We have a number of blank walls downtown that need banners.  Love the idea of celebrating historic department stores.

Department store theme is perfection; I believe I promoted this earlier....

This is the only former department store that has such a well, and it's the only one situated in the middle - i.e. between the cluster near Public Square and the cluster near E. 13th Street. Perfect.

Then, as every one of these stores is gone, all the major ones that were around, say, 1930-90 should be represented - Taylor's, Halle's, May Co., Higbee's, Bailey's, and Sterling Lindner (I know - it underwent several name changes but it was basically one department store; one time there was a "Hower & Higbee's," too, but let's not get into that....). 

Yes, walks slope down flush with drive leading into parking garage, which is one level below level in buildings behind where doors are.  Therefore, walks accomodate two levels of the buildings behind - they slope down so cars can go into the garage, which is lower than the street level, and then go up leading to doors in the buildings which are one floor above the garage doors.  Just looks silly, though. :wink2:

I sent the idea to two places to see if it would catch on.... K&D..never heard back.. Cleveland Public Art... Never heard back. maybe others here can suggest it and have better luck. I can envision how nice this would look.

Signage is up for Zinc, brick looks to be fully laid and the landscaping looks to be done or wrapping up. Titan space (and the cafe) are looking NICE. Nice press release about the effort, including some favorable occupancy numbers:

 

668 Euclid Revitalizes Central Downtown Business District

2010-05-20 21:32:01 -

 

The K&D Group, elected officials and business leaders today celebrated with a Grand Opening Ceremony the successful completion of the $70 million renovation of 668 Euclid Avenue, a pivotal project in the revitalization of the Euclid Avenue Corridor. 668 Euclid is the first of a number of restoration and investment projects underway to bring jobs and residents to revitalize this central area of Downtown Cleveland.

 

“Today, we open our doors to the community to demonstrate the importance and impact these renovation projects have on our downtown. These once boarded-up, abandoned buildings are now home to hundreds of employees and residents, bringing life to this area of Euclid Avenue. 668 Euclid is a powerful example of the success we can achieve in Downtown Cleveland with the strong cooperation of the state, city, county and local business leaders supporting these mixed-use investment projects in the urban core,” said Doug Price, Principal of the K&D Group, developer of the project.

 

The 668 Euclid Avenue project includes the former eight-story William Taylor, Son & Co. Department Store, an adjacent four-story building facing Prospect Avenue, a 450-space parking garage, and a 73-foot connecting atrium. This historic structure has been redeveloped into 236 luxury apartments, and approximately 70,000 square feet of commercial space, occupied by Wyse, Titans Gym, The Caddyshack Sports Lounge and Zinc Restaurant, Bar & Market. The adjacent Dollar Bank building was torn down to create a pedestrian-friendly, urban park and entertainment patio, extending back from Euclid Avenue.

 

“When we save historic buildings like 668 Euclid, we’re strengthening our urban infrastructure and encouraging local job creation,” Governor Ted Strickland said. “Today’s grand opening shows that the state and Clevelanders know the value of what they already have, and that public-private partnerships can truly change the face of a street, breathe life into a neighborhood, and preserve the unique history of a city.”

 

Funding for the project was a combination of support from the private sector, the city, the county and the state through the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program. The terra cotta facade of the building, along with the windows, doors and other historic elements of the structure, have been restored to its original appearance and character.

 

The 668 Euclid project is one of the first in a line of key reinvestment projects planned for the Euclid Avenue Corridor and is expected to spark further development in the area. The project benefits from the Healthline, the recently completed $200 million bus transit system linking Public Square to University Circle, with a stop directly outside of the front entrance of the building.

 

“The success of the 668 Euclid project is important to our overall redevelopment efforts downtown. Investments like this are a catalyst for other downtown reinvestment projects,” said Mayor Frank G. Jackson.

 

“Just as the 668 project was nearing completion, we celebrated the announcement from Rosetta that it was relocating its corporate headquarters and 400 employees downtown directly across the street. This type of investment has a lasting impact on our city's long term economic vitality.”

