I have heard from a good source that the chandelier is definitely being engineered to withstand Cleveland's environment. It is being tested for wind and ice and will also have something to keep birds from landing on it.

 

^ Right.. except the signs will have gold trim and use Trajan Pro font.  :wink2:

The specs show it to withstand 115 mph wind. I'm guessing when it's lit that should provide enough heat to keep the ice off. I wonder will it be lit during the day?

I dont think these have been posted before.

 

 

 

Three new thoughts (since I clearly can't stop talking about this project. Haha.)

 

1. There are a LOT of visual elements here and a very broad color palette at play here ... Hope they play nice together when they're all in place.

 

2. I was at a play tonight, and I've got to say that there's a real impact just from the relatively modest lighting improvements and signage, etc. to date (at least modest compared to forthcoming bling).

 

3. I'm sooooooo glad you posted the rendering of the old timey clock (which is honestly kind of meh, IMHO) because it really drove home a point for me - just how far we have come in a very short timeframe around recognizing how important vibrant streetscapes, street fixtures, planned activity, etc. are to the future of the city. With all the creative placemaking stuff happening downtown and University Circle and Collinwood and Detroit Shoreway and St. Clair Superior and Ohio City and etc., it's easy to forget how devoid are city was of very base placemaking elements like landscaping and building uplighting even 5-10 years ago. What drove this home for me is recalling the city selling a historic street clock near the Rotunda under the Campbell administration ... Don't remember the details and can't find it online, but IIRC, the hands were gone, there was no will to invest additional funds to bring it back into working order and there was a rationale that funds from the sale could support more practical concerns of the city. What a difference in importance we're placing on building welcoming streets when a similar scale clock looks like a tiny add-on in a $16 million placemaking campaign! Regardless of whether we like individual elements of what PlayhouseSquare is trying out, I think what I'm so grateful for is that they are trying in the first place. Making the connection back to the clock sale really reminded me how far we've come. Yay Cleve! :)

Re: the clock.  The elements are nice on their own. The issue I have are the elements of the healthline were done in a contemporary style and now we are introducing elements that evoke the past. I dont think the two styles work together.

 

^ Yeah, a little concerned about that, too. I feel like the building and sidewalk lighting and led displays are pretty contemporary, too, opposite throwback marquees and gateways.

 

People like this in Cleveland make me sick.

 

http://rustwire.com/2013/11/04/downtown-cleveland-has-enough-gimmicky-tourist-attractions/

 

Downtown Cleveland Has Enough Gimmicky Tourist Attractions

We’re getting ready to spend $16 million on a giant chandelier in Cleveland.

 

One of my friends cited this as her breaking point, the reason she is moving out of Cleveland. She and her husband are planning to move to Minneapolis. At least they’re trying to do things with transit there and improve quality of life, she said.

 

What a joke. So is that what you do when something isn't working? Just give up? I don't entirely disagree with some of the points made, but to just move for a reason such as that is pretty embarassing

^While it is a negative piece, she makes good points.  Plus I also think the skylift is a ridiculous idea....but that's for the skylight thread.

 

^^ Totally agree with dave68.

I was surprised by the comment section. I was expecting a Cleveland.com slant, but most of the comments were very positive toward Cleveland.

^While it is a negative piece, he makes good points.  Plus I also think the skylift is a ridiculous idea....but that's for the skylight thread.

 

^^ Totally agree with dave68.

 

He is a she. Although the author isn't named, I'm pretty sure the writer was Angie Schmitt. This reads like her usual rants.

^While it is a negative piece, he makes good points.  Plus I also think the skylift is a ridiculous idea....but that's for the skylight thread.

 

^^ Totally agree with dave68.

 

He is a she. Although the author isn't named, I'm pretty sure the writer was Angie Schmitt. This reads like her usual rants.

 

Not to mention she replied to every comment left like she's backing up her argument...

This is a comment she made on another story of hers...

 

Angie Schmitt Mod Randy A. Simes

• 12 days ago

 

I think if you understood the local geography you'd be more supportive. There are two very healthy sections of downtown -- East 4th and the Warehouse District -- that are separated by a vast field of parking. This would make walking from one place to the next much more pleasant on the cheap. Plus restarting retail is hard because one store has to sort of go it alone, when people like to shop from store to store.

 

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

 

So apparently, there are only two healthy areas of Downtown. Playhouse Square must be struggling, along with Campus District...

Angie Schmitt usually has no idea what she's talking about.  It's useless to read the tripe she calls journalism.

This is a comment she made on another story of hers...

 

Angie Schmitt Mod Randy A. Simes

• 12 days ago

 

I think if you understood the local geography you'd be more supportive. There are two very healthy sections of downtown -- East 4th and the Warehouse District -- that are separated by a vast field of parking. This would make walking from one place to the next much more pleasant on the cheap. Plus restarting retail is hard because one store has to sort of go it alone, when people like to shop from store to store.

