Speaking of Pickwick... I was disappointed to learn the hard way that P&F closes their kitchen at 7 p.m. Monday evenings.

Yeah, they tried for 3 years to get Monday nights going, but it's just always a slow night and it's too expensive to keep the place open for the little business that comes in.  If the neighborhood ever finally turns into a 7 nights a week hotspot, I'm sure they'll expand hours again.

The wood construction front is off of Lola's.  The new windows are on, they go almost floor to ceiling.  It looks great, very transparent.  They are still working on the inside finishing, though.

^ it looks much better.  i'm a little disappointed that they didn't install window-doors, that could open in the summer. 

 

this whole e.4 corridor would be much better connected if flannerys, hob, pickwick had windows that could slide open in nice weather and connect with the street.

amen to that!  I've seen a number of new restaurants that have huge front windows but dropped the ball in this regard.  I wonder why this is...

 

anyway, great news that progress is being made and is now visible!

Boarded up windows, even if there is interior renovation going on, can kill a street. I am glad that E.4th is looking better for the start of baseball season and the beginning of the basketball playoffs.

As I mentioned in another thread, there should be some cool things going on on E. 4th this summer, stay tuned.

I walked by today and peeped an open door across from Lola...big space, but nothing much going on.

 

It's nice to see Lola making progress, but I was dismayed to see that what X and UrbanLife said is true.  The windows don't go all the way to the sidewalk and it doesn't look like they'll be able to open.  On the other hand, when Bier Markt opened, they had the same windows and it disappointed me there as well.  Now, according to proposals on the Landmarks Commission's website, it looks like they may be opening them up to some sidewalk seating.  I can't be sure, due to the limitations of the drawings, but it's promising that they are at least exploring outdoor seating.  The same is true for Flannery's and Picwick & Frolic.

 

Now, about Lola...are we still hearing May or has it been bumped again?  Someone recently told me that they heard October/November!

Folks, keep in mind that portions of East 4th are designated historical districts. Sometimes they can get away with alterations to buildings, but not all the time. If you're a developer and you're working on a project using historical TIFs for your financing, you have limitations - otherwise your financing gets revoked and your project tanks. Also, you might not be aware but anytime someone adds to a building and something overhangs the sidewalk like a sign or an awning, they have to negotiate with the city for the "air rights" (for lack of a better term) to do so.

 

So if you want to see retractable door/windows, head over to Edgewater and have a drink at Twist. But, if you want some absolutely amazing food on a sidewalk patio, I'm sure Lola will be offering that. :-)

 

Here's a visual from today:

thanks for that MayDay!  I sometimes dwell on the disappointments...  the place will be great and it looks fantastic!

About a year ago, around the time that the streetwork finally finished and the Lola news was announced, I seem to remember a bunch of MRN, "Coming Soon" banners placed on a few of the different storefronts on E. 4th.  For example, the one on the SE corner of E. 4th & Prospect said Restaurant.  Farther north on the E side of E. 4th, another one said Cafe.  The one next to Lola said Specialty Apparel.  Yesterday, when I walked by, I noticed that only one of them is still up there--the Specialty Apparel sign.

 

Anyone know if these were ever serious potential projects? 

Or were the signs just marketing tools used by MRN to highlight the potential of the street/storefronts?

i'd bet the latter.  i never looked at these as "deals in place."  they always seemed to be speculation of what the street could house.

Patio eating at Lola!

Can't wait for the opening

They are definitely planning to open Lola by the summer.

Forgive me if this was discussed above, but what's the deal with the valet/parking/driveway area on the west side of East 4th?  A willing sacrifice to aid the operations of HOB etc.?

I think due to the fact that it's one-way one lane traffic on E. 4th, they needed to get the valet out of the way do to the traffic backing up on the street.  I don't know if that lot will stay available forever though.

