Posted November 13, 200816 yr Not sure if this is the right place for this topic, but I figured it fit somewhat here.. It's one week from my glorious return to the Clev, and I was wondering if they reopened the Terminal Tower observation deck at all?
November 13, 200816 yr Not Until The Restoration Is Finished If At All! Sorry - I've had to answer that about eighty times this week (via my site) :-) clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
November 13, 200816 yr Brian Cappelli Forest City Commercial Management, Inc. 50 Public Square, Suite 1515 Cleveland, OH 44113 briancappelli*at*forestcity.net Phone 216-736-7646 Fax 216-416-3916 Did I mention that someone actually emailed me, and said "Perhaps with the influence of your website, you could provide a persuasive argument for them to reopen the observation deck while restoration is underway". :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: I'm just a guy with a camera who pays $25 a month to put pictures online! :-P clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
November 13, 200816 yr Awe MayDay, I'm sorry. Take a breath, and maybe get a shake over that the Galleria. It'll be okay.
June 15, 201015 yr Maybe this could be turned into a Terminal Tower/Tower City General infomation thread? I'm surprised youknowho didn't post this. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/photos_terminal_tower_gets_roo.html
June 15, 201015 yr So cool. I like how the reporter called the location of the garden "one of the shoulders of the Terminal Tower."
June 18, 201014 yr I'm not sure if everyone knows this or not but I just e-mailed one of the property managers at the Terminal Tower and he said the observation deck will be open on weekends in July from 12-4. So not sure if this is only temporary but this is good news regardless.
June 18, 201014 yr waiting for the news to break.... I hear there still may be a volunteer manning issue. So if anyone knows anyone who can help... I wonder when CSU get back in session on August 30, if they'd be able to find a large demographic to help. Or CWRU fraternites and soroities...they're always looking for "philantropy hours." Who's ever in charge of this, let me know and I may be able to pull some college student help for late August and on.
June 18, 201014 yr You will be seeing press releases about this soon. Here is all I will say right at the moment until the paper has the information.... The dates the Observation Deck will be open are: July 10th-11th July 17th-18th July 24th25th July 31st-Aug 1st
June 19, 201014 yr I can't wait for the deck to open, it will be nice to see. Also, nice article about creating a rooftop garden. I think that is is such a wonderful idea for employees and people alike to care enough to not only recycle, but to prepare a garden and tend to it. Things like that make me a super proud Clevelander :)
June 20, 201014 yr I hope the outdoor portion of the deck will open as well. I agree! That's the kicker! At one time this was opened, I believe.
June 20, 201014 yr I hope the outdoor portion of the deck will open as well. I agree! That's the kicker! At one time this was opened, I believe. My understanding is that is was for a very short period of time when the tower was new. But then, 1929, suicided jumps elsewhere, etc. and it was closed down.
June 22, 201014 yr So... are no outdoor observation decks open anywhere, due to fear of jumps? Or is it just this one? I think it's irresponsible ownership on the part of FCE to not have this open (indoor or outdoor) on a regular basis. Progress is progress but come on. For what it's worth, the Carew Tower's observation deck in Cincinnati is entirely outdoor, with a chest high wall being the only barrier
June 22, 201014 yr So... are no outdoor observation decks open anywhere, due to fear of jumps? Or is it just this one? I think it's irresponsible ownership on the part of FCE to not have this open (indoor or outdoor) on a regular basis. Progress is progress but come on. For what it's worth, the Carew Tower's observation deck in Cincinnati is entirely outdoor, with a chest high wall being the only barrier Ah ha! So it is choice and choice alone that keeps ours closed.
