Posted October 22, 200618 yr Experts designing a plan for downtown Cleveland Proposed district would link vital assets Sunday, October 22, 2006 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter The art and profit of industrial design could make Cleveland the "Milan of the Midwest," two experts say. They are pitching political and corporate leaders on the "Cleveland District of Design," a 24-block swath east of downtown that would parlay consumer-product design into an economic engine. Under the concept, national showrooms would sprout along Euclid Avenue, while a related cluster of consumer product makers, designers, marketers and researchers would spin off jobs and innovation... more at: http://www.cleveland.com
October 22, 200618 yr This is such a great idea! I say, let's do it!! edit: ALSO. I work in the Halle Building, and when we go out to lunch, we walk by that little design cluster on Huron, and it's my favorite little section of downtown. Those storefronts are exactly what I think a city should be like. And when you cross 9th, you walk past Medical Mutual, and I really like their space, too.
October 23, 200618 yr That was my idea, and emailed the pitch to a number of people. Someone stole it, but I'm glad it is picking up speed.
October 23, 200618 yr Does anyone have access to the rendering that appeared in the PD article? Or other renderings for that matter?
October 23, 200618 yr That was my idea, and emailed the pitch to a number of people. Someone stole it, but I'm glad it is picking up speed. Did they, now? Interesting...
October 23, 200618 yr That's wonderful news! My business just re-located into this "district" at E. 33rd and Perkins, and I see a lot of potential all around, especially along Chester/Euclid!!
October 24, 200618 yr That was my idea, and emailed the pitch to a number of people. Someone stole it, but I'm glad it is picking up speed. How silly.
November 15, 200618 yr Hey all. This might be gaining a little steam...I love, love, love it. Get LeBron to make Nike join up, too. Maybe they can open a Nike Store on Euclid, too. Centenarian's legacy could bolster district Tuesday, November 14, 2006 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter A giant in industrial design wants to cast his shadow over Cleveland's nascent design district. Fresh off winning a National Medal of Arts from President Bush, Viktor Schreckengost, 100, and his family say they want his legacy to be a building block in the Cleveland District of Design, a job-generating cluster of consumer product design studios and showrooms proposed east of downtown. Schreckengost's nonprofit and retail ventures want space in the district, says Chip Nowacek, Schreckengost's stepson and executive director of the Schreckengost Foundation in Cleveland Heights... more at: http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1163497165106270.xml&coll=2
November 16, 200618 yr It is fabulous! We met with the local chapter of IDSA (Industrial Designers Society of America) yesterday at CIA and got some good feedback from young designers. Apparently, Ohio has more chapters than any other state in the US. On the downside, Rubbermaid is leaving town... Ned Hill was able to turn this into a potential opportunity, though, by indicating that some staff will certainly stay behind and could start their own businesses. We could see more product innovation and entrepreneurship as a result...sorta ironic!
November 28, 200618 yr Designer Showrooms in Cleveland The Sound of Ideas: Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 9:00 AM Imagine you're a buyer for, say, Crate and Barrel. You've got a buying trip coming up, and the place with all the designer showrooms is... Cleveland. It's a designer's dream and the possible future for a stretch of the city just east of Playhouse Square. Tuesday morning, we'll chat with the people helping to make it happen, and we'll hear why a Cleveland showroom makes sense from the business perspective, too. If you missed it (like I did), you can check out the archive at www.wcpn.org.
November 28, 200618 yr He and Dan Cuffaro have had meetings pretty much every day since this thing hit the papers a month ago. I've been to about a half-dozen of them, with audiences from community development folks, to CIA students, to industrial design and consumer product professionals, to the real estate investor community. If it's gonna happen, these are the people to make it!
November 28, 200618 yr Bad for me, but good for the city. I hope schools, designer (all industries), restaurants and hotels are all apart of the "designer" district thinking.
November 28, 200618 yr Why bad for you? All industries and players are welcome in the District (it's still a fairly abstract concept) and, in fact, they are all essential to it. Without the hotels/restaurants/schools/industry, we wouldn't have constructed the ideal district where it is. The only comment about there needing to be a more clearly defined set of parameters and players pertains to the whole agglomeration theory behind the district. We need to establish a critical mass in a very finite geographical area before the thing will purportedly "take off" and run itself. If 6 firms want to move in and choose unrelated locations within the roughly square mile area, then that doesn't really do much to establish a "place." If they all choose 14th & Euclid, then we'll have something!
