June 19, 20159 yr I wonder if they could incorporate an outdoor fire pit to the cafe's open seating area. That could be a key programming element to activate the park during the winter months.
June 19, 20159 yr Taste being taste, suit yourself... but I just can't see people paying homage to the CSU campus 1000 years from now. And that's even assuming people between now and then develop an appreciation for the russet tones of rebar bleeding through. That's fine, but history says otherwise. Think of Gothic architecture. Named for the Goths by the Germanic people due to how much they absolutely hated it. It was almost universally revered yet when you look at Notre Dame today, what do you think? Does it conjure up feelings of hatred towards your mortal enemies? No, of course not. Proper construction and design =/= style. The CSU campus won't hold up not because of its style but because it was poorly designed, poorly built, and poorly maintained. But even as such, you're describing a concrete building in a state of disrepair/ruins. Which is an accurate description of, say, the Colosseum. A concrete building in a state of ruins after centuries of disinvestment. It's entirely possible the tower on CSU will be seen as a relic of an ancient civilization in a couple thousand years. As for Public Square's cafe, I think it will be a nice addition. That art wall best be curated to the max though considering it's the first thing you'll see as you enter from that side.
June 23, 20159 yr Author So a public square is now a traffic circle? Decent article otherwise despite some other generalizations (like the comment about Cleveland population).... http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/06/downtown-cleveland-is-turning-a-traffic-circle-into-a-public-park/396563/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 23, 20159 yr Author There's photos on Landmarks' agenda but no entry. BTW, blank walls are evil.... http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2015/06252015/index.php CLEVELAND LANDMARKS COMMISSION AGENDA - June 25, 2015 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 23, 20159 yr Just would like to know where the dumpsters and all the mechanicals are going. The ordering and pickup window placement appears to bottleneck the side entrance into the cafe. The same can be said for the interior side of that entrance. That appears to be the only entrance into the kitchen area for wait staff. Why would this design put a order/pickup window on a side where here isn't any seating? Has Narchitects ever designed a restaurant prior to this? Too many unanswered details for this project to be approved.
June 23, 20159 yr ^ What's the 6x4 box in the back enclosed by a dashed line? If I didn't know that was an "art wall", I'd guess that was a dumpster and fence enclosure.
June 23, 20159 yr ^ What's the 6x4 box in the back enclosed by a dashed line? If I didn't know that was an "art wall", I'd guess that was a dumpster and fence enclosure. I would like to know as well what that indicates on the plans. I have asked all commissions and architects involved in these plans I haven received any response.
June 24, 20159 yr All this talk about "public restrooms" and it literally only has one stall per gender? Maybe the expectation is different, but this hardly seems sufficient to satisfy demand the expected influx on people on the square?
June 25, 20159 yr All this talk about "public restrooms" and it literally only has one stall per gender? Maybe the expectation is different, but this hardly seems sufficient to satisfy demand the expected influx on people on the square? Ugh. This is a national problem, really. I'd bet that a significant number of "indecent exposure" tickets are the result of desperate people merely trying to relieve themselves.
June 25, 20159 yr Author In the GCRTA rail construction thread I posted some examples of what US transit agencies are implementing to offer secure, clean public restrooms. Some pretty innovative developments out there in transit-land. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,6956.msg759998.html#msg759998 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 25, 20159 yr Great article in the Atlantic magazine about Public Square http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/07/reclaiming-the-public-square/395285/ Reclaiming the Public Square Cleveland is the latest city to call on James Corner, the landscape architect behind New York’s High Line, to revive an urban park.
June 25, 20159 yr ^ Yeah, but actually the same article from CityLab that KJP posted a couple days ago
June 29, 20159 yr Read on one of these 'bid' sites that the PS Cafe is valued at $560,000.00. Or the average price of your basic Westlake McMansion.
July 6, 20159 yr Author What's that chamber they're building in the ground across the SW Roadway from Tower City's entrance? It's big enough and deep enough to hold a few of those dump trucks. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 6, 20159 yr Is the cafe going to have a basement? It looks to be in about that spot for it to be a full basement foundation for it.
July 6, 20159 yr ^ This. Putting the pump house underground is a smart solution because those things can look pretty tacky.
July 6, 20159 yr Author Thanks. Now it all makes sense. So the government is building a secret chamber under Public Square so the aliens can spy on us. Just like the one under Denver's airport. Got it. :weird: "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 18, 20159 yr I'll have to get some new pictures but it looks like they've started some of the concrete strips outlining the "butterfly" shape of the north section.
July 18, 20159 yr Author Love the lighting in the middle picture! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 19, 20159 yr Its supposed to be an underground "mechanicals room" for the splash park. please tell me splash park turns into ice skating park in the winter?!!
July 19, 20159 yr Its supposed to be an underground "mechanicals room" for the splash park. please tell me splash park turns into ice skating park in the winter?!!
