The large picture that has been posted of Cleveland State University is unfortunate.  Most of what is shown on the image was never built -- thank goodness!  CSU is arguably the best public urban university in the state with the most diverse campus population in Ohio.  The university recently announced a critical split which separates the college of arts from the college of sciences, thereby enabling significant growth at each college.

 

Several posters assert that there is a need for more residential and things to keep student's "stuck" there.  This is true, the university president realizes it, and is working hard for change.  In the next five years, the amount of surface parking on campus will shrink from twenty-five acres to eight acres.  This speaks to the type of campus that will be developed.  Many attempts will be made to open-up the Brutalist architecture of the 60's and 70's by reinforcing pedestrian connections and re-orienting the campus to reach outward into the city.  In addition, the university has begun to make deals with private developers to construct more housing.  The first project, currently under construction, is a conversion of the  1920's era 21 story Fenn Tower into student housing.  Much more housing is planned as well as a focus on providing better connections between  the campus and downtown.  Both the Euclid Corridor and Inner Belt Project will have unique and immense impacts on the campus.  Expect good, if not great things from CSU in the next five to ten years as it will quickly transform itself into a thriving urban neighborhood!

 

The master plan is here: http://www.csuohio.edu/campusmasterplan/

 

A campus map is here:  http://www.csuohio.edu/campusmap.html

I agree that CSU will eventually anchor a great urban neighborhood.  Its pretty unique too, in that not many cities can boast of a large university right on the edge of their downtown like that.  It will be great when they get a residential presence.

agreed, CSU has a great plan that will really bring dividends to both CSU itself and Cleveland.  The school is redefining its purpose and image and is finally striving to move beyond being an open enrollment commuter school.  The school is only "officially" around 40-41 years old (I think it became Cleveland State in 1964) and thus is relatively new compared to other Ohio publics, OSU being a prime example (est. 1870).

Any hope for a football team?

I think that would go a long way in building an identity for the school. 

I know the new rec center is starting soon.  Nice rec centersa really do lure students.

I really think alot of good things are in store for the csu area.  If you read the construction Dodge reports for that area, almost all the big downtown stuff (10 mill and up) are in that area.  The rec center is a huge step forward, and we know that is getting built.

in addition, all future new construction will be LEED certified.

http://www.usgbc.org/leed/leed_main.asp

 

CSU is  aiming for LEED gold with the new rec center.  for certain, it will feature both passive and active solar, though im not sure about any stormwater run-off management features.

nsc, what is a construction Dodge report?

X, I work for an engineering firm.  We subscribe to the Dodge reports.  They are fairly expensive however and ussually, eng. firms and construction are only eligible for them.  They tell you of upcoming projects, the status of them, the estimated dollar amount and a brief overview of the architecture.  This is a big part of how we generate business.

so what interesting [glow=red,2,300]projects [/glow]are on the [shadow=red,left]horizon[/shadow]?

CSU rec center, CSU admin bldg, CSU dorm hall, CSU Fenn Tower renovation, 18 story Apartment Bldg on W 3 and Lakeside and several others.

One of the hotter areas right now is Sandusky by 250 and 2

"18 story Apartment Bldg on W 3 and Lakeside"

 

:-o :-o :-o Stop the presses!!!

 

When you say West 3rd and Lakeside... do you mean the site formerly known as the proposed Doubletree Hotel location?

 

Dish, please!  :-)

"18 story Apartment Bldg on W 3 and Lakeside"

 

:-o :-o :-o Stop the presses!!!

 

When you say West 3rd and Lakeside... do you mean the site formerly known as the proposed Doubletree Hotel location?

 

Dish, please! :-)

 

god even your posts sound gay

Hey, better me than you or monte!  :-D

Caller, "you say what??"

 

What projects are going up downtown and the near downtown areas???? Give us the 4-1-1!!

 

 

  :clap:  :clap:  :banger:

I'm sorry that I asked you nsc, now you're going to be harrassed continually for updates!  Seriously though, that is really interesting that they have so much that others might not know about in there.  How do they compile it all?  Do architects submit their specs, or is it a book of RFP's?

Mostly architects and owners are the supliers of the information.  Now that 18 story downtown is kind of like the Pinnacle where they would add on to a 4 story building.  We will see how it evolves.  There is so much stuff out there that never pans out.  The positive aspect in the city however is the amount of large jobs (15 mill) that have been coming out in the past month.  No one really saw this coming.  Keep them coming and keep people working.

18+4?  Dorms in addition to Fenn Tower?  Several others?  Juicy juicy!  How expensive are Dodge reports again?

My sister used to get them when she worked for a construction contractor. She would share the information with me, and I would pass it along to other reporters at the newspaper when the projects weren't in the areas I cover. Unfortunately, the company she worked for was mobbed up and the owners went to prison last year. No more Dodge Reports for this guy....  :shoot:

 

KJP

a drawing of the new CSU Rec Center currently being built on Chester at E. 24

The drawing is looking south, thereby making the right side of the drawing E. 24.  the campus plan is really emphasizing connections, which is pretty obvious from this sketch.  on the other end of 24th, at euclid, will be the Fenn Tower dorms.

