Where is Virginia Marti (?sp) school right now?

It's on Detroit Avenue just west of West 117th Street in Lakewood. It's a small but growing and well-respected school. It's one of those little urban gems that adds to the terrific variety in the area.

Wow, what a cool coincidence, Vulpster!  Too bad her prof had no idea what he/she was talking about!  I'm actually about to forward that article to our friend from the Chicago Sun-Times.  She sounds like she's actually open to learning about what's going on in Cleveland.

Speaking of the Halle Building, there's some work going on inside the retail spot on the east side on Euclid closest to the Windham Hotel entrance. There used to be an Italian eaterie there, I believe. I'm not sure what they're doing. They've been at it for a couple months.

Did the prof say why it was a horrible location for this concept?  It would be interesting to know his reasoning.

 

Honestly, the professor probably just has no idea about Cleveland's assets that might lend to an emerging design industry there.

 

Keep in mind that though Miami University is in Ohio, the university is fairly oblivious to what goes on in Cleveland (even though many students come from the Cleveland area). Professors come from all different parts of the country like most universities. If they are familiar with anything regional it is more localized. They read the New York Times, and then the Cincinnati Enquirer. So, a lot of the professors at Miami are somewhat knowledgable Cincinnati, but have no idea about Cleveland. For example in my experience in poltical science classes and art classes at Miami, professors can routinely cite relative examples in Cincinnati, but never use Cleveland in case studies.

 

I think Miami may also be far less dedicated to local, regional, and state issues than other state schools. Everyone at the university consider themselves competitive on a national scale. They don't give much credit to Ohio, which is a shame considering they receive funding from the state.

There's no reason why this wouldn't work. Kent State has a very big fashion school, as well, and if the Industrial Design district were to take off and others were welcome, I could definitely see KSU setting up something downtown like this.

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.

 

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. 

 

If they think Cincinnati can impliment any idea first they don't know the city very well.

These companies should both have showrooms in the DoD. From Crain's.

 

 

Swept together

Hoover, Dirt Devil standoff dissolves as a single owner bonds the two and readies to refocus the brands 

 

By JOHN BOOTH

 

6:00 am, March 5, 2007

 

 

 

Theirs is a brand rivalry with Northeast Ohio roots stretching back nearly a century.

 

But now that Hoover and Dirt Devil are corporate siblings, their newly named parent company must get the iconic vacuum cleaner brands to play nice in the same room.

 

“This isn’t about reinvention. This is about refocusing,” said Dave Schiever, vice president of marketing for TTI Floor Care North America, which officially was formed Jan. 31 when Techtronic Industries Co. of Hong Kong finalized its $107 million purchase of Hoover Co. from Whirlpool Corp.

 

“Over the next few months, our immediate attention is establishing that clear and distinct position for both of those brands,” Mr. Schiever said.

 

Techtronic bought Dirt Devil maker Royal Appliance Manufacturing in May 2003. Royal’s Glenwillow headquarters will become TTI Floor Care’s center of operations.

 

 

Hoover, founded in 1908 in North Canton, built its reputation on upright and canister-style vacuums and carpet scrubbers. Royal, which dates to 1905, introduced the Dirt Devil brand in 1984 with the Dirt Devil Hand Vacuum. Both brands, though, have expanded their lines and put their products head to head over the years.

 

Mr. Schiever said those crossover efforts may have weakened the name power of both brands.

 

“As they’ve broadened their reach as it relates to product offerings, they’ve kind of gotten away from what the brands mean to consumers,” he said. “When that happens, you open the door to competitors.”

 

While Hoover and Dirt Devil have competing products across the board — both sell uprights, canisters, hand-helds, carpet scrubbers and stick-style vacuums — each still has bet the most chips on its historically strongest hands.

 

Dirt Devil’s biggest product launches over the past few years, for example, have been the hand-held Kone vacuum and a reintroduction of the Broom Vac, emphasizing its quick-and-easy philosophy.

 

And though both brands sell uprights, Dirt Devil’s uprights are mostly cheaper models than the $150 to $300 category-leading models upon which Hoover has built its reputation. Carpet steam cleaners and scrubbers also have been a Hoover stronghold.

 

Mr. Schiever doesn’t see either brand exiting a category outright as a result of the Hoover purchase.

