I know that this isn't construction-related, but I heard a rumor from a credible person that Chris Ronayne is positioning himself for a run in the next mayoral race.  Anyone else hear this?  :?

I know that this isn't construction-related, but I heard a rumor from a credible person that Chris Ronayne is positioning himself for a run in the next mayoral race.  Anyone else hear this?  :?

 

I would hope that he'd stay at UCI a little longer. He's made sweeping changes to that organization and he needs to see them through.

I like Chris doing what he's doing, but he's certainly got a right to run... I'd just like to keep the quality pros, like Ronayne, to stay doing what they're doing; the nuts & bolts stuff their trained to do; and love doing it.  He's great for UCI.  Plus, politics is such a dirty biz; I'm not sure he'd be as successful as w/ UCI and as planning director under Jane.

On my lunch hour stroll today, I saw some interesting work going on - the building that houses the Old Euclid Tavern and the one right next to it (across E. 117th from Mi Pueblo) definitely had work going on.  I was curious of course, so ventured across Euclid construction and what to my wondering eyes do appear:

 

The Euc is coming back!  As are the two storefronts next to it - only one had a sign 'Blue Fig - Cafe and Hookah Lounge' However, the most eastern building is definitely being restored .... old bar and all inside.  I didn't have my camera on me, but that's exciting.  I had heard rumors, but wasn't expecting anything to happen already.  Making good progress inside, too.

"I didn't have my camera on me"

 

Grrrr... :whip: J/K, that's great news!

"I didn't have my camera on me"

 

Grrrr... :whip: J/K, that's great news!

 

 

I'm sorry - living and working in University Circle, I should carry it with me at all times including work in order to fulfill my UO duties.  :laugh:

You really should. :)

 

I'm not sure if I like the idea of the Euclid being renovated, though. I hope they don't make it TOO nice. The reason I loved that place was because it was a divey hole in the wall kind of place, but it was also legendary.

Unfortunately they removed the sign outside a while ago, wish that could have been reused.  It was pretty sweet.

^ Yes, it was sweet. Hopefully they'll try and reproduce it.

I've never even been to a bar in NYC that comes close to how cool the Euclid was. Everything about it was grungy, but it wasn't MADE that way. It was authentically grungy. :)

Shoddy quality on the new one, but it was a drive-by and I couldn't get my chauffeur to slow down!

 

Before:

 

 

After:

 

That is pretty damn close if they recreated it, but it almost looks as though it was refurbished.  Either way, nice.

Mandel Center moves to new $11M home

 

By SHANNON MORTLAND

 

4:30 am, November 12, 2007

 

Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations has moved out of the basement and into a new, $11 million home.

 

The 26,000-square-foot building officially opened last week at 11402 Bellflower Road, though classes have been held there this fall while construction was completed, said Susan Lajoie Eagan, executive director of the Mandel Center. The project was financed largely with a $6.75 million gift from Cleveland’s Mandel Foundation, which has supported the Mandel Center since its inception in 1984.

 

Tall windows lining the front of the new building provide views of the campus from several angles and allow people on the street to see what’s happening inside the structure.

 

“We wanted to connect the indoor Case community with the outdoor Case community,” Dr. Lajoie Eagan said.

 

The student lounge on the building’s first floor resembles a living room with a working fireplace and overlooks a public courtyard that abuts surrounding apartment buildings. The courtyard was designed with an eye toward the neighborhood, which lost a public garden that existed on the land before the center was built, Dr. Lajoie Eagan said.

 

The second floor houses the administrative offices for the Mandel Center’s faculty and staff, some of whom previously were scattered across campus. The Mandel Center’s administrative offices previously were housed in the basement of the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center at 11206 Euclid Ave. and classes were held in various campus buildings, so the Mandel Center didn’t have a visible presence in the community.

 

“The image conveyed by having our administrative offices (in the basement) did not equate with our rank and stature,” Dr. Lajoie Eagan said.