It looks like the baseball heritage museum for east fourth is moving along. It leased 5800 sq. ft in the colonial arcade as a temporary home and is planning to move to a permanent home on east fourth. They are having a street festival may 19-21 to get some public attention. The website is www.baseballheritagemuseum.com

Interesting...I wasn't sure what was happening when I saw that the old jewelry store space was up for lease.  Have they moved into the Colonial Arcade space yet?  They really need to keep that place open on the weekends.  I was down there a couple weeks ago after a Tribe game...it was around 7:30 and both arcades were locked up.  Thankfully, the Old Arcade was still open!

This baseball heritage museum isn't directly related to the Cleveland Sports themed restaurant for the Colonial Arcade, is it?

I don't think it is open to the public yet but they have occupied the colonial arcade space. Also, I don't believe the museum is connected to the cleveland sports restaurant. I'm not sure if that restaurant is still going to open, it was supposed to open in march. Has anybody heard anything?

When I walked by Lola on e. 4th today, the door was open and a construction worker was just inside the door on a ladder.  I peeked in and asked what the projected opening date was.  He laughed and said he didn't know.  Then, he asked another guy, who also laughed and said he didn't know.  After having themselves a good chuckle, they asked a third guy, who also laughed but said mid-June.....2007 (joking). So, it looks like two more months or so.  Can't wait...

Any news on the retail space attthe corner of East 4th & Prospect (the Sincere Building)

^Don't you think we would've told you if we knew?  sheesh!

^Don't you think we would've told you if we knew?  sheesh!

 

lol

Today it looked like Jimmy John's is open on Euclid or about to open day now. The last time I saw it was several months ago, and I don't know why, but it looks a lot different than I imagined it would look from the outside.

Jimmy Johns opens May 15. The transformation of that building has been amaizing, it was a huge eyesore a few years ago. I wonder if they have leased out the space next door. It appears that a rennovation is underway.

hot.  I saw some people in there this morning and it looked about ready to open.  let's hope the grand openings spread!

Does anyone know what the hours at this Jimmy John's are?  I have been craving a Beach Club for a while and I'm going to the cavs game tonight and want to grab a sandwich on my way home.  Man I miss Jimmy Johns.

Does anyone know what the hours at this Jimmy John's are?  I have been craving a Beach Club for a while and I'm going to the cavs game tonight and want to grab a sandwich on my way home.  Man I miss Jimmy Johns.

 

I was excited about Jimmy John's as well...in Bowling Green they were open until 4am and delivered right up until they closed. It looks like the one downtown is catering to downtown workers. They are only open Mon-Sat 11am - 7pm. :(

Ok, that sucks.  Much like the arcades being closed to the public on Saturdays and Sundays when people are Downtown for Tribe games and want to show their friends around before and after the games and maybe grab a bite to eat or whatever.

 

I'm all for people carrying around post-it notes that read "I would've spent money here, but you were closed"  You can fill in the time and date as it pertains to each note you leave.  That way, when the manager comes in on Monday morning to open the shop, they'll be welcomed by notes that remind them that there are actually customers afoot when they're closed! 

 

That, and all up and down E. 4th, we could leave notes that say, "I was really in the mood to buy some clothes/shoes/records/assorted goods today, but there are no shops here, so oh well, I guess I'll go to the mall or something."

The demolition of the two-story eyesore next to Flannery's on Prospect/E.4th has begun.  It was discussed in another thread at some point, but I couldn't find it.  I think this building used to house a jewelry store, but I'm not totally sure.  Anyways, when you combine this soon to be empty parcel with the one directly adjacent to Flannery's, you actually have a pretty good sized lot--more than I originally thought.  It could be perfect for a new residential building down the road.

If the residential component is what is driving this district, then I think that's a possibility. 

Ok, that sucks.  Much like the arcades being closed to the public on Saturdays and Sundays when people are Downtown for Tribe games and want to show their friends around before and after the games and maybe grab a bite to eat or whatever.

 

I'm all for people carrying around post-it notes that read "I would've spent money here, but you were closed"  You can fill in the time and date as it pertains to each note you leave.  That way, when the manager comes in on Monday morning to open the shop, they'll be welcomed by notes that remind them that there are actually customers afoot when they're closed! 

