These are currently being sent out to corporate real estate folks...

So will the alleyway mimick East 4th Street with restaurants and cafes or is it strictly for access to the garage?

Is that new "mini-park" going through to Prospect?  From the current building configuration it looks like it will not.

As that marquee in the illustration new or the current one dressed up (the way they're stripping the current one from the '60s it looks like it's going - perhaps to be replaced by a more traditional one).  What material is the new facade to be made of?  I can hardly imagine authentic terracotta. 

I think east 4th is a stretch, as it won't go all the way through.  When you really get a look at the space after dollar bank has come down it is going to make for a very sizeable plaza.  I know there were plans to have storefront type areas on 668 to kind of open it up to the plaza.  There was discussion about doing the same to the arcade, but there were some issues since the arcade is on the national and local historic registers.  I don't know if that ever got resolved. 

I'm not a fan of that big blank brick wall on 668.  Hopefully something gets put on there... otherwise, I love the whole project.

^That's what will make the new "green space" so beautiful; it will be enclosed by two (three?) blank brick walls that were never intended to be seen from the outside.

Graduating May '09, 668 Euclid in August '09?  Sounds great to me, these are some prime apartments.  Apartments or condos? With another E. 4th in the treelawn and the Jake in the back yard.

Starting out as apartments potentially (likely) flipping to condos down the road.

^Any time a developer uses historic restoration tax credits in a project like this, they have to offer the units for rent for the first five years (I think it's five, any way...). After that, there's no longer a restriction and they're able to offer them as for-sale.

 

Welcome to the forum, btw.

They've started taking the stucco facade off the Prospect side of the building... the top floor facade and windows have all been removed.  Nice to see progress starting to pick up.

I don't believe it's real stucco.  Any more than they put stucco on brand new buildings today.

What are they doing with the torches and consequent sparks on the Euclid side?  Does anyone know what material they will use to "restore" and terra cotta ornament on Euclid?  What is the Prospect side to look like.

Nice to see those mini-history signs on some of the lightpoles.  I'm amazed I haven't seen out-and-out errors in the text yet!  :wtf:

I don't believe it's real stucco.  Any more than they put stucco on brand new buildings today.

What are they doing with the torches and consequent sparks on the Euclid side?  Does anyone know what material they will use to "restore" and terra cotta ornament on Euclid?  What is the Prospect side to look like.

Nice to see those mini-history signs on some of the lightpoles.  I'm amazed I haven't seen out-and-out errors in the text yet!  :wtf:

Spoken like a true Clevelander, expect the worse and act surprised when something works the way it's suppose to!

The latest update from the renovation of 668...

 

1. All the skeletal system has been removed from the front of the building.

2. The last rubble remnants of dollar bank in the future "plaza".

3. More rubble clearing.

4. The complete removal of the rear facade of the Prospect Side of the building.

5. Another view

6. You can see right where they just ripped the face of this building off...

Anybody know how there treating the facade? Are they cleaning the brick or is suppose to match the front facing Euclid ave? Looks really bad.

 

Is this the garage portion of the project?

This is deconstruction, it's suppose to look bad.

 

No that is the residential portion.

 

Please correct me if I am wrong.

MTS you are not wrong...  If you look at the last picture you can see the original limestone facade below at the storefront level on the building, and above where the hydro platform is you can see where long ago someone had ripped that limestone facade off exposing a layer of brick used in construction.  Judging by the condition of the limestone facade that is left on the storefront level (poor) is that at some point someone thought it would be too expensive to maintain, so they ripped it off and put up a cheap stucco exterior.  That stucco is what they've taken down.  As I've stated before I saw the model once and didn't notice anything that stood out on the prospect side, it just blended in with everything else... so my guess is (and it is a guess) they'll either do something to tie in with the front, or use some sort of limestone facade.  Either way I wouldn't expect it to be too decorative.

 

Jpop, the garage for the project is the yellow and brick structure to the right in the 2nd to last pic.

Jpop, the garage for the project is the yellow and brick structure to the right in the 2nd to last pic.

 

Just a heads up, that was zippo who asked about that. :)

ahh redevelopment. this is awesome. what a great project. thx for the new pics.

redevelopment is far more important than development in my humble opinion.

Yes it is. This project is HUGE.

i couldn't agree more. physically, it helps keep cleveland looking like cleveland and no place else.

When they start the restoration of the front and the reconstruction of the back... i may just set up some tents and post live action shots.  :)

When they start the restoration of the front and the reconstruction of the back... i may just set up some tents and post live action shots.  :)

 

Way to take on for the team!

redevelopment is far more important than development in my humble opinion.

