Every decade or so in Cleveland the headlines reappear like locusts—a Renaissance, a Rebirth. In fact the city has been remade in the visions of its leaders over and over. But today, we are still poor, still municipally cash-strapped, more vacant, and shrunk.
Today is 2011, and the reality is not what was envisioned in the late 80′s and 90′s—or that Cleveland heyday of being high on the renaissance hog. After all, the leaders had been building new stuff: the Galleria (’87), Key Tower (’91), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (’95), the Great Lakes Science Center (’96), Jacob’s Field (’94), Gund Arena (’94), and Tower City (’91). And new stuff means things will inevitably get better, a comeback for the “Comeback City” yo… (go to article)
The former head of planning for Cleveland will lead a three-year effort to craft a sustainable growth strategy for communities across the region.
Hunter Morrison, 63, will work withofficials from at least 12 counties to develop policies that link economic growth with fair housing, public transportation, environmental protection and community preservation… (go to article)
First, I wanted to thank everyone who voted for Cleveland Area History in Scenemagazine’s Best of Cleveland contest. Thanks to your support, Cleveland Area Historywas named Best Blog.
At the risk of sounding self-indulgent, I’ll bring up the following item. On Sunday, I was profiled by Grant Segal for his series, My Cleveland, in the Plain Dealer. The following are links to the subjects that I’ve written about previously, in the approximate order that they were mentioned in the profile… (go to article)
Even more is riding on the $4.5 million regional transportation / housing / land-use Sustainable Communities plan— headed by former Cleveland Planning Director Hunter Morrison—as Gov. Kasich’s budget cuts $555 millionfrom the Local Government Fund. Ready or not, Northeast Ohio’s seven counties are now faced with the prospect of getting smarter about co-locating housing and transportation. The cost to maintain so many redundant municipalities and their infrastructure—such as new roads—are hidden in the small print of buying a house in a sprawl area. But the bill is coming due. Can one plan start to reverse decades of policy and subsidies from the state that resulted in sprawl? (go to article)
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland has been around for more than 40 years, but finding it has not been easy. The museum’s current home is a 23,000-square-foot loft above the Cleveland Play House complex on Euclid Avenue. According to MOCA Executive Director Jill Snyder, visitors pass through three closed doors to access their current space, and there is no street-level access. But MOCA’s forthcoming new facility is designed not only to expose people to contemporary art but also to mesh with the city’s growing number of cultural institutions… (go to article)
Ann Hamilton Lecture – Cleveland Museum of Art: Contemporary Artists Lecture Series
Sometimes, you come across a group of photographs that give you a new perspective on something you think you know reasonably well. Such is this group of photographs, which I stumbled across on Flickr a day or two ago. Their subject: Severance Hall.
This group of 54 black and white photographs comprise a bound volume, Severance Music Hall, held in Special Collections at Cleveland Public Library. Walker and Weeks, the architects for the building, are listed as the authors. The volume illustrates the construction of the structure, from excavation of the foundation, in November of 1929, to the completion of the basic structure, in August of the following year. It does not extend, alas, to the finish work or interior details – but there are plenty of photos elsewhere of the glorious interior… (go to article)
The Sustainable Cleveland 2011 Year of Energy Efficiency shines a light on an important issue: If we hope to stabilize the planet and human civilization, time is of the essence to reduce consumption and build renewable sources of energy to power our homes and work. The SC2019 “Year of” is a fine organizing principle, but it will measure success in how many ways it inspires action. With time and resources limited, lists like this one (right) from Environment Magazine are important for finding that sweet spot to the most cost effective and highest impact energy efficiency actions we can take… (go to article)
The city of Cleveland wants the light to go off for thousands during the self-proclaimed Year of Energy Efficiency now three months along, and it hopes the following deal will pull a few levers: the first 100 homeowners to sign up for its Energy $aver program will get a soup-to-nuts home energy makeover.
The city needs to spend a chunk of the $4.5 million it was awarded in 2009 from the federal Stimulus for energy efficiency, Office of Sustainability Energy Manager Anand Natarajan explained… (go to article)
Get ready… AIA Cleveland 2011 Architecture + Design Month starts this Friday, April 1st!
6:00PM: Start your evening at 1point618 and check out the winning projects from the d3 Housing Tomorrow competition, an international competition searching for innovative housing solutions.
