The Cleveland Public Library

Photo from Bluffton.edu

The Cleveland Public Library’s web site states its high-reaching mission: “To be the best urban library system in the country by providing access to the worldwide information that people and organizations need in a timely, convenient, and equitable manner.” Their vision: “The People's University" is to be the learning place for a diverse community, inspiring people of all ages with the love of books and reading, advancing the pursuit of knowledge, and enhancing the quality of life for all who use the Library.”

Reading Room photo by the author

While libraries struggle to remain relevant in the face of instant information available on the Internet, even if you’re not a book borrower or researcher, the downtown main branch of the Cleveland Public Library can be a nice place to visit. It is part of The Mall (on the southern end), and is located on Superior Avenue and East 3rd. The complex consists of the historic Main Library, the Louis Stokes Wing, and the Eastman Reading Garden that is situated between the two buildings.

The Cleveland library system itself was founded in 1869 as a school district library. Over the years, it outgrew its space, and with the visionary plan of the Mall complex in the early 1900s, it was decided that location would be favorable for a newer, larger library. The Main Library was built in the Classical Revival style, designed by the firm of Walker and Weeks, and it was opened in 1923. The adjacent Louis Stokes Building, opened in 1997, is named for Cleveland native Louis Stokes, who, in 1968, became the first African-American elected to the U.S. Congress from Ohio. Both buildings occupy nearly 530,000 square feet of space.

Photo Bluffton.edu

The Eastman Reading Garden was designed by the Olin Partnership and includes sculptures by Maya Lin and Tom Otterness. It is named in honor of Linda Anne Eastman, who served the Cleveland Public Library for almost fifty years as Vice-Librarian from 1896 to 1918, and as Director from 1918 until her retirement in 1938. A complete history of the library can be found here.


If you are looking for a place to visit for some peace and quiet, and maybe to broaden your mind in the progress, take a trip to the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library. It’s priceless.


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The Cleveland Museum of Art

Old Postcard - 1916 Building

The Cleveland Museum of Art is currently undergoing a 10-year, $350 million expansion and renovation. After completing part of the renovation, the museum recently reopened the Historic 1916 building, with 19 galleries and over 900 works of art. If the work done on the 1916 building is any indication of what will be coming for the remainder of the renovation, I think people will be very pleased with the overall results.

But first, before reviewing the renovations to date, I thought I’d give some information on the museum’s history. The museum opened on June 6, 1916, and was made possible by bequests and funding by Hinman Hurlbut, John Huntington, Horace Kelley, and Jeptha H. Wade (the latter who donated the property). The first building opened was what is now called the Historic 1916 building, which is of neoclassic style, with white Georgian marble, designed by Hubbell and Benes. The first addition was completed in March of 1857, which doubled the size of the museum and allowed for an indoor garden court. Another wing for special exhibition galleries, classrooms, lecture halls, and the education department was opened in 1971, and was designed by Marcel Breuer (of Cleveland’s "troubled" Ameritrust/Breuer Tower fame). A third addition was made between 1983-1993, to make room for the museum's library, plus 9 new galleries.

Proposed renovation

In October 2005 the CMA began its fourth – and its largest - expansion project in its history. The new design, by architect Rafael Vinoly, would greatly increase gallery space by reconstructing the museum's east and west wings. The downside to this huge undertaking was that most of the museum's permanent collection had to be placed in storage, and resulted in the museums closure to the public.

The museum reopened – partially - on June 29, 2008. allowing access to the renovated galleries on the main level of its 1916 building. Available exhibits from the permanent collection concentrate on 17th-century European to early 20th-century American art. I’ve been to this museum many times in my lifetime, and was amazed at how beautiful things look. The coloring and lighting in each gallery appears perfectly matched for the art displayed, and each work of art looks fabulous. A few of the large galleries were also lighted by diffused, overhead skylights. My test to the success of the restoration was how the museum would treat one of my favorite pieces, a sculpture called “Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Song and Dance.” I was not disappointed, with her being relocated from what I recall was a poorly lighted wall area to center stage in a gallery, with perfect lighting and surrounding art work. Of course, the museum is not complete without the Armor Court, which I recall seeing several times while attending grade school and high school, and luckily that was one gallery that was also re-opened. The court gleams from the metal and is softened with tapestries, all featured with great lighting which makes the room look more impressive than ever.

