October 11, 201113 yr Wow! I think it looks like an awesome plan. Totally exceeds my expectations. It's actually using leftover space instead of creating a gobs of new leftover space. I love that it leaves the old Freiberger site open to a future project rather than sprawling all over. Can't wait to see if and how they relate the building to Euclid via that open space east of Thwing. I'm going to guess that it's not the iconic front door building some people wanted, but I am really, really psyched. Did they really have to fill in the lagoon and plant it up with new trees though?
October 11, 201113 yr Ironic, I'm inside the KSL library right now looking out the window at the site...gonna be a nice game changer for Case Western. I'm a little bummed no bell tower. The sweeping views of the area would be incredible, not to mention the Downtown skyline is easy to see any above 4 stories in UC. I do like the footprint and overall interesting look. And having the eco-friendly look and functionally is a feather in the cap for the University.
October 11, 201113 yr I think it's a good plan given the site limitations (they can't build on top of the parking garage without spending megabucks). It's very interesting, distinctive, attractive and preserves the open space on the corner. Is something planned for that space? I thought that was where it was going to go, actually. And the eco-theme and appearance generally seems in tune with the direction of CWRU.
October 11, 201113 yr It is Circle Vista, and the Euclid address is the current address for Circle Vista. This is the New Circle Vistas project, as visible on the site map posted by Murray Hill. It received design review approvals more than 2 years ago and has been working on financing ever since. I believe that with financing in place, they are now wrapping up variances and what not to move forward. Also of note (didn't see it elsewhere on here, but I haven't looked everywhere...), the CircleEast Townhomes project broke ground last Friday on Euclid Ave/Lakeview. A formal groundbreaking ceremony will take place this Thursday at 4:00 on the site.
October 12, 201113 yr More momentum in University Circle. The Fenway Building will be going through a storefront renovation. An important gateway building. On the Landmarks Agenda; http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2011/10132011/index.php
October 12, 201113 yr More momentum in University Circle. The Fenway Building will be going through a storefront renovation. An important gateway building. On the Landmarks Agenda; http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2011/10132011/index.php Great to hear! thanks Side note, two more storefronts are getting filled in at the Euclid Ave-Cornell intersection....they are...drumroll...Subway and Tropical Smoothie Cafe (Subway in Commedore Building and TSC next to qdoba)
October 13, 201113 yr Regarding the "new" Doubletree Tudor Arms hotel, does anyone know why the hotel has been open over a month and the parking lot is STILL not paved? Any idea when new restaurants will be open? Are there any restaurants open there? Is the fact paved parking and other amenities are still lacking causing the management to charge somewhat lower rates than they would potentially charge? Seems like strange planning on their part.
October 13, 201113 yr Any idea when new restaurants will be open? Are there any restaurants open there? "Canopy' will be the restaurant -- Mediterranean. The bar is currently open with the full menu available. http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/devnews/tudorarmsrestaurant021711.aspx Their hummus is the best I've had in Cleveland. The owner is Syrian I believe.
October 16, 201113 yr This is a tough article to place....there is both a "VA Hospital" and "UH" thread. Please move if needed, but I'm going to throw it into UC thread since it talks about the area in general: I personally like walking past to new Seidman Cancer Center...not sure why the critisisms are so strong on this thing. A tale of two hospitals: Veterans Administration tower and Seidman Cancer Center, both designed by George Nikolajevich, produce different architectural results Published: Sunday, October 16, 2011, 6:00 AM By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer Cleveland’s University Circle district has suddenly become the setting of a dramatic architectural conundrum. The area boasts two large new hospital buildings, built at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, both designed by the same principal architect, George Nikolajevich of the Cannon Design office in St. Louis, Mo. The catch is that one of the buildings, the new $102 million CARES Tower of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center on East Boulevard at East 105th Street, has a pitch-perfect relationship to its urban surroundings and the overall medical campus into which it fits. The other one, the $260 million Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals on Euclid Avenue, looks so out of place that it produces a grating, nails-on-the-blackboard sense of visual discomfort. How is it possible that two buildings designed by the same architect are so different? The answer lies in the intense technical demands of hospital design, in which functional considerations such as the layout of a nursing station can end up driving the look and style of an entire building, even to the extent of determining how it affects the urban spaces around it. http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2011/10/a_tale_of_two_hospitals_vetera.html
October 16, 201113 yr ^Agreed, I dont know why people hate the thing. Also Litt is being a bit extreme in my opinion. "The other one, the $260 million Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals on Euclid Avenue, looks so out of place that it produces a grating, nails-on-the-blackboard sense of visual discomfort." "In this context, the Seidman Center looks arbitrary and disruptive, even garish. Its bulk and 10-story height are intimidating and overbearing. These qualities are amplified by the center’s scalpel-bright skin of steel and glass, which contrasts in a confusing way with the beige brick facades of the earlier generations of UH buildings, as well as the other surrounding structures. The abrupt shift of style and materials makes it look as if UH didn’t know how to build respectfully on its own past. At the same time, the building appears to strive for an iconic stature that it never quite achieves."