November 29, 200618 yr He and Dan Cuffaro have had meetings pretty much every day since this thing hit the papers a month ago. I've been to about a half-dozen of them, with audiences from community development folks, to CIA students, to industrial design and consumer product professionals, to the real estate investor community. If it's gonna happen, these are the people to make it! Do you think they need volunteers?
January 25, 200718 yr New website: www.DistrictOfDesign.com Cool Cleveland feature: http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/video/DesignDistrict.wmv Levin College Forum event: http://www.urban.csuohio.edu/forum/events/01_26_07_design_district.shtml Friday, January 26, 2007 4:00-6:00 p.m. Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Glickman-Miller Hall, Atrium Presented by the Maxine Goodman Levin College Forum In Partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Art Program Northeast Ohio is home to many successful consumer product marketers and manufacturers. The collective resources of these companies represent a critical mass in manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution and most importantly research, development, and design. However, the region currently lacks a vibrant design culture that enables companies to be at the leading edge of new product development. Learn more about an exciting plan for a design district along Euclid Avenue in Cleveland that is being developed by Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Institute of Art, with support from the Cleveland Foundation's Civic Innovation Lab and working with a number of community partners. What progress has been made toward making the Design District a reality? What is its potential value and impact? How will it enhance Northeast Ohio's consumer products industry? Agenda * 3:30-4:00 p.m. Registration * 4:00-4:20 p.m. The Vision for the Design District * 4:20-5:30 p.m. Reactor Panel * 5:30-6:00 p.m. Questions and Discussion
January 26, 200718 yr This line bothered me..... .......However, this district is focused on consumer products (rather than architectural /decorating), Why half ass it? :x
January 27, 200718 yr This line bothered me..... .......However, this district is focused on consumer products (rather than architectural /decorating), Why half ass it? :x I don't see it as half assing it. Consumer products is just a different focus.
January 27, 200718 yr In the Cool Cleveland interview, Ned Hill mentions all the architectural firms in the area, so I don't think they are leaving them out at all.
January 28, 200718 yr Not really. We're heading into a "quiet" phase, where much of the real work be done. To MTS's comment, it's true that the focus is on the consumer products sector, because that's where Cleveland stands out. Architects, fashion, graphic, digital, and other designers will in no way be shunned. They just have to start somewhere with their heavy marketing and that will be with existing consumer products companies and industrial design firms.
January 28, 200718 yr MTS, where did you see/hear that line from? I cannot find it. From the DOD Website This line bothered me..... .......However, this district is focused on consumer products (rather than architectural /decorating), Why half ass it? I don't see it as half assing it. Consumer products is just a different focus. Yes it is. Why not give us the full monty?! Why can't I dash out to buy pillows, shoes and accessories, then dash over to a restaurant known for its design, not its chef, for brunch with boys, then take in the ambiance of buildings that compete and compliment each other from a design stand point...then retrun later that night for a spin around the club that has the cool urban architectual features not just pretty people??!! So to me...they are half assing it! :x :x Not really. We're heading into a "quiet" phase, where much of the real work be done. To MTS's comment, it's true that the focus is on the consumer products sector, because that's where Cleveland stands out. Architects, fashion, graphic, digital, and other designers will in no way be shunned. They just have to start somewhere with their heavy marketing and that will be with existing consumer products companies and industrial design firms. on mercantile be asked to relocate to the city? We'll they design & architectural firms; fashion showrooms; designers, decorators, art galleries, restaurants etc..etc..etc??
January 30, 200718 yr I attended the discussion and I thought the renderings belonged to the partnership Im jealous if the paper got it and I couldnt use it on my blog lol. Anyway, it seems like a great idea - someone above asked about do they need volunteers. That was one of the questions at the Forum. They said they are going into their 'quiet phase' focusing on getting the design brands on board and that it would help if everyone in the room (and presumably all of you who know about it) pass the info on and get the City talking about it. They really had no other volunteer ideas at the moment. I was impressed with the talent and enthusiasm. Of course like anything else, we will see if people want to move their design centers there.
January 30, 200718 yr Just re looked at the last comment. They said they did not want to reinvent the wheel. Our strong brands are in manufacturing, be it high tech like medical stints or paints or coffeemakers. So the focus is really on enhancing and increasing the forty brands of the top 100 (their quote not mine) in the Country.
January 30, 200718 yr I attended the discussion and I thought the renderings belonged to the partnership Im jealous if the paper got it and I couldnt use it on my blog lol. Anyway, it seems like a great idea - someone above asked about do they need volunteers. That was one of the questions at the Forum. They said they are going into their 'quiet phase' focusing on getting the design brands on board and that it would help if everyone in the room (and presumably all of you who know about it) pass the info on and get the City talking about it. They really had no other volunteer ideas at the moment. I was impressed with the talent and enthusiasm. Of course like anything else, we will see if people want to move their design centers there. Ned Hill is a very smart man. He's a tremendous asset for Cleveland.