 

“There’s a pretty clear differentiation in terms of where each (brand) has its strengths,” Mr. Schiever said. “When you look at today’s marketplace and the ratio (of Hoover and Dirt Devil products) on the shelves, there’s not an enormous amount of overlay. We believe there’s a way to position these products so that they are complementary to one another in growth, but also meaningful to broad segments of purchasers.”

 

While Mr. Schiever said boosting the brands will require “an investment in aggressive marketing,” it’s unclear whether the creation of TTI Floor Care will mean a shift in local advertising accounts.

 

Akhia Public Relations in Hudson and Wyse Advertising in Cleveland both do work for Royal and Dirt Devil, while Hoover’s agency of record is TWBA/Chiat/Day in Los Angeles, with retail marketing work handled by the Pittsburgh office of agency Ten United.

 

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll assess our opportunities from marketing and sales standpoints and look at our resources,” Mr. Schiever said. “Will there be (agency) changes? I don’t know.”

 

 

 

Two brands, one booth

 

The impact of the Hoover purchase also will be seen in an expansion at Glenwillow. Hoover’s research and development, currently handled in North Canton and overseas, will be moved alongside its Royal Appliance counterparts in a new R&D center that will house TTI Floor Care’s product designers and engineers. It is unknown how the move will affect Hoover’s North Canton work force, which includes 1,000 employees in research, manufacturing and distribution.

 

At this month’s International Home & Housewares Show, which begins March 11 in Chicago, the Dirt Devil and Hoover brands will be represented at a single booth.

 

“It’s really our first opportunity to sit down with our customers and some of the buyers’ management and shed light on what TTI intends to do with these brands,” Mr. Schiever said. “It’s certainly a much bigger task than what we’ve had in the past.”

 

For all the talk about Hoover and Dirt Devil meshing, though, TTI won’t take the step of creating a floor-care mash-up.

 

“There’s undoubtedly going to be some challenges in sorting through and making sure that what we end up with as a brand proposition is something that can remain differentiated between the two,” Mr. Schiever said. “You’re going to see the brands maintain their separate identities. They do stand for different things, and I think it would be a travesty to try and bring those two things together.”

 

It sounds like they'd only have one, if they decided to open a space in the district.

It sounds like they'd only have one, if they decided to open a space in the district.

 

Not sure, as most showrooms are set up by product line, not corporate ownership. I think its too early to tell.

I was in Cologne over the weekend, where there's something of an industrial design district along Hahnenstraße/Neumarkt/Cäcilienstraße.  I don't know if it was the rainy weather or the fact that it was the weekend, but there weren't many people going in and out of the stores. Also, the street(s) the district is on aren't as busy as Euclid.  It did look neat, though.  I can't remember if I took a picture or not... I'll have to dig around.

Where is Virginia Marti (?sp) school right now?

It's on Detroit Avenue just west of West 117th Street in Lakewood. It's a small but growing and well-respected school. It's one of those little urban gems that adds to the terrific variety in the area.

 

even more respected than you might think says my spouse who was tied into vm & the like when she worked in publishing. it's ohio's own mini-f.i.t.. as someone said kent has a good program too. for sure they both would need a prominent place in any design district.

 

sounds like univ of cinci should be in on this too, maybe get the student work up for display or something like that.

 

 

Where is Virginia Marti (?sp) school right now?

It's on Detroit Avenue just west of West 117th Street in Lakewood. It's a small but growing and well-respected school. It's one of those little urban gems that adds to the terrific variety in the area.

 

even more respected than you might think says my spouse who was tied into vm & the like when she worked in publishing. it's ohio's own mini-f.i.t.. as someone said kent has a good program too. for sure they both would need a prominent place in any design district.

 

sounds like univ of cinci should be in on this too, maybe get the student work up for display or something like that.

 

 

 

VM is good, but kent State is internationally recognized. and has lots of designers that donate, speak, and advise students.

 

i would love to see both locations in the design district.

Where is Virginia Marti (?sp) school right now?

It's on Detroit Avenue just west of West 117th Street in Lakewood. It's a small but growing and well-respected school. It's one of those little urban gems that adds to the terrific variety in the area.