June 23, 201014 yr High Ball Jearl Walker at www.wiley.com/college/hrw the Web site for Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker On August 20, 1938, Frankie Pytlak and Hank Helf, two catchers from the Cleveland Indians, set out to capture the world's record for catching the longest dropped baseball. While they waited at street level beside Terminal Tower in Cleveland, Ken Keltner, the third baseman, prepared to toss the balls from the top of the building, about 210 m above the street level. The previous record of 170 m had been set in 1908 by two catchers from another team who caught baseballs tossed off the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. Keltner had no way of seeing his fellow players on the street and so he tossed the balls out blindly. Pytlak and Helf wore steel helmets to guard against injury by the balls, which reached estimated speeds of almost 225 km/hr. Helf made the first catch, claiming with a grin that there was nothing to it. But the next five balls dropped for Pytlak went astray. One bounded up to the 13th floor and was fielded by a police sergeant after its third bounce. On the sixth try Pytlak made his catch and his shared record. March 11, 1985 When Baseballs Fell From On High, Henry Helf Rose To The Occasion Bruce Anderson Henry Helf stood at the base of Cleveland's 52-story Terminal Tower in his street clothes. He rolled up his shirtsleeves and put on his Goldsmith catcher's mitt. He looked skyward. It was Saturday morning, Aug. 20, 1938, and Helf and four other Cleveland Indians, catchers Frank Pytlak and Rollie Hemsley and coaches Wally Schang and Johnny Bassler, were hoping to set a record by catching balls thrown from the top of Terminal Tower, 708 feet above. The five Indians were scattered about an adjacent square with 10,000 spectators looking on. Helf and the other four Indians at least had a fixed launching platform above them. Ken Keltner, a rookie third baseman, was stationed atop the Terminal Tower with a dozen new Spaldings. "He won't even come close," Helf recalls thinking as he awaited the first ball. Keltner had to clear the base of the tower and put the balls within a 50-foot circle. The first three balls eluded both catchers and coaches. "I could barely see those balls when they left Kenny's hand," Helf says. "They looked the size of aspirin tablets when they started down, and when they got closer, they had stopped spinning and were dancing like knuckleballs. I didn't know if they were going to hit my glove or my head." After watching the first three balls fall uncaught, few present on that day would have criticized Helf or his teammates if they had taken cover. Mathematicians had estimated the speed of the balls at ground level to be 138 mph, 40 mph faster than Bob Feller's best heater. The balls bounced six stories high upon hitting the pavement. But Helf rose to the challenge. As the fourth ball fell, he tracked it, braced himself, stuck up his trusty Goldsmith and—smack!—snagged it. Three balls later Pytlak caught one. The crowd applauded the pair, with the rookie drawing the loudest cheers. Helf also received two gifts to commemorate the feat. "I got an overcoat that I wore just once and gave away," he says. "It was too darn heavy, even for Cleveland weather." He was also presented a trophy, which he still has in his home in Austin, Texas, though the catcher on the top of it was broken off years ago. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1126490/3/index.htm GREAT MOMENTS IN HYPE #3: It was June 24, 1980, and the idea was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of a Cleveland skyscraper called Terminal Tower. The stunt was a reenactment of one performed by the Cleveland Indians years earlier, in which they dropped baseballs off the top of the building. Ted Stepien, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time, participated (presumably as part of his ongoing effort to promote his NBA franchise, not to mention his newly established slo-pitch Softball league). Now, Stepien's stewardship of the Cavaliers, the team that care forgot, was marked by repeated public relations gaffes, but none matched his willingness to drop softballs off Terminal Tower and have six members of his softball team, the Competitors, on the ground trying to catch them. With an expectant crowd gathered below, gazing at the rooftop, Stepien stood proudly at the precipice of disaster and threw the first pitch out a 52nd-floor window. That ball smashed into a car 708 feet below. The second pitch hit a bystander, badly bruising his shoulder. Stepien fired another ball earthward, this time breaking the wrist of a pedestrian. The next pitch hit the street below the tower and bounced 40 feet in the air (calculations showed that the ball was traveling at 144 mph). At that point, bystanders began to flee for their lives, leaving a scene of twisted metal and mangled limbs.
June 28, 201014 yr Terminal Tower observation deck set to open soon for weekend visitors CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Terminal Tower observation deck, enclosed on the 42nd floor of the 52-story building, has been closed to visitors since the terrorist attacks of the World Trade Center in New York Sept. 11, 2001. It will reopen soon for a limited engagement with an eye toward becoming a permanent tourist attraction. For the rest of the article go to... http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2010/06/the_full_cleveland_terminal_to.html
July 3, 201014 yr News story about the upcoming re-opening: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/terminal-tower-to-reopen-its-42nd-floor-observation-deck-for-public-viewing.
