Kent State Architecture tries to sneak another lecture past us - Brad Cloepfil

Monday, April 13th, 2009
Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture
Cartwright Hall at THE Kent State (top secret events) University
7pm (although the poster says 7.15pm - I am thinking no one knows what the hell is going on there anymore)

Special thanks to Jacob at archinect for mentioning this, even though when I was down for the last lecture, last week, and mentioned to staff that getting the word out would be awesome for those of us interested in design, no one mentioned the upcoming lecture at all. Not a damn peep.

Knowing is half the battle.

Cleveland Sacred Architecture Tour I

St. Colman
2027 W. 65th St.
10am

St. Stephen
1930 W. 54th St.
11.30am

AIA Cleveland, the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America have begun compiling tours of recently closed Catholic churches in Cleveland and the surrounding area in order to celebrate much of the architecture before it is lost forever. This first tour is to mark the beginning of a series in which groups of visitors will be led (by Tim Barrett) will be exposed to and have time to capture some of the grand spaces and details. Participants of the tours are encouraged to bring cameras (video and still), sketchbooks, etc. AIA Cleveland hopes to stage an exhibition of the recordings.

In light of the pending closure of so many of the region's Roman
Catholic churches, tours of several of the most significant ones have
been scheduled. On April 18, the first tour begins at 10 am, at St.
Colman Church, the second tour begins at 11:30 am at St. Stephen Church.
Future church tours will be announced as they are scheduled. The tours
are free of charge and Continuing Education Credits (1 HSW unit per
church) are available.

flier

any press isn't always good press - cia addition makes list of dubious honors

I had this article pointed out to me a couple of days ago. I was trying to find the article online but couldn't so I apologize for the crummy scan (which you can click to enlarge to readable size).

Not to be outed about it but I actually liked MVRDV's "bump and kiss" proposal and found it to be a much more interesting addition to a cultural institution than the proposed Burt Hill addition which is rather disappointing (especially when compared to OSU's newer Knowlton Hall design studio's building which embodies what a studio workspace could be if it were designed for working or designing in).

Article thanks to ID Magazine who I hope won't ask me to pull the scanned page right away so that Cleveland can enjoy being architecturally infamous, again.

Tremont Art Walk - April 2009

Tremont Art Walk
Friday, April 10th, 2009
Tremont Neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio
6-10pm

Image and Object Show at Asterisk Gallery Curated by Irina Koukhanova and Mark Slankard

Innerbelt Plan Public Meeting

Innerbelt Plan Public Meeting
Tuesday April 21, 2009
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
2187 West 14th Street, Cleveland, OH 44113
4-8pm

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the purpose of this hearing is to provide an opportunity for review and comment on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement and for citizens to provide feedback through written, verbal or recorded verbal comments. In addition, in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, public comments are requested on projected impacts to historic properties.

Comments received (by mail, email, or fax) by 5 p.m. Thursday, May 21, 2009 will be considered in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Comments may be submitted to:

Ohio Department of Transportation, District 12
Attention: Craig Hebebrand
5500 Transportation Boulevard Garfield Heights, OH 44125
Fax: 216.584.3508
On the Web: www.Innerbelt.org

Strangely I saw the notice after a delicious lunch at Sterle's Slovenian Country House (danger, embedded polka music!), otherwise I would have completely missed that there was the possibility of any more public input, of which I am sure there should be plenty.

Just imagine how important this project is to businesses in and around Cleveland. Then imagine how many commuters it affects as well as visitors coming from the airport. Now maybe it becomes apparent how vital the innerbelt bridge is to not only the fabric of the city but also our image. I understand the need to rush this project in order to capitalize on federal money but that should not supersede the base requirement of a project being done well.

groundbreaking vs groundbreaking

What is a groundbreaking anyway? A true marking of the beginning of the construction of a project? A milestone to simply mark an symbolic "beginning" with some kind words and the moving of a shovel full of dirt?

27 coltman

circle 118

Above are two images from two almost adjacent projects. Circle 118, which exists on the corner of Euclid and East 118th and 27 Coltman which are being constructed on Coltman and East 119th near Euclid Ave. The Euclid Avenue and the Red Line are all that separate the two sites.

It was interesting to note that Circle 118 broke physical ground in mid March and has already begun excavating (or at least started pushing giant piles of dirt around) and seemed to completely bypass the public groundbreaking ceremony. Meanwhile the Coltman project had its groundbreaking ceremony March 27th which consisted of the standard blessing, photo ops and party (held at the Sculpture Center) which drew a pretty large crowd (estimated at around 300). However the Coltman project still doesn't have any equipment on the site.

Word on the street (from a single unverified source for whatever that is worth) is that both projects have units moving and should both be realized, which would be quite an interesting achievement in this market.

So what is a groundbreaking? Is it the actual beginning of construction? A milestone that indicates that funds have been allocated and are being utilized in the building of the project or a large ceremony which attracts a large crowd and fanfare but does not indicate any actual construction? I ask because I find both happening in the absence of the other rather interesting and perhaps a little telling about the life of building projects in Cleveland.

I am leaning towards the physical moving of earth in preparation of building to indicate a true groundbreaking and even though the Coltman project threw one hell of a party, I fear they have a bit of catchup.