 

This is a Gehry-design compared to the glorified Carrabbas that is "Beach Taco," aka building 8A.

The rendering makes me think of a headhouse for a water filtration plant. But I'm sure the food will be awesome!!

the building is fine, if maybe a bit too cookie-cutter suburban for a kind of a showcase setting. for example, they could have used the roof to grow some of the food up there like herbs, tomatoes, etc. and let customers up to have a peek at it and the nice views. it's definitely more open than i thought it would be though and thats pretty cool.

Not to change the subject, but I have not seen updates on the progress on the new apartment building in quite a while.  Does anyone have any recent pictures?

 

I would imagine that there would be a lot of glass installed by now and the exterior would be coming along nicely.

Not a beautiful building, but I think it's function will be more important than its form.  I like the connection with the outdoors, river: wide, probably sliding (open) glass windows, a 2nd level spacious deck and right on the boardwalk.  Once this place swarming with people, esp in warm weather, I doubt folks will be focusing on its architecture.

What is difficult to understand is how this building interacts with the surrounding buildings. The renderings leave much to the imagination and the 3 designs for the restaurant/clubs along the river don't feel well thought out. Anyone of the designs could be plopped into suburban strip malls

 

Not to change the subject, but I have not seen updates on the progress on the new apartment building in quite a while.  Does anyone have any recent pictures?

 

I would imagine that there would be a lot of glass installed by now and the exterior would be coming along nicely.

 

Ask and you shall receive. Apparently left my phone in HDR mode.

 

Thanks! So they have the windows in on all floors except the top floor?

That's what it looked like, unless there are openings on the river side.

Thanks Loretto!

 

The exterior work is progressing quickly.

Not too thrilled about the design for this new structure:

 

 

 

 

It's like Cleveland's version of The Banks. Not a fan.

It reminds me of the "suites" and "club level" at a market #199 minor league baseball park.  Just need a backstop and diamond in front of it....

Not to change the subject, but I have not seen updates on the progress on the new apartment building in quite a while.  Does anyone have any recent pictures?

 

I would imagine that there would be a lot of glass installed by now and the exterior would be coming along nicely.

 

Night shot

 

What is difficult to understand is how this building interacts with the surrounding buildings. The renderings leave much to the imagination and the 3 designs for the restaurant/clubs along the river don't feel well thought out. Anyone of the designs could be plopped into suburban strip malls

 

 

I'm surprised at your comment.  I may agree about the other buildings, but the boardwalk structure seems very well integrated: opening toward the boardwalk and the water, large windows, sliding windows that open when weather permits, deck seating on a patio next to the building as well as on the upper deck (probably with a bar).  It also will have an assortment of attractive wildflowers in the garden around backside of the structure.  How is it not integrated with its surroundings?  How does it need to interact with surrounding buildings when it was designed to be freestanding?  Remember, the large apartment building scheduled to open this year, will have its own retail and restaurants on its first level.

What is difficult to understand is how this building interacts with the surrounding buildings. The renderings leave much to the imagination and the 3 designs for the restaurant/clubs along the river don't feel well thought out. Anyone of the designs could be plopped into suburban strip malls

 

 

I'm surprised at your comment.  I may agree about the other buildings, but the boardwalk structure seems very well integrated: opening toward the boardwalk and the water, large windows, sliding windows that open when weather permits, deck seating on a patio next to the building as well as on the upper deck (probably with a bar).  It also will have an assortment of attractive wildflowers in the garden around backside of the structure.  How is it not integrated with its surroundings?  How does it need to interact with surrounding buildings when it was designed to be freestanding?  Remember, the large apartment building scheduled to open this year, will have its own retail and restaurants on its first level.

 

I was merely stating the renderings could have and should have all the elements rendered including the massings of the residential tower and accurate depictions of the boardwalk

The announcement of Bruell's "Alley Cat" seafood restaurant. The rendering is better than what was shown to the city:

 

Zack Bruell will open an eighth restaurant, in the Flats East Bank, this June

 

By  Joe Crea, Northeast Ohio Media Group 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Zack Bruell has thrown his restaurant group's hat into the ring. A Bruell seafood restaurant will join the growing group of dining and nightlife destinations opening in Cleveland's Flats East Bank entertainment venue this year.

 

"We'll be calling it 'Alley Cat,' if all the copyrights check out," Bruell says.