 

 

its a MUST for any city with infrastructure for twice the number of people who actually live here. (at least, it has MUCH room to expand before its added to)

 

before you focus on new, you always must see what you can do with what you have. esp in development and greenbuilding.

funny thing I noticed when walking by here at lunch today... directly above the green platform where they've been taking away the limestone of the former storefronts is a giant (and I mean giant, it basically goes from where the green platform is to the brick area below the windows) black steel beam.  Painted on two locations on this beam, it is hand painted "Built by TH Bailey Company 3401 Lakeside Avenue"  I'd kill to see a date next to it.

 

ADD:

Also, I meant to add (and this amazed me) when walking past the front I noticed they had cleared ALL debris from the street and sidewalk and were washing it off.  I couldn't believe it, there's hardly even a scratch, you'd never know there were track cranes rolling around and a building piled on top of it.

this is very exciting... thanks for the updates!

Very pumped about this project.

ADD:

Also, I meant to add (and this amazed me) when walking past the front I noticed they had cleared ALL debris from the street and sidewalk and were washing it off.  I couldn't believe it, there's hardly even a scratch, you'd never know there were track cranes rolling around and a building piled on top of it.

 

Well I would hope so!  Otherwise RTA would've had to break out a giant can of whoop-ass.... and soon too!  :whip: 

On this note, it would be great if all the big developments on Euclid that the RTA (and others) have been touting in the "$4 billion" spinoff investment number had their world class signage up in time for this weekend's big events.  I mentioned on the HealthLine thread that I hoped there would be "ambassadors" on the vehicles who could point these projects out to riders who may not otherwise know what's planned for all these apparently bombed-out buildings! 

Miraculously... I told you, the road and sidewalk have almost no damage.  I did notice a couple bricks cracked in half (front right of the second picture), but that's nothing that can't be fixed easily.

The writing didn't say TH Bailey as I had thought, TH Brooks.  None the less it's pretty cool... I couldn't find an angle to get a pic of the whole thing...

Hey, does it look like the top two floors of the Prospect side were added on at some point?

Hey, does it look like the top two floors of the Prospect side were added on at some point?

Not to me.

It does to me...

It might have and why not? Four floors were added to the top of the Taylor & Sons' Euclid side (doubling the building's height).

 

It looks like facing of the top two floors on the Prospect is slightly recessed from the facing of the lower floors.

I guess you're asking about the Euclid side where Taylor's was?  The top floor or two, on the Prospect side, were added in the '80s renovation!  My agency created all new space within an open shell on one of those floors.

Dear lord, I don't know how I forgot to mention this... Last week (Thursday I believe), I saw a worker out front and asked him when they were going to start the actual restoration of the facade... he said about two weeks.

Dear lord, I don't know how I forgot to mention this... Last week (Thursday I believe), I saw a worker out front and asked him when they were going to start the actual restoration of the facade... he said about two weeks.

 

Tsk, tsk.  Wohoo!

 

What's MayDay doing over in the mayor's territory???  (Not that I really mind pictures :))

From cleveland.com:

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/11/ad_agency_wyse_to_anchor_668_e.html

 

Ad agency Wyse to anchor 668 Euclid project

by Michelle Jarboe/Plain Dealer Reporter

November 12, 2008

 

Advertising agency Wyse will be the anchor tenant for developer Doug Price's renovation of a former department store at 668 Euclid Ave. in downtown Cleveland....

 

Praise the Lord - Oh the Glory!

So....does this mean little or no Euclid-facing retail in 668?  No offense to Wyse, but they're not exactly lively sidewalk material...

Great, now I'll have somewhere to shop for advertisements in the neighborhood! 

 

And "urban park for pedestrians" my @$$!  It's a garage ramp.  Call it what it is.

Yes, retail would be better, but it's very nice to see that someone wants in!

From page one of this thread (originally from Crain's 12/2007)

 

The plaza would enhance about 70,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor of the Atrium complex that K&D plans to update as space for stores offering neighborhood services.

 

So it sounds like there's significant space remaining on the first floor for additional tenants, maybe on the Prospect side?

 

 

I would have preferred them on the prospect side, yet they are in a way saying we want to be apart of the New Euclid Avenue.

 

There is still plenty of RETAIL space to be filled.

Retail is very difficult to effectuate.  Look at how long the brand new retail space in the new garage at East 6th & Euclid has sat vacant! 

 

I think the City, County and/or foundations should come up with a economic incentive for retail, possibly in conjunction with the "Design District".

If they do what they say they are going to do, then I'm fine with it. I think that it is more difficult to get neighborhood retail on Euclid than on Prospect due to the rents. I just don't see how a dry cleaner could justify playing Euclid Ave rents.

 

I agree that the retail economic incentive would be a good idea. I think that they should concentrate on a specific area first.