 

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

 

So apparently, there are only two healthy areas of Downtown. Playhouse Square must be struggling, along with Campus District...

 

Gateway (not counting E. 4th) must be struggling as well.

 

Some people will love, and others will hate, the chandelier.  But it says, "You're here", to those who are in Playhouse Square.  I think it's kind of cool as a placemaking element.  It's different,  it's edgy in it's own way, and it's Cleveland.  For someone to say, "Well, that's it; this chandelier pushed me over the edge.  I can't stand it anymore, I'm moving", is ridiculous to say the least.  Don't tell me about quality of life, either.  I would assume that Minneapolis and Cleveland are similar in that category, maybe with Cleveland even edging out Minnie with the amount of amenities this region offers.  Infant mortality- yes, that's a problem well worth addressing.  Does she have answers?  Does Minnieapolis have a similar problem in older, post-industrial, poorer neighborhoods with high amounts of lead paint in homes?  Probably.  I would doubt that it doesn't, but honestly I haven't checked into it- Minnie ain't my city. 

 

And let's just forget that we just spent $250 million on the nationally-recognized HealthLine which runs right through the middle of Playhouse Square as investing in transit.  No transit investment in this city, or in this district.  Mn-mmn.

 

I tell ya, that everything-in-Cleveland-is-bad mentality lives on, though it should have died years ago.  I hope it does sooner rather than later.

 

 

 

 

Gateway (not counting E. 4th) must be struggling as well.

 

Some people will love, and others will hate, the chandelier.  But it says, "You're here", to those who are in Playhouse Square.  I think it's kind of cool as a placemaking element.  It's different,  it's edgy in it's own way, and it's Cleveland.  For someone to say, "Well, that's it; this chandelier pushed me over the edge.  I can't stand it anymore, I'm moving", is ridiculous to say the least.  Don't tell me about quality of life, either.  I would assume that Minneapolis and Cleveland are similar in that category, maybe with Cleveland even edging out Minnie with the amount of amenities this region offers.  Infant mortality- yes, that's a problem well worth addressing.  Does she have answers?  Does Minnieapolis have a similar problem in older, post-industrial, poorer neighborhoods with high amounts of lead paint in homes?  Probably.  I would doubt that it doesn't, but honestly I haven't checked into it- Minnie ain't my city. 

 

And let's just forget that we just spent $250 million on the nationally-recognized HealthLine which runs right through the middle of Playhouse Square as investing in transit.  No transit investment in this city, or in this district.  Mn-mmn.

 

I tell ya, that everything-in-Cleveland-is-bad mentality lives on, though it should have died years ago.  I hope it does sooner rather than later.

 

Well said

Angie Schmitt usually has no idea what she's talking about.  It's useless to read the tripe she calls journalism.

 

^amen.  East Fourth is an alleyway, I wouldn't call it a section of the city, therefore judging it as healthy or unhealthy.  And the warehouse district is struggling.  There are easily a half dozen vacant bar/restaurant storefronts with more on the way.  Rent is way too high for the returns that area is drawing and it needs to reinvent itself as something other than an entertainment district

 

Back on topic, Playhouse Square is doing very well. 

- There is very strong demand for office space in the area, the US Bank building right at the corner of this chandelier project is nearly full

- Playhouse Square real estate group has done a remarkable job attracting & retaining tenants to fill it's space

- Hanna apartments are leasing well from what I've heard. 

- The reconfigured open arts space at Euclid & E. 13th looks great

- Even many of the adjacent storefronts along Prospect are active with some type of office tenant. 

- Add in some of the planned additions like the Hofbrau Haus and this could easily become the hottest area in the city.

 

I think the chandelier is awesome.  $16M does seem high for the project but its obviously more complex than I've initially perceived.  Honestly, I think it's one of those cool things that Cleveland proposes, but never actually pulls off.  Surprised it's coming together.  Bravo to all the parties that are making it happen.  I think it will be fun to see images of Cleveland in the national media showing this instead of the constant shots of East 4th that we've all seen a thousand times

I'm pretty sure the $16 million is paying for more streetscape enhancements than just the chandelier. Does someone have a breakdown of all what is being funded here?

Okay folks, let's save the discussion of bloggers and their agendas for another thread and keep this thread on topic for the actual construction in Playhouse Square.

The money is for all improvements. http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2013/04/playhousesquare_aims_for_a_bri.html

Danke.

