Can I get that ax at the UO store?

I have been thinking about this for the last few days. Since K&D is now going to try and develop the area on Euclid between E. 4th and E. 9th as well as the new (pending) purchase of the properties on Euclid and E. 9th, I take it that this entire area has a very bright future in store, which is MUCH needed. There is a ton of interest in this part of Cleveland, especially on Euclid in the low double-digits area.

 

With that said, I am now assuming K&D will be shifting focus to this part of Cleveland over the next few years and will perhaps fade out on the Stonebridge project, or at a very minimum, cut down on it. I understand they are big and can handle multiple projects, but I am not sure they are big enough to handle ALL of this at once.

 

Euclid from E. 4th to CSU is becoming an entirely new street as we speak. I remember the old Euclid of the 1990's and it's much different today. Imagine in 10 years what it's going to look like!! I hope K&D realizes they are embarking on what I see as the single best intersection in all of Cleveland.

 

Regardless of anything that comes out of this: this Bauhaus masterpiece has been saved - there is a very rich history to this "ugly" beautiful creation by Marcel Breur! Thank the LORD for it's been saved!

I just wish that they'd get some help on the architecture side of things.

Urbanlife, you say we don't have the substantial transit systems of other regions, yet we have the best in the state and, still, one of the better ones in the US.  Where does RTA not go where biz folks visiting Cleve need to go? 

 

clvlndr, my opinion is based more on the residential component involved in this project and other downtown projects. 

 

i live downtown, and i use the RTA almost every day.  however, i don't think i could or would live downtown if i couldn't have at least 1 car in my household.  whether for business, shopping, entertainment - it just isn't easy at certain times of the day (and sometimes never) to get the solon, akron, strongsville, medina, westlake, etc. let alone the other side of downtown for that matter as McCleveland mentioned.  and, depending on what type of business you are involved in, saying "the bus doesn't run there" isn't considered a good excuse for not making a meeting.

 

also, i'm meeting more and more people who are "forced" to take jobs in the suburbs, b/c that is where a lot of job growth has been over the last couple of decades, but choose to live downtown.   they expect to keep their car as the transit options either don't serve these less dense areas or the areas are only served a few times a day.

Indeed, as another Downtown resident I have to say parking is still necessary, even if I drive less than I would in the suburbs.  The problem is that even if there are only a couple of places you need to go that transit doesn't go or doesn't go at the times you need to go or takes longer than you can wait to get there, then you need to have a car still.  It's funny when people who don't live Downtown seem to want us to be an instaManhattan.  If you want that for downtown, please do me a favor and open a full service, late night grocery store/household goods store/bookstore/music store combo with a food court open outside office hours, and also please either build transit to or convince my family and friends to move within service range of RTA.  Then I'll be more than happy to live your carfree urbanite fantasies out for you.

"Euclid from E. 4th to CSU is becoming an entirely new street as we speak."

 

You can also count E4th to Public Square.  Bang and Clatter Theater, Park Building, Terminal Tower renovations.  Also, maybe there is something brewing about the May Company building......

Also, maybe there is something brewing about the May Company building......

 

No fair. You can't just tease us like that.

^You aren't used to it by now?

^You aren't used to it by now?

 

Don't support him on this one!

To do anything with that building, wouldn't Key have to move its operations?

^key is moving their operations.

^key is moving their operations.

 

yes, but to where?

i heard from a friend in real estate they are definitely going to Higbee's... though that is second hand and not from the horse's mouth so to speak so i guess anything is still possible.

 

What am I going to say folks?!?

 

 

What am I going to say folks?!?

 

Oh, let me guess!

 

"I wish I had a keg of Christmas Ale to hold me over until summer.... and that I could drink to a nightly toast by the apparent positive turn in events leading to the saving of Breuer."

Indeed, as another Downtown resident I have to say parking is still necessary, even if I drive less than I would in the suburbs.  The problem is that even if there are only a couple of places you need to go that transit doesn't go or doesn't go at the times you need to go or takes longer than you can wait to get there, then you need to have a car still.  It's funny when people who don't live Downtown seem to want us to be an instaManhattan.  If you want that for downtown, please do me a favor and open a full service, late night grocery store/household goods store/bookstore/music store combo with a food court open outside office hours, and also please either build transit to or convince my family and friends to move within service range of RTA.  Then I'll be more than happy to live your carfree urbanite fantasies out for you.