July 3, 201014 yr Is this just going to be a one time thing or will they open this year round in the near future?
July 4, 201014 yr The word seems to be that if the turnouts are successful, it may become a regular thing.
July 5, 201014 yr That would be awesome! I already have plans to go to it 3 times with different people and everyone I talked to at the Subway & Bridge tour said they were going to go.
July 11, 201014 yr Just wanted to share that this was a spectacular grand re-opening of the deck today! There were approximately over 600 visitors--ALL--whom had nothing but a fun and positive experience. I was glad to assist with ushering visitors to the deck. There were people from all over, locally...and out of state who were here to see this. Everyone kept saying how great it would be to have it open more, that they would visit, and how it could benefit other businesses nearby and offer a family oriented activity. I participated in a small audio stream that is supposed to air on WCPN. The deck looked fabulous, the day was excellent for weather....and it was just like stepping back into the 1930's and had a very enchanting, charming, historic and "Cinderellaesque-like" feeling!. It was fun hearing memories of much older visitors and their stories of even being able to go to the upper outdoor deck. Anyway, just wanted to share what a big success it was. Hope you will take the time to visit on Sunday, but I will not be there. Thanks to anyone here who visited today!
July 12, 201014 yr Thanks for doing this EC. You really do put your money where your mouth is. Considering your insider position can you find out anything about the status of the 43rd floor outdoor deck?
July 12, 201014 yr Just wanted to share that this was a spectacular grand re-opening of the deck today! There were approximately over 600 visitors--ALL--whom had nothing but a fun and positive experience. I was glad to assist with ushering visitors to the deck. There were people from all over, locally...and out of state who were here to see this. Everyone kept saying how great it would be to have it open more, that they would visit, and how it could benefit other businesses nearby and offer a family oriented activity. I participated in a small audio stream that is supposed to air on WCPN. The deck looked fabulous, the day was excellent for weather....and it was just like stepping back into the 1930's and had a very enchanting, charming, historic and "Cinderellaesque-like" feeling!. It was fun hearing memories of much older visitors and their stories of even being able to go to the upper outdoor deck. Anyway, just wanted to share what a big success it was. Hope you will take the time to visit on Sunday, but I will not be there. Thanks to anyone here who visited today! These types of event are exactly what we need in downtown to draw consumers of all demographics.
July 12, 201014 yr EC - what was the average wait time for people? I went down around 2:15 yesterday and was informed that they were done selling tickets for the day. I guess I will have to try again next weekend. Too bad - it would have been a good day for some pictures.
July 12, 201014 yr Thanks for the report EC -- I'm really, really hoping I can make it up there once during the next three weekends. They'll for sure be a pent up demand on my end if this doesn't happen!
July 12, 201014 yr Thanks people... I agree that this is the ideal family activity we need more of. I will see if I can get information about the outdoor deck. Funny how many people remembered going on that one when they were kids. It was brought up several times. Hopefully nice turn-outs will inspire the OBD to be a more regular thing. There were some great books for sale up there and free buttons and nifty looking 1920's style information cards handed out. Not exaggerating, but I must have heard a couple dozen people profess their love for this attraction and feel it would help bring more patrons to other downtown events and businesses. One of the best parts of this---at least on opening day--was that everyone who visited was so respectful of the place and in such wonderful spirits--despite the LeBron drama looming in the air so soon. I hope more people on the forum will get the chance to visit the attraction and writer about your enjoyment of the place. I will also try and get the info. on the audio stream. The media guy told me he would send me a message about it.
July 20, 201014 yr There is a small feature on the reopening of the deck on today's "Around Noon" show on WCPN. Here is the link..... http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/an/31410/
July 21, 201014 yr I don't know how the wait times are now but when I went the first weekend they told me its a 2 hour wait but it actually ended up being an hour and fifteen minutes long, although I'm sure some left to come back another time or day. I really do hope this becomes a more permanent thing soon.
July 21, 201014 yr I have made some suggestions on how to make things more efficient. Too lengthy to write here right now, but glad to share via PM so I keep my long stuff to a minimum on here. I think it will get better...and a reminder to anyone who wants to do this: Get there early... By at least 10:00 AM to avoid the longer waits. This means be in the line by that time.
