Just a quick question--though the street name purists among us may like it--I'm working on a project and trying to figure something out. Is it Martin Luther King Jr "Drive" or "Blvd"? On the city's GIS maps, it seems to show MLK as "Blvd" North of E 105 to the Lake, but MKL "Drive" south of 105th to Chester.

 

Does it really change names when you cross 105th? or did the whole thing change recently from one to the other, but some lingering parts of the old name exist? From memory, I always thought it was "Drive", but checked to be completely sure--now i'm not sure at all!

The old name is actually "Liberty Blvd."  That can be a discussion for another thread.

ah yes! I haven't heard that for years--but you've removed it from the recesses of my mind.

Interesting...

 

 

80-Year-Old Cleveland Activist Will Walk and 'Tweet' 250 Miles

 

CLEVELAND, April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On May 1, 80-year-old community activist Joan Southgate of Cleveland, Ohio, plans to "complete the circle" she began in 2002 by walking 250 miles from St. Catharines, Ontario, to Cleveland's Cozad-Bates House.

 

In her journey to honor the conductors and fugitives brought together along the Underground Railroad, Southgate walked 519 miles in 2002 and 2003 from the one-time anti-slavery stronghold of Ripley in southern Ohio to Cleveland and on to Canada.

 

In May, Southgate will again take to the road to raise money for Restore Cleveland Hope Inc., a grassroots community group that grew out of the enthusiasm for her inspirational walk and has expanded into a non-profit organization that presents educational workshops and intergenerational programs. Since its founding in 2003, RCH has worked passionately to save the Cozad-Bates House, the only pre-Civil War-era building still standing in Cleveland's cultural and educational district of University Circle. The group has been working to establish an Underground Railroad Education and Resource Center in the historic home.

 

Southgate's month-long walk is an effort to raise $250,000 for restoration of the home and RCH programming. As with her earlier walk, Southgate will talk to schoolchildren and community groups about the Underground Railroad, the nation's first integrated Civil Rights movement. She will stay with strangers and at churches along her route, which will take her along State Route 5 in New York and Pennsylvania and Ohio 84.

 

Embracing the technology of social networking to share her message, Southgate will share her experiences on Twitter. "Many people thought my first walk sounded like a crazy idea," Southgate said with a smile. "Now, I guess they'll call me 'Twitterpated.' I am excited to take to the road again and meet the many good people who are drawn to the Underground Railroad's example of individual acts of courage. Everyone should celebrate this story and understand what it has to teach us about what can be accomplished if we work together."

 

Southgate will kick off her walk with a blessing at 1 p.m. May 1 at the Salem Chapel in St. Catharines, which had been the Canadian refuge for celebrated Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, whom Southgate's family knew.

 

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-29-2009/0005015536&EDATE=

HOT!  Go Ms. Southgate!

HOT! Go Mr. Southgate!

 

MS. Southgate. :)

I rode my bike down through UC today, and I have to say, the building that is going up next to Euclid Tavern, while sited well, has one of the poorest constructed facades I've ever seen.  Precast concrete attached at uneven levels, clumsy vertical mullions, among other things.  Really looks terrible.

First time poster, long time lurker (deciding to change that...)

 

It's supposed to look like that...

From Litt's orginal write up about it

 

Instead of molding giant curves into the facade, Bostwick drew additional inspiration from the sound spectrographs, or voice-print diagrams, used by therapists at the hearing and speech center to diagnose speech patterns. In these diagrams, vertical bars are grouped in patterns to represent different kinds of sounds. Bostwick's design shows how he would create similar patterns on his facades by grouping together pre-cast panels of various widths and thicknesses to create vertical shadows as light passes across the facades.

 

Bostwick would also arrange vertical window mullions across the long "ribbon windows" on the building's main facades to create additional patterns similar to those of sound spectrographs. When they bunch together, the mullions will protrude from the facade in a more pronounced way to accentuate the voice-print effect.