January 30, 200718 yr what a great idea to coalese and promote this neighborhood around design. local is best, but here's a new japanese design store firm i just saw that is coming to the usa: muji -- get them in there for some international flavor for the district. kanpai!!!!! http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/midtown-west/moma-design-store-002467 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/magazine/09CONSUMED.html?ex=1263013200&en=4ca62baba1e584d6&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt
January 30, 200718 yr I'm not sure if people completely understand this. Its not going to be for your normal consumers.
January 30, 200718 yr but if the initial directive towards these consumer products showrooms targeting large buyers comes through, there will be spinoff that caters to the average (or elite, as the case may be!) shopper...no doubt about it.
January 30, 200718 yr ("perks with fervor" -- worst lead ever?) Product design district planners preparing real estate packages Saturday, January 27, 2007 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter John McCann perks with fervor at the idea of a downtown Cleveland showroom for his specialty coffee makers. McCann, president of Glenwillow-based Saeco USA, wants his firm to be among the first companies to help launch a consumer product design district near Playhouse Square. McCann says his company - and the dozens of buyers it hosts yearly - would benefit from the unified merchandising and design innovation that the "Cleveland District of Design" concept offers. "This is truly a cutting-edge idea," said McCann, among panelists who spoke to about 100 people Thursday at Cleveland State University's urban-affairs college... more at: http://www.cleveland.com
January 30, 200718 yr This is the first time I've heard public subsidies referred to as "likely." They had been shied away from since the beginning because this project was ideally going to prove that it was market driven. I'm not saying I'm surprised or that it's inappropriate to include them in the equation...just point it out.
January 30, 200718 yr Hmmm....showrooms with dozens of buyers? That'll at least double the current foot traffic on Euclid and result in lots of spin off activity. Sounds like a good use for our main street. I'm thinking this is a good concept, but is Euclid the best place for these showrooms? How much activity are they actually going to generate? How is this going to make CSU a better campus environment (wasn't this stretch supposed to be College Town)? How is this going to help make a critical mass of activity near Playhouse Square? edit: just noted that this is going to be west of college town, they must have moved it slightly, as I was under the impression that this would be directly across from CSU's campus.
January 31, 200718 yr but if the initial directive towards these consumer products showrooms targeting large buyers comes through, there will be spinoff that caters to the average (or elite, as the case may be!) shopper...no doubt about it. exactly, a design showroom district could have lots of ancillary spinoff around it, esp if as they say they are aiming high for world class. also, even the hardcore trade showplaces themselves are not always entirely just selling in bulk or just to the trade. saavy consumers can get in or just walk into some of them. finding out which ones is half the fun. i am thinking of the home designer shops and the garment district shops in manhattan or the chicago trade center. w'burg too has some combined studio, showroom and retail joints. it's an interesting & flexible idea for them to play around with in that nabe. sounds like a good plan to promote.
January 31, 200718 yr but if the initial directive towards these consumer products showrooms targeting large buyers comes through, there will be spinoff that caters to the average (or elite, as the case may be!) shopper...no doubt about it. I'm not sure if people completely understand this. Its not going to be for your normal consumers. ok! If you have enough money, and/or the proper connections, at a showroom you can get what you want. Its not always necessary to be certified. Lots of consumers go to showrooms to do research on their own, but need a designer/decorator to buy the product(s). and I hate to reveal one of my secrets, but showrooms often have sales on the products that they replace when the new models come in or the show room changes the display. In addition, lots of showrooms have "retail" days where anyone can come in and buy items.
January 31, 200718 yr Why does Cleveland get an industrial design district when UC has the 3rd best ID program in the country?! I'm starting an urban design district to show you all up.
January 31, 200718 yr Why does Cleveland get an industrial design district when UC has the 3rd best ID program in the country?! I'm starting an urban design district to show you all up. Because the fair people of cinci have no style! :-D
January 31, 200718 yr No the #$%^ you didn't!! I guess you guys have that rock'n'roll hall of fame...thing.
January 31, 200718 yr Why does Cleveland get an industrial design district when UC has the 3rd best ID program in the country?! I'm starting an urban design district to show you all up. Cleveland and Cincy are very similar in this regard. I remember hearing that the leaders of the Design District wanted to keep it quiet because they were afraid that Cincy would try to implement a similar idea first. (I haven't seen any rankings that put UC in the top 3. Where did you see that?)