 

Downtown revitalization efforts have focused on the importance of not only bringing jobs to the downtown area, but drawing residents to the urban core. Interest in the 236 luxury apartments included in the 668 Euclid project has been strong since the first apartments opened on the Prospect Avenue side of the building in August. In fact, Price announced that occupancy for the apartments has already topped 96 percent in less than nine months.

 

“These mixed-use projects, that draw both employees AND residents to downtown neighborhoods, are central to our economic development efforts. Residents who shop, dine and live downtown spur additional commitment to commercial, retail and entertainment development in our central core.

 

The tremendous response to the apartments at 668 is proof that there is strong interest in quality residential downtown living. Projects like 668 Euclid are vital to our efforts to attract out-of-town companies with young, talented employees looking to live in an urban center,” said Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman.

 

The K&D Group broke ground on the project in April, 2009. As construction was completed in phases, the first residents moved into the Prospect-side apartment last August and Wyse moved into its first-floor commercial space in December. Titans Gym just opened for business and Zinc Restaurant Bar & Market will open to the public in June.

 

For The K&D Group, Terri Jankowski, 216-408-8021 [email protected] : mailto:[email protected]

 

http://www.pr-inside.com/euclid-revitalizes-central-downtown-business-r1905236.htm

 

That is pretty amazing that 96% of the apartments are spoken for. 

^ I couldn't tell from the way it's phrased whether that's 96% occupancy for the entire building or just the Prospect side. Either way, unless a sizable number of these residents are being pirated from other downtown buildings, I think that kind of occupancy rate shows that demand for downtown living continues to be outstripped by supply. It's pretty amazing that the number of units has grown significantly over the past few years and that we remain at near full occupancy downtown-wide.

The way Wyse used the street level windows is a tragedy! What a wasted opportunity to draw attention to the building and create a much more friendly pedestrian and building interaction on the street level. This is so obvious and I don't see how such a nice project could have ignored this obvious important detail. It looks as though the street units are closed. The snowed windows... Yuck! Let's hide in our offices. 

The way Wyse used the street level windows is a tragedy! What a wasted opportunity to draw attention to the building and create a much more friendly pedestrian and building interaction on the street level. This is so obvious and I don't see how such a nice project could have ignored this obvious important detail. It looks as though the street units are closed. The snowed windows... Yuck! Let's hide in our offices.

 

Agreed.  How good of an advertisement for an advertisement agency is it if they can't advertise themselves better?

^ Great point! " A business w/o a sign is a sign of no business!"

Before Wyse is condemed, does anyone here commenting know their interior design plans?  Know what those spaces are used for?  Know if that is temporary?  Picked up the phone and asked?

^ Why would anyone do that when the interior cannot even be seen from the street. That is the whole point... The way their offices are situated is closed off from the rest of the world, so why would anyone even think of calling when it looks as though there is no activity. If they're in advertising, and if that is temporary, it may be wise to post a few banners on what is to come. The point remains, that it is a bad look right now. These offices may as well have been tucked away in some office complex at I-77 and Rockside. But, feel free to call them and find out... I would be interested in knowing.

^ Why would anyone do that when the interior cannot even be seen from the street. That is the whole point... The way their offices are situated is closed off from the rest of the world, so why would anyone even think of calling when it looks as though there is no activity. If they're in advertising, and if that is temporary, it may be wise to post a few banners on what is to come. The point remains, that it is a bad look right now. These offices may as well have been tucked away in some office complex at I-77 and Rockside. But, feel free to call them and find out... I would be interested in knowing.

 

BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW THEIR PLANS AND ARE SPECULATING.

 

YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE OFFICE SPACE IS BEING USED FOR OR IF THEY HAVE COMPLETED THEIR INTERIOR DESIGN.

Not all advertising firms get their business from people walking by on the street.  In fact I would bet that very few do.  So therefore from their business perspective it would not make sense to have such a street presence and instead focus on what their creative employees want from their workspace.

