Dave Matthews is looking more and more like Kevin Spacey.

whoa!  Kevin Spacey was at Tyler Village?  Hot!

Doesn't look like any of them are big on smiling. 

 

How can anyone smile when they are in the poorest city in america and there is no free and convenient parking so I can keep getting fatter?

 

-Dick Feagler

Tylerville is for rock stars ? just ask Dave Mathews ...

 

   http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=27669289&blogID=302274333

 

Ante Up also nailed a big time contract outside the "rock/pop" realm recently. Those guys do a great job.. and their studio space is pretty amazing as well.

wepinwillow ... What's the big time contact??

wepinwillow ... What's the big time contact??

 

I'm not sure I'm at liberty to disclose that, just that they picked up an exclusive in a realm outside of pop music/rock etc..

^urban/hip-hop/R&B?

In the last picture I see a picture of Tori Amos in the background, one of my favorite female performers (and freak show).  She was at Ante Up, a while back doing some recording and had wonderful things to say about them.  And she lives in England....

^urban/hip-hop/R&B?

 

neither, it's outside the music world.

Tyler Village could soon be totally wireless from front to back... so my, uh, source says. Also, a tech company from out past Solon is taking a long hard look at what Tyler has to offer.

 

More info as it comes, of course.

Tyler Village could soon be totally wireless from front to back... so my, uh, source says. Also, a tech company from out past Solon is taking a long hard look at what Tyler has to offer.

 

More info as it comes, of course.

 

There is something past Solon? ;)  Thanks for the interesting updates.

Would these make good tenants?

 

http://www.dynamit.us/

http://www.kernacopia.com/

 

I know they're small, but doing very well and growing. Plus, they really need to upgrade their locale if they're serious about being a creative/tech firm.

 

And if Brulant in Beachwood is serious about their future, they really need to be in Tyler. A friend of mine turned down a job there even though its a great company, because it was in Beachwood. The suburban location made her question the company's commitment to younger creative people. Instead she took a job in downtown Seattle.

been about a month since I've seen Tyler Village.  I really like the color palette on the bridge above the patio garden, and the idea of doing something green on the roof. Just the postings on this website alone have seemed to multiply in the last couple months, which tells me Tyler Village is catching the attention of more and more people.  WW - What's up with the Factory restaurant that was supposed to open?  And is APG or the biotech guys close to getting in?  I'd love to see some photos of the construction for those spaces. Congrats to the developer in the recent accomplishments, and thanks to WW for keeping us posted.  And I agree with previous comments that this project will change the dynamic of the neighborhood and set a precedent for other developers with these old, hulking industrial complexes with such interesting architecture.

did anyone go to the Front Room Gallery 2 year anniversary event last night??  if not, id recommend checking out their gallery.

 

http://www.frontroomcleveland.com/index.html

yeah, I didn't go to this, but I hope it went well. The Gallery exhibit looked very good, I hope the garage worked out for the band and double dutch troupe.

 

 

Front Room looks like an amazing place! I wanted to check it out when I was there last, but I didn't get a chance to. Hope they stick around for a long time!

the gallery looks great, nice kids too, the garage was ok.  it IS a garage and all, it made a cleveland punk band sound like kraut rock.  but it was fun.  maybe 70 people or so.  not exactly ideal set up.  but still fun.  the halls of the building were pretty neat.  well maintained, with tons of possibilities.  some of my friends who live in raw loft spaces were a little disappointed that someone is taming tyler.  soon there may be no artists left in any of the "artist lofts" around town. 

Wow, that may be jumping the gun a tad.  Of all Cleveland's problems, becoming unaffordable for artists to set up shop may be one of the farther off ones.

the gallery looks great, nice kids too, the garage was ok.  it IS a garage and all, it made a cleveland punk band sound like kraut rock.  but it was fun.  maybe 70 people or so.  not exactly ideal set up.   but still fun.  the halls of the building were pretty neat.  well maintained, with tons of possibilities.  some of my friends who live in raw loft spaces were a little disappointed that someone is taming tyler.  soon there may be no artists left in any of the "artist lofts" around town. 