 

You notice it more when you're farther away from the building, probably the best view of it is from the E. 120th RTA station platform. That being said, I wouldn't say they have exactly been successful with the idea. I think using precast panels with no, or few repeating sizes defeats the point of using precast.

I could get with the different sized precast panels if the differences in dimension were a bit more exagerated.  As it simply appears to be poorly constructed currently.  I'm thinking if Bostwick had to do it over again they would have utilized a different method in expressing this concept.

I agree. I work down the street and anytime I'm with someone that doesn't see it everyday their reaction amounts to 'Holy crap that is ugly!'

 

It also seems that the entrance with the storefront glass jogging around the columns is completely unresolved, if you see it in person. Bostwick has done some nice work, I rather like their CSU Law School addition + renovation, but this isn't living up to they type of work they are capable of doing. 

University Circle Design Review Board meets again this Thursday...no idea what's on their agenda this time. 

 

Here's the link to what they've approved/discussed in the past months:

 

http://www.universitycircle.org/uci.aspx?page=28

Forest City Tennis Club welcomes new tennis courts at Rockefeller Park

Posted by Robert L. Smith / Plain Dealer Reporter

May 22, 2009 20:31PM

 

When the tennis courts in Rockefeller Park reopen today -- with fresh nets stretched taut over a gleaming new surface -- no one will applaud louder than members of the Forest City Tennis Club.

 

What is believed to be America's oldest black tennis club has long played competitive tennis at the picturesque courts at East 105th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, until the courts became an embarrassment of disrepair...

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/05/forest_city_tennis_club_welcom.html

 

Very cool news for so many reasons.  BIG addition to University Circle, even if it's just going to be around 120 students:

 

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/new_high_school_in_university.html

 

New high school in University Circle combines Montessori education with the International Baccalaureate program

Posted by Edith Starzyk/Plain Dealer Reporter

June 01, 2009 09:00AM

 

Take one approach that encourages students to explore their interests in depth and at their own pace.

Add another that emphasizes an international perspective and rigorous exams and essays.

 

Then mix in the resources of more than a dozen museums, institutes and nonprofit organizations just a short walk away...

^Totally awesome.

I would love to see more of these. And I think keeping it small (120 students or less at each school) is a good idea.

^Pfft  :roll:, what kind of football team would they have with only 120 students.

 

KJP, you have to think before you post!

The kind that would actually pass an SAT.

The problem with schools like this is the prohibitive cost of tuition for most people.

^Schools like this, however, might make a difference with a family's decision to move to the suburbs or move to the city.  Provided the right amenities, a neighborhood with this type of school would benefit from the family's higher income.  This school will add to the Circle's draw.

^Schools like this, however, might make a difference with a family's decision to move to the suburbs or move to the city. Provided the right amenities, a neighborhood with this type of school would benefit from the family's higher income. This school will add to the Circle's draw.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong.  I think schools like this are a great amenity and can only do good for the area.  I just think sometimes people get to thinking that they are the solution to our country's educational problems.  They serve a wealthy minority of the population (or high level of intelligence if scholarhsips are offered), most of whom would succeed in whatever school they attended.

^For sure.  The School's pretty irrelevant for a vast majority of the current UC population, but further opens the door for those with means to live in the city and broaden its very skewed income base.

From the UC Design Review District: (http://www.universitycircle.org/uci.aspx?page=28)

 

Meeting agenda:

 

 

8:00 AM 1.  UCDD 09-004 Key Bank – New Bank Branch – Final Approval 2nd Review ©

1942 East 105th Street

Major Harrison – Brilliant Electric Sign

 

 

I guess that was the only thing to discuss and approve....

