Cleveland’s first railroad is history

A placard from the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad showing
a proposed union station on Cleveland’s lakefront that would have included
a steamship terminal as well. While a union station that united several rail-
 roads under one roof was built, it didn’t look like this. The placard empha-
sizes Cleveland’s emergence from being a wilderness outpost to a well-
connected industrial center (WikiMedia Commons).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

On an early fall day, Sept. 30, 1847, one of the most prominent men in the fast-growing state of Ohio rolled up his sleeves and joined others in starting the construction of Cleveland’s first-ever railroad. It was a ceremonial groundbreaking not unlike those of today where dignitaries flip dirt with golden shovels to commemorate the start of some new construction project. But, in this case, Cleveland’s first village president, its first attorney and the father of the Ohio & Erie Canal had to get his hands dirty pronto or his new railroad company would lose its charter from the state — again.

READ MORE

Affordable apartments planned at RTA station

This is a conceptual rendering of a proposed transit-oriented development
involving three sites at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s
West Boulevard-Cudell Red Line rail station. The site that Flaherty &
Collins seeks to develop with affordable apartments is at far-right. While
it will likely look different than this, it may be of similar height and
scale (AECOM). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

An Indianapolis-based real estate developer is seeking to build affordable apartments just west of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) West Boulevard-Cudell rapid transit station on land owned by the transit authority. Today, the GCRTA Board approved giving that developer, Flaherty & Collins LLC, an option to purchase the land for the development of 60 to 80 apartments. The option, priced at $5,000, gives the developer site control so it can nail down financing and city approvals over the next year. If the developer needs more time, RTA can extend the option for another year for another $5,000.

READ MORE

First look at Cleveland Clinic’s largest-ever building

Looking at the southwest corner of the planned new Neurological Institute,
the scale of the building can be better appreciated by looking at the
silhouettes of people next to the massive, glassy new high-rise
(Cleveland Clinic). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

In several days, the City Planning Commission’s Design Review Committee will get its first chance to offer its opinion on the design of what will be the Cleveland Clinic’s largest-ever building. The facility will be the new home of the Clinic’s Neurological Institute — a 1-million-square-foot structure that will tower over Carnegie Avenue, between East 89th and 90th streets. It is the current site of the eight-story P Building surgery center that is now being demolished.

READ MORE

Cleveland benefits from national migration shift

Cleveland, like other cities on the Great Lakes, seem to be benefitting
from new population migration patterns that are in response to long-
term structural shifts like climate change, remote work and lower
costs of living (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

One of North America’s next big migrations may already be underway. And according to early data, it appears that Cleveland and other Great Lakes cities are among those benefitting from it. What’s driving this new migration? The basics — low cost, proximity to family, abundant fresh water and peace of mind from not worrying about your neighborhood catching on fire or washing out to sea.

READ MORE

Historic Vitrolite Building harnesses new future

A terra cotta standout among brick facades along Detroit Avenue in
Cleveland’s Ohio City, the Vitrolite Building will transition from its
prior owner and use as the home of the Intermuseum Conservation
Association to that of the Harness Collective (Kurtz).
CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Restoration of the historic Vitrolite Building, 2915 Detroit Ave., in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood moved closer to reality yesterday when the city’s Landmarks Commission approved the project with a unanimous vote, along with a few conditions. The nearly century-old building with its unique terra cotta façade is on the National Register of Historic Places. But it has a new future with a new owner who will take it in a new direction.

READ MORE

Lakefront park expansion advances

Masterplan map for the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience
Strategy (CHEERS) project, located just east of downtown Cleveland
along the city’s Lake Erie waterfront. The project will increase access
to recreation, expand sanctuaries for wildlife, protect Interstate 90 from
wave action from storms and possibly promote development of the
former First Energy Lakeshore Power Plant, west of East 72nd Street
 (Cleveland Metroparks). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

While there’s been lots of studies about how to improve Cleveland’s lakefront, one is actually moving forward into formal design and construction permitting — the last step before acquiring funding and construction for an expanded lakefront park just east of downtown. And although the detailed design and permitting work will continue through to the end of 2024, a big piece of funding for lakefront park expansion will be decided by voters next month.

READ MORE

Downtown Cleveland’s ‘office market needs help’

Downtown Cleveland has lost 30 percent of its leasable office space to
adaptive reuse projects, mainly residential. The leased space that remains
is only 60 percent full on any given day following the pandemic and its
instigation of remote or hybrid work policies. Public incentives are being
sought to boost the office market downtown with a recognition that it may
never be the same again (KJP). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM

This week, global real estate brokerage Newmark released its third quarter office market report for Greater Cleveland and the news wasn’t good, especially for downtown Cleveland. While three of five submarkets in the metropolitan area saw declining occupancies of office spaces in July-September, none suffered a greater loss than the central business district. That district includes everything from Ohio City east through Downtown to Midtown.

READ MORE