 

FYI, every lease signed at Tyler says the space can't be used as a residence. I would guess that your friends are living illegally in various warehouses in and around Cleveland. Should a fire marshall or building inspector find a person living in a space without the proper zoning and life-safty standards met he could easily shut down all operations at a building, as well as lock people out of their "home" and/or business.

 

that said, Cleveland in general is EXTREMELY affordable for artists or anybody else. You can rent upper floor warehouse space for as little as $1 a square foot in some places. That would make a 1,500 square foot space cost $125 a month for as-is space (plus heat and electricity). If artists are getting priced out by $2 or $3 a SF, maybe it's time for them to consider the workforce.

 

Finally, we work with groups like the Front Room Gallery and a Piece of Cleveland to help them find space that is affordable on campus. The Garage space was donated to the FRG by Graystone for the evening's event. We are also looking at demising some of our larger floor plates into 1,000 to 1,500 SF units of raw warehouse space for more artists on the west side of campus. I know that at least one member of the Graystone team goes into the office on the weekend with the express purpose of working with artists and their needs.

"Cleveland in general is EXTREMELY affordable for artists or anybody else... If artists are getting priced out by $2 or $3 a SF, maybe it's time for them to consider the workforce."

 

Amen.

 

 

^well i would say thats an unfair statement that somehow profits=good art, because someone who could make it easily as an artist in say nyc due to the volume of possibilities might just be getting by in cleveland with a day job waiting tables.  theres always this discussion at Spaces Gallery on their role in "training" people on what is good art verse letting people decide for themselves since a lot of it is subjective. 

 

why doesnt tyler village allow residences...??  that place looks perfect and ripe for live/work space.  and speaking of artists being priced out, that does happen in cleveland, not at any alarming rate, but look at Tower Press.  when it opened it was this innovative new plan to bring artists downtown by jurying their artwork and giving them cheap affordable space.  and now?  now its twice as much for rent and that program no longer exists and that was just in a matter of 5 years...

I don't know that I said profits equal good art, just that there is sometimes a cost associated with doing what you want to do.

 

To do live/work we'd need to boot out everybody on the west side of campus 1st. Then we'd need to put in about $20 million in improvements. If you want to see artists get priced out, have $20 million go onto a note. Then we'd have to hope that the housing market could net $10 to $11 a SF. That same 1,500 SF place that was $250/mo just jumped up to $1,250/mo.

 

I'm all for working with artists to figure out solutions for their needs. What I don't get is why there is this feeling that they should somehow be above regular market forces.

 

What's great about the Front Room Gallery is that they took it upon themselves to rent a large space so they could subdivide it and get other artists cheap studio space. The opportunity to do that is all over Cleveland in general and in Tyler specifically. I don't think it's up to a landlord to provide it, but up to the user to find it, though.

I'm not saying profits=good art. What I'm saying is just as weepinwillow said - for studio space, it doesn't get much cheaper than Cleveland. I'm not talking about artists' profits, I'm talking about just being able to sustain their craft. Sure, an artist could have more opportunities in NYC, but they'd have a broom closet at three times the price of an average space here; and that they'd share with three other people. Even my friends who are pretty established (in Red Hook) are feeling the pinch; their overhead (biggest chunk being studio rent) is killing them, not to mention you don't just move to NYC and people start handing you commissions. It's taken them years to get where they are and their day jobs were: restaurant host, server, and security guard. If they can do it, so can Cleveland artists ;-)

 

I think 8Shades mentioned there are resources for Cleveland artists to help them get set up with studio space, and just as importantly, a viable approach to getting their work out there. No, art isn't solely about the money (nor has it been nor should it be), but the reality is that bills have to be paid and the bills are a lot lower here than in most cities. Should live/work zoning be more widespread to offer artists affordable space? Absolutely. Should the resources available to artists be given more funding? Absolutely. I think there are legitimate gripes for artists in Cleveland - the price of studio space isn't one of them. Not yet, anyway ;-)

 

So to get back on topic, weepinwillow - can you give us some info about live/work spaces from your perspective as an owner/proprietor? It sounds great to us but then again, we're not the ones trying to market it. 

I love the idea of live/work spaces, you're still going to need some viable business' to employ those who will be doing the living and working. I know that some of the housing bets that were placed earlier haven't gone as planned due to the reality of the Cleveland market.

 

At the end of the day it has to make sense. If I'm going to put in $50 a SF I think it's reasonable for me to try and get paid back for that plus interest. I could always put that same $50 into the stock market and not bother with trying to rebuild Cleveland.

 

The only other issue I have on live/work is the headache of dealing with the city itself. Cleveland's zoning rules, design review, etc make it 10 times more difficult to get something done than it would be in Boston or New York. It makes absolutely NO sense to have such an archaic system in place for a city trying to get out the industrial age.

^

How many people currently work in Tyler Village? How many people are you guys planning on working there in the next 5 years?

of course they are living illegally.  large raw studio space that isn't illegal is often not affordable for artists.  even in cleveland.  I am not suggesting they are above the market, I am saying they are often outside of it entirely.  it is simply a matter of perspective.  if you think 1250/month is normal for rent, then you haven't had trouble raising that kind of dough for a while.  this is not for someone who wants an apartment.  this is for someone who needs a large amount of studio space, and is willing to live in a rough part of town to get it.  this the kind of space that is not available at residential rates.  every development that takes a convertible industrial space off the market for artists, makes it harder.  it is rather simple I think.  one less building.  the editorializing about art vs. market is sort of silly and beside the point.  though it is curious to see so much animosity.   

except that the $1250 a month for rent is converted living space with two bedrooms and not raw studio space. My only point is that there is an absolute glut of space for creative people to use. Upper floor warehouse space is cheap space in Cleveland. If you don't live in it it's legal, too. Seriously, scrounging up $250 a month for a 1,500 SF space between a couple of other artists should not be that hard ($75, $50 a month per person). We're talking a part time job here.

 

I have no animosity towards artists looking for cheap space, and often help them find it at Tyler.

 

I'd also point out that if someone is using a space illegally, is it really "for" them?

^

How many people currently work in Tyler Village? How many people are you guys planning on working there in the next 5 years?

 

I don't have accurate numbers to that. Safe to say over 200 people working there now between office & industrial users. I'f say we would like to have all of building 44 leased up with office users by the end of the year.

I think 8Shades mentioned there are resources for Cleveland artists to help them get set up with studio space, and just as importantly, a viable approach to getting their work out there.

 

Yep. There are a number of resources out there for artists, and in the next two years, there are going to be more robust efforts around helping them get affordable space (including increasing their ability to own space so they don't get priced out), market development and grant funding. I'll start a new thread once more details are worked out ... right now, I'm working on putting together a steering committee regarding artist space issues.

 

As far as live/work goes, it's a complicated issue, but here's the main idea: the City of Cleveland passed an ordinance that allows artists to live in industrial zoned buildings on the near east side (industrial buildings from about E. 17th to E. 64th); there have been discussions about creating similar live-work overlay districts on the West Side as well. While the city of Cleveland is all about this conversion of uses, the state of Ohio's building codes are not. In order to allow people to reside in these buildings, owners have to modernize them to meet minimum residential codes. These changes, particularly modernization of elevators and installation or modernization of sprinkler systems, can be cost-prohibitive, particularly if the space is being rented out at the low rates artists are seeking. As such, many landlords don't perform the modernizations and rent the spaces as workspace; if the building is inspected, artists are typically evicted. This happens occasionally, but literally hundreds of artists are maintaining spaces in these industrial buildings, and many are living in their spaces.

 

As for Tower Press, the building was always set up to have subsidized artist spaces on the first floor and market-rate units on the floors above. To the best of my knowledge, all of the units on the first floor are still occupied by artists at discounted rates except for the commercial units fronting Superior, which are occupied by arts and culture nonprofits and arts-focused businesses.

 

 

FYI: We're planning an Arts Walk here at Tyler for September 27th from 5-8 PM.

 

Also, just had a marketing firm come through from the burbs.. all left with smiles on their faces.

Awesome about the Arts Walk on the 27th ... keep us posted, and I'll try to get out the word about it as much as I can. Do you know if any of the artists at Tyler will be involved in the City Artists at Work tour taking place as part of the Sparx in the City Urban Gallery Hop?

 

Also, in case you missed it, a group of galleries from the area has been meeting and discussing opportunities to cross-brand as the Cleveland Arts Quarter. I know the guys at Front Room have been somewhat involved in that effort. It might be good to send a representative to those meetings ... I can get you contact info if you'd like.