 

 

Little research can go a long way.  From their web site under news:

 

Given the creative nature of Wyse’s business and the need for both informal and formal meeting spaces, the Wyse space was designed by Mulle + Associates of Cleveland as a combination of “neighborhoods” and common areas.  Each department of the agency is designed with individual “buildings” with varying roof lines, colors, textures, and materials, including wood siding and galvanized tin and fiberglass roofs.  Large glass windows and doors on all of the offices allow natural light from the two 100-foot long skylights to permeate the space, which includes 12 meeting rooms of varying sizes and configurations, and two mezzanine levels that overlook the agency’s “neighborhoods.”

 

“Wyse was looking for office space that would function as a vehicle to help spur great ideas.  As we met with employees and charted work flow, we worked to fashion an environment and traffic flow that would provide impromptu, casual meetings and foster frequent interaction,” said Tim Mulle, principal of Mulle + Associates.

 

According to Marino, “New ideas are the result of both collaboration and introspection.  This unique space provides a perfect balance of those two needs.”

 

 

 

^ Why would anyone do that when the interior cannot even be seen from the street. That is the whole point... The way their offices are situated is closed off from the rest of the world, so why would anyone even think of calling when it looks as though there is no activity. If they're in advertising, and if that is temporary, it may be wise to post a few banners on what is to come. The point remains, that it is a bad look right now. These offices may as well have been tucked away in some office complex at I-77 and Rockside. But, feel free to call them and find out... I would be interested in knowing.

 

BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW THEIR PLANS AND ARE SPECULATING.

 

YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE OFFICE SPACE IS BEING USED FOR OR IF THEY HAVE COMPLETED THEIR INTERIOR DESIGN.

 

Why do you always seem to feel the need to apologize for all that is slack? The world must be completely without flaw or have any room for any constructive critique. Yes, you are right....I have no idea what it is being used for, and if it remains that way in their windows, no one ever really will......and what I see in windows that were meant for street level use and pedestrian interaction in what is a downtown,  is all that is opposite. I also went by what I read about what they were doing in there when it was featured in the paper. If that is not their intent to leave the space as is, then it might be wise to post some illustrations of what may be coming...so then we can avoid discussions like this and confusion in the public eye. And, regarding to Tedder's points.. Valid as they may be, then why select a highly visible street level space that is really intended for being noticed? If it is not, then what's the surprise in my reaction here? If street level visibility was not important.then why select a prime street level space? All I am saying is that it is a wasted opportunity and such an office may as well have been up five floors somewhere.

^ Why would anyone do that when the interior cannot even be seen from the street. That is the whole point... The way their offices are situated is closed off from the rest of the world, so why would anyone even think of calling when it looks as though there is no activity. If they're in advertising, and if that is temporary, it may be wise to post a few banners on what is to come. The point remains, that it is a bad look right now. These offices may as well have been tucked away in some office complex at I-77 and Rockside. But, feel free to call them and find out... I would be interested in knowing.

 

BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW THEIR PLANS AND ARE SPECULATING.

 

YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE OFFICE SPACE IS BEING USED FOR OR IF THEY HAVE COMPLETED THEIR INTERIOR DESIGN.

 

Settle down.

Not all advertising firms get their business from people walking by on the street. In fact I would bet that very few do. So therefore from their business perspective it would not make sense to have such a street presence and instead focus on what their creative employees want from their workspace.

 

They DO have a street presence by taking an office on the first floor of a prominent building on our grandest street.  If they won't make it look nice, it doesn't reflect too well on them (or on the city to everybody walking by), regardless of all the great things that might be going on inside the building.

^ Exactly!

Here's the Wyse website/news:  http://www.wyseadv.com/main.html

 

From the articles, there is no indication that this is in anyway temporary.  But I agree respectfully asking them is the approach needed.

With regard to Wyse, you rarely see offices on ground floors along main thouroughfares.  Would be kinda creepy to be sitting in your office working and having people stare in or even some kids making faces.  A conference room the same thing, imagine trying to concentrate in a meeting with people looking in at you.  Also, the things they work on are proabably proprietary and not for public viewing.  I am not talking about papers and things either...Advertising is heavy in big presentations and graphics.  Sounds like they wanted to come up with a creative solution to add interest and privacy to the street level.  The only type of business you might see like that is a retail bank with offices along windows at ground level.

 

I have not seen it though so I cannot comment on it's success or failure, only looking at it from a space planning/problem solving/interior design perspective.

The way Wyse used the street level windows is a tragedy! What a wasted opportunity to draw attention to the building and create a much more friendly pedestrian and building interaction on the street level. This is so obvious and I don't see how such a nice project could have ignored this obvious important detail. It looks as though the street units are closed. The snowed windows... Yuck! Let's hide in our offices. 

^ Why would anyone do that when the interior cannot even be seen from the street. That is the whole point... The way their offices are situated is closed off from the rest of the world, so why would anyone even think of calling when it looks as though there is no activity. If they're in advertising, and if that is temporary, it may be wise to post a few banners on what is to come. The point remains, that it is a bad look right now. These offices may as well have been tucked away in some office complex at I-77 and Rockside. But, feel free to call them and find out... I would be interested in knowing.

 

And, regarding to Tedder's points.. Valid as they may be, then why select a highly visible street level space that is really intended for being noticed? If it is not, then what's the surprise in my reaction here? If street level visibility was not important.then why select a prime street level space? All I am saying is that it is a wasted opportunity and such an office may as well have been up five floors somewhere.

 

That is a point I agree with, i don't like their snowed in windows.  Feels very dead.  But what I was getting at was their use of interior space, which is different and creative.  Hopefully over time their street presence can change, similar to the way that Ligget Stashowser has.

 

I've been biting my tongue on this one for a long time now. But no  more...

For me, anyway, I don't know what will be more scary as I walk down Euclid Ave this summer...The Bodies Exhibit or Wyse's ground floor cocoons. If it's bad...it's bad.

The whole point is simple.. If seclusion is a part of the issue.....then WHY select a space that was intended to be widely seen in what is a main avenue corridor? I thought the overall objective for the vision of Euclid was to increase pedestrian and building interactiveness and establish more pedestrian traffic. Selecting a space like this and not establishing a well noticed presence seems like asking for privacy in a nudist colony! While the interiors may be nice and creative... Who would ever know except who works there?

 

At the very least if the windows offered a clear view of this wonderful design without snowed windows which look like shower stall windows...then some light at night, at least it would establish a prominent presence on the street and their place in the community. The way it looks now is as though "we want to remain anonymous and not admit we are a part of the neighborhood"

I agree it doesn't look good.  And its not like we're talking about top secret documents that are a matter of national security here, what advertising deals with can be hidden from view easily enough, even with fully transparent windows

Plus they all have their little houses to put everything away in at night :D

It's unfortunate that they decided to create a series of faux suburban neighborhoods within their office, instead of opening up some more to the real urban neighborhood just outside their glazed (look dirty to me) windows.  I wonder if the neighborhoods are income segregated?  Will the poor ones need urban renewal?

 

^ Exactly.

At least create an urban village/Ohio City-ish.

It looks like a 1970s California model home show.

I half expect Marsha and Greg Brady to walk out onto that redwood deck from that split-level job they've placed right in front.

I'm really amazed at this!

I can't blame Wyse for their design.  Not many first floor office spaces have ANY street presence.  Just look at National City... excuse me, PNC, across the street.  They just plaster advertisements on their windows to keep us from looking in and them from looking out and being generally distracted.  Maybe Wyse was a poor choice of tenant for that space, but I really can't blame Wyse for how they decided to design and utilize their space.

 

Could it have better street presence?  Probably, but it's not the end of the world guys.  It could be vacant.

 

At least PNC's is colorful, and one can see it.

I want to see their little village though.  Do they play stickball in their "streets"?  Do they have block parties?  These are things we need to know.