 

That, and all up and down E. 4th, we could leave notes that say, "I was really in the mood to buy some clothes/shoes/records/assorted goods today, but there are no shops here, so oh well, I guess I'll go to the mall or something."

 

I think i'll actually try that sometime.

This is off topic from E.4th, but Jimmy Johns is going in the old Big Fun space in Coventry too.

I remeber hearing that Flannery's was contemplating an expansion in the space where Read's jewlery store was (the demolished building) . Did anyone else hear that?

Man I hope that now-enlarged lot gets filled quickly.  It's not exactly the parking lot on Public Square but I do hate to see that kind of gap in the city's densest building mass.  Wasn't there a plan for townhouses in the back of that lot some time back?  Sounds weird, I know, but I swear I read it some years ago.

 

I'm really not a grit-romanticizer, but I confess that part of me misses the old E. 4th Street...it's kind of like someone found the last cool old downtown street so now it has to be celebrated and decorated and called out instead of it just being...there.  I hate to say it but it's kind of like what you might see in a sun belt downtown (my bogey-man).  Maybe that's the price of actually getting some tenants in those cool old buildings.

I remeber hearing that Flannery's was contemplating an expansion in the space where Read's jewlery store was (the demolished building) . Did anyone else hear that?

 

I've heard the same thing, but I may have been the source of that in the first place.  I haven't heard anything to verify it lately either.  I hope they do something with the lot though.

 

Straphanger, the townhouses you heard of may have been connected to the WT Grant redevelopment.  There are townhouses built on top of some old warehouse space back along that alley, on the other side from and to the north of the parking lot behind the HOB.

 

And I agree with you about the old East 4th St. having been cooler.  I would have liked for them to have left the street as is and just brought new businesses and residents in.  But I think that they thought the bump outs were necessary for adding patio space to attract restaurants.

By the way Jimmy John's openned yesterday about mid-day. At first I was taking the Trolley around all over the place for the first time, but then when the weather was nice I began walking. I was all over the place looking for a summer job. A good number of people were inside by 4 PM or so. Lola's doesn't look to me like it will open for another month or so. Didn't look like there was much activity at all at Corner Alley. Oh, I remember seeing some kind of sign in the window above corner alley. I forget what it said, but it gave me the impression a new bar or restaurant would be going in above Corner Alley. Phantasy just down Prospect doesn't look like it is anywhere near being complete by July 1.

I was excited about Jimmy John's as well...in Bowling Green they were open until 4am and delivered right up until they closed. It looks like the one downtown is catering to downtown workers. They are only open Mon-Sat 11am - 7pm. :(

 

I ate here 2 nights ago.  The food is good and seemed to be doing a brisk business at 6:45pm.  The limited hours are no good and neither is the delivery area.  I was told that they only deliver between E.9 and Ontario and Prospect and St. Clair.  There isn't much residential in that big block, so i guess this place is planning on doing more corporate business, as the hours suggest. 

What's Phantasy?

 

As for Jimmy John's, 7 p.m. is lousy but at least it's not closing at 2 or 3 p.m., as a lot of downtown restaurants do. I'd love to be able to grab a quick bite for dinner sometimes at Teahouse Noodles or Dave's Cosmic Subs -- but no dice!

^Phantasy One...see the random cleveland developments thread...

Found this buried in the Taste section of the PD yesterday:

 

They will open . . .

 

There is much talk and more rumors over when, if ever, Lola Bistro and Swingos' Grand Tavern will open. Last week, I talked with the owners of both businesses. I caught Michael Symon at his and wife Liz's Tremont restaurant, Lolita. Symon at first didn't want to give yet another date for when Lola would open, on East Fourth Street in Cleveland. He has been announcing opening dates since the beginning of the year and is more exasperated that Lola hasn't opened than any of the restaurant's fans.

 

There have been incredible construction delays and other lags resulting from operating in a National Historic District. Going out on a limb once again, Symon said he hopes to have Lola open sometime between the end of June and mid-July.

thanks for the update

What's this Swingo's Grand Tavern?