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2015/01/zack_bruell_will_open_an_eight.html#incart_river

 

 

 

Sounds and looks awesome. I think it will be a great addition year round but looks like an outstanding summer destination!

This is a huge commitment from ZB. A local restaurant all-star who doesn't get the pub some of the younger chefs seem to seek out.  This is a beautiful space. Just what the waterfront needs. This will become a destination spot for visitors to the city. Congrats to Zack Bruell.

The PD's rendering states the photo is a preliminary design so I assume the design approval submitted to the planning commission is more accurate.  The site plan given to the commission has no outdoor seating along the front of the boardwalk.  I prefer the design the PD is showing but I think the paper is doing a disservice to it's readers. 

^Yes it's a little different. As we know these things go thru variations. Design review shows the building lining right up against the boardwalk, with the windows being 'operable glazing'. Which I kind of prefer as opposed to the building being setback with a patio as a buffer. Visitors on the boardwalk will be able to look right into the space, and the diners will be closer to the water. Either way it's a great addition. I just wish Paninis was still in the works as opposed to BeachTaco...

Will be interesting to see if the large Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill actually gets built. This would seem to a fairly major draw (for a certain demographic that may not conflict with the many other establishments going into the FEB), but I've seen some recent stories about existing restaurant closures due to months of unpaid rent and also huge unpaid state taxes, etc... Cleveland is mentioned as a potential new location (by their corporate office) in an article from earlier this month, but construction doesn't seem imminent and CLE was not noted as a 2015 opening in the story I read.

Wow, yeah that company seems like a mess right now. And the restaurant reviews were definitely not glowing. But I agree (in my unqualified opinion) that there is a market for this type of place, as the only two real 'country' bars around NEO are in Medina and Rootstown.

 

But then again I like country music :)

Wow, yeah that company seems like a mess right now. And the restaurant reviews were definitely not glowing. But I agree (in my unqualified opinion) that there is a market for this type of place, as the only two real 'country' bars around NEO are in Medina and Rootstown.

 

But then again I like country music :)

 

I agree with you.  Although I am generally not a fan of chain establishments I do realize there is a crowd for these types of places.  I too enjoy some country music.  There are obviously a lot of country music fans in the NEO region as evidenced by Kenny Chesney selling out Browns stadium.  This would be a regional draw and bring people into the city who would otherwise avoid downtown except for sporting events.  On top of that, there are very few live music bars downtown (I consider HOB a music venue, not a live music bar).  Especially with the Blind Pig closed there is a missing piece in the downtown nightlife scene.  With that being said I hope TKILTBG works out and is successful in the FEB.

i personally dont care if it gets built. sure it would bring a different crowd to downtown spending money, but there is nothing organic about that business concept in that location at all. 

i personally dont care if it gets built. sure it would bring a different crowd to downtown spending money, but there is nothing organic about that business concept in that location at all. 

 

Agree. I feel like this is a premier location that deserves something more local/original, or at least a franchise that is healthy.

i personally dont care if it gets built. sure it would bring a different crowd to downtown spending money, but there is nothing organic about that business concept in that location at all. 

 

Agree. I feel like this is a premier location that deserves something more local/original, or at least a franchise that is healthy.

 

Well with everything I've seen included in "phase 2" there isn't really anything local/original so I have pretty much given up on that idea. As many have stated before this to me feels like a suburban development trying to be urban in nature (if that makes sense). Original would have been keeping the structures they tore down along the river and gutting them and using them with new builds inland to match the feel/density. All the while filling the property with local restaurants/bars/stores/galleries as much as possible.

 

 

i personally dont care if it gets built. sure it would bring a different crowd to downtown spending money, but there is nothing organic about that business concept in that location at all. 

 

Agree. I feel like this is a premier location that deserves something more local/original, or at least a franchise that is healthy.

 

Well with everything I've seen included in "phase 2" there isn't really anything local/original so I have pretty much given up on that idea. As many have stated before this to me feels like a suburban development trying to be urban in nature (if that makes sense). Original would have been keeping the structures they tore down along the river and gutting them and using them with new builds inland to match the feel/density. All the while filling the property with local restaurants/bars/stores/galleries as much as possible.

 

 

 

well i really like the residential aspect of it, with the signage facing the river and even the boardwalk.  I feel like that all works.  Kind of modernizing what was once there.  I really like Portside Brewery down there, that place just screams flats IMO.  Im also OK with the restaurants and hotel that are down there....while maybe some hints of surburban infill, they dont stand out in a bad way.  the Toby Keith place and a paninis with vollyeball courts just doesnt fit, but i understand the need for tenants.  Alley Cat looks to be a great fit.