 

 

sounds like univ of cinci should be in on this too, maybe get the student work up for display or something like that.

 

 

Well we do have a design district downtown on fourth street consisting of probably 6 firms(mostly architecture, uban design and graphic design) but its certainly not marketed as that; it just sort of happend organically I think.

Check it out:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=13176

 

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 12:00 PM

The Changing Face of Cleveland: Getting a Lift in Arts Districts

Dan Cuffaro, Dr. Ned Hill, and Matt Zone

 

http://www.cityclub.org/content/speakers/SpeakerDetail.aspx?spkID=5497

Off of the CSU front page:

 

Creating a District of Design in Cleveland

 

Cleveland: the Milan of the Midwest.

Euclid Avenue

 

That’s the premise behind the District of Design Project spearheaded by Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Institute of Art. But the focus is product design, not fashion.

 

The proposed district would be a concentrated area of downtown Cleveland with wholesale consumer product showrooms, design studios and the infrastructure to support world-class design and product development.

 

Northeast Ohio possesses many of the key ingredients to be a leader in design and innovation, says Edward (Ned) Hill, Cleveland State vice president for economic development.

 

The region is home to more than 40 consumer product brands, some recognized nationally like InterDesign, Saeco, Moen, Step2 and Royal Appliance. The downtown district already has more than 100 design-related businesses employing more than 1,400 people, as well as available live/work spaces and warehouses.

 

The industrial design program at the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) is considered one of the best in the nation, training some of the most sought-after talent in the industry. However, most graduates accept jobs outside Northeast Ohio.

 

And nearly half of all industrial design programs in the nation are within a 300-mile radius of Cleveland.

 

“Northeast Ohio lacks a vibrant design culture that enables companies to attract and retain top talent,” says Dr. Hill. “By fostering a design culture, drawing on regional assets and capitalizing on increasing design awareness, the region can position itself as a long-term leader in design and innovation, resulting in top-line revenue growth that will strengthen the regional economy.”

 

As envisioned, the District of Design would run from East 12th to East 36th streets and Prospect to St. Clair avenues. Its hub would be Euclid Avenue from Playhouse Square to Cleveland State, where national showrooms would be located and a related cluster of consumer product makers, designers, marketers and researchers would spin off jobs and innovation.

 

The district would leverage the region’s enormous expertise in consumer product design, research and development, marketing, manufacturing, sales and distribution, and create synergy among these sectors.

 

“The district would create a high-end experience for wholesale and retail buyers who could peruse consumer products, stay nearby, and enjoy downtown entertainment and dining,” says Dan Cuffaro, chair and associate professor at CIA. “It would allow one-stop shopping for next year’s product line. Unlike the Merchandise Mart, a foreboding building in Chicago, the district would be open and accessible to consumers who could be tapped for product testing and market research.

 

“The district would be a neighborhood of design-related businesses that is walkable, connected and promotes synergy,” he adds.

 

Key to making the Design District a reality are consumer product companies willing to invest $100,000 to $200,000 in downtown showrooms and storefronts, and property owners willing to rent prime space to them. The city of Cleveland has compiled an inventory of available properties and talks with realtors are underway.

 

Reaction to the Design District has been favorable — from city and county officials, consumer product manufacturers, venture capitalists, and others. The Civic Innovation Lab, an affiliate of the Cleveland Foundation, has provided a $30,000 seed grant. Forest City Enterprises Inc. has expressed interest in the Halle Building serving as the district’s epicenter. And at the nearby Idea Center, ASM International (formerly the American Society of Metals) has established a satellite office that offers educational materials to product designers as well as room for a materials showroom.

 

The goal is to launch the district with six to 10 companies as initial partners.

 

“Design districts are nothing new; there are eight across the nation but they focus on fashion, furniture and interior design,” notes Dr. Hill. “This is an opportunity to establish Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as the capital of consumer product design in the nation.”

 

 

As a professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Viktor Schreckengost founded the first industrial design program in the nation.

 

Schreckengost, age 100, recently received the National Medal of Arts from President Bush.

 

Work by this “American da Vinci” is credited with having a $250 billion impact on the U.S. economy. His designs include the first mass-produced dinnerware and the cab-over-engine truck.

 

His Viktor Schreckengost Studios has expressed interest in the District of Design as a possible home for his vast archives.

