^ Don't forget the B&G.  ;-)

I think you will always have a barrier to the west created by Ignatius.

 

Do you mean because the lack of retail on the north side of Lorain? what about a continuous flow of restaurants and shops using the south side of Lorain, across the street from Ignatius?

I think you will always have a barrier to the west created by Ignatius.

 

Do you mean because the lack of retail on the north side of Lorain? what about a continuous flow of restaurants and shops using the south side of Lorain, across the street from Ignatius?

 

Don't think it matters. You have enough of a break with St.Iggy's football field and the parking to the south that it keeps west 25th street shoppers from continuing their stroll west. Also, the storefronts aren't exactly enticing those shoppers anyway. By the time you get to a decent antique shop, you're almost at Fulton and may as well have driven.

As part of the $20 million Marketplace Development, the aluminum siding is being removed from the Former Athens Bakery building, and the original storefronts restored.

 

Where is this building located?

On the SE Corner of Lorain and West 26th.

 

 

Also, Room Service's new location on W. 25th opens on November 26th.  The made in the 216 event will be hosted in the new space this year between 11/26 and 12/24.  Details to follow...

Thank you!

Work has moved to the exterior on Alaturka, the new Turkish restaurant owned by the owners/operators of the Anatolia Cafe in Cleveland Heights.  The entire exterior of the building will be rehabbed.  Alaturka expects to be open in approximately 3-4 weeks.

Penzeys Spice in the United Bank Building is NOW OPEN for business.  It is in a beautiful space in the former lobby of the bank building which features a glass wall looking into what will be Crop Bistro.

 

2012 West 25th Street

 

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 7:00am-6:00pm

Tuesday and Thursday 10:00am-6:00pm

Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm

 

http://www.penzeys.com/

It's like a big contributor to this forum recently got a job at OCNW. ;)

Thanks also for the photo of the Psychic Reader shop opening. But I knew they were going to open there before they did.  :-D

Thanks also for the photo of the Psychic Reader shop opening. But I knew they were going to open there before they did. :-D

 

Tarot Card Readings by KJP?

Thanks also for the photo of the Psychic Reader shop opening. But I knew they were going to open there before they did.  ;D

 

Tarot Card Readings by KJP?

 

That or we found a replacement for Ms. Cleo!  Call me now! :D

Work continues at Alaturka it shouldn't be but 2-3 more weeks now until there is Turkish cuisine in Ohio City!

and a couple doors down Howard Hanna is completing their expansion into a neighboring storefront.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Market District work keeps moving along in restoring the storefronts at the former Athens Pastry Building, now a part of MRN's Marketplace development:

Awesome!  Thanks for the updates.

I'm really liking the new pain job on the future home of the Turkish place!  Thanks for the photos!

coming soon: sum place

from Cleveland Foodie by Michelle V

 

At 25, Hodgson is working on his second food truck, which will debut this spring and offer burgers, fries and shakes, and his first restaurant: Sum Place, which is slated to open May 1.

 

“I think I’m the youngest restaurateur in town, and I can say restaurateur because I now own three things,” he says with a big grin. “Yeah, I’m a little terrified.”

 

Sum Place, a name he says he picked because he wants to mess with drunk people, is going in the old Grind building on W. 25th in Ohio City next to where Crop Bistro is moving.

 

http://clevelandfoodie.com/2010/11/coming-soon-sum-place.html

The sign is up for Alaturka, and it looks pretty swank. Also, there is a chili restaurant called Palookaville opening up on the 3900 block of Lorain. It should be pretty cool, because I know the proprietor and went to a chili tasting last week. He is an artist and formerly ran a Cleveland alternative arts magazine called Pink Eye.

The sign is up for Alaturka, and it looks pretty swank. Also, there is a chili restaurant called Palookaville opening up on the 3900 block of Lorain. It should be pretty cool, because I know the proprietor and went to a chili tasting last week. He is an artist and formerly ran a Cleveland alternative arts magazine called Pink Eye.

 

They stopped doing pink eye?

On a cold and blustery day, work begins on a top to bottom exterior restoration of the All State Barber College Building in the Market District.  Work will include tuck pointing of brick, cleaning and restoration of stone work, along with new storefronts and signage.  The fire escapes on the western side of the building will also be cleaned, repaired, and painted.  This is a $100,000+ investment in the Neighborhood.

A very nice building with pristine brick/grout work.  Like the investment in keeping it that way.

When does room service open?

When does room service open?

It's already open! I popped in during it's opening party last Friday night

When does room service open?

It's already open! I popped in during it's opening party last Friday night

 

Awesome! How'd it look in the new location?

 

On a cold and blustery day, work begins on a top to bottom exterior restoration of the All State Barber College Building in the Market District.  Work will include tuck pointing of brick, cleaning and restoration of stone work, along with new storefronts and signage.  The fire escapes on the western side of the building will also be cleaned, repaired, and painted.  This is a $100,000+ investment in the Neighborhood.