 

^thanks guv

Who did your sister work for KJP.

Are they building the rec center on top of a former park?

 

a drawing of the new CSU Rec Center currently being built on Chester at E. 24

The drawing is looking south, thereby making the right side of the drawing E. 24. the campus plan is really emphasizing connections, which is pretty obvious from this sketch. on the other end of 24th, at euclid, will be the Fenn Tower dorms.

 

No, there is alot of demo going in there including a dome.

A chinese guy and a white girl, how pc!

An ugly white girl, no less.  Truly progressive.

Im assuming most of you know about the now "on hold" District Park project going on in Downtown Cleveland.....

Pinnacle is looking very nice, walk by it everyday from the parking lot...  And what 18 story building is converting to apartments on w3 and lakeside?  Any future residents there may not be fond of the city jail coming out of the tunnel and ending up right on the doorstep of this new 18 story apartment building....

 

curious...

I believe the building is one that has a quiznos on the ground floor. 

They're popping a tower out of that?  If you could see my face it would look concerned.  Come to think of it, even if you can't see my face it looks concerned.  I think.  I don't have a mirror.

Alot of times, before someone sells a building, they will get a design for air rights reasons.  This basically means, lets desing something really tall and market this place as a potential tower.  Sometimes the building can or cannot support that.  But if it can, it was worth the $50,000 for the engineering.

I was pumped when I first saw the CSU master plan pages a few months back...because I'm considering coming back to Cleveland for grad school.  As an urban planner, though, I have placed a huge emphasis on the environment in which I choose to study.  I have been visiting campuses and attending classes and I have to say that someone who isn't particularly attached to Cleveland would likely cast CSU aside in a heartbeat in its current state.  I think that 20 years down the line, it will be aesthetically competitive, but right now, despite some new buildings, it still remains a very fragmented and ugly campus. 

 

They are moving in the right direction, but as they do it, so do other universities across the country.  Some are further ahead, but few appear to be behind.  On the top of the "good practice" sheet must be Portland State (Oregon) where they've just run a streetcar line through campus and created a wonderful new plaza in front of their urban affairs building...University of Cincinnati (check out postings here and the February '04 Metropolis Magazine spread)...and OSU.  University of Pennsylvania is Ivy League and appears to be staggering a bit, but they've got their new bookstore in and are working on a housing revival in the area.  PSU definitely stands out, though, especially in relation to CSU, since they're both directly contiguous to their downtowns. 

^ Where do you reside now MGD?

First, sorry about the Metropolis reference...it's actually February 2005...I still can't get used to that!

 

As for my present location...Brooklyn, NY

MGD, what specialization are you thinking about?  Have you looked at Kent's Urban Design Center?  Not much campus, but you're right in the middle of downtown.

I'm looking at an urban planning foundation with real estate development as a side concentration...CSU has this, but I was thinking that they might partner with the Kent CUDC for more of a design concentration.  My official campus visit is still pending!

 

anyone out there have an opinion of CSU's programs in this area?  (I'm planning on posting this elsewhere as well.)

I did my undergrad at CSU in Urban Studies with a concentration in Planning.  I found the faculty to be fantastic, the facilities to be horrid.  That was before the new glass palace that I've only been in twice was built.  It seems very nice.  The fellow students are, well, uneven.  But I think that is less of a problem at the graduate level.  I'm not sure if the partnership with Kent CUDC ever happened, they were talking about it when I was hunting for grad school.  But if I'd have done it, I would have been a guinea pig.  I chose UW in Seattle instead.

Mister Good Day,

 

I have applied to CSU to start next fall.  While I wish I could do a few of the concentrations, but I am most interested in real estate development.  Good luck with your decision.

 

 

I'll take some pictures of CSU construction projects while I'm visiting campus this week!  Updates on the way!

i just returned from portland and eugene.  here is a picture of Portland State's new Urban Affair building, plaza, and the streetcar line that runs right through it..  TOD done right.

]

^well, cool photo but that tod is not 'quite' right. they have the seattle's best coffee chain in there instead of the far superior peet's--lol!

 

 

True that, Peet's is better, but let's evaluate the equivalent at CSU...oh, wait, there isn't one!

 

I just got back from my visit to CSU and my assumptions were correct about campus...it needs LOTS of work.  Their master plan is great and ideally it will manifest itself over the next 10 years.  Honestly, being a state university helps this cause.  I don't know how many of your are keeping up with the U. of Cincinnati threads and development, but they've developed soooo much on and around their campus over the past 10 years.  CSU will get there, I'm confident. 

 

We might not have a "streetcar" running through campus, but we'll have a much more significant "bus rapid transit" project running right in front of our Urban Affairs building.  We'll post pictures of that in five years when it's done.

 

And as a neighborhood of Downtown, PSU is well-designed with a nice mix of retail, housing, green space, and institutional space...CSU is not yet there, but I feel will be BETTER than PSU when it's finished!  How's that for optimism???