White House Photo

2006 National Medal of Arts recipient and industrial designer Viktor Schreckengost accepts his award from President and Mrs. Bush in an Oval Office ceremony on November 9, 2006. Schreckengost's citation reads, "His fusion of elegance and practicality in industrial design led to remarkable innovations that have helped improve American life in countless ways."

 

White House photo by Paul Morse

 

 

The Schreckengost space was what I initially thought was going into the rehabbed retail location down Euclid... I guess I was wrong!

Promoters of design district to pitch idea in Sweden

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Tom Breckenridge

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Two college honchos prospecting for companies to join their proposed design district will take the hunt to the land of Saab cars and Ikea stores this week.

 

Edward "Ned" Hill and Daniel Cuffaro will embark on an 11-day swing through Sweden, eager to land companies and products that would lend an international flair to the Cleveland District of Design ...

 

... More at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/11870823938310.xml&coll=2

http://www.districtofdesign.com/

 

I searched but didn't see an actual "District of Design" thread. I was able to hear about this project along with the Gordon Square project this past summer at the City Club (for free  8-) ). It sounded pretty interesting and I wish that the local media covered it more. I had NO idea that so many industrial design firms were scattered throughout NEO. It sounds logical to move them to a central location.

 

So does anyone know of any new developments?

Any new developments?

I haven't heard a word in months. Of course, this could be due to the changing real estate market along Euclid Corridor ... waiting to see which buildings get preservation tax credits from the state, which get funds through the city's "First Five" program, etc.

(Found this article in a magazine called ID - The International Design Magazine. Has some interesting stuff, some bordering over-the-top from Hill and Cuffaro, but let's chalk that up to passionate vision. :) )

 

Q+A: Ned Hill & Daniel Cuffaro

www.id-mag.com/article/Ned-Hill-Daniel-Cuffaro

April 22, 2008

by Monica Khemsurov

 

Six years ago, Ned Hill, 56, VP for economic development at Cleveland State University, was researching ways to stimulate the city’s economy when he noticed that northeast Ohio was flush with consumer products companies. Hill and Daniel Cuffaro, 40, head of the industrial design department at the Cleveland Institute of Art, teamed up to create a full-service design district that they hope will transform downtown Cleveland into the new hub of American product development.

 

Why Cleveland as a center of the design industry? What about New York and San Francisco?

NH: If you look at the industrial design hot spots in the U.S., New York is dominated by entertainment and finance, Boston by education and health care, the Bay Area by IT and biotech, and Chicago by the sheer size of its economy. Cleveland’s the only place where design is front and center. Few regions have the depth of consumer product brands that we do, including Moen and Calphalon, and we have one of the country’s top five design institutions: The Cleveland Institute of Art. Cleveland’s the Milan of the Midwest, a gritty town supported by design.

 

What led you to build the District of Design?

NH: Dan’s students kept telling us they didn’t want to work in a cube farm off an exit ramp. They were taking jobs in Boston and San Francisco, sometimes for less money than they could have made in Cleveland, because of the lack of design culture here.

 

DC: Our idea was to build a complex of design showrooms and studios in downtown Cleveland. We’re not inventing a new industry here. We did a survey with Ned’s urban-planning students and found more than 100 existing design-related firms within a 20-block area: design studios, photography studios, printing, fabrication, architecture, papermaking—an incredible supply chain no one knew about. There was no interconnectivity among those resources, and none of them are on ground floors, so they’re kind of invisible.

 

You’re also encouraging regional companies to move in, but how will they benefit from renting space in a more expensive urban area?

NH: One company we’re negotiating with has 2 million square feet of production space in northeast Ohio; they’re considering a showroom in the District of Design. They want to attract interns, but students won’t come because the drive from the city is too long. They also have to bring in buyers from around the world, and their factory is an hour-long bus ride from any hotel.

 

DC: The District of Design is a way to streamline, so that instead of buyers driving all over northeast Ohio planning a product line, Cleveland would be a one-stop shop.