What initially seemed like a drawback was the meandering course we had to take to get to the open galleries. But, I have to give the museum high marks for having excellent signage to help get to the destination, plus ample staff on hand at each turn in the course to help find the way. The only thing that annoyed me, and it’s really a small annoyance: on the side of the museum that faces the large pond, huge plain letters flank each side of the outside entrance announcing that it’s OP – EN, the letters separated by the entrance itself. It ruins the whole look of the beauty and simplicity of the old building.

While I am very interested in the architecture of the current and new structures, this renovation means more to me for how it will enhance and improve the whole experience of viewing the art housed in the museum. In fact, based on what is viewable right now, the presentation of the exhibits seems to be art itself. So, if you were holding off on going to the museum until more of it is opened, my suggestion is there is no need to wait, there is plenty to see and plenty to appreciate right now!

The web site for The Cleveland Museum of Art can be found here.

Quick Tour of some of the Restored 1916 Building



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Cleveland’s Shameful Eyesore: Lakefront "Howard Johnson’s"

Cleveland's Eyesore, sitting behind Fox 8

One of Cleveland’s ugliest sights – at least for those who have to drive past it every day – is the old Howard Johnson’s Hotel (5700 South Marginal Road) - viewable from I-90. It sits right behind Fox 8 studios, much to their dismay, I am sure.

The location itself has possibilities. It has a nice view of the Lake, and easy freeway access. Yet, it continues to sit there, looking ready for demolition, rather than ready for development.

When it was first opened in 1965, this “HoJo” was also known as the “Lakefront Lodge” and also included a restaurant called the Red Coach Grill. The restaurant and rooms all had sweeping views of Lake Erie. It lost the Howard Johnson’s name in 1986, although to me it seems like it’s been abandoned long before that.

Cleveland's Lakefront Howard Johnson's, in its heyday

In October of 2006, Crain’s Cleveland Business reported the following about this property, which sounded promising at the time:

New owner eyes condos for former HoJo hotel
By STAN BULLARD
4:30 am, October 23, 2006

A new owner with a new plan, this time for condominiums, is in control of a long-empty, 12-story hotel overlooking the lakefront near downtown Cleveland.

The new owner, Bapaz Real Estate Ltd. of Wickliffe, received a sheriff’s deed Sept. 14 for the one-time Howard Johnson Motor Inn and Restaurant, which now has a weed-covered parking lot and a weed of tree-like proportions rising from its roof at 5700 S. Marginal Road.

“We’re planning to do condos,” said Moshe Bohbot, owner of Bapaz. But, he added, “As of now, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Bapaz paid $633,334 for the foreclosed-upon property in a sheriff’s sale, according to Cuyahoga County land records. Bapaz also coughed up more than $300,000 in cash to pay delinquent property taxes to secure title to the hotel from the sheriff’s office.

Though not ready to talk, even about his real estate development background, Mr. Bohbot is taking steps toward redeveloping the graffiti-pocked eyesore.

Bapaz has applied for a variance from the city of Cleveland that is on the agenda for the Oct. 30 Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. The variance would allow the planned residential project to proceed despite the property’s industrial zoning.

Councilwoman Sabra Pierce Scott, whose Ward 8 includes the structure, has met with Mr. Bohbot and plans to support the variance. The variance would apply only to the hotel and would have no bearing on the surrounding area, she said.

However, given the unfulfilled projects previously proposed for the building, Ms. Scott said, “As optimistic as I’d like to be, we’re holding our breath and keeping our fingers crossed about the project.” She estimates Bapaz is the eighth group to approach her about the building during her five years in office.

Jamie Blackson Baker, executive director of the St. Clair Superior Development Corp., said the neighborhood group plans to support the variance because it suits the one-time hotel, the views from which she described as “spectacular.”

“Having someone do a quality job there would be catalytic in the neighborhood,” said Ms. Blackson Baker, who has not met Mr. Bohbot. “It’s such a highly visible site. It’s big news. We’ve tried to talk several other developers into considering it.”

The prior owner was Leisure Time Hospitality Inc., a gaming concern in Avon, which paid $1 million for the vacant property seven years ago.

Alan Johnson, president of Leisure Time, at the time planned to renovate the hotel and use it as an exhibition parlor for video pull-tab machines benefiting charities, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in 1999. However, that transformation never happened. Mr. Johnson’s Avon phone number is unlisted.

Cleveland architect Paul Volpe said his City Architecture firm evaluated the building and prepared preliminary drawings for Leisure Time to install a Radisson Hotel at the site.

Despite its forlorn appearance, Mr. Volpe said the building was sound structurally in the late 1990s and that the work that most needed to be done — such as replacing inexpensive glass and walls typical of the building’s 1960s vintage — would need to be replaced anyway.