 

Here is a picture of the wide portion of the terrific All State Barber bldg showing a lot of the features that will be repaired.

I think it is fantastic that this bldg is being rehabbed.

I also can think of about 4 really distressed ones in the Market District that would be on my wish list for renovation. 

 

 

 

This area is really gaining momentum, based in part on the 100th anniversary celebration for the WSM.  I hope it continues after that and doesn't flatten out.  It has so many key ingredients for a great neighborhood.

I mentioned earlier that a specialty Chili restaurant was coming to Ohio City on the 3900 block of Lorain.

I just learned earlier that the space next door will become a more upscale clothing exchange store called Rag Refinery (Opening in February).

I mentioned earlier that a specialty Chili restaurant was coming to Ohio City on the 3900 block of Lorain.

I just learned earlier that the space next door will become a more upscale clothing exchange store called Rag Refinery (Opening in February).

 

Thanks for the update Thurston Howell III

Nice to hear about things picking up around there. That area has so much potential. It could be one of the coolest neighborhoods anywhere. I mean how many neighborhoods have a skyline view, an amazing market place, and a transit stop? I would love to see some infill development in the future. I always thought it would be cool to have a building on the NW corning of Lorain & 26th with that section of 26th made into a pedestrian way to compliment Market Ave. Not to mention filling in 25th.

This is the kind of story that I hate to hear about. It's a story about dysfunctional government, the likes of which we absolutely cannot afford to tolerate in our city. It is reminiscent of the complete frustration that forced Sonny Bono to run for office in order to get through the b.s. of trying to cope with a corrupted and broken political process.

 

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/hostel-fire/Content?oid=2216133

 

I've been wondering what's been going on in the Culinary Market Building behind WSM...

 

 

la bamba tortilleria cooks up fresh tortillas, local jobs

"When Fiesta Guadalajara suddenly and unexpectedly went out of business a few years back, it left its local tortilla customers holding the bag..."

 

from: http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/labamba120210.aspx

 

This is the kind of story that I hate to hear about. It's a story about dysfunctional government, the likes of which we absolutely cannot afford to tolerate in our city. It is reminiscent of the complete frustration that forced Sonny Bono to run for office in order to get through the b.s. of trying to cope with a corrupted and broken political process.

 

http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/hostel-fire/Content?oid=2216133

 

From the article:

 

The strip of Franklin includes many gorgeously restored homes, in addition to the star-crossed Franklin Castle and several large old houses, like Lalich's, that have served for years as boarding houses. If one of them is allowed to circumvent the law, what will stop others from following? goes the logic of Cimperman and area residents, fearful that their recession-strafed houses will sink further in value.

 

Uh...  This isn't Bay Village.  There's already enough sketchy properties in the area -- boarding houses, drug rehab centers, etc.  The residents are worried that a halfway house will convert into... another halfway house?

Wow, pretty snazzy renderings on the landmarks agenda of a significant add-on to the old power station on W. 29th: http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/photo/12092010/index.php

 

Full set here: http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/photo/12092010/index.php#gallery

 

Google maps indicates it's home to Light Sculpture Works, but their website shows a Moreland Hills address (http://www.lightsculptureworks.com/).  Anyone know who's behind this project?

Wow, pretty snazzy renderings on the landmarks agenda of a significant add-on to the old power station on W. 29th: http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/photo/12092010/index.php

 

Yikes, nice to see some progressive architecture, but no need for that many different materials and colors on such a small scale.

 

Glad to see another one of Ohio City's commercial buildings getting some attention. This is around W. 32nd &  Lorain.

I don;t know if this is a stabilization thing or part of a full restoration, but I'll take it.

 

 

Looks good!

That's great!  For reference, here's the "before" picture:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=41.481709,-81.709619&spn=0,0.00327&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=41.481727,-81.709559&panoid=3waDqqQ405aQjQOUNYOmZg&cbp=12,312.89,,0,-9.47

 

A great building, glad to see it getting some love.

I went in and around it just a few days ago.. lemme tell you the building itself is not too bad. Progressive Urban has it on the market right now. Some cool spaces and beautiful paneling left. I will say though, that the "restoration" you are referring to is actually just a cheap way for the old owners to get under compliance so they can sell the property. It was done on the cheap, and poorly. Whoever gets it is going to have to spend a bit to bring it back to shape, (and re-do the work you see going on right now) but it is definitely a solid building if you have the dough.

Google maps indicates it's home to Light Sculpture Works, but their website shows a Moreland Hills address (http://www.lightsculptureworks.com/).  Anyone know who's behind this project?

 

The building was sold in fall. Light Sculpture had run a foundry out of the space in a addition to the refinishing they did on sculpture work, so there it was pretty messy in there. I am surprised the purchaser is doing significant buildout, as I had been told that their interest in the building was for storage. It is possibly significant that the space is adjacent to the ICA building.