 

X, I hope that is not how you interpretted my post.  As I've said a-thousand-and-one-times you cannot compare NYC (especially manhattan) to any North American city.

 

I am just trying to understand the need for more parking spaces, especially when we complain that there are currently too many and not proper transportation throughout the city.  Without seeing any number and a model, it just appears obsessive to me.

^ The Bitch is back.

 

Too bad the subject isn't!

Not really meant as a reply towards you, MyTwoSense.  Alot of people on this board have this ideal, which I share.  But it is one thing to have an ideal, another to apply it to another's circumstances without knowing if it really works for them.  Frankly, I am more concerned with eliminating surface parking than with eliminating parking, period.  Of course, I hope these garages aren't parking on the first floor, becaue that is almost as bad as surface parking.

also, regarding the site plan that came out with this.  Apparently, as I thought, K&D wants to buy and demolish 1030 Euclid (the Truman building) for it's "cut through" around the tower... I'm not exactly sure what K&D's emphatuation with demolishing buildings for plazas and cut throughs is, but they are going to find this move rather difficult as the Truman building is on the National Historic Register.  I love the overall plan for this, and love even more that the tower is being saved, but someone needs to tell Doug Price to stop trying to demolish buildings on Euclid for no real reason.

Not really meant as a reply towards you, MyTwoSense.  Alot of people on this board have this ideal, which I share.  But it is one thing to have an ideal, another to apply it to another's circumstances without knowing if it really works for them. 

 

Cool  :wink:  I hear what you are saying and its easy to be an armchair developer without the financial package/model in hand to determine what will or will not work.  IMHO, that on the surface, it appears that it will be a block of over glorified parking spaces.

 

^ The Bitch is back.

 

HUSH!  :wink2:

So, how developed are the architectural plans for the not right side up pyramid?  Could the final design be significantly different?

also, regarding the site plan that came out with this.  Apparently, as I thought, K&D wants to buy and demolish 1030 Euclid (the Truman building) for it's "cut through" around the tower... I'm not exactly sure what K&D's emphatuation with demolishing buildings for plazas and cut throughs is, but they are going to find this move rather difficult as the Truman building is on the National Historic Register.  I love the overall plan for this, and love even more that the tower is being saved, but someone needs to tell Doug Price to stop trying to demolish buildings on Euclid for no real reason.

 

Being on the National Historic Register will not protect it from demo. Only a local designation will.

.

.

If you enjoy the privilege of posting your diatribes on this forum, it's probably best not to mock an Admin.

 

Back on topic, folks.

aww calm down mts, i think this development in whole will need a parking garage. heck, it's over a surface lot, no? i'm all for it.

 

the building demo/cut-thru not so much. still, i would wait and see about that until we have more details.

 

all of this does not seem carved in stone yet. nor is redevelopment likely to happen in any way other than very piecemeal, so that will give us plenty of time to debate the merits of each section. i doubt even the developers have it all pinned down as of yet.

 

Nothing new, really, but here's a sound byte that talkes about the K&D project a bit. I found it interesting, albeit brief.

 

http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/business_roundup/9137/

From the PD:

 

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

 

 

Ameritrust developer wants to hire Cleveland architect to design new downtown tower

Posted by Steven Litt/Plain Dealer Architecture Critic

January 28, 2008 19:06PM

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2008/01/large_euclid.jpg

CAPTION: [Don't worry: Developer Doug Price said Monday he has no intention of building the crystalline glass mushroom shown in this rendering. He's going to aim higher and wants to give the assignment to a Cleveland architect.]

 

 

It was fantastic news Jan. 15 when The K&D Group, led by Chief Executive Douglas Price III, offered Cuyahoga County $35 million for the Ameritrust complex in downtown Cleveland.

 

The purchase means that someone who cares about preserving the 29-story Ameritrust Tower, the only tall office building ever completed by Modernist pioneer Marcel Breuer, will take the building off the hands of the county, which wanted to raze the structure to make way for a new administrative center...

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2008/01/ameritrust_developer_wants_to.html

 

 

 

When I caught up with Price by phone today, he said the rendering, created by his development partner, architect Robert Corna, was "a quick concept to get something in the paper" and that he has no intention of building anything like it.

 

He said his ambition is to use a Cleveland architect to design the building, and that it was "not a foregone conclusion" that the designer would be Corna.

 

 

Thank you Doug Price.

^I heard that City Architecture is going to do it. ;)

Zing! :laugh:

"Bob is a component," Price said. "He's done some cool stuff and brings some good ideas to the project. But we know we need a top notch firm and that's what we're going to be looking for."

 

Price is right of course, but ouch, it can't feel good to hear that from your business partner!

 

Altogether, this could be very good news.

Let's hope so. Man .. I really hated that rendering. Whew!

 

I am, however, really excited about the Breuer building and rotunda being preserved. That is extremely good news.

Now lets hope this a W or Klimpton branded hotel.  It has to be something that works for the business community, the theater district and fit in with the growning neighborhood with a young demographic.

^ Do you think we could land a W? Just an honest question because I don't know the answer!

^ Do you think we could land a W? Just an honest question because I don't know the answer!

Let me ask you, why couldn't we?

It's not like the W is this very expensive, ritzy hotel chain that exists only in Paris, Hong Kong, and New York.  It's basically the Ikea of hotels. 

The Breuer Tower would offer an interesting design opportunity for for them and anyother forward design thinking hotelier.

It's not like the W is this very expensive, ritzy hotel chain that exists only in Paris, Hong Kong, and New York.  It's basically the Ikea of hotels. 

The Breuer Tower would offer an interesting design opportunity for for them and anyother forward design thinking hotelier.

 

Ikea?  No they aren't.  I think you are confusing the "w hotels" with their "aloft" brand hotels which are being rolled out this year.

 

Ikea brand hotels are the Courtyard, Four Points & Hilton Garden Inns.

^I think w28th was referring to the affordable style nature of Ikea, which Courtyard, Four Points & Hilton Garden Inns definitely don't share.

^I think w28th was referring to the affordable style nature of Ikea, which Courtyard, Four Points & Hilton Garden Inns definitely don't share.

W hotels aren't really affordable.  They are targeted to hip/trendy (and those wanting to be) 25-40 somethings, mostly male, high income earners.  In top of that, starwood has huge marketing tie-ins at their W & Westin brands for gay travellers as they are a high percentage of frequent guest at those two brands.

 

So yes.  I think a developer could place a W Hotel in Downtown Cleveland.  Hell if Minneapolis can get one, Cleveland certainly can.  Even if we don't get a W, need high profile hotel on that corner - Period!

I stayed at the Chicago Center City in the summer and it was $400 for 2 nights.  Not too bad.  And while it is better designed than most every other hotel, it has a certain contemporary cheapness that I relate to Ikea furniture.

I think we're talking about the same thing here MTS, Cleveland can certainly get one.

Also, straights like the W as well.

I stayed at the Chicago Center City in the summer and it was $400 for 2 nights.  Not too bad.  And while it is better designed than most every other hotel, it has a certain contemporary cheapness that I relate to Ikea furniture.

I think we're talking about the same thing here MTS, Cleveland can certainly get one.

Also, straights like the W as well.

I'm not saying that they don't.  Just mentioning the brands two largest target audiences.

i apologize if this has been asked before...but honestly i did a thorough search all through this site and the internet and found nothing...does anyone have pictures of what the view is like inside of the Marcel Bruer tower???  The 360 degree sightlines have to be amazing...The Jake, Downtown, Terminal Tower, looking North towards the lake, etc...anyone...MayDay?

i think this is the best we got...

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,1621.1170.html

 

i did a walk through once though, and the views were stunning.

^And you didn't have a camera with you? BANNED!!! :whip:

 

Back when the county had just bought it, I sent an email to Peter Lawson Jones asking if I could do a walkthrough. Never heard back from him.

sorry, didn't mean to bring down your scorn and contempt. :-).  It wasn't all that long ago... before they had actually made the decision to tear it down. This was also before i knew this board existed and there were other development dorks of my caliber that would be interested.  I had to laugh too at all i had heard about how terrible 1010 Euclid avenue was.  1010 would probably make for one of the nicest residence conversions in all of downtown... but what do i know.

"other development dorks of my caliber that would be interested."

 

I (and a bunch of us) resemble that remark!!! ;-)

I see something like Hotel 71 in Chicago for the AT Tower.