“The outside looks terrible, but it has great, great views that make it worth considering,” Mr. Volpe said.

City Architecture in 2002 sued Leisure Time for more than $25,000 in unpaid fees in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. The case is still pending.

Prior to Leisure Time’s ownership, the property twice had undergone foreclosure proceedings. At least three other groups have lofted plans for the building since the hotel was closed in the early 1990s.

How it looks now

Still, years later, nothing has changed with this building. My attempts to locate any information on, or the whereabouts of, the Bapaz Real Estate company has turned up nothing. The building still looks like a massive eyesore, with apparently nothing going on to change that. As this building is visible from I-90, one of the major arteries of the city and where many out-of-towners pass on a daily basis, the City of Cleveland should be working harder to force either its repair or its demolition. Nothing says a poorly run city like a large abandoned building. While the city continues to talk about lakefront development, it’s hard to imagine that anything will ever come of that, considering that this Howard Johnson’s has been left to ruin for so many years.

If you’re interested in seeing some of the interiors and the views from this building in its current condition, check out Illicitohio.com.

The Lake Erie View (from Illicit Ohio, link above)

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The William G. Mather Maritime Museum

The Steamship William G. Mather Maritime Museum has been a familiar sight on Cleveland’s Lake Erie shoreline since October 1990, initially at a berth at the East Ninth Street Pier on Cleveland's North Coast Harbor, and now located just north of the Great Lakes Science Center at Dock 32.

More than just a museum, it had a busy life as a Great Lakes bulk freighter that transported cargo such as ore, coal, stone, and grain to ports throughout the Great Lakes. Built in Detroit by the Great Lakes Engineering Works, River Rouge, Michigan in 1925, it served for a time as the flagship for the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company. It was also nicknamed "The Ship That Built Cleveland" because Cleveland's steel mills were a frequent destination. The steamship was named in honor of the man who was president of Cleveland-Cliffs at the time it was built, William Gwinn Mather.

According to Wikipedia:

In order to supply the Allied Forces need for steel during World War II, the Mather led a convoy of 13 freighters in early 1941 through the ice-choked Upper Great Lakes to Duluth, Minnesota, setting a record for the first arrival in a northern port. This heroic effort was featured in the April 28, 1941 issue of Life. She was one of the first commercial Great Lakes vessels to be equipped with radar in 1946. In 1964, she became the very first American vessel to have an automated boiler system, manufactured by Bailey Controls of Cleveland, Ohio.


After a long career, the Steamship William G. Mather was retired in the 1980s, and remained in Toledo. On December 1987, Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. donated it to the Great Lakes Historical Society to be restored and preserved as a museum ship and floating maritime museum. When the steamship arrived in Cleveland in late 1988, funding was obtained and restoration began. But soon afterwards, a fire damaged the Mather's galley and some cabins, meaning even more work would be required to get the Mather back in shape. In October 1990, the Mather was moved to a berth at the East Ninth Street Pier on Cleveland's North Coast Harbor, and relocated in 2005 to its current location north of the Great Lakes Science Center at Dock 32. In October of 2006, the William G. Mather was acquired by the Great Lakes Science Center.


The Mather is also an American Society of Mechanical Engineers National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, designated in July of 1995. The Mather is recognized for its 1954 installation of a single marine boiler and steam turbine engine, its 1964 installation of the Bailey 760 Boiler Control System and American Shipbuilding AmThrust dual propeller bow thruster, which all were firsts for U.S. Flag Great Lakes vessels.


Detailed information on the Mather and the museum can be found at the Mather's web site here.



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Cleveland's Firefighters Memorial

Every year on St. Patrick’s Day in Cleveland, the city celebrates with a parade through the city’s downtown streets, including police and firefighters as staples of the parade procession. The Cleveland Firefighters Shamrock Club also hosts the annual Memorial to Fallen Firefighters at this time. But the memorial itself stands year round between Cleveland Browns Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center. Dedicated on June 15th, 2007, it includes the names the 76 firefighters who died in the line of duty since the Cleveland Fire department formed in 1862.

Before the memorial could be finished, the artist who originally designed the statue, Luis Jimenez, known for his polychrome fiberglass sculptures, died in June of 2006 in an accident in his studio. A piece of one of his own sculptures fell on him, severing an artery in his leg. The Cleveland Firefighters sculpture was later completed with the combined efforts of Rob Hartshorn, the art director on the project, along with Ron Dewey, a sculptor, and Ralph Brussee, a painter.