October 16, 201113 yr Believe Litt is spot on with both reviews. I personally love the VA. What UH did (cancer, garage and emergency) is just awful. Stick out like a sore thumb.
October 16, 201113 yr There are indeed some complaints at the VA with the functionality of CARES due to its curvy design.
October 16, 201113 yr I like both designs of the buildings especially the Seidman Center but I guess that's just me :?.
October 16, 201113 yr Guess we needed another rectangle brick building so that it would not stick out like a sore thumb. I for one am excited about the design. Should the Lewis Building be torn down and construction stopped on MOCA?
October 16, 201113 yr If I could search for a complaint it would be to have both buildings even taller :-D
October 16, 201113 yr ^^Either you did not read Litt's review or did not understand it. The major point is that the materials and design do not relate to the surroundings. I have always had a problem with the way the building relates to Euclid, or in my opinion fails to relate to Euclid. And the emergency room looks like a warehouse.
October 16, 201113 yr ^^Either you did not read Litt's review or did not understand it. The major point is that the materials and design do not relate to the surroundings. I have always had a problem with the way the building relates to Euclid, or in my opinion fails to relate to Euclid. And the emergency room looks like a warehouse. Exactly. Or how it doesnt relate to the rest of the hospital at all, on these things I agree totally.
October 16, 201113 yr ^^Either you did not read Litt's review or did not understand it. The major point is that the materials and design do not relate to the surroundings. I have always had a problem with the way the building relates to Euclid, or in my opinion fails to relate to Euclid. And the emergency room looks like a warehouse. Read it, understood it, I just disagree. I think it's fine to see some design imagination in Cleveland. Which is why I was happy it was not another rectangle brick building that fits in with the other brick buildings around it. I have seen modern buildings surrounded by older buildings in other cities. So maybe it is an architectural design faux pas, but I'm happy with it, and I guess so are some people at UH.
October 17, 201113 yr I've never been happy with the Seidman design. Every aspect and every curve seems random. The VA is interesting enough to be OK. In the end this modern glass swoopy style is too hit or miss.
October 17, 201113 yr Seidman is interesting to look at, but it's annoying in that when it's sunny, it's a powerful reflector on Euclid to the point of near-blindness. I don't hate it, though. I wonder what impact it has on the interior. For instance, I think the Peter B. Lewis building at Case is interesting from the outside, but the interior is just annoying, weird, and vacant and unused.
October 17, 201113 yr I think Siedman does a great job of bringing together the architectural styles seen at the Cleveland Clinic, and thus links the entire Health Corridor together with University Circle.
October 17, 201113 yr ^^Either you did not read Litt's review or did not understand it. The major point is that the materials and design do not relate to the surroundings. I have always had a problem with the way the building relates to Euclid, or in my opinion fails to relate to Euclid. And the emergency room looks like a warehouse. Read it, understood it, I just disagree. I think it's fine to see some design imagination in Cleveland. Which is why I was happy it was not another rectangle brick building that fits in with the other brick buildings around it. I have seen modern buildings surrounded by older buildings in other cities. So maybe it is an architectural design faux pas, but I'm happy with it, and I guess so are some people at UH. ^ ditto
October 17, 201113 yr Litt is a Nerd and the complaints about Siedman are pedestrian. As a big "Nerd", literally and figuratively, you're point is? Since Art is subject, I personally like the vast contrast. I've never been a "matchy-matchy" person when it comes to design, so I appreciate the random viewpoints.
October 17, 201113 yr I don't have a problem with the contrast, it simply sticks out like a sore thumb, and again completely ignores Euclid. I would have preferred more of a presence on Euclid, or at least something more interesting than that insipid ten feet of grass at the intersection with Cornell.