I'm guessing this will make a lot of people happy:

 

CLEVELAND -- There will be no fireworks but lots of celebrating on Thursday when the Cornell Road bridge, a vital link between Little Italy and University Circle, reopens to traffic.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/renewed_cornell_road_bridge_to.html

 

Two comments:

 

Per the article, CWRU and UH each had to kick in $40k for an "enhanced" aesthetic design.  Sort of pisses me off that without special sources of private local funding all you get is a bare bones utilitarian piece of crap that is miserable for pedestrians.  But happy the local institutions stepped up to the plate. Chris Ronayne: "And we have a design aesthetic that meets the world-class designs of University Circle and Little Italy."

 

Also, from the PD photo (and I've noticed this on the other new bridge), it looks like the main driving lanes are really, really wide for reasons I don't quite understand, but I don't think I like it.  I'm sure it added to the construction cost too.

Not exactly a development, per se, but some of the old UC wine-colored signs are being replaced with new silvertone/wine/navy signs that blend in well with the Healthline decor.

I'm guessing this will make a lot of people happy:

 

CLEVELAND -- There will be no fireworks but lots of celebrating on Thursday when the Cornell Road bridge, a vital link between Little Italy and University Circle, reopens to traffic.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/renewed_cornell_road_bridge_to.html

 

I'm with the cle.com posters on this one... why did this tiny bridge take 4.5 years to build?

^Really good question.  It must be tough to build over all those active rail lines, but it's not like bridges aren't built over active highways all the time.

Random (really random) thought.

 

now that I live in NOLA, I was thinking UC needs horse drawn carriage rides.  Down here the drivers are like tour guides (like Lolly the Trolley)  I think it would be great for tourists and some locals to have a slow guided tour of everything UC and Little Italy has to offer.

 

On a related note, time to get that Adderal prescription filled

I'd hate to be a horse pulling a carriage up Murray Hill!  Otherwise, not a bad idea.

I'm guessing this will make a lot of people happy:

 

CLEVELAND -- There will be no fireworks but lots of celebrating on Thursday when the Cornell Road bridge, a vital link between Little Italy and University Circle, reopens to traffic.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/renewed_cornell_road_bridge_to.html

 

I'm with the cle.com posters on this one... why did this tiny bridge take 4.5 years to build?

 

It didn't take 4.5 years to build. Read the article and you'll see that they are referring to the fact that it has been 4.5 years since both the Adelbert and Cornell bridges were last open together. Once they replaced Adelbert, they closed Cornell and began construction. Each bridge took about 2 years to build. The initial demo of the Adelbert bridge was delayed because the railroad (Conrail?) was very slow to agree to allowing demolition to occur over their tracks.

 

^ Sorry... you're correct, I got caught by a very misleading PD headline:

 

Renewed Cornell Road Bridge to reopen after being closed for four and a half years

Posted by Karen Farkas/Plain Dealer Reporter June 30, 2009 19:53PM

 

It's still disconcerting that it took 2.5 years (according to the body of the article, Cornell closed in 12/06). The idea that a RR could stonewall a public bridge repair near a major hospital is flatly outrageous.  If I don't want the road in front of my house worked on, tough cookie.  It's getting worked on.  Cornell Road's bridge took longer than the I-35 replacement and that's not acceptable.

^Yeah that headline is not just misleading, it is flat out wrong.

Man, that headline is beyond misleading--it is a LIE.

 

EDIT: you beat me to it ExSpectator

Oh man, I fell for that lying headline too.

327,

 

It can take a good long time to build a bridge. Add in the fact that there are two sets of rapid tracks and one set of rr tracks underneath the bridge--that amount of time is perfectly normal.

The Interstate 35 replacement took so little time because the feds waived the National Environmental Policy Act's applicability to this project. NEPA planning and environmental reviews typically add anywhere from three to 10 years to a project's timeline. I'm pretty sure I-35 was also done as a design-build which can be very expensive.