January 31, 200718 yr No the #$%^ you didn't!! I guess you guys have that rock'n'roll hall of fame...thing. Oh, yes I #$%^ did! (snap)
January 31, 200718 yr Why does Cleveland get an industrial design district when UC has the 3rd best ID program in the country?! I'm starting an urban design district to show you all up. Cleveland and Cincy are very similar in this regard. I remember hearing that the leaders of the Design District wanted to keep it quiet because they were afraid that Cincy would try to implement a similar idea first. (I haven't seen any rankings that put UC in the top 3. Where did you see that?) The University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, commonly referred to as DAAP, is a college of the University of Cincinnati. Located in the university's main campus in Cincinnati, Ohio, DAAP is one of the most highly-ranked design schools in the US. For 2005, the graduate architecture program was ranked second in the nation after Harvard and ranked as the most innovative architecture program in the nation. The interior design program was ranked first in the nation, as well, in the annual survey of professionals conducted by DesignIntelligence. New to the list in 2005 was the school's Industrial Design program, making its way to the top of the list at #1, beating out the prestigious Art Center College of Design in California. The combination of these three top ranking disciplines gave the college of DAAP the title as the Best Art College in the nation. The University of Cincinnati was also the only public school listed in I.D. Magazine's list of the top ten design schools worldwide. Two of "The New York Five" architects are graduates of the University of Cincinnati's architecture program: Michael Graves and John Hejduk. Source: Wikipedia. The survey was done by DesignIntelligence. It was either ranked 2 or 3 in 2006, I can't remember where I saw it though.
January 31, 200718 yr I went to DAAP for my undergraduate degree and yes, it was amazing. I don't keep up with the rankings, but from the sound of things, both of these industrial design programs are "top notch" and their links to engineering and business programs at UC, CSU, Tri-C, & CWRU add to their marketability. The problem for both of these schools (DAAP & CIA) is that we're exporting a huge chunk of our design talent! ps: Ned Hill did mention during his presentation last week that he has been in communication with both OSU and UC. So, we can all be friends after all!
February 6, 200718 yr From wcpn http://www.wcpn.org/mc/vault/radio_features/0201design.html Cleveland Design District Has Momentum February 1, 2007 on 90.3 The Greater Cleveland Partnership, the Downtown Alliance and local real estate executives are meeting tomorrow to work out a strategic plan for what they hope will be the next big thing for Cleveland. Leaders behind a proposal to build a Design District in downtown say they are stunned by its momentum. ideastream's Mark Urycki has the story. Venture capitalist Bill Grimberg remembers the last time city leaders suddenly realized a special talent existed in the area. It was medicine and biotechnology. Grimberg told a conference at Cleveland State University that that discussion was in 1988. Bill Grimberg: Well, I submit to you, déjà vu all over again, we have the same opportunity here. The opportunity revolves around consumer product design - the artistic side of manufacturing that has long been taken for granted in Northeast Ohio. Two men came up with an idea to exploit the talent that is already here. One is Cleveland State's Vice President of Economic Development, Ned Hill. Ned Hill: This talent is the tip of the spear that is going to support tens of thousands of jobs in this region, and its really not only going to be that entire supply chain that is a jobs generator, but more importantly, it's going to be generating income and wealth which is sustainable. Hill and professor Daniel Cuffaro of the Cleveland Institute of Art came up with the idea. Cuffaro says Northeast Ohio has the assets to make it work - the history of the first Industrial design program, started at the CIA by Viktor Shreckengost. The talent and the expertise are all here - half of all the Industrial Design programs are within 300 miles, plus there all the product manufactures like Moen and Hoover and Step 2. Daniel Cuffaro: Consumers are paying for better design. And companies are beginning to respond, not only manufacturers but retailers, are beginning to see the value of design and investing in it. Just ask Northeast Ohio's Royal Appliance. They chose celebrity designer Karim Rashid to create their unusual hand vac the Dirt Devil Kone. Cuffarro and Hill say they want to make Cleveland the capital of consumer product development in the U.S.; they say, "the Milan of the Midwest." They started with goals related mostly to education but the one getting the most attention is to establish a design district around Euclid ave in downtown Cleveland. There are already design firms in that area so it makes sense to the city's economic development director, Brian Reilly. Brian Reilly: I think what it shows is you grow what you got. Who would have known that we are a center of excellence for American consumer product design? Well we are. In the district alone there are 100 companies, 1,400 employees. Let's find ways to build on that. The design district would be a cluster of companies that wholesalers or even retail customers could visit to see the latest ideas. Professor Hill says eight American cities have such districts but