October 18, 201113 yr Anyone care to have lunch with Litt? http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/Item.action?id=143660285
October 19, 201113 yr He strikes fear in the hearts of those who have something to hide because he “smells evasion like a bloodhound,” - Awesome
October 24, 201113 yr Cleveland Museum of Natural History is moving the SmartHouse today! (let's wheel out a few houses from East Cleveland while we're at it before they get destroyed...) Moving the PNC SmartHome Northeast Ohio's first house built without a furnace and designed to meet passive house standards is slated to move from its temporary exhibit site on the grounds of the Museum to its permanent location at 11601 Wade Park Avenue, Cleveland, on October 24, 2011, beginning at 9:00 a.m. AA House Movers will move the SmartHome less than a mile to its permanent lot. The move is expected to take one working day, with the home's anticipated arrival at the site before 5:00 p.m. The SmartHome will be transported slowly – approximately 3 to 4 miles per hour – through the streets of University Circle. As the home is moved, utility crews will work to move and modify electrical, cable, telephone and fiber optic wires. One traffic signal at E. 115th Street and Wade Park Avenue will be moved. Parking along the route will be closed until after the SmartHome passes various sections of the route. Heavy rains or lightning may cause the move to be rescheduled. http://www.cmnh.org/site/AtTheMuseum/OnExhibit/PastExhibits/SmartHome/MovingSmartHome.aspx
October 24, 201113 yr Cleveland Museum of Natural History is moving the SmartHouse today! (let's wheel out a few houses from East Cleveland while we're at it before they get destroyed...) Moving the PNC SmartHome Northeast Ohio's first house built without a furnace and designed to meet passive house standards is slated to move from its temporary exhibit site on the grounds of the Museum to its permanent location at 11601 Wade Park Avenue, Cleveland, on October 24, 2011, beginning at 9:00 a.m. AA House Movers will move the SmartHome less than a mile to its permanent lot. The move is expected to take one working day, with the home's anticipated arrival at the site before 5:00 p.m. The SmartHome will be transported slowly – approximately 3 to 4 miles per hour – through the streets of University Circle. As the home is moved, utility crews will work to move and modify electrical, cable, telephone and fiber optic wires. One traffic signal at E. 115th Street and Wade Park Avenue will be moved. Parking along the route will be closed until after the SmartHome passes various sections of the route. Heavy rains or lightning may cause the move to be rescheduled. http://www.cmnh.org/site/AtTheMuseum/OnExhibit/PastExhibits/SmartHome/MovingSmartHome.aspx Wow, that's going to be quite a sight to see! I don't have a problem with the contrast, it simply sticks out like a sore thumb, and again completely ignores Euclid. I would have preferred more of a presence on Euclid, or at least something more interesting than that insipid ten feet of grass at the intersection with Cornell. I have yet to see it in person since it was completed, but FWIW, from the photos and my visits during constriction, I completely agree with you (and Litt) about the new hospital buildings. I really dislike the aesthetics of Seidman even as a stand-alone object, but I'm even more disappointed with its total indifference to Euclid. And nobody argued that Seidman had to look just like the other UH buildings- that is a total straw man.
October 26, 201113 yr I haven't seen this posted yet, so here goes..... http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2011/10272011/index.php East Boulevard Historic District University Tower-1575 East Boulevard Renovation "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 26, 201113 yr What is the building currently being used for? It's basically sitting right next to the new VA hospital addition. It almost looks like there is a pedestrian walkway (ground level) connecting the two buildings.
October 26, 201113 yr What is the building currently being used for? It's basically sitting right next to the new VA hospital addition. It almost looks like there is a pedestrian walkway (ground level) connecting the two buildings. It is subsidized housing for the disabled.
October 26, 201113 yr I believe they got an Ohio Historic Tax Credit to update A/C and other things, so it looks like they are finally getting started!! Can't wait until the other projects start as well.