 

NH: For example, Nottingham Spirk, a huge local ID firm that developed the Crest Spin Brush, claims it has 50 CEOs a year coming through its design studios to work on new product ideas. ASM International, the materials resource, has two rapid-prototyping facilities in the District. A buyer could theoretically come in, work with Nottingham’s designers, select finishes, and get the product prototyped by ASM within 48 hours. It’s still hypothetical because we’re negotiating launch leases now, but the supply chain is sitting and waiting. The city has put up $2 million to help make this happen.

 

How close is the District to getting off the ground?

NH: We’re in negotiations with five companies, including coffee machine–maker Saeco and a multi-billion-dollar company we can’t name yet, which is enough to get this thing up and moving. Within two and a half years we should have 10 to 15 companies here. The coolest is led by two Amish businessmen, a father and son, who are organizing the Amish furniture companies in Ohio to come in as a collective and build a showroom and a place to collaborate with Dan’s students. It will secure the income of a community having difficulty making it through farming, and it’s possible a whole new vocabulary of Amish design will come out of this process.

 

Ned, your goal when you started this project was to improve the local economy. How will the District of Design do that?

NH: We can expect the first five companies to generate 50 new jobs, and there’s enough space for a tenfold increase over the 135 companies and 1,400 employees currently in the neighborhood. The District will make Cleveland an important contributor to the income of more than 40 consumer products companies in the region today, making it “sticky” and turning it into a talent magnet. In 10 years it could generate tens of thousands of jobs and provide Cleveland with a global economic reason for being.

 

DC: Cleveland doesn’t have a clear identity now except for river burns and rusty steel mills, though Viktor Schreckengost, who started the CIA’s school of design and passed away recently, spent his entire career here. Design has been in the DNA of Cleveland for a long time.

Nice find. The fact that they are naming company names makes me feel much more optimistic about this project.

Yeah. It definitely sounds like they're pretty serious about it.

Cleveland's District of Design moves beyond being a concept

Posted by Tom Breckenridge May 15, 2008 08:43AM

Categories: Breaking News, Economic development, Impact

 

 

The Cleveland District of Design is moving from promising concept to a proposal with meat.

 

Property owners around Playhouse Square gathered with prospective tenants Wednesday evening to hear the latest on creating a world-class district of consumer-product showrooms and design centers on downtown's eastern flank.

 

First proposed in 2006 by two college honchos, the idea went into a quiet phase.

 

Playhouse Square's real estate management group prospected for ground-level showrooms along Euclid Avenue, centered at the plaza at Huron Road and Euclid Avenue...

 

 

more at: http://www.cleveland.com

The district also will reach out to high schoolers. Jane Addams High School and Cuyahoga Community College plan to collaborate on an industrial-design program next school year, with the possibility of design-district tenants offering internships down the road.

 

the best part of the release.  Planting seeds for the future. I hope they are able to move showrooms from Mercantile road downtown and, wishful thinking, build a merchandise mart.

 

More visitors downtown and more "buyers" spending money to get to Cleveland and in Cleveland proper.

The picture included with the article:

 

Weird.

Really? I love it! I would love for it to come out looking like this.

All that stuff is there right now, except for the weird tree facade... and oh yeah, the showrooms and the people.  I would be beside myself if they could pull this off.  I have walked by that lifeless stretch by star plaza for far too long.

I'm guessing apartments for the upper floors. Looks good to me.

I love that tree on the facade.  I like the rendering.  Hopefully they can also find a way to clean all of the pollution off of the buildings.

 

I heard from someone working on the project that the District is also courting Little Tikes (from Hudson), Moen (North Olmsted), and Rubbermaid (Wooster).  Not sure if it was mentioned yet, but I'd thought I'd post it anyway.

I love that tree on the facade.  I like the rendering.  Hopefully they can also find a way to clean all of the pollution off of the buildings.

 

I heard from someone working on the project that the District is also courting Little Tikes (from Hudson), Moen (North Olmsted), and Rubbermaid (Wooster).  Not sure if it was mentioned yet, but I'd thought I'd post it anyway.

 

Although personally I'd be a lil upset if the showrooms on mercantile moved, but for the greater good, if they are downtown it will make for a great area.

I heard from someone working on the project that the District is also courting Little Tikes (from Hudson), Moen (North Olmsted), and Rubbermaid (Wooster).  Not sure if it was mentioned yet, but I'd thought I'd post it anyway.