I'm glad the space is filled, but the idea shouldn't be simply to fill space but to maximize potential and create some kind of synergy.  Between this and PNC, that's a lot of downtown Euclid Avenue that's stone cold dead to pedestrians.  When we allow stuff like this, we can't complain that there's no street life.  This space was designed and sited for retail and retail alone.  What's the point of having a wall of windows on Main Street if you intend to block them off?  Those windows are there to attract interest from random passers-by, and now nobody (who doesn't work there) has any reason to pass by.  A poor fit for the landlord, and the tenant, and most of all for the city.  Private workspaces at street level are antithetical to anything we'd call street life.  The more proprietary the business, the more acute this problem becomes.  Our current development schemes all seem to ignore or deny this crucial issue.

^At the same time there simply doesn't seem to be a high enough demand for retail tenants along Euclid to warrant that all ground floor "retail" spaces be used as such. In some cases it may be that the choice is a vacant storefront or an enclosed office space. But I do agree that Wyse could do more to make the front of the building more attractive. Be it with lighting, signage, whatever... something should be done (possibly by the owner of the buliding) to spruce up the Euclid frontage.

 

The Wyse space sure would make for a nice grocery store at some point in the future. Especially if the E4th area continues to see population growth.

^^Actually, as a good credit willing to rent a large chunk of contiguous space, I'm pretty sure K&D thinks Wyse is a great fit. 

 

EDIT: Oops, premature "post" press.  And Hootenany pretty much beat me to it anyway.

 

I guess I'm disappointed that K&D was able to line up a real retail tenant (the restaurant) and that they're stuck in the back while the office tenant gets the streetfront; but otherwise, this isn't really a surprise or mysterious, and I don't think it's because people "don't get it."  Oy.  Looks to me like a run of the mill office lease that happens to be on the ground floor, because there are no prospective users of the space willing the bid the rent for ground level space higher.  We (the public) can encourage our city to ban ground level office space, which probably would have threatened the viability of this whole project, but otherwise we're stuck waiting for downtown retail to work (which is not what this thread is about).

Does anyone know how long the Wyse lease is for?  It may turn out that when their lease is up that it is more viable for a retail operation to open there.

 

10 years

If the thread isn't about downtown retail, then it isn't about the ground level Euclid frontage of the title structure.  That there is a downtown retail space.  Hence the windows, which are apparently so troublesome now.  Technically the thread title includes "residences" so perhaps only the upper floors are fair game. 

 

When historic renovation tax credits bear no relation to the historic purpose and usage of the structure, then maybe that aspect of the program could be reexamined.  Maybe, instead of outright bans, there could be an incentive arrangement in which larger credits are available when structures are put to their highest and best use.  In many cases this would be the historical use.  Form follows function. 

 

One would think that the goal of the program is not just getting buildings repaired, but also reinvigorating the state's urban cores.  This latter objective requires at least some attention to what made our urban cores functional in the first place.  Based on what our architecture tells us, an appropriate balance of retail, office, and residential seems to be important.  Moreover, there's a discernable pattern in the locations and combinations of these elements.  We don't have to follow that pattern, but if we don't, we're taking a big chance on reinventing a very old wheel.

If I may comment on some of these topics.  I have been in the wyse space many times and it is beautiful.  If I were to guess about certain aspects that some people disagree with I would have to guess that my landlords and wyse were stuck to very high "restoration of historic buildings" standards.  Wyse does not even have its own street entrance.  Perhaps to get the tax credits, kd was unable to change the origional facade.  I know in my space I wanted to expose some more of the awesome brick wall running the length of my space, but we were not allowed to due to historic society guildlines.  We had to maintain certain ceiling heights at out entry ways and along our frontage.  Perhaps wyse didn't want that height?  And why would anyone sspeculate why they'd move in unless they knew what the terms or perks of their lease agreement was?  Why would I open a 20000 square foot gym right next to a competitor unless there was something in it for me???

 

As for zinc being in the back....  its actually built dead center in the building and uses a large portion of the atrium for seating and carry out and outside bar of the patio.  I can also say that id make an educated guess that most of the space was designed around zinc.  Not the atrium space, but the whole building.  Again, don't assume that zinc just rented what ever space was remaining...