^^^ MayDay, feel free to shut me down here or redirect me to another thread ... because I want to talk about Angie's article just a little more ... Hope it pertains enough to Playhouse Square :D

 

While I'm a huge proponent of this placemaking project (and placemaking projects like it across the city), and while I believe that making places welcoming (particularly places on major mass transit routes) will lead to the foot traffic, car traffic, etc. that will likely increase public transit use and increase the likelihood of future transit investments that Angie advocates, I do think she has a very valid point about whether this is the best use of limited public funding. $4 million of public funding is a sizable investment for a single project in a single neighborhood. It vastly exceeds the amounts being invested in small business development in the Warehouse District's shipping container concept and the 5th Street Arcade strategy and the incentive grants for businesses on West 25th. It's bigger than the already pretty big placemaking work happening in St. Clair Superior with Upcycle St. Clair and in Collinwood with Collinwood Rising. It's a huge chunk of change on one placemaking project.

 

Is it the right investment for the County's use of discretionary casino funding? Quite possibly. I think it will be a really transformative shift in the tone and feel of the district and is likely to have all sorts of economic and social impact. But it doesn't seem like this investment has come out of any careful, deliberative vetting process. I could be wrong, but it seems like there hasn't been sufficient discussion of how funds would be spent, outside of some desire to invest disproportionately downtown. But downtown investments could be building rehab or greenspace or placemaking or small business development or workforce development or ... Lots of things. And even if we collectively decide that placemaking downtown is the best use of this funding, it does seem like we could benefit from a competitive process that enabled community development groups to float proposals for a variety of placemaking projects ... And then adjudicate which one (or more) are the best. At least in this sense, I think Angie's right on in saying we need more dialogue about how public funding is getting steered.

I think what MayDay is asking is to debate the plan/project/investment, not the messenger who seeks to stimulate debate about the project. If persons want to debate the messenger, see the NE Ohio media thread.

^While it is a negative piece, he makes good points.  Plus I also think the skylift is a ridiculous idea....but that's for the skylight thread.

 

^^ Totally agree with dave68.

 

He is a she. Although the author isn't named, I'm pretty sure the writer was Angie Schmitt. This reads like her usual rants.

 

Since modified.

http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/11/21/massive-hofbrauhaus-project-in-playhousesquare-officially-underway

 

Hofbrauhaus has broken ground for late 2014 opening.

http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/2013/11/21/cleveland-something-brewing-in-playhouse-square/3665357/

I drove by the site this evening and was expecting to see some construction equipment.  The lot was full of cars for a play.  I just watched the channel 3 video and it wasn't a "golden shovel" ground breaking ceremony but a "beer toast" ground breaking.  So when will construction actually begin?  Is it going to be like the Cleveland Institute of Art ground breaking that was months ago but really hasn't started yet either...?

OMG!!!

Is it going to be like the Cleveland Institute of Art ground breaking that was months ago but really hasn't started yet either...?

 

It has started. The entire parking lot is gone.

 

But I agree. I am tired of these ceremonial ground breaking ceremonies that happen months before anything real happens. Im still waiting for the little italy rapid station to start!

Is it going to be like the Cleveland Institute of Art ground breaking that was months ago but really hasn't started yet either...?

 

It has started. The entire parking lot is gone.

 

But I agree. I am tired of these ceremonial ground breaking ceremonies that happen months before anything real happens. Im still waiting for the little italy rapid station to start!

 

Some financiers requires construction to start by such-and-such a date, thus the ceremonial groundbreakings.

 

One of the great stories of Cleveland history is that Alfred Kelly, Cleveland's first president (prior to the mayoral position) and the father of the Ohio & Erie Canal (and thus the father of Cleveland!) soon got interested in railroads and was named president of several lines intent on serving Cleveland. A state charter was secured in 1836 and revived nine years later for the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad but financing was slow in coming. The CCC RR had to start construction by the end of 1847, so Kelly, the railroad company's treasurer, general counsel and chief engineer grabbed shovels, as did noted financiers Oliver Perry, Henry Payne (yes, that Perry-Payne combo!) and City Council President John Foote. Actual construction didn't start for another year and only then it took three years to build 36 miles to Wellington! That apparently got momentum and financing flowing, because the next 100 miles (to Columbus) were built in only a year.

 

So as you can see, this is hardly a new phenomenon. Unfortunately.

I'm fine with them, the media should just stop reporting them. They get us excited over nothing!!

EDIT: oops, MurrayHill beat me to it......

 

Here's a groundbreaking ceremony most can appreciate!

 

Cleveland | Something brewing in PlayhouseSquare

Tom Beres, WKYC 7:37 p.m. EST November 21, 2013

A major new attraction is coming to Playhouse Square. Cleveland's about to combine a Hofbrauhaus with the Hermit Club

 

CLEVELAND -- A major new attraction is coming to PlayhouseSquare.

 

Cleveland's about to combine Hofbrauhaus, a copy of a 400-year-old German beer hall and restaurant, with the Hermit Club, a century-old club that helps amateur performing arts.

 

On Thursday, officials of the Cincinnati group behind the project hoisted a toast with Theater District supporters to launch construction.The ceremony replaces the traditional groundbreaking.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/2013/11/21/cleveland-something-brewing-in-playhouse-square/3665357/

Moved discussion of the new student housing project to this thread:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14163.msg686188/topicseen.html#new

 

Lots of activity, light and color at Playhouse Square on a snowy Friday evening. It got me into the holiday spirit....

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,27241.msg686860.html#msg686860

Does anyone know what's going into the long-empty space between United Way and the CSU art gallery (under Dwellworks)?  They've been working in there recently.

^dwellworks office space extension

^dwellworks office space extension

 

Im glad they are expanding but hate to see another storefront taken up by office space, especially in a neighborhood that already has a lot of it. Although its better than vacant, it hurts vitality in the long run. Id hate to see these offices hogging these retail spaces once Playhouse Square gets hot.

GE Lighting will sponsor PlayhouseSquare's new outdoor chandelier, to be lit May 2

 

General Electric’s lighting division is betting its reputation that a gigantic, highly visible outdoor chandelier at PlayhouseSquare will keep shining no matter how nasty the wind and weather get.

 

Cleveland’s theater district is announcing today that GE Lighting, the division of General Electric that is based at Nela Park in East Cleveland, is sponsoring the outdoor installation, which will be called the GE Chandelier.

 

“We’re putting this thing of beauty out in the elements - everything that Cleveland has to throw at it, from the hot to cold to the windy,” said Tom Einhouse, vice president of real estate services for PlayhouseSquare.

 

The theater district, which envisions the 20-foot-tall, 8,000-lb chandelier as a glittering outdoor centerpiece, released plans for the project and other improvements in April.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2014/01/ge_lighting_will_sponsor_playh.html#incart_river_default

Good for GE Lighting

^We'll see how happy you are for GE when it slaps some cheesy logo up on the chandelier to make sure everyone know who is paying the operating expenses

They had a GE logo on the base of the pole in the design review renderings

heheh.  “It will be subtle,” says Tom Einhouse.  It is an eight thousand pound chandelier!

I think this whole project is awesome.  Can't wait for the national media articles soon to follow after it's lit...

Getting a little attention already.

 

World's largest outdoor chandelier to illuminate Cleveland's Playhouse Square

http://www.gizmag.com/ge-chandelier-worlds-largest-cleveland-playhouse-square/30472/

 

Playhouse Square in Cleveland's historic theater district is erecting what is claimed as the world's largest outdoor crystal chandelier. With a height of 20 ft (6 m) and comprising some 4,200 crystal pieces, the biggest surprise is that General Electric, which is designing the chandelier, believes it will stand up to Cleveland's extreme weather.

"The wild card here is Cleveland's weather, which is harsh for outdoor electronics and mountings even if not made largely of crystal. Temperature ranges from -20° F (-29° C) to 104° F (40° C), with winds as high as 85 mph (137 km/h). That ignores what happens during the severe thunderstorms, the tornadoes, and the occasional wandering hurricane. The unveiling is scheduled for May 2, 2014."

 

They make us sound like we have the climate of Mars!

"The wild card here is Cleveland's weather, which is harsh for outdoor electronics and mountings even if not made largely of crystal. Temperature ranges from -20° F (-29° C) to 104° F (40° C), with winds as high as 85 mph (137 km/h). That ignores what happens during the severe thunderstorms, the tornadoes, and the occasional wandering hurricane. The unveiling is scheduled for May 2, 2014."

 

They make us sound like we have the climate of Mars!

 

They forgot the attacks of Canadian Mayflies, the occasional Magnitude 5.0 earthquake, and frozen fish launching themselves from Lake Erie onto our thoroughfares! Sheesh.

^sloppy journalism

"The wild card here is Cleveland's weather, which is harsh for outdoor electronics and mountings even if not made largely of crystal. Temperature ranges from -20° F (-29° C) to 104° F (40° C), with winds as high as 85 mph (137 km/h). That ignores what happens during the severe thunderstorms, the tornadoes, and the occasional wandering hurricane. The unveiling is scheduled for May 2, 2014."

 

They make us sound like we have the climate of Mars!

 

They forgot the attacks of Canadian Mayflies, the occasional Magnitude 5.0 earthquake, and frozen fish launching themselves from Lake Erie onto our thoroughfares! Sheesh.

 

You forgot the midges!  With all the lights, those things will be all over it like it's a Yankees' pitcher!

Maybe they should have made a giant bug zapper instead.