No one here would be interested -- it's going to be out in Avon Lake.

ewwww...gross!

What's this Swingo's Grand Tavern?

 

No one here would be interested -- it's going to be out in Avon Lake.

 

Indeed, and not only is it in Avon Lake, it is going in a typical suburban strip mall next to a Tops. It is also planning on going for a casual and reasonably-priced fare concept. I have no idea why it was mentioned in conjunction with Lola.

2 Hour Event To Kick Off A Summer Of Street Life In Downtown Cleveland

E. 4th Street To Shut Down Thursday June 1st, 5:30 – 8:00 pm For Public Celebration

 

 

Cleveland, OH – In an effort to rally Greater Cleveland around the thrill of downtown’s Street Beats concert series, Sparx in the City and E. 4th Street Neighborhood have combined forces with Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer’s BRAIN GAIN to host a one-night block party that’s FREE and open to the public. On Thursday, June 1st from 5:30 – 8:00 pm, E. 4th Street (between Prospect and Euclid Avenues) will be open only to foot traffic so that crowds can enjoy live entertainment, a cash beer bar and affordable food samplings from E. 4th Street eateries.

 

Area restaurants, including Flannery’s, House of Blues and Pickwick & Frolic, will have satellite food stations outside of their front doors, selling samples of their menu items to passersby. Live music and dance will take place on the open street by select groups from Northeast Ohio, including the head-turning 2% Milk. This duo of turntable musicians, DJ Doc and Ryan Lott, create ambient beats while artist Stacy Chech paints on large canvases with her bare hands and feet. The blend of funky sounds with live colorful painting is a stimulating, 3-way improvisation. Other acts placed along the sidewalks include the SAFMOD Percussion Unit, 216 Beatriders break dancers, Morrisondance performers with masks by Scott Radke, one-man band Hal Walker, and stilt dancers Aaron Bonk, Xan Underhill, Hope Schulz, Zoe Schulz and Aaron Rapljenovic.

 

June 1st represents the first of 28 Street Beats concerts that Sparx in the City has planned for the entire summer. Half the shows will take place on Thursdays from 5:30 – 7:30 pm on E. 4th Street or at W. 6th & St. Clair in the Warehouse District. The other half will take place on Fridays from 12 – 2 pm at Star Plaza in the Theater District or in front of Tower City at Public Square. All shows will move to nearby indoor locations in the event of rain. An entire summer schedule is attached here and can be found at www.cleveland.com/sparx.

 

Sparx in the City is a downtown marketing initiative designed to stimulate commerce and street life in Cleveland by way of showcasing the talents of regional artists. It operates under the auspices of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, through a network of over 50 corporate, organizational, governmental, association and media partnerships. Now in its fourth year, Sparx in the City’s marketing services also include the management of Ohio’s largest art walk in September --The Sparx Gallery Hop, as well as the development of Cleveland’s first-ever guide of Cleveland Galleries. Featuring full listings and maps of over 100 galleries, studios, art walks and festivals that exist across 11 art districts in Cleveland, the second issue of Cleveland Galleries will be unveiled at this event on June 1st, thanks to the publisher, Cleveland Magazine.

 

Sparx in the City is presented by National City and receives additional support from The Cuyahoga County Commissioners, The Cleveland Foundation, Dominion, The George Gund Foundation, The Downtown Cleveland Alliance, Marc’s, The John P. Murphy Foundation, Forest City Enterprises, Medical Mutual, The Cleveland Theater District, FirstEnergy, The Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland and The Wolpert Foundation.

 

Media sponsors include 107.3 The Wave, WKYC-TV3, Cleveland Magazine, Cleveland.com, and The Plain Dealer.

 

- 30 -

Hummm....I find it odd that Sparx would leave out the avenue district/Galleria area.

Hummm....I find it odd that Sparx would leave out the avenue district/Galleria area.

 

Well, there isn't much of a "there" there yet, ya know?