Original would have been keeping the structures they tore down along the river and gutting them and using them with new builds inland to match the feel/density. All the while filling the property with local restaurants/bars/stores/galleries as much as possible.

 

I'm in a great mood today. Are you trying to ruin that lol :-)

Original would have been keeping the structures they tore down along the river and gutting them and using them with new builds inland to match the feel/density. All the while filling the property with local restaurants/bars/stores/galleries as much as possible.

 

I'm in a great mood today. Are you trying to ruin that lol :-)

 

Haha my apologies surfohio[/member]. I kind of went off on a tangent there but it frustrates me that some of the most valuable property in the city is being used in a way that will not make me want to frequent the area as often as I'd like. With that being said I hope it's very successful and draws big crowds.

Original would have been keeping the structures they tore down along the river and gutting them and using them with new builds inland to match the feel/density. All the while filling the property with local restaurants/bars/stores/galleries as much as possible.

 

I'm in a great mood today. Are you trying to ruin that lol :-)

 

Haha my apologies surfohio[/member]. I kind of went off on a tangent there but it frustrates me that some of the most valuable property in the city is being used in a way that will not make me want to frequent the area as often as I'd like. With that being said I hope it's very successful and draws big crowds.

 

Yeah I'm with ya. I'm resigned to the likelihood that the new FEB isn't being marketed for me (or you). I also hope the crowds do come and appreciate it. The Flats are indeed a special place.

I've said from day one that this development is essentially the city's answer to Crocker Park. It was designed like that. It was created to be that. That's what it is. And I think that is a good thing. I don't really give much of a damn if it appeals to me or not. That doesn't matter. What matters is that there are people that this does appeal to and those people will spend their hard earned money in those places. I think sometimes people get so caught up in what "they" want and what "they" like that they lose perspective. It's not about you. It's not about me. Anything that gets more people into the city is a good thing. Whether it's my cup of tea or not is irrelevant. I despise country music but I hope Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill gets built because there's a bunch of people that love it. I personally would like to see more clubs in the development (I'm sick of people, like they did on TNT tonight at the Cavs game, that there's nothing for players to do in Cleveland. I want big, loud, Vegas/Miami style establishments to counteract that), but it doesn't matter. I want to see this development get done and I accept it for what it is. A good city is a melting pot and has things for all sorts of styles. A lot of people like chains. It is what it is. Our city shouldn't be full of chains but it shouldn't be chain less either. We shouldn't be so narrow and esoteric to think that every single person in and out of this region are as enthusiastic to go to places that they've never heard of as we are. FEB is going after a very specific audience and I'm ok with that

Just to plat devil's advocate, while the property is very lifestyle center / Crocker Park like, FEB has the advantage of being the best of both Easton and heart of the city living. If you live in Crocker Park and want to leave you have to drive.  In FEB you could drive, you could walk, you could take the waterfront line, you could take a water taxi away from your nest

 

I've said from day one that this development is essentially the city's answer to Crocker Park. It was designed like that. It was created to be that. That's what it is. And I think that is a good thing. I don't really give much of a damn if it appeals to me or not. That doesn't matter. What matters is that there are people that this does appeal to and those people will spend their hard earned money in those places. I think sometimes people get so caught up in what "they" want and what "they" like that they lose perspective. It's not about you. It's not about me. Anything that gets more people into the city is a good thing. Whether it's my cup of tea or not is irrelevant. I despise country music but I hope Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill gets built because there's a bunch of people that love it. I personally would like to see more clubs in the development (I'm sick of people, like they did on TNT tonight at the Cavs game, that there's nothing for players to do in Cleveland. I want big, loud, Vegas/Miami style establishments to counteract that), but it doesn't matter. I want to see this development get done and I accept it for what it is. A good city is a melting pot and has things for all sorts of styles. A lot of people like chains. It is what it is. Our city shouldn't be full of chains but it shouldn't be chain less either. We shouldn't be so narrow and esoteric to think that every single person in and out of this region are as enthusiastic to go to places that they've never heard of as we are. FEB is going after a very specific audience and I'm ok with that

 

I get your point. But I'd be genuinely surprised if FEB had 1/10th the amount of retail that Crocker Park has.