 

As for the Cornell bridge, let me pose the following. Imagine coordinating a meeting between at least four busy people, two of whom are from out of state:  reps from City of Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, CSX Transportation Inc. and Norfolk Southern Corp. (3231: Conrail was absorbed by CSX and NS in 1999). GCRTA, CSX, and NS each have two sets of tracks below the Cornell bridge. CSX (Jacksonville, Fl HQ) and NS (Norfolk, Va HQ) reps are extremely difficult to get to the table considering how many bridges, road crossings, etc. cross their tracks on massive systems (CSX has 23,000 route miles, NS has 21,000).

 

Then imagine getting GCRTA, CSX and NS to coordinate on multiple times when their rail lines have to be temporarily shut down for overhead construction. I'd hate to be the construction manager on that job!

Not sure if anyone went to the engagement, but my buddy went to something at UC yesterday and said the Maron's announced they have about 80% of the financing for the uptown project and hope to break ground by the winter of 2010 (not sure which).  He also said there Tudor Arms thing is proceeding as planned.  Sorry to be so vague, but it's all secondary info.  If anyone went, maybe they can provide better insight.

Uptown has it's own thread...

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,11359.0.html

 

 

Why did they tear up the sidewalk around Euclid and Mayfield?  If I'm not being clear, I mean the sitting area in front of Rascal, Chopstick, where UC offices are..  I'm assuming they are just redoing it, but didn't know if there was something else.

^watch over the next two months as a beautiful new plaza appears before your own eyes..

There is some steel up at the Circle 118 townhome project.  I really wish I had time to get out on foot, some of the new UC wayfinding signage is going in and looks pretty nice.  Also wish I could have gotten a pic of the new plaza mentioned above, there's a lot going on...

Anyone know how sales are going with Circle 118?

Notes from the July 16 UC Design review meeting: 

 

http://www.universitycircle.org/userfiles/file/Design%20District%20Agendas/Agenda%20071609.pdf

 

NOTE: University Circle falls into the Euclid Corridor Region as well: http://www.universitycircle.org/userfiles/file/Euclid%20Corridor%20region%20map%20small.jpg

 

 

Also, there's a UC summer photo contest as well:

 

http://www.universitycircle.org/uci.aspx?page=132

I noticed this morning on the drive in to downtown that they have started working on the Tudor Arms building at Carnegie and 105th.  Looks like they are tuckpointing and cleaning the stone on the eastern facade.  It's cleaning up very nicely.  I was surprised, however, to see work being done.  I know that the Marons had bought the building with plans to convert it to a hotel, but hadn't heard that any kind of renovation was imminent.  Anyone have any inside info?

Will try to get photo's of the area this week. One that we haven't discussed is the new Clinic building going up on Cedar and 100th.. it's pretty big.

Will try to get photo's of the area this week. One that we haven't discussed is the new Clinic building going up on Cedar and 100th.. it's pretty big.

 

I believe that is the Global Cardiovascular.  If I remember correctly, it is going to be 3 stories.

Was at East Cleveland Public Library this weekend, and on the way back, saw what appeared to be wood framing going up at Circle 118 ... quite a lot of movement on the site in just two weeks, really.

^I went past the site the other day and saw that 5 or 6 of the Circle 118 townhomes are under roof.  Good to see that Circle 118 and Coltman (See Little Italy thread) are forging ahead in this economy.

Yeah I went by today, they have the front units already framed out.  I know, I know pictures... well unfortunately my friggin' cameras batteries ran out.

For the first time in my life, I believe, there are 4 construction crane's in the sky at once in Cleveland, all in University Circle! 2 at the UH Cancer Center, 1 at VA, and now a new one has been constructed at the CMA. My big question is why there is an active crane at CMA if we're waiting till the end of the year to hear if the 2nd phase will take place. That to me, makes no sense.

 

So yeah, anyone got a vantage point of 4 crane's in one picture yet? It's possible to see all 4 from the corner of Euclid and MLK.

Oh, I suppOSE I can post something ;-)

 

 

Two on the left are for University Hospitals' new cancer center; small white one in the middle is for the art museum and the red one on the right is for the VA Hospital Cares tower.