July 20, 20159 yr Author please tell me splash park turns into ice skating park in the winter?!! So we can play some HOCKEY!!! NSFW.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i_D6oQO6b8 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 22, 20159 yr I'll have to get some new pictures but it looks like they've started some of the concrete strips outlining the "butterfly" shape of the north section. This is now very visible from the Terminal Tower webcam: http://www.towercitycenter.com/info/publicsquare And a nice (though not very newsy) update on construction progress from Litt: http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2015/07/first_look_a_visit_inside_the.html#incart_m-rpt-1
July 26, 20159 yr Its supposed to be an underground "mechanicals room" for the splash park. please tell me splash park turns into ice skating park in the winter?!! at first glance i thought that was an olde postcard and was gonna go awww mannn, but wait, its a real deal modern render so yay lol!
July 28, 20159 yr Was flying home Saturday and went right over downtown. Was aiming to get photos of the new Hilton and I realized this morning that the one shot had a pretty nice view of PS, too. :-)
August 6, 20159 yr Ive been asked so...yes i took these 2 in July from the Southworth Building, the loft conversion is in full swing http://www.cicerchi.com/Southworth.htm Aug 6 exteriors
August 6, 20159 yr Unfortunately, the Tower City webcam seems to be messed up and only shows a little bit of the NE quadrant. Hope they get back on track soon, because it's fun to watch!
August 6, 20159 yr Unfortunately, the Tower City webcam seems to be messed up and only shows a little bit of the NE quadrant. Hope they get back on track soon, because it's fun to watch! If you click on the webcam photo it enlarges to a full screen image of the entire square
August 6, 20159 yr its just a stunning, transformative project that will no doubt spur lots of energy all around the square. thx everybody for all these cool view angles!
August 7, 20159 yr edit: yes, 18 Im responsible now for taking this off topic, but i think the number is 18
August 16, 20159 yr View from the Terminal Tower observation deck: clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
August 18, 20159 yr Author Public Square is taking shape City's 'smartest investment' is on schedule and on pace to cover all costs August 16, 2015 UPDATED 19 HOURS AGO By TIMOTHY MAGAW Cleveland has undergone a few facelifts and tummy tucks in recent years, but now the city is in the throes of open-heart surgery with the dramatic reconstruction of Public Square. Crews began dismantling Cleveland's main artery in March, and what remains is a vestige of its former self. The iconic Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument remains, but the concrete prairie it used to oversee now is a dirt-filled basin showing the bones of what its organization says will be pedestrian-friendly central hub. The ambitious construction project — one that carries a $32 million price tag — is on pace to be completed ahead of the Republican National Convention next summer, according to Jeremy Paris, the executive director of the Group Plan Commission, the nonprofit overseeing the work. The northeastern edge of the square is showing the seeding of what will become the Mandel Concert Hill. Also, the contour of the KeyBank Promenade that will ring the square is taking shape. MORE: http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150816/NEWS/308169985/public-square-is-taking-shape "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 5, 20159 yr Author A few pics from Friday while walking to the bus stop.... Public Square-redesign-Sept2015-1 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr Public Square-redesign-Sept2015-3 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr Public Square-redesign-Sept2015-2 by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 11, 20159 yr Public Square Makeover on Track Nice video update from WKYC on the status of Public Square's overhaul. http://www.wkyc.com/videos/news/local/cleveland/2015/09/10/72022094/
September 24, 20159 yr I thought I noticed it on the Web Cam yesterday, and then it was confirmed by a LAND Studio tweet today: the first new trees have been delivered to the PS project site. That thing is really moving along. EDIT: actually, looks like some of them are already planted near the East roadway.
September 24, 20159 yr Someone I work with suggested that those surface lots adjacent to public square be repurposed as an extension to the greenspace. Of course it would be great if it was that Ameritrust building it was originally going to be, but I was intrigued by his thoughts. What do you think?
September 24, 20159 yr Author I thought I noticed it on the Web Cam yesterday, and then it was confirmed by a LAND Studio tweet today: the first new trees have been delivered to the PS project site. That thing is really moving along. EDIT: actually, looks like some of them are already planted near the East roadway. Best to get trees planted in the fall. The soil a few inches below the surface stays moist all winter and allows roots to grow better than in our drier summers. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 28, 20159 yr I thought I noticed it on the Web Cam yesterday, and then it was confirmed by a LAND Studio tweet today: the first new trees have been delivered to the PS project site. That thing is really moving along. EDIT: actually, looks like some of them are already planted near the East roadway. Does anyone have a link to the web cam?? This is the one that I have: http://www.towercitycenter.com/info/publicsquare But it only gives a small 1 inch x 1 inch view. There's got to be a better web cam out there. I remember looking at one a few monts ago, but cant locate it now. Thanks in advance.
September 28, 20159 yr ^double click the small cam view and it opens up into a full screen mode. https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
September 28, 20159 yr This project is really cruising. Seems like most of the structural landscape work is already finished. I guess they'll have all winter to lay all the pavers and build the cafe and water feature and can then binge-plant the big planting beds and lay turf in the spring. I hope it finishes well in advance of the convention.
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