 

In any case, they're my top two right now and here are my pictures from last week on campus...

 

 

 

 

CSU's architect's officehas a recently redesigned webpage with updated content in regards to current projects and their relative state of development (planning, design, construction, and completion)

http://www.csuohio.edu/architect/projects

 

in the fall of 2006, the eastern edge of the campus will have a significantly different look with three projects seeing completion.  the rec center (w/ green roof!), the renovation of fenn tower into a 450 bed dorm (some suites will be set-up as 2 level lofts! and the renovation of howe mansion and construction of an admin. bldg next door (the plaza in between will feature a landscaped connection south to prospect and the new construction will feature ground floor dining/retail)

 

also,  some interesting housing going up near CSU at E. 31 and Payne in the Mueller Electric Bldg. 

www.muellercondominiums.com

CSU's architect's officehas a recently redesigned webpage with updated content in regards to current projects and their relative state of development (planning, design, construction, and completion)

http://www.csuohio.edu/architect/projects

 

in the fall of 2006, the eastern edge of the campus will have a significantly different look with three projects seeing completion.  the rec center (w/ green roof!), the renovation of fenn tower into a 450 bed dorm (some suites will be set-up as 2 level lofts! and the renovation of howe mansion and construction of an admin. bldg next door (the plaza in between will feature a landscaped connection south to prospect and the new construction will feature ground floor dining/retail)

 

also,  some interesting housing going up near CSU at E. 31 and Payne in the Mueller Electric Bldg. 

www.muellercondominiums.com

 

I like, the condos.  I need to do a little exploring in the area.  I have no problem being a neighborhood pioneer!

There are a couple threads covering CSU, but I'm choosing this one for my current set of photos.  I spent about an hour during a recent October afternoon walking around, trying to capture signs of what campus has been like for years and what it is moving towards with future plans. 

 

The heart of campus is at E. 21st and Euclid.  Retail tenants (and many vacancies) line the south side of the street, while the "green ribbon" on the north side marks the division between CSU and the rest of the city.

Welcome to our University Center!  Anyone else find this unwelcoming?

The entranceway to the Science & Research building offers an attractive approach from Euclid Avenue:

Another example of the old model of CSU master planning, the green buffers between the main avenues and campus buildings, this on Chester:

Continuing east on Chester, we have our landmark Rhodes Tower:

And just east of that, the Main Classroom Building.  Both of these will be getting facelifts and majore rehabs in the near future:

 

The recently completed Central Commons is a prime example of the type of new interactive green space that CSU is developing:

One of several newer buildings on E. 18th Street, the College of Urban Affairs is the first building on campus east of Playhouse Square:

The biggest current construction project is the new recreation center at 24th and Chester:

 

 

Fenn Tower (rear) is also nearing completion and will offer exciting new places for on-campus students to live:

 

 

A couple examples of spinoff developments that conform well with the university's master plan:

 

1900 Euclid Avenue Lofts, recently rehabbed and an ideal location for students to live off-campus:

Another recent rehab, Tower Press, just a few blocks from campus, is home to many artists, and a cafe/gallery:

 

stay tuned for more!

They should have used these these guys (ones doing the new rec center) for the pinnacle its not even been a year I think and the whole exterior is almost done. Meanwhile we are stiill waiting on window pane 238

That's the difference between union and non-union construction.

The CSU Rec Center began construction in like June as far as I recall. I know that when I graduated in May, they still hadn't done more than tear down the old facility, as I was visiting the site daily. One of the fastest moving projects I've ever seen... They threw together the outer facade in a matter of a week or two.. as all the windows are already in place!

I agree. I am really surprised at how quickly the facade went up. 

YAY!!! I was wondering when this project would break ground. Say goodbye to one more surface parking lot on Euclid Avenue!

For those unfamiliar, this project will renovate historic Howe Mansion and build a new, no-setback administration building on the surface parking lot next door.

 

 

Topic: Parking Lot Closings and Updates

 

Construction of the CSU Parker Hannifin Building Renovation - New Administration Building begins Monday, November 7th with the closure of Parking Lot "V", located west of the Campus Book Store.  The project

renovates the existing Howe Mansion into one floor of Conferencing and two floors of Graduate College and Research Function Offices.  The project also creates a new 40,000 sf Administration Building with a shared plaza.  The project is scheduled to complete by December of 2006.

 

Construction of the Parker Hannifin Renovation - Administration Building will take 14 months.  During this time, access to Euclid Avenue from "D" Lot areas will be limited to sidewalks east of the CSU Campus Bookstore

near the Visitors Lot, or Prospect Ave to East 22nd Street.  Persons using Parking Lot "V" located west of the Bookstore and Howe Mansion are asked to discontinue use of this lot starting Monday Morning, November 7th.  For updates regarding the status of the Parker Hannifin Renovation - Administration Building and other University renovation and construction projects, please visit the Office of the University Architect webpage at http://www.csuohio.edu/architect/