 

In the meantime, the equipment of Light Sculpture has been moved to another space in the city. I am not certain if the business is back on its feet yet. Call them if you have a large bronze sculpture that needs a new patina or a commission that you need to pour. They do fantastic work. Examples include numerous sculptures in the cultural gardens and the tall green sculpture behind the library.

I am posting too early, double posted. I only meant to add that regarding ICA adjacency, it is possibly an art related entity, but not the ICA purchasing the building. To avoid rampant speculation.

If I'm looking at the right property, the auditor shows a transfer occurring September 10th to a Frederick Bidwell (which would make sense, as Planning described it as the "Bidwell Building". He's the Executive Chairman of JWT Action and a trustee of both CMA and Akron Art Museum, and it appears he's also launched Bidwell Projects (http://www.bidwellprojects.com/Bidwell_Projects/Home.html), related to his interests in art and particularly photography. Looking at the floor plans that call for a couple gallery spaces, I wonder if this might be a photography gallery?

This area really needs some new construction to draw in new renters/buyers.  I was there last week picking up some last min gifts from Penzey Spices in the large commercial building on the SW corner of Lorain & 25th.  The block behind it would be ideal to do some new construction of housing & aptmts.  Still walking distance to the RTA line & all the attractions in the area, without tearing down anything significant.  Looked to be several parking lots and very old homes of little architectural value.

This area really needs some new construction to draw in new renters/buyers.  I was there last week picking up some last min gifts from Penzey Spices in the large commercial building on the SW corner of Lorain & 25th.  The block behind it would be ideal to do some new construction of housing & aptmts.  Still walking distance to the RTA line & all the attractions in the area, without tearing down anything significant.  Looked to be several parking lots and very old homes of little architectural value.

 

You think "new" construction will do that?  why?

This area really needs some new construction to draw in new renters/buyers. I was there last week picking up some last min gifts from Penzey Spices in the large commercial building on the SW corner of Lorain & 25th. The block behind it would be ideal to do some new construction of housing & aptmts. Still walking distance to the RTA line & all the attractions in the area, without tearing down anything significant. Looked to be several parking lots and very old homes of little architectural value.

 

I agree. I was just in town a couple of times for the holidays and was thinking the same thing. I think some newer housing would create a more visual impact that this area is improving, not to mention put a more consistent presence on the streets and help day-to-day businesses. We all know the great amenities that Ohio City has, but it's still rough around the edges which could be a turn off to potential residents and investors. And quite frankly the neighborhood should be more dense considering that it's directly west of downtown and it has a transit stop.

 

Of course you do not want to tear down historic structures that could be renovated, but I see a good amount of houses and empty lots around there the could be replaced with modern townhomes or lofts. Apparently the demand is not there however, which this housing market only makes worse. Hopefully that changes over the next decade.

This area really needs some new construction to draw in new renters/buyers.  I was there last week picking up some last min gifts from Penzey Spices in the large commercial building on the SW corner of Lorain & 25th.  The block behind it would be ideal to do some new construction of housing & aptmts.  Still walking distance to the RTA line & all the attractions in the area, without tearing down anything significant.  Looked to be several parking lots and very old homes of little architectural value.

 

already plenty of residential there.  i think tearing down that strip mall and building up mixed use like fries & schuele would be a better way to go.  wishful thinking however....

You think "new" construction will do that? why?

 

Because too much has been torn down.  Ohio City needs apartment housing badly.  And a couple blocks of 25th street barely constitutes a "district" of any kind.     

I'd back just about any proposal that would tear down the strip mall and put in something street-approaching :)

 

That being said, there is ample land for new construction without tearing down existing and populated retail, regardless of how fugly it is. There is a crazy amount of surface parking right there ... somewhat understandably given the volume of people visiting WSM. If I were king developer, I'd love to see incremental in-fill to extend Market Ave., starting with the surface lot between West 26th and West 28th, then meandering down past the new biergarten to W. 24th St. and gradually moving northward to Bridge and the sales point for the urban farm. That'd be a sh*tload of new mixed use without having to tear down any structures.

 

But have to give credit where credit's due ... The CDC is doing a remarkable job of repopulating vacant storefronts and building energy toward the market's centennial. The more vibrant they can make the existing corridor, the more likely it becomes that the private sector will invest in infill.

^Unfortunately (for our purposes), my impression is that all that parking has very strong constituencies so is unlikely to go anywhere.  MRN is busy adding as much surface parking as it can to serve its properties at 25th and Lorain.  With that in mind, I'd think the strip center could be pretty near the top of the list for redevelopment :)  Might also be time to allow for some additional density in Duck Island.  The Abbey corridor looks terrible, considering how close it is to Market Square.