Next time you’re near the stadium or the Science Center, stop by and visit the firefighters memorial and pay respects to your local firefighters, who work hard to keep us safe from fire and help us in other emergencies.



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Cleveland: Stressful?

Bizjournals.com recently published their list of the 50 most stressful metropolitan areas in the United States, where Cleveland came in second with a 6.53 stress index. Detroit claimed the top spot with a 10.64 stress index. Bizjournals.com says about Cleveland, “Right behind Detroit on the stress index is another Great Lakes metro with its share of economic woes, Cleveland. It's burdened with the group's worst robbery rate, second-worst frequency of heart attacks and strokes, and fourth-worst unemployment rate.”

I always cringe at these kinds of reports, because I think they are representative of a bunch of number-crunchers collecting data and making the numbers say whatever they want, by either including or excluding certain elements. (The list their methodology in tabulating the data here.)

It also doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that it would be less stressful living in a vacation destination like Virginia Beach (the least stressful metro area on their list) than it would in Detroit.

I take exception with the assumption that all the elements that they measure add up to a stressful metro area. Isn’t that a little presumptuous of them? Only one of those categories could be a deal breaker for some. For example, anyone who has driven on I-90 through Gary, Indiana (I suppose considered part of the Chicago metro area for their study) would believe Gary has got to be the most stressful area for people just VISITING the area, forget the residents. (Although I am sure those traffic jams have caused severe stress for Gary residents too.) I never spent more time in traffic than I did in a short 2 mile stretch in Gary a few years ago. It took over an hour and thirty minutes to go 2 miles, it wasn’t rush hour, it was a clear, sunny, summer day, and there were no accidents. I though the car and truck fumes alone would kill me. Maybe all those circulatory deaths in Cleveland are from residents who have had the misfortune of driving through Gary, or other cities like New York or Los Angeles? One of those alone would bring me to the brink of a heart attack.

So let’s get some perspective on this and take a look at Bizjournals.com’s data, and list the worst three metro areas from each of their categories, with their respective percentages/numbers:

Rate of per capita income growth, reflecting the average amount of money received by each resident, encompassing such diverse sources as salaries, interest payments, dividends, rental income and government checks (metro area, 2000-06 composite rate, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)

WORST:
San Jose 0.30%
Atlanta 8.20%
Austin 11.60%

Unemployment rate (metro area, November 2007, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
WORST:
Detroit 7.20%
Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. 6.00%
Sacramento 5.60%

Days of unhealthy air per year, as determined by the air quality index (AQI), which monitors five pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act (central county, 2002-06 annual average, Environmental Protection Agency)
WORST:
Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif. 28.2
Los Angeles 18.7
Houston 9.2


Families living below the federally designated poverty level, which varies according to family size and composition (metro area, 2006, U.S. Census Bureau)
WORST:
Memphis 13.90%
San Antonio 12.70%
Houston 11.60%


Homeowners making monthly house payments of $3,000 or more, including mortgages, taxes, insurance and maintenance fees (metro area, 2006, U.S. Census Bureau)
WORST:
San Jose 33.90%
San Francisco-Oakland 30.90%
San Diego 22.50%


Deaths from circulatory-system diseases per 100,000 residents, covering such maladies as heart failure, hypertension and stroke (central county, 2004, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
WORST:
Pittsburgh 441.4
Cleveland 439
St. Louis 396.1


Commuters traveling at least 45 minutes from home to workplace, regardless of the means of transportation (metro area, 2006, U.S. Census Bureau)
WORST:
New York City 31.00%
Washington 29.30%
Chicago 25.70%

Robberies per 100,000 residents (central city, 2006, Federal Bureau of Investigation)
WORST:
Cleveland 947.1
St. Louis 907.2
Detroit 818.6


Murders per 100,000 residents (central city, 2006, Federal Bureau of Investigation)
WORST:
Detroit 47.3
Birmingham 44.5
Baltimore 43.3


Percentage of possible sunshine received during an average year (central city, long-term annual average as of 2007, National Climatic Data Center and Weatherbase)
WORST:
Pittsburgh 45%
Seattle 47%
Buffalo 48%




So there you have it. Cleveland only makes the appearance in the top three of two - out of ten - categories. Still not something to be proud of, but I’d rather live here than in San Bernardino, where I wouldn’t be able to breathe OR get a job. In fact, California as a whole looks pretty stressful to me.

For those of us living in the Cleveland metro area, we know that while life does have stresses, things could be a lot worse. Stress can come from a lot of places, many not even on Bizjournal.com's list. On the plus side, the Cleveland metro area has a lot to offer, things like fresh water, a temperate climate, great food, museums and other cultural attractions, pro sports teams, a great parks system, nice people, and some of the best medical care in the world, just to name a few.