 

Oh, by the way.  Come to Titans Gym and the TitanUp Cafe

^ I don't doubt that the space inside (and its hard to tell with the shower door windows) is nice for what it is. If they had to follow any type of historic guidelines, it seems that the current design is as far from the history of the building as it can get. On such a large building with a strong presence and great opportunity for street level curb appeal, presence, show, pedestrian orientation and so on.....snowing the windows in just seems to be so counter productive to the effort to make Euclid what I thought was envisioned for it...and what I thought would not be an insult to such a fine building. What I see there now, simply reminds me of something that would be found on a golf course or gated community and not something that is a big part of a street where I would expect to not find business fronts isolating themselves from what is a pedestrian oriented street and downtown design.

Thanks tripspapa for weighing in- as one the only folks here with actual expereince getting something together in this building, your views are appreciated.

 

EC and 327, if we're just generally lamenting the sad state of downtown retail, I'm on board- I would love to see retail instead of offices in 668, in the Rose Building, in PNC, in the UCC HQ on prospect, etc.  But this stuff isn't all in K&D's control (unlike the building demo and some questionable materials choices, perhaps).  And 327 if you're really using this project, which is filling what was for years downtown's worst eyesore with hundreds of new residential units, a new full service gym and two new bar/restaurants (one of them with very long hours), as evidence that the historic restoration tax credit isn't focused enough on reinvigorating the state's urban cores... then you are a tough guy to please.

I really didn't have so much an issue with what was located on the street level; the type of business in itself....Rather, it is how it is presented in what should have ideally been used for making a bright and attractive presence at street level with all the huge windows in a downtown setting designed for such. If the houses inside can be seen from the street level...all lit up and featured, it would actually probably look pretty nice. Why hide it if it is such a nice design is the whole point.

And 327 if you're really using this project, which is filling what was for years downtown's worst eyesore with hundreds of new residential units, a new full service gym and two new bar/restaurants (one of them with very long hours), as evidence that the historic restoration tax credit isn't focused enough on reinvigorating the state's urban cores... then you are a tough guy to please.

 

I haven't criticized a single thing that's on your list.  The one thing I did criticize has also been criticized by others.  And I don't think my point is invalidated by the overall benefit of the project.  It's not like we're ordering a steak dinner here... this renovation represents a lot of taxpayer investment, and I'm allowed to be only 80% thrilled with the result.  That's a long way from saying I don't like the project.   

I would say I am happy with the overall project too..about 75% and this is because of the front street level windows we've been discussing. Nothing wrong with trying to promote a good thing to be even better.

Ah, those dumb-looking street windows.... Glad someone else now brought it up.  I've been assuming all along the situation is temporary and have been patiently waiting for an inviting display - something colorful showing what Wyse does. That alone would be sufficient; we don't need to look into the actual workspace on the street level. And the windows are cloudy, yet (a little better from across the street, but there's still nothing to look at of any real interest).

I thought with the building's official "grand opening," at least the windows would look decent.

I've also been waiting for a door for the public to walk into and get to the atrium.  Is this suppose to open when Zinc opens?  Is there an official opening date? I have been told here one will eventually be able to walk through from Euclid to Prospect....

Add the frosted windows to the list of short comings of a project that didn't fulfill all its potential, but still gets a couple hundred people living on Euclid Ave.

 

-Frosted windows at street level

-Sheds built in the Wyse space.

-Parapet termination on Euclid (can't believe this is even allowed to exist considering what bastards the state historical review board is).

-The paint that was put over the terra cotta on the Euclid facade.

-Tearing down the Dollar Bank Building.

-The steel entrance thing that the Zinc sign is supprted by.  Volpe didn't have a hand in this, but it sure looks like his moves...

"parapet"  Are you talking about the rebuilt cornice?  There is eventually going to be a penthouse level built behind that, so it won't always look like a facade from a western cowtown.

Yeah.  Do they have a timeframe on getting that built?

I don't know.  Do you think it's not going to happen?

How long do they have to be rentals before they can go condo?

How long do they have to be rentals before they can go condo?

 

7 years

At one point there was talk of a convenient store going into the building, too.  Does anyone know what happened with that?