 

I figured that Moen would be an ideal candidate.  And now if their competitor Delta Faucet is a candidate, then they really need to come to play. 

 

On another note, I think that it's good to see Kraftmaid (Middlefield, OH) in the candidate mix.  They're owned by Masco, a large corporation out of suburban Detroit (Taylor?, MI).  Masco owns a ton of brands in the kitchen and bath products sector, Delta Faucet being one of them.  Delta Faucet is headquartered out of Indianapolis, so maybe they've been brought into the fold because they heard of the idea through Kraftmaid/Masco?  If this takes off, it would be nice to see that continue and a few more Masco brands take up some showroom space.

This is awesome.

When I think about good design my first thought is always.......Apple Computers. 

IKEA, or I won't support the project!

 

I kid, I kid! Actually, I think they have a great list of potential tenants. The only "Round 1" tenant I think is missing is the obvious need for a showroom and boutique division of Cleveland Institute of Art (perhaps in association with the Schreckengost space). It's really necessary for the suppliers to see that Cleveland is graduating this very talented group of young designers ... and for young designers to get an opportunity to see that there are huge employment options here for them.

 

Now Round 2, I'd love to see them leverage the existing tenant base as more of a driving force for drawing tenants (beyond the "Hey, you can go to a theatre" hook). What about designers of lighting technology or theater seating having access to the 2nd largest theater complex in the country across the street? What about sound technology system / multimedia developers having access to a unique public radio/public television synergy in an incredibly tech-rich facility across the street? As the district moves east, what types of product designers would be most drawn to having proximity to a large collegiate base and a large urban university? And to the west, a density of financial institutions?

 

That kind of focused niche marketing could really make this exciting ... and could also be an incredible boon for drawing people on the demand side, not just the design firms. Want to experiment with cutting-edge ATM design? Move into Cleveland's financial district and tap into its great network of people working on lending institution design work. Interested in the newest developments in mobile and adaptable stages, and want to see audience reaction to this untested technology? Hold a focus group performance in one of our many lovely theaters. Etc., etc. :)

Great thoughts! Thanks for sharing.

IKEA, or I won't support the project!

 

I kid, I kid! Actually, I think they have a great list of potential tenants. The only "Round 1" tenant I think is missing is the obvious need for a showroom and boutique division of Cleveland Institute of Art (perhaps in association with the Schreckengost space). It's really necessary for the suppliers to see that Cleveland is graduating this very talented group of young designers ... and for young designers to get an opportunity to see that there are huge employment options here for them.

 

Now Round 2, I'd love to see them leverage the existing tenant base as more of a driving force for drawing tenants (beyond the "Hey, you can go to a theatre" hook). What about designers of lighting technology or theater seating having access to the 2nd largest theater complex in the country across the street? What about sound technology system / multimedia developers having access to a unique public radio/public television synergy in an incredibly tech-rich facility across the street? As the district moves east, what types of product designers would be most drawn to having proximity to a large collegiate base and a large urban university? And to the west, a density of financial institutions?

 

That kind of focused niche marketing could really make this exciting ... and could also be an incredible boon for drawing people on the demand side, not just the design firms. Want to experiment with cutting-edge ATM design? Move into Cleveland's financial district and tap into its great network of people working on lending institution design work. Interested in the newest developments in mobile and adaptable stages, and want to see audience reaction to this untested technology? Hold a focus group performance in one of our many lovely theaters. Etc., etc. :)

 

You need to find a way to reach out to the people making the DOD happen.  Seriously... great ideas.

Yes, Brilliant thinking 8shades.  I know you were one that agreed that Cleveland often doesn’t play up enough the “this is here”, “this happened here”, and “this was invented here” kind of things as well as take advantage of some of the amazing facilities that are there.

 

You’d think with Cuffaro involved that the CIA-student contributions would be a given…. 

 

Stretching the Industrial design concept, what about all the comic and cartoonists from/started in Cleveland and many still there.  Some are associated with CIA and American Greeting……Jerome Siegel and artist Joe Shuster (Superman), Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobes) Tom Batiuk (Funky Winkerbean), Tom Wilson (Ziggy), Harvey Pekar (American Splendor), Brian Keller Vaughan (series Y: The Last Man), Brian Michael Bendis (Marvel, Ultimate Spider Man), Tony Strobl (Donald Duck, contributions to Superman) etc..