 

The new offices also were designed to give faculty and staff plenty of places to meet. The second floor faculty lounge sits next to a rooftop garden with bench seating and the work spaces in the middle of the floor were designed in “quads” that have a universal meeting table in the middle.

 

“I didn’t want Dilbert cubicles,” Dr. Lajoie Eagan said.

^Anyone got some photos of the finished Mandel Center building?  From my drive and walk-bys while it was in progress, I think I kind of like it.  IIRC, Litt wasn't a big fan, but I can't find his article now.  I'm particularly interested to see how Case landscapes the stupid front lawn to de-suburbanize it.  I think Weatherhead has done a decent job with Dively and their remodeled mansion, but I remember thinking the MSAS building's front lawn was particularly lame.  Not really sure why Case feels the need to preserve this element of the nabe's suburban past...especially with what seems like the inevitable replacement of the old houses with bigger buildings (which is fine with me).

^Unless they let the community use it as a garden again. 

 

BTW, UCI's website now has an archive of past local Design Review agendas and has posted the current one at http://www.universitycircle.org/content/design_review_district.asp

^Unless they let the community use it as a garden again. 

 

That would be great- any chance this will happen?

 

By the way, the real estate development section on the UCI webpage is really exciting- wasn't expecting to see projects I hadn't even heard of! (like the E118 townhomes and Circle East.)  Any hot news re. any of these projects that aren't already discussed on these boards?  Any movement on the Upper Chester Project?

^considering a giant building sits where the garden was.......

^I thought MB was just referring to the front yard...but maybe I'm just a sucker...

That's what I was talking about, but it was pretty tongue-in-cheek.  I unfortunately missed the community meeting that was held in the Mandel Center two weeks ago.  I wonder if this was brought up?  Or at least the idea of having a new location for a garden?

Cool. Maybe someday this could evolve into a full-fledged branch location.

 

Hawken School to open learning center in University Circle

Thursday, December 06, 2007

 

Ellen Jan Kleinerman

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Suburban Hawken School plans to invest $3.5 million to open an urban-extension center in University Circle by 2009.

 

Classes emphasizing innovative hands-on learning and community service will be centered at 10924 Magnolia Drive, enabling the school to plug into the museums, music and medical centers in the area.

 

D. Scott Looney, Hawken's head of school, said a purchase agreement for $357,000 was signed Wednesday with the Western Reserve Historical Society for the now-vacant Ferris House. It will take about $1.5 million to renovate the 8,000-square-foot dwelling built in 1910. Another $1.6 million will be used to operate the center and develop courses...

 

 

more at:  http://www.cleveland.com

^Wow, that's fantastic.  Should be a bit more stimulating than the far eastern 'burbs.

 

Maybe a school can move back into the old Hathaway Brown building on E97th someday...if the Clinic doesn't level it first.

 

 

FYI, Hawken started out in the Circle area as well... on Ansel.  Not sure of the exact address.

^Indeed- it was between Wade Park and Hough somewhere, but in a little house I think, not a big stone palace.  And US wasn't too far either-in Hough I think.  Now when is the Diocese going to recreate the old Cathedral Latin?

University Circle employers will offer grants to attract residents

Employers, foundations to offer incentives to attract residents

Sunday, December 09, 2007/Tom Breckenridge/Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Community leaders want big growth in University Circle to mean big opportunities for struggling nearby neighborhoods.

 

So the circle's largest employers will join local foundations in offering $5 million in grants and forgivable loans over the next five years to employees who buy, rent or fix up dwellings in the area. It's part of a strategy called the Greater University Circle Initiative, led by the Cleveland Foundation.

 

The effort has the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals teaming with City Hall and other nonprofits in the circle to boost the stodgy district, and its surrounding neighborhoods...

 

 

more at:  http://www.cleveland.com

For most of the decade, University Circle has been booming with construction while downtown has stagnated.

 

What the f_ck does this have to do with anything in the article?  Can't the PD write a single article without needlessly sh_tting on their hometown?

It's never a good situation when someone with the biggest mouth is so uninformed.