 

Thought I'd post this photo of a gallery space we have in Tyler... I just think it looks cool.

 

On a side note, I've got news that the restaurant is officially opening on October 2nd. Had to get some permit's taken care of, but we've now got a date.

 

The brick's on Superior have all been cleaned up and we're looking at the street scape plans for 36th ST right now...

That space rocks. Looking forward to checking out the restaurant, too. What kind of fare will they serve? Also, any news/postcards, etc. about the Arts Walk?

pub fare/comfort food, I believe. I'll post info on the arts walk when I get a chance..

^ Thanks.

The studio space looks like a place I lived in Chicago for a while.  It had about the same amount of furniture :(

 

What neighborhood is this project in?  Which ones does it border.  In my head I am trying to see if the Avenue district contects to Asiatown to Tyler Village....

st.clair/superior by 36th and superior. The new Asian Plaza is going in across the street.

The Avenue District is a little remote from this project ... its current eastern terminus is at the equivalent of E. 16th, while Tyler Village doesn't pick up until E. 34th. That being said, from E. 19th to E. 26th/the highway, there's a lot of revitalization opportunity and current activity in the live/work warehouses that flank Superior. Then, after the highway, you have a nice corridor of Asiatown businesses going down to Tyler Village, as well as other arts-related spaces at the 1400 Building (E. 30th), Berr Studios (E. 32nd) and Josaphat Arts Hall (E. 33rd). So 10 years down the road ...

st.clair/superior by 36th and superior. The new Asian Plaza is going in across the street.

 

I know it's not your project, but what is going on with Asian Plaza.  It seems like it is moving very slowly.

I would love for Cleveland's newly established Arts Quarter to make a name for itself. It would be so fantastic if galleries there could work together, team up, and make that place a destination for amazing, contemporary, PROGRESSIVE, even, dare I say it? CONTROVERSIAL art. One thing I love about Cleveland is that it already has such fantastic cultural resources. It's time to bring that sensibility to the neighborhoods, especially this one.

 

Tremont has that to some extent, but it's such a mixed bag, in my opinion. It would be great to see something more (and I hate to use this term or compare Cleveland to this, but) Soho-esque (and I emphasize the ESQUE part).

^^Asiatown Center is being developed by an old Cleveland Chinatown merchant family that hasn't had much experience with real estate development. I suspect the lack of experience is what's causing the delays, though I expect it will open *eventually*.

from the picture on the sign for the asian plaza, it looked to be hidden behind a large parking lot.  not exactly inspiring development for the area if that is the case.   

It's a conversion of an existing warehouse space, they are working with what was there.

ah I see.  perhaps they could convert the parking lot into a new building.  we'll call it, adaptive re-use.  the structural integrity of the original parking lot will be maintained while creating a new space over top of it, a building.   

It might very well make a lot of sense to put a building where the front parking area is, but lets let them get the existing warehouse converted before we start lambasting them for not putting a new building out front to "inspire" us.

I think the Asia Town Center is more focused on looking onto Payne Ave more than Superior, so while we like having them as our across street neighbors, that lot is more like back-lot parking and truck traffic pathways.

 

What I'd like to see is a way to bring the focus of Superior onto Tyler and down 36th street eventually. And that's in the works.

 

FYI putting a building on an existing parking lot is rarely an easy process.

^Tell us about it...

I lambasted no one, if you think I am, I have no idea why.  I am merely suggesting that with tyler across the street, it would be nice if it was something more than a building behind a parking lot.  when I looked at the structure, I saw new bricks and thought it was new.  I was riding a bicycle at that time, so excuse me if I didn't take a picture. 

 

I also did not suggest that anyone needs to inspire anyone.  your comment is impolite, loaded, and I don't appreciate it.  why must people respond to posts in such off putting ways.  it is unnecessary.  my second comment was merely a bit of a joke.  if you don't get it, move on. 

 

ffs!   

ffs, indeed.  I certainly thought impolite, loaded, and offputting fit your post as well.  I explained why something was the way it was, you came back with what seemed to me a highly smart_ss reply.  If you didn't mean it that way, then I apologize for my own smart_ss reply.

"ffs"?  Is that "for f*ck's sake"?