 

Also with your ATM idea, Diebold is based there, the largest maker of ATM machines (as well as faulty voting systems)

   

 

Old World Amish craftsmen consider new world of marketing

Posted by Tom Breckenridge May 23, 2008 14:44PM

 

 

 

Ned Hill of cleveland State University fields questions from Amish furniture merchants he'd like to lure to the proposed District of Design, based at Playhouse Square.Amish businessman Roy Miller, his pointy beard filling an open collar, sat at one end of the table. Economics guru Ned Hill, a dark, two-piece suit accented with yellow tie, sat at the other.

Separated by 80 miles and a cultural chasm, these two men would likely never meet in a lifetime.

 

But on a recent morning in farm country, they and their colleagues sat together, drawn by design and the universal quest for profit and market share.

 

The Amish furniture makers want to go global. Hill and his colleague, Dan Cuffaro of the Cleveland Institute of Art, have a launching pad -- their plan for a District of Design, featuring consumer-product showrooms and design studios radiating from Playhouse Square...

 

 

more at: http://www.cleveland.com

Driving down w.25th I saw some Amish carpenters in full uniform working on something in front of Bar Cento. It would have been a good photo op or reality show premise.  With a tranny and a street preacher passing by it made me see how great the neighborhood really is.

Great discussion by Ned Hill regarding the future of the District of Design on Smart City Radio:  http://www.smartcityradio.com/smartcityradio/coming_up.cfm?showsmartcityID=405.  He said in there that leases are being sent out to prospective tenants.  This could really take shape in the not-too-distant future.

Design District in downtown Cleveland seeks to redesign the city's image

Synergy between the region's 40 consumer product companies and 100 design firms could result from a more visible design culture.

Monday, September 22, 2008

 

Cleveland, a city with a proud industrial history, will never be what it used to be. It has to find a new identity if it's going to survive. This time, instead of real estate developers, bankers, and politicians, a couple of college professors are leading the way. One is an expert in urban studies. The other, an industrial designer. They're spearheading Cleveland's Design District. WKSU's Vivian Goodman reports it's a bid to transform a decaying part of downtown into a showplace for the best new consumer products, an engine for economic development, and a talent magnet for young designers.

 

8 Minute Long audio - formats shown below

 

I thought it was interesting and it's worth the 8 minutes.

 

<a href="http://www.wksu.org/cgi-bin/raplay?news/daily/2008/08/04/23678.rm" class="copy10">Realplayer</a>

 

<a href="http://www.wksu.org/news/daily/2008/08/04/23678.mp3" class="copy10">MP3 Download</a>

 

http://www.wksu.org/news/listen/wm/news/daily/2008/08/04/23678.wma

 

http://www.wksu.org/news/story/22223

 

That is a good mp3 link .. nothing particularly new, although it kinda fleshes out some details a bit, which is cool.

 

It just sounds like both of these guys have a really good plan, and they're constantly working to move forward on this. Very exciting.

Saw something very interesting on my way home tonight... the "for sale" sign in the window of 1224 Huron Road, that has been there borderline forever is gone.  This space was definitely earmarked as part of the footprint of the District of Design... guess we'll have to see what happens.  Maybe soon we can get this thread moved from city discussion to projects and construction.  :)

 

also...  if you scour the list of grants handed out by the Cleveland and Gund Foundations that was posted around here somewhere the other day, you my find something else geared towards getting this project off the ground.  :wink:

Are you referring to the CUDC item?  If this fits there expansion needs, great, and good for Playhouse Square.  But I'm not going to get excited about shuffling around downtown tenants.  I'm waiting to hear the first announcement of a NEW tenant!

Maybe. :wink:  In all honesty I had heard some time ago that they were going to be taking the second floor of a particular building and that one of the DoD tennants would be taking the first floor.  I would think seeing the Cleveland Foundation giving them money to move confirms that.  Pair that with the sale of a DIFFERENT building in the DoD footprint and it looks to me like we are starting to see some movement.  Call it speculation based on an awful lot of supporting evidence.

Do you mean to say that they'd prefer to be located somewhere other than on top of a rowdy Winking Lizard?  :wink: