November 9, 201410 yr Why compare U of M with CSU? imho comparisons of cities, neighborhoods, campuses, etc. are basically "open season." Someone chooses to be in a big city, tiny village, etc. - the person is the consistency and one can always try comparing. Exploring how various communities differ and have things in common gets extremely, extremely fascinating!
January 21, 201510 yr Went by the new construction on Euclid while I was at CSU yesterday... looks like the building is almost completed.
January 21, 201510 yr ^Wait, is that gray stuff the finished facade material? If so, it's one of the most depressing, featureless buildings I've ever seen along Euclid. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 21, 201510 yr The rendering shows the façade to be a lot lighter than the gray, but that huge featureless wall appears to be pretty much it. I have never like this building (I believe the consensus on the board) and the reality of it is making me even less of a fan. Hopefully it will look better finished.
January 21, 201510 yr I'll wait for confirmation before I freak out, but yeah, if that's what this thing is really going to look like, it's an abomination. Up there with the casino garage on my list of least favorite things to happen downtown in recent years.
January 21, 201510 yr Maybe the school can install some type of banner over the wall, or a large screen in the future... other than that, yeah, it's not the best new build on the street.
January 21, 201510 yr Big blank wall it is: City Planning Commission Agenda for September 6, 2013 DF2013-058 - Center for Innovation in the Health Professions Conceptual Approval Project Location: Euclid Avenue and East 22nd Street Project Representative: Justin Fliegel, Stantec http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2013/09062013/index.php EDIT: This last image looks like a campus masterplan since the stuff north of Payne and the Inner Belt lane threading doesn't yet exist.......
January 21, 201510 yr ^Wait, is that gray stuff the finished facade material? If so, it's one of the most depressing, featureless buildings I've ever seen along Euclid. So far it kinda reminds me of a small, boxy version of the Death Star. [edit] On second glance, it's obviously a joint project between three equally terrible architects.
January 21, 201510 yr ^^I'll never understand how CSU went from the type of site plan shown in that old master plan to what we ended up with. Even aside from the craptastic architecture of this building, the idiocy of paying money to buy out the land owners at the NW corner of the site, demolishing functioning businesses that had fit well in a college neighborhood, and replacing them in part with empty lawn just depresses me.
January 21, 201510 yr ^^I'll never understand how CSU went from the type of site plan shown in that old master plan to what we ended up with. Even aside from the craptastic architecture of this building, the idiocy of paying money to buy out the land owners at the NW corner of the site, demolishing functioning businesses that had fit well in a college neighborhood, and replacing them in part with empty lawn just depresses me. Unfortunately - that appears to be the finished exterior. Cleveland State University trustees agree to Mather Mansion renovation and enrollment goals: Five things to know http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/01/cleveland_state_university_tru_1.html#incart_river 2. CSU's new building is now the Center for Innovation in Medical Professions. After months of deliberation, the word "Health" was changed to "Medical" to reflect CSU's partnership with the Northeast Ohio Medical University and the perhaps draw more interest for naming rights, CSU officials said. The exterior of the building, between East 21st and 22nd streets and Euclid and Prospect avenues, is completed. The move into the building is planned for June 15 and classes will begin this fall.
January 21, 201510 yr I don't think that's the finished exterior. The renderings have some sort of brickwork or textured cladding on them, and it looks like there's metal framing going up all over the building. I'm guessing they'll attach the final cladding to that.
January 21, 201510 yr ^It's the education school, just east of Fenn Tower. Definitely one of the better buildings on campus.
January 21, 201510 yr Ohh the glory days of decrying that building's courtyard and setbacks. If we had only known how good things were. :drunk:
January 21, 201510 yr ^^ Yes Julka Hall is definitely one of my favorites downtown. Lead designer was A J Montero who also is the lead for nuCLEus. v Yep. http://www.nbbj.com/work/cleveland-state-university-julka-hall/
January 22, 201510 yr ^^ Yes Julka Hall is definitely one of my favorites downtown. Lead designer was A J Montero who also is the lead for nuCLEus. So NBBJ was behind this?
January 22, 201510 yr The Center for Innovation fails on so many levels. Mainly it's arbitrary setback from Euclid Avenue. There is no interactive aspect to its surroundings.
January 22, 201510 yr Cleveland State University trustees agree to Mather Mansion renovation and enrollment goals: Five things to know By Karen Farkas, Northeast Ohio Media Group on January 21, 2015 at 1:13 PM, updated January 21, 2015 at 5:23 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio - The historic and beautiful Mather Mansion at Cleveland State University will host weddings and other events beginning this fall after undergoing a $2.2 million renovation approved Wednesday by trustees. Trustees also heard about enrollment strategies and updates to projects at their meeting. Following are five things to know: 1. Mather Mansion to be restored to glory. After trying for several years to turn one of the few surviving "Millionaires' Row" homes into a boutique hotel, officials decided last March to renovate the 43-room Tudor mansion for university use. MORE: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/01/cleveland_state_university_tru_1.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 23, 201510 yr You guys may hate the new Center for Innovation in Health Professions building (I don't totally share your sentiment), but I think we all can agree that Main Classroom looks a lot better now. They painted over the brick sections and added a glass pane for the Honors College signage. Also, there's a new illuminated "Main Classroom" sign out front. Edit: Here's an old (and bad quality) picture
January 23, 201510 yr The campus appears disjointed in its architectural choices. I am probably in the minority but I felt the original brutalist architecture was handsome in its details. The Main Classroom Building has had so many "earrings" attached to its original design which IMO stand out as additions. I know Cleveland State wants a more outward/approachable design but I wish they would limit the materials and style to be more harmonious. The Langston and The Euclid Commons are two designs which are prime examples of wrong choices. The Student Center and The Center for Innovation continue this trend. Until the architects embrace the original architecture of CSU the campus will continue to fight it's identity.
January 23, 201510 yr The campus appears disjointed in its architectural choices. I am probably in the minority but I felt the original brutalist architecture was handsome in its details. The Main Classroom Building has had so many "earrings" attached to its original design which IMO stand out as additions. I know Cleveland State wants a more outward/approachable design but I wish they would limit the materials and style to be more harmonious. The Langston and The Euclid Commons are two designs which are prime examples of wrong choices. The Student Center and The Center for Innovation continue this trend. Until the architects embrace the original architecture of CSU the campus will continue to fight it's identity. Architectural disjointment (is that a word?) is the same story on pretty much every college campus in America. The brutalist buildings on CSU's campus have now become the minority. CSU's identity is that it is urban and modern, thus I think the current architecture suits that well.
March 14, 201510 yr The exterior finish is in the process of going up on the CIMP. Pictures taken 3/12.
March 14, 201510 yr Every day I'm reminded of the irony that I'm majoring in Urban Planning.... at Cleveland State.
March 14, 201510 yr Every day I'm reminded of the irony that I'm majoring in Urban Planning.... at Cleveland State. It kind of seems fitting in that CSU's MUPPD is known to be less "design" focused than other planning programs in the state.
March 14, 201510 yr I think CSU's MUPPD graduate students should be added to the design teams of all CSU building projects. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 14, 201510 yr The first picture looks like a county jail or a building that holds cells for the Juvenile justice center.
March 14, 201510 yr The first picture looks like a county jail or a building that holds cells for the Juvenile justice center. Yes! I was thinking the exact same thing. It is so lifeless and horrible! Ahhhh :shoot:
March 14, 201510 yr The first picture looks like a county jail or a building that holds cells for the Juvenile justice center. Looks like a bad re-cladding of an old brick warehouse building to me...
March 14, 201510 yr Some people realize they have a passion for architecture some time in high school. Then they pursue higher education and spend years studying the trade and countless hours making designs. Then they have to prove they are skilled enough to hire. THEN THEY MAKE SHIT LIKE THIS. Why does this happen? I didn't study architecture, but at least I have some kind of vision for what looks good. It's crazy to me that so many people spend years studying it, and don't even know what good architecture looks like.
March 15, 201510 yr You guys may hate the new Center for Innovation in Health Professions building (I don't totally share your sentiment), but I think we all can agree that Main Classroom looks a lot better now. They painted over the brick sections and added a glass pane for the Honors College signage. Also, there's a new illuminated "Main Classroom" sign out front. Edit: Here's an old (and bad quality) picture wow that looks a bazillion times better. the signage is nice and painting over the brick really did it. i didn't think anything could ever be done with this hideous building outside of tearing it down, so that is just amazing.
March 15, 201510 yr Could a building be any more dead at street level? If a blind person feels their way along a building's wall and can't find at least a few windows and doors, then that building (er, bunker) is a nothing but a blank wall and the person is missing nothing by being blind. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 15, 201510 yr Could a building be any more dead at street level? If a blind person feels their way along a building's wall and can't find at least a few windows and doors, then that building (er, bunker) is a nothing but a blank wall and the person is missing nothing by being blind. This is a streetscape that screams "drive past here at 50 mph."
March 15, 201510 yr ^ Exactly. It doesn't help either that E 21 St north of Euclid is an underpass that goes under campus, is 3 or 4 lanes wide and is a one way street. Cars go way too fast down that street and it can be dangerous with having so many pedestrians in the area. The building's facade sure doesn't help to curtail that at all.
March 16, 201510 yr Could a building be any more dead at street level? If a blind person feels their way along a building's wall and can't find at least a few windows and doors, then that building (er, bunker) is a nothing but a blank wall and the person is missing nothing by being blind. Looks like a manufacturing plant.
March 16, 201510 yr Could a building be any more dead at street level? If a blind person feels their way along a building's wall and can't find at least a few windows and doors, then that building (er, bunker) is a nothing but a blank wall and the person is missing nothing by being blind. Looking at that pic the side and back a$$ of this building is just terrible.
March 16, 201510 yr The architects should be publicly ridiculed. I'll go buy the tomatoes now. UO needs a version of the Razzies for horrid architecture. This failure in design is like the "Battlefield Earth" or "Gigli" of buildings.
March 17, 201510 yr Is this the same building with the front lawn that everyone hated? I think the set back and the lawn isn't as bad as most people here said it was, but the general architecture of the building definitely made it all worse.
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