October 26, 201113 yr I don't have a problem with the contrast, it simply sticks out like a sore thumb, and again completely ignores Euclid. I would have preferred more of a presence on Euclid, or at least something more interesting than that insipid ten feet of grass at the intersection with Cornell. I have yet to see it in person since it was completed, but FWIW, from the photos and my visits during constriction, I completely agree with you (and Litt) about the new hospital buildings. I really dislike the aesthetics of Seidman even as a stand-alone object, but I'm even more disappointed with its total indifference to Euclid. And nobody argued that Seidman had to look just like the other UH buildings- that is a total straw man. I don't think there is a 'total indifference' to Euclid. You can't really view the Seidman tower in isolation. You have to consider the totality of the masterplan and how that addresses Euclid. Seidman is just one component. IMO, I think UH is much more open to Euclid now than it was before they started construction.
October 26, 201113 yr The Seidman bulding is the only UH building anywhere near Euclid at this point, so I don't agree that the other changes to campus make that shear wall, fire exit and little planting strip any less disappointing. I wasn't expecting a Saks to built on that end of the building or anything, but I certainly could have imagined some more gestures to acknowledge its location on a premier part of our premier avenue. It's not keeping me up at night and other than the harsh reflections (I still dislike the building materials), I realize the aesthetics are subjective.
October 26, 201113 yr My problems with the way Siedman relates to Euclid continues as I just noticed something yesterday when I drove by. Even more insipid than the little grass plot are a couple of concrete paths than led to two weak little doors at either end of the Euclid side of the building (one with a bland little white railing next to it). They look like side doors to a medical office on Pearl Rd. in Parma Hts. built in the sixties.
October 26, 201113 yr Strap...well said and exactly my thougts, just articulated better. An important corner on Euclid that could have benefited from some sort of presense....I don't know what that could have been but....
October 26, 201113 yr Seidman doesn't 'relate to Euclid'.... but it does relate to this new front entrance (or whatever it is called) which, in turn, does open the campus up to Euclid. It's not an urban ethusiast's wet dream, for sure, but I think UH had other priorities (such as connectivity and functionality) to consider as well.
October 27, 201113 yr Regarding KJPs posting of the E 105 Master Plan -- can anyone speak to the "historic condo restoration district"? Who owns these right now? Looking them up online there isn't a lot of real information on the city's GIS map - and zillow doesn't have recent sales data that makes sense ($67k for a single condo, but the entire building for $115k) ? Are these privately owned?
October 27, 201113 yr ^Most, if not all, of these buildings have long been owned by a coop. Generally speaking, the tenants are retirement-age african, american middle class who have lived there for decades. A very good group of people. There have been some maintenance issues that the tenants/owners couldn't afford to pay for. Also, the nature of the ownership structure created some legal hurdles. I believe that some attorneys have stepped up and provided pro bono work to help them through. I also believe that the local cdc was able to help them get some grants.
October 27, 201113 yr ^Most, if not all, of these buildings have long been owned by a coop. Generally speaking, the tenants are retirement-age african, american middle class who have lived there for decades. A very good group of people. There have been some maintenance issues that the tenants/owners couldn't afford to pay for. Also, the nature of the ownership structure created some legal hurdles. I believe that some attorneys have stepped up and provided pro bono work to help them through. I also believe that the local cdc was able to help them get some grants. That's wonderful! If only we treated urban properties and their residents so kindly during the block-busting era of the 1950s-60s.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
October 27, 201113 yr Regarding KJPs posting of the E 105 Master Plan -- can anyone speak to the "historic condo restoration district"? Who owns these right now? Looking them up online there isn't a lot of real information on the city's GIS map - and zillow doesn't have recent sales data that makes sense ($67k for a single condo, but the entire building for $115k) ? Are these privately owned? Those apartments are HUGE, I know some people that live in those.
October 27, 201113 yr The old University circle area apartments are amazing. It's no wonder to me that rents are increasing. The ones beside Hessler are over 3000 per month for a 3 or 4 bedroom, but they are huge, beautiful, and so convenient.
October 28, 201113 yr That's hard to believe, unless there's something unusual about the features of the apartment and it's top-floor, and it has a roof deck...?
October 28, 201113 yr ^ $3000/month for a 3-4 bedroom apt? really? I dont think those apartments are that much. Although they are in the 2500 sq foot range.
October 28, 201113 yr The old University circle area apartments are amazing. It's no wonder to me that rents are increasing. The ones beside Hessler are over 3000 per month for a 3 or 4 bedroom, but they are huge, beautiful, and so convenient. Where is that info coming from? I don't think any apartment in the entire region is getting $3,000 per month.
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