few are at street level for walk-in customers and no one focuses on consumer products. Cuffaro says it gives local companies an advantage. Daniel Cuffaro: Rather than a buyer flying into town, driving to an off-ramp in an anonymous suburb, they'll have a 15-minute drive to downtown Cleveland where they can one-stop shop for next year's product line. At the podium is Edward "Ned" Hill, Ph.D., Vice President for Economic Development, Cleveland State University. Panelists include: Ron Swinton, design student at The Cleveland Institute of Art; Daniel Cuffaro, Chair, Department of Industrial Design, The Cleveland Institute of Art; William Grimberg, Managing Partner, Consumer Innovation Partners; Laura Marshall, Director, Business Initiatives, ASM International; Brian A. Reilly, Director, Economic Development, City of Cleveland. That's why the CEO of Saeco USA, the Italian maker of espresso and coffee machines, says there in. John McCann says their American headquarters will remain in Glenwillow, near Solon, but Saeco needs a showroom for the many clients who fly in from other states and countries. John McCann: They'll see me, they might go down to Hoover, they'll go to Royal. Then they go across town because Calphalon is still in Toledo and All-Clad, a great company, is right outside of Pittsburgh and the president of All-Clad and myself are pretty good friends and we try to share those synergies. Well, this is an opportunity for me to say 'Why don't you put your showroom next to mine?' We can do some joint synergies that way too so, it's pretty exciting. McCann says a downtown location with other design firms is not only good for their clients, it allows them to test market to walk-in customers or to teach classes on making cappuccino, or even to repair their coffee machines. Saeco doesn't have a location yet but one organization has already moved in. ASM International is a professional and technical organization, once called the American Society of Metals. It's headquartered in a geodesic dome in Russel Township. But they wanted a location downtown so they could be a centralized resource for designers to learn about the latest materials. Laura Marshall of ASM says they already held one national conference at their new office - which happens to be upstairs from WCPN in the Idea Center at Playhouse Square. Laura Marshall: We bring a way to get the materials people to participate in the showroom concept, to participate in the design district. And then the educational outreach which allows designers to come to this region to learn about materials as well as the other services that Dan and Ned are talking about. Education is part of the idea. Hill and Cuffaro want engineering people from Case and Tri-C involved, they want the University of Akron's polymer connected involved, and they want Kent State's urban designers and fashion designers tied in. The CIA's Dan Cufarro said they trotted out the idea to companies talking about improving sales but instead, the business people immediately seized on the creative advantages. No one involved talks very long without using the word "synergy." Once the strategic plan for the design district is finalized , it'll be up to the design firms and real estate market to it a make it a reality. The CIA's Dan Cufarro believes it's getting grass root support. Daniel Cuffaro: There was a design-related biz located in the district was considering moving, there was a commercial real estate broker who said 'Hold on. You might not want to do that yet.' Some of Cuffaros's students at the Cleveland Institute of Art, two brothers just won a national design award from the American House-wares Association. They are now considering staying in Cleveland to set up shop in the district. Resources The District of Design, Cleveland
February 6, 200718 yr An editorial from the PD : The road back A design whose time has come Thursday, February 01, 2007 Greater Cleveland includes many con sumer products companies whose suc cess depends on industrial design. Think of kitchen and bathroom faucet maker Moen, headquartered in North Olmsted. Its slogan is "Buy it for looks. Buy it for life." Then there's Saeco USA, based in Glenwillow. The company doesn't just sell sleek coffee makers, but "Ideas with Passion."... more at: http://www.cleveland.com
March 1, 200718 yr So, a good friend of mine at Miami - an interior design major - has coincidently chosen a building within the design district for a conceptual project that is design-oriented. Her project fulfills her capstone requirement for graduation (a final project requirement that all Miami students must fulfill). She has chosen a building on Huron in Playhouse Square to become a fashion design institution, which would include fashion design classes, a retail store where students can sell their work, and a fashion museum. Her project then is to create the facade and interior space. It is entirely fictitious, but it could be kind of interesting to see, because its probably exactly the type of space a design district would have. It's funny though that she had no idea about the design district project in Cleveland. Its also kind of interesting that her professor didn't know about the design district project, and when she submitted her proposal the professor commented that it was a horrible location for the concept; but now it seems her project is more relative and credible.
March 1, 200718 yr Did the prof say why it was a horrible location for this concept? It would be interesting to know his reasoning.
Create an account or sign in to comment