From Litt's blog:

 

Philanthropists Peter and Toby Lewis hear updates about University Circle developments

Posted by Plain Dealer Architecture Critic Steven Litt December 19, 2007 14:56PM

Categories: City Planning

 

Peter B. Lewis, the iconoclastic insurance executive and philanthropist who once boycotted Cleveland charities, still loves the city enough to listen to a detailed report from people who would love to have some of his money for their projects.

 

Peter B. Lewis, shown in 2002 at the dedication of the Frank Gehry-designed building named for him at Case Western Reserve University, was back in Cleveland yesterday for a philanthropic update on projects in University Circle.

 

On Tuesday, Lewis and his ex-wife, Toby Lewis, listen to two hours of presentations about development plans in University Circle. The meeting, held at architect Frank Gehry's Peter B. Lewis Building at Case Western Reserve University, was initiated by the Lewises through their philanthropic advisor, Jennifer Frutchy. It was the first presentation of its kind in a year and a half...

 

 

more at:  http://www.cleveland.com

 

Oh would I have liked to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting...  But man that bootlicking must be tough to watch- the mofo better come through with some $.

Litt's Cleveland.com blog has a review of the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center's proposed new building for 117th and Euclid (presumably the northwest corner?): http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/

 

Doesn't look so bad.  Most importantly, it will be an actual multi-story zero-setback building on Euclid...a bit of a rarity.  Am curious how they will handle parking there though.

From the rendering, the building either has a slight setback, or an alley between it and the Euclid Tavern building. 

^Good eyes.  I assume it's just an alley or small gap- there doesn't seem to be any sort of sidewalk widening or "amenity strip" in front...then again, it's a pretty raw rendering, so tough to tell.  I'll scream if it's a setback.

As far as I am aware, the only setback will be a slight nudge at the corner of Euclid & E. 117th, which is necessary because of the ECTP's provision of wide turning radii at some intersections, this being one of them.

 

There is an alley between the proposed building and the Euc.  I believe it is on the Euc's property, but I'm not sure.

 

Parking will be in the rear for visitors (25 or so spaces) staff will park in CWRU's NRV garage, a half-block away.

 

I like the design.  I disagree with Litt about the lack of ambition and boldness in this design.  I think the progress from earlier stages to this one has been noticeable and wholly positive.  It's subjective at this point, though, so I'm not saying anyone is "wrong."

 

Keep an eye on the UCDD agenda (http://www.universitycircle.org/content/design_review_district.asp) for more intriguing agenda items...

Thanks.  Great news that this will take advantage of the existing parking structure rather than building yet more.

 

Keep an eye on the UCDD agenda (http://www.universitycircle.org/content/design_review_district.asp) for more intriguing agenda items...

 

Is this just general advice or a tease for something juicy on the near horizon?  No need to respond...I can be patient.  Doesn't look like the next agenda is posted yet, but I'll be checking the site regularly.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/01/greenhouse_experiment_to_use_l.html

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Greenhouse experiment to use liquid crystal windows

Posted by Peter Krouse January 08, 2008 22:41PM

Categories: Breaking News

GREEN INC.

A monthly look at companies embracing sustainability

 

The Cleveland Botanical Garden and Kent State University's Liquid Crystal Institute hope to create a smart greenhouse, one that manipulates sunlight to grow plants faster and with less energy.

 

project grew out of a discussion Natalie Ronayne had with her boss nearly two years ago when Ronayne was still the garden's chief operating officer. She's now executive director of the University Circle institution, which includes the 18,000-square-foot Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse.

 

The concern, Ronayne recalled, was how the garden could further reduce its large energy bill. That led them to a fuel cell advocate in town who then pointed the way to the Liquid Crystal Institute. ...

Is this just general advice or a tease for something juicy on the near horizon?  No need to respond...I can be patient.  Doesn't look like the next agenda is posted yet, but I'll be checking the site regularly.