July 21, 201014 yr Yeah, tickets were sold out by 2:00 the past two sundays. How about they extend the hours past 4:00? It seems to be a popular thing to do. How about they even do it at night so people can get views of the city after dark? Also, it looked like people were just getting in line without knowing they had to get tickets. I wonder how many people waited over an hour to get to the front of the line to find out they needed to go somewhere else to buy the tickets. They need to post signs directing people to the place to get tickets.
July 21, 201014 yr I'm sure the question on everyone's mind: Why are these dates and times so selective????
July 21, 201014 yr Yeah, tickets were sold out by 2:00 the past two sundays. How about they extend the hours past 4:00? It seems to be a popular thing to do. How about they even do it at night so people can get views of the city after dark? Also, it looked like people were just getting in line without knowing they had to get tickets. I wonder how many people waited over an hour to get to the front of the line to find out they needed to go somewhere else to buy the tickets. They need to post signs directing people to the place to get tickets. Guest Services are where tickets are purchased. Because this has been a select month for this opening..and coupled wit the fact it has not been open in so long, it is no wonder their has been a tidal wave of visitors storming the castle. If open more regularly, I look for that storm to calm and better efficiency in the operation. Remember...many of the volunteers didn't have much time to rehearse this gig and a lot has been impromptu. Still not too bad overall. In the spirit of budget concerns and preserving the deck physically...and its novelty/magic... I made a suggestion to have it open for 4 weekends 4 times per year which would be one month for each season of the year..to offer a glimpse of the city during different seasons/moods of the city. As for the outdoor deck opening and night viewing....heck yeah, we'd all love that! Let's take it one step at a time and just be glad to see that the deck has finally re-opened! All I can do is offer my observations from volunteering...and if anyone wants to do this, again...just get there early and get your tickets at Guest Services. Yeah, it has been a bit like waiting in line at Cedar Point. I look at the enthusiasm towards this and the large turnouts as a positive problem to deal with.
July 23, 201014 yr Ok, just a note that may be of interest to anyone who wants to go on Sunday. I was informed by operators that Guest Services will be selling only 600 tickets before they consider the Observation deck "sold out"..... and will be able to sell more if there is time and the ability to do so. This is for Sunday, when I am helping. I will find out if the same applies for Saturday, but it would be safe to assume it would. Hope this helps. Oh, and you apparently cannot keep your tickets. Sad, because they're really nifty little things!
July 30, 201014 yr lol. something that gets people excited about Cleveland...enough to get in line. So lets end it this weekend. :?
July 30, 201014 yr it how much does it cost to maintain? would it lose money if it were open every weekend and tickets were ten bucks?
July 30, 201014 yr They currently charge $5, and assume 600 people per day, that's $3,000. Not a bad bit of money I would think.
July 30, 201014 yr 600 tickets per day are sold on the weekends. Again, the hope is to keep it open on a more regular basis. This has been like a trial run after not being open so long--and after the deck was renovated. It looks really nice and just being in the room is a treat. There needs to be some re-grouping and evaluating how to improve efficiency of the operation. This is from a volunteering perspective and I am not speaking for anyone in any way for FC--But just sharing the observations and what I am hearing. I like the family crowd it attracts. So much different than the WD and other types of crowds downtown attracts. This crowd portion lacks so this is good. Also, Just an interesting observation from talking to many....I am amazed at how much local area residents are so un-aware of their downtown and what is in their central city. I see such an attraction as a way to re-connect people with their downtown. Amazing what has happened in less than 50 years to divorce Greater Clevelanders with their city... some don't seem to realize that they are a PART of a large metro area. Lastly... again.. Please get there early this weekend if you want to visit.... Don't wait 'til 10:00AM then come down.... Have your tickets and be sitting down at a shop or something...and be ready to step in line. The amount of people we trey to keep in the deck for comfort and safety for approximately 20 minutes average time is 45 to 50...meaning when 6 to 10 go down, we invite the same number back up... There was no "dress rehearsal" for this so considering the crowds, I thought it has been pretty well moving.
Create an account or sign in to comment