8:00PM: Finish your evening at the opening reception and party for Architecture + Design Month at the Battery Park Powerhouse! On view will be research artist Julia Christensen‘s exhibit, Surplus Rising, investigating the question ‘What happens to the stuff of economic collapse?’. Also on view will be winning projects from the 2010 AIA Ohio and AIA Cleveland Design Awards.
In addition, we will be featuring furniture from local designers Objeti, Bauhaus Builders and Bomb Factory Furniture in lounge areas throughout the space.
Music will be provided by the skilled Peter Pleasurecruise. Donation at the door.
BE THERE, NERDS! (go to article)
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A new, pounding rhythm echoes in the Cuyahoga River valley. And it won’t stop till fall.
It’s the sound of a bridge being built.
A heavy-duty crane began hammering steel I-beams down to bedrock Wednesday, to anchor the first support, or pier, to go up for the newInner Belt Bridge… (go to article)
As I mentioned before, I’m curating an exhibit on I.T. Frary for the Cleveland Artists Foundation. Recently, a colleague brought to my attention a watercolor painted by Frary, in 1897. It depicts a backyard scene in Zoar, Ohio.
Zoar is a small community, located on the Tuscarawas River, about 75 miles south of Cleveland. It was founded early in the 19th century by German separatists and long retained a communal lifestyle. It still has an “Old World” feel that made it a popular destination for artists… (go to article)
On St. Patrick’s Day, 1871, nine base ball clubs gathered at Collier’s Pub in New York City to form baseball’s first major league, The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. The league was comprised of all professional clubs, for the first time in baseball’s history. Prior to this historic event, clubs were mainly amateur until 1869. From 1869-1871, the National Association of Base Ball Players allowed a professional and amateur category for clubs. By St. Patrick’s Day, 1871, the professionals made a clean break from the NABBP, forming the first professional major league. Of the nine club’s Cleveland’s Forest City club was a member… (go to article)
Northeast Ohio’s sustainability efforts continue to draw international attention – first Cleveland was tapped to host the International Public Markets Conference in 2012 (in part due to the West Side Market and the burgeoning local food Market District plan). Now comes the news that the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) will host its 2011 meeting in Cleveland. From June 13-17, sustainable landscape design and Northeast Ohio’s efforts will be in the spotlight. Workshops include a design session for a ‘greener’ landscape for Cleveland Museum of Art’s outdoor Sculpture Garden, and a traditional house and garden in Shaker Heights, owned by Katherine Feldman, going through “an exciting transformation from a typical landscape to one which is integrating permaculture principles without sacrificing beauty.” (go to article)
cleveland is full of hidden history and architecture. Now, the neighborhoods of Downtown and Aroundtown Cleveland are offering two tours that will give Clevelanders a chance to explore these hidden spaces. A team of community tour guides with stories and background history will lead you through each location. Each tour ends at a Bier Market in Ohio City and includes light appetizers and drink specials. Simply park at the first tour location and explore Hidden Cleveland! (go to article)
It has been a very strange couple of months as the family has suffered a series of personal events that I won’t go into detail here, instead I thought I would regale you with tales of my Spring Break and the current happenings of TOIstudio… (go to article)
Terry Schwarz is the director of Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.
Persistent, large-scale population decline is a challenging issue for many cities in the U.S., particularly older industrial cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. These cities experienced peak populations in the 1950s and have continually lost residents since then… (go to article)
Frank Lloyd Wright found clients in Ohio later than he did in Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and other states.
But he did leave his mark on the Buckeye state, and on Northeast Ohio in particular – even if it was late in his career.
On Saturday April 9, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, a Chicago-based organization devoted to facilitating the preservation of structures designed by Wright, will conduct a tour of five Wright houses in the area… (go to article)
- Are ‘rust belt’ cities more attractive to Gen X and Millennials who share the openness and alienation which repelled their Baby Boomer parents? Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs graduate Angie Schmitt ponders at StreetsBlog:Are the policies of Boomers holding back the younger generation yearning to be free of the suburbs?
- Neil Takemoto at Cool Town takes it a step further (closer?), insisting that thepiazza is the built environment’s version of an iPhone—a must-have for Millennials… (go to article)
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