 

 

Just to plat devil's advocate, while the property is very lifestyle center / Crocker Park like, FEB has the advantage of being the best of both Easton and heart of the city living. If you live in Crocker Park and want to leave you have to drive.  In FEB you could drive, you could walk, you could take the waterfront line, you could take a water taxi away from your nest

 

Agreed

I've said from day one that this development is essentially the city's answer to Crocker Park. It was designed like that. It was created to be that. That's what it is. And I think that is a good thing. I don't really give much of a damn if it appeals to me or not. That doesn't matter. What matters is that there are people that this does appeal to and those people will spend their hard earned money in those places. I think sometimes people get so caught up in what "they" want and what "they" like that they lose perspective. It's not about you. It's not about me. Anything that gets more people into the city is a good thing. Whether it's my cup of tea or not is irrelevant. I despise country music but I hope Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill gets built because there's a bunch of people that love it. I personally would like to see more clubs in the development (I'm sick of people, like they did on TNT tonight at the Cavs game, that there's nothing for players to do in Cleveland. I want big, loud, Vegas/Miami style establishments to counteract that), but it doesn't matter. I want to see this development get done and I accept it for what it is. A good city is a melting pot and has things for all sorts of styles. A lot of people like chains. It is what it is. Our city shouldn't be full of chains but it shouldn't be chain less either. We shouldn't be so narrow and esoteric to think that every single person in and out of this region are as enthusiastic to go to places that they've never heard of as we are. FEB is going after a very specific audience and I'm ok with that

 

I get your point. But I'd be genuinely surprised if FEB had 1/10th the amount of retail that Crocker Park has.

 

I'm talking stylistically.

While looking for another picture, I came across this photo I shot in May 2006 at Front Street and West 9th, looking west down Front Street toward the site of the then-planned Lighthouse Landing. You can see some of the historic, brick Flats East Bank buildings where I spent many hours and dollars 15-20 years earlier trying to prove I was indestructible. 

 

 

 

And in case you don't know why I took the picture from that angle, this plan for Lighthouse Landing (two residential towers) should provide a reminder....

 

Cool, I never knew about Lighthouse Landing!

 

The brick building on the left is now Portside Brewery  :-D yum!

 

BTW - Those are nice light posts.  I don't think they are around anymore?

 

...Semi-answer - I just looked on streetview and they were there still in June of 2011 but not sure about now.

Cool, I never knew about Lighthouse Landing!

 

The brick building on the left is now Portside Brewery  :-D yum!

 

BTW - Those are nice light posts.  I don't think they are around anymore?

 

...Semi-answer - I just looked on streetview and they were there still in June of 2011 but not sure about now.

 

Not 100%, but pretty sure they're still there. They're the same light posts that are in the Warehouse District

Cool, I never knew about Lighthouse Landing!

 

 

There's a thread about it in "abandoned projects."

 

BTW, you might enjoy this thread posted here:

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,29853.msg741876.html#new

 

It features this August 1996 view of me (with cigarette and beer in hand!!) and my friend Mark standing on the riverside patio for Dick's Last Resort....

I think I remember that shot if you posted in the past KJP.  Probably one of the hottest years for the flats.  Bit to young to have enjoyed the mid/late 90s, minus 1999, wen I got my fake ID...LOL!

Intresting angle taken from the West Bank coming down by the powerhouse...err...Aquarium:

Confirms any skepticism about the Toby Keith's bar

 

As Flats evolve, so does Cleveland

 

"We're going to start construction on Toby Keith's and Zack Bruell's new restaurant, and in another pad building, the Metroparks is bringing back the water taxi,"

 

http://www.19actionnews.com/story/27927857/as-flats-evolve-so-does-cleveland

yesss the water taxis are back!

Punch Bowl Social weighing in at 27000sqft. This place is big.

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/02/punch_bowl_social_will_bring_d.html#incart_river

This is fantastic.  Looks pretty cool and amazing it'll be up 'n running by mid-June...  With the new 16-lane Corner Alley in UC-Uptown along with the existing spot on 4th Street, Cleveland will sure be able to get it's bowling-fix in hot new in-town neighborhoods... I'm just curious how this place will mesh with the apartment building since it has roof-top (3rd floor) dining.  I'm assuming it will jut-out from the apartment building, but I could be wrong.  Anybody?

i really like it, looks pretty cool. rooftop is a sweet bonus.

.

Wow, big! And I love the classic tan BMW parked outside!