 

This is general advice, as every project built in the recently formed district must go through the local design review before City Planning Commission.  As some of the more high-profile projects that we've all been talking about on here get revved up in 2008, they'll be making appearances on the UCDD agenda.  The meetings are open to the public, just like the Planning Commission meetings.

Litt also posted a longer and more favorable review of Case's new Mandel Center building on Bellflower road: http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2008/01/_it_has_been_at.html

 

I didn't agree with his initial complaints at all (he thought the building did not harmonize enough with its context), so I'm happy he changed his tune.  If anything, I'd be happy if new Case building flouted the suburban setbacks and heights of the existing houses on the interior UC streets.  I actually give the PBL building credit for that.

collegiate gothic drag

 

his jab in this at the new student housing is unfair.  it looks better than most college housing on every campus I have visited.  it can't all be gehry.  and honestly, what would the lewis building have to riot against if everything over there looked like an exploding silver xmas present?   

I agree. I really like the new student housing. If they could tear down the other housing on Juniper and rebuild, it could go a long way towards linking the residential campus to the rest of UC.

"Neighbors objected strenuously to the new building, because it replaced a community garden that once occupied the site."

 

Steven Litt's channeling Demi Moore? :wtf:

^Say what?

 

^^I hear you guys, but I can also see Litt's point.  I think the NRV is absolute top notch urban design and think Litt generally agrees with that.  But I think it would have been possible to design dorms with all the urban design benefits and without the explicit superficial collegiate gothic references.  It's a minor (taste-based) point for me though- I still can't believe how awesomely those dorms have transformed that part of campus in every way.

"Neighbors objected strenuously to the new building, because it replaced a community garden that once occupied the site."

 

Steven Litt's channeling Demi Moore? :wtf:

 

LOL.  I never knew your handle was actually a pun, Mayday, because that comment made my day.  I actually guffawed.

 

Rent "A Few Good Men", anyone who wants to understand this fairly obscure reference.

"I never knew your handle was actually a pun, Mayday"

 

To quote Scooby-Doo - "Arf?!?" :?

handle = username (i think)

Correct.  MayDay made my day.

 

And, to get it out of the way so we can move on... Demi Moore strenuously objects: http://pennystock.baltiblogs.com/archives/002987.html

Gotcha - though it's actually because my birthday is May 1st. :)

 

So how about that Collegiate Gothic Drag? Maybe it'll be our new catchphrase to replace "World Class Signage" :-D

I understand that the opinions expressed by Litt and others in regard to the NRV are totally subjective, so I'll add mine. I think it's great from an urban form and architecture perspective.  I like the blatant reference to the college architecture of two centuries ago, but I also like that the lines are crisp and bold like the architecture of the 1930s and 40s.  And the interiors?  Man, I wanted to start college all over again...

 

And yes, 3231, CWRU would love to expand that style (and quality) across E. 115th and replace the blase buildings that sit there today (can you imagine how bummed you'd be if you lived in one of those and your best buddy lived in the NRV???), but it appears that the budget was busted on phase 1.  Don't worry, though, it'll happen someday!

And yes, 3231, CWRU would love to expand that style (and quality) across E. 115th and replace the blase buildings that sit there today (can you imagine how bummed you'd be if you lived in one of those and your best buddy lived in the NRV???), but it appears that the budget was busted on phase 1.  Don't worry, though, it'll happen someday!

 

The older buildings on Juniper (from an aerial shot they look like dice scattered on a table) are all for first year students, whereas the Village at 115 is for the upperclassmen only - it's steps of progression on campus and the students don't see it as being gipped...but something that they work towards getting into.  Just to clarify, Map Boy.

JeffreyT (or anyone else), any idea what percentage of undergrads live in campus housing?

Pope, so you're saying you lived on campus all four years? ;)

 

98% of first year students live on campus, and 85% of all students live in campus housing (Residence Halls, Greek house, University owned apartments right next to the Village at 115)

Anybody hear any news on when the Euclid Tavern will be opening up?  I've heard it's getting close.