So, Bizjournals.com, you can take your survey and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine – which looks like Pittsburgh, Seattle, or Buffalo.


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Cleveland’s Free Stamp

Poor Free Stamp; shunned by the company that initially commissioned the work, and almost destroyed because of a closed-minded member of Cleveland City Council, it’s as if no one wanted it. But, it’s always been a favorite of mine because it’s big, it’s bold, and it’s a survivor.

For those of you not familiar with Free Stamp, it is a large sculpture, designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, of a giant rubber stamp with the word “FREE” (backwards) on it. Oldenburg and Van Bruggen are well known for their sculptures of common items done to giant proportions. (Check out their web site for some examples of their work, here.)

Free Stamp’s problems had nothing to do with the quality of the work. The problem was with the interpretation of the work by a large corporation and local bureaucrats, and the sculpture’s battle to find a home where its art could be appreciated.

Here’s the story. In the early 1980s, Cleveland’s Standard Oil Corporation (SOHIO) was given the approval to demolish the old Standard Oil of Ohio building on Public Square. The company wanted a work of art outside its front doors, which is right across from one of the City’s historic landmarks, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Upon seeing the area with which they had to work, and considering the style of their art, Oldenburg and van Bruggen suggested creating an enormous stamp. The current design of the stamp is not what they originally proposed, which was an upright, self-inking stamp, with a red handle, large enough that people could actually walk inside the stamp. SOHIO nixed the idea citing high maintenance, so the design was retooled to look like a hand stamp on an inkpad.

Of course, the next question was what words to have on the stamp. The artists thought of something that would make a statement, yet also be something that may realistically found on a rubber stamp. Since there were space constraints as to what word could properly fit, Van Bruggen suggested the word “Free,” which would represent liberty, independence (a reflection of American ideals) and to make a positive statement in the center of the Public Square of the city.

But, nothing here ever goes without a hitch. As construction on this new design began, SOHIO underwent a management change as British Petroleum assumed increased control of the company. New management didn’t like having pop-art at their front door, much less one that had the word “FREE” emblazoned on it. (Like we would think petroleum products would ever be free or we would never be free of them?) Then, when the artists were given the opportunity to relocate the stamp, they balked, and work on the Stamp was halted for several years and pieces of it were placed in storage.

Later, when BP management questioned why the company was paying so much to store a huge stamp, interest in Free Stamp resurfaced. Mayor George Voinovich invited Oldenburg and van Bruggen to Cleveland in hopes of selecting another site.

According to the City of Cleveland’s web site,

“Although the Cleveland Museum of Art was considered, the artists wanted their work to be seen in the heart of Downtown and set their sights on Willard Park for its proximity to Public Square and because of its location to Cleveland’s government offices.

Placing the Free Stamp in Willard Park immediately drew opposition from Council President, George Forbes, who did not support the idea of the City of Cleveland accepting a rejected work of art and displaying it right outside of City Hall. Once again, the artists had chosen their location as part of their artistic statement and were unwilling to compromise their artistic integrity. This time, they threatened to destroy the work entirely if the City did not want to display it.

Before the artists could act on their threat, Election Day 1989 had passed and newly elected Mayor, Michael R. White, and Council President, Jay Westbrook, expressed their interest in this unique work. BP America finally decided that it would donate the Free Stamp as a gift to the City and offered to maintain it in its new location. City Council accepted this generous gift and the Free Stamp was brought out of storage and redesigned to accommodate its new space.

The lawn at Willard Park inspired Oldenburg and van Bruggen to alter the position of the Free Stamp so that it would lie on its side, as if it had toppled over on someone’s desk. Van Bruggen felt that the new design reflected the Free Stamp’s history as it was “flung” from Public Square only to “land” in Willard Park. Production on the Free Stamp resumed and it was brought to Cleveland in pieces to be assembled in its current spot.

The Free Stamp was officially inaugurated on November 15, 1991. The Dedication reads:

Free Stamp
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen
1991- Planted Steel and Aluminum
Gift of BP America
To the City of Cleveland
Michael R. White- Mayor
Jay Westbrook- City Council President
Dedicated 11-15-1991”

And today it is still there, sitting proudly in Willard Park. Sometimes in the summer you can see kids climbing on it, and often it's being photographed. It may not be a huge icon for the City of Cleveland, but it does serve as a great reminder that we are indeed, FREE.

Free Stamp - Aerial Views

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