CLEVELAND - 2021 and another year in the books

[MayDay]

Yeesh, I think the phrase "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" applies. The pandemic still hasn't subsided, with northeast Ohio having a surge of cases; for so many of us who identify as LGBTQ+ and came of age during HIV/AIDS in the 80s/90s, it's unbelievable and surreal that we're experiencing anything like this again in our lifetimes.

At the same time - I'll be 50 this time next year and marking my 24th year as an SSP forumer. I've learned more than anything else, and as hard as it might be - we have to try to focus on the positive, whatever that might be for you that gets you through the night. For me, that's been taking photos of this place I call home - no need to point out the flaws, believe me, Clevelanders KNOW At the same time, I'm reminded of the narrative Anthony Bourdain offered up in 2007 - in some ways, that narrative hasn't changed, in others - it's been completely flipped:

"I like Cleveland. Always did. I find the much-maligned town beautiful. A stark reality up against a unique sense of humor and resignation, a surprisingly hopeful place for food if you only bother to look. The winters are cold and bleak but the majestic Art Deco and neoclassical buildings speak of an earlier time of boundless optimism in the early 20th century when it seemed anything was possible in Cleveland. Harsh reality has long set in, but what remains, even the empty warehouses, post-industrial detritus, fields of tires, and the last of the steel mills have a strange and melancholy splendor. A faded, particularly American glory."

Photos are a little all over the place, but - Covid, whaddya gonna do?


The former Union Trust (Huntington) Building - slated for redevelopment into a mixed use facility and rebranded as The Centennial:


Federal Courthouse Tower:


Some photos from the Terminal Tower observation deck:




As I type this, the large parking lot in the foreground is being dug up and it won't be long before a 616' tower stands in its place. Been waiting 31 years for this cluster of lots to get developed - about d@mn time!















Asian Lantern Festival at the zoo.












The Goodtime III sightseeing cruise:

[summersm343]

Cleveland is looking great! Fantastic photos. Thanks for posting!

[Wigs]

Excellent photos as always, MayDay.

Your (formerly more active) presence is certainly missed on here

[craigs]

I was sad when I reached the end of the photos--Cleveland through your eye is a treat. The city looks better than anytime I can remember, and I'm thinking a 616 ft. tower in that parking will completely alter the skyline.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

Cleveland needs lots of highly-raise cranes yet don't see a single at this moment.

[MayDay]

Thanks everyone.

"Cleveland needs lots of highly-raise cranes yet don't see a single at this moment."

The only tower crane operating in the city limits is constructing the 23-floor Artisan apartment tower in the University Circle area. It's the first component of a multi-building development.



Another thing worth mentioning - although Cleveland's lacked in new high-rise construction, the amount of adaptive reuse of historic office buildings ... I've honestly lost track how many buildings have reopened recently. Then there's the infill low/mid-rises that have popped up in every other neighborhood (examples below).

INTRO - one of the tallest mass-timber buildings in the States (though soon to be outdone by a building in Portland):


The Dexter in the foreground, Clinton Courts to the left, Edge 32 and Mariners Watch in the left background and Church & State in the right background:


The good news is there are two new high-rises currently in site preparation mode. No, not exactly a flurry of activity but the important thing is the context of where these are being built (both on sites that have been parking lots for 30+ years.

The most notable (and where I referenced the 616' building) is The Sherwin-Williams Company headquarters. It's replacing a superblock sized parking lot in the heart of the city. There are also rumors of an adjacent second tower that might be going up sooner than later.



The other building underway is the City Club apartments - I'm still not sure about the unusual design but it's growing on me.



Once the pandemic subsides and construction takes off, I'll probably be posting more.

[OhioGuy]

Very nice, MayDay!

[MolsonExport]

Great takes by the Lake! Wonderful photo essay.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures! I like the ones from the observation deck, and from the lantern festival.

The interior shots are also great, showcasing the spectacular buildings!

Is it ever possible to see the coast of Ontario from that observation deck, even if just in optimal conditions?

[Nightsky]

Beautiful pictures of nice Cleveland architecture!

[mrnyc]

very nice pics — the cle is is really looking good.

its perhaps only subtlely visible to casuals and outsiders that cleveland has been rehabbing everything in sight around downtown for years now. the thing is, they have a decent amount of old stock and imo its highest praise for doing this and keeping the character of the place. even the nytimes took notice of cle office conversions and rehabs for ideas for dealing with old and covid emptied midtown here in nyc. anyway, thats what has held highly obvious new construction back in cle vs some other cities.

now lately new build is picking up and so cle is even more visibly on the move. quite a few big cranes will be up in 2022 for sw hq, city club, circle square in uc and hopefully more to come while infill in both trendy and underserved neighborhoods moves along at a steady pace.

[MayDay]

Is it ever possible to see the coast of Ontario from that observation deck, even if just in optimal conditions?

Technically no, due to the curvature of the Earth - however there's an inversion phenomenon which refracts light and well, this article explains much better than I can.

[LAsam]

A MayDay photo thread of Cleveland brings a rush of nostalgia on for me, and takes me back to my days perusing UrbanOhio back when I lived in Columbus. Thank you for the photos!

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by MayDay

Is it ever possible to see the coast of Ontario from that observation deck, even if just in optimal conditions?

Technically no, due to the curvature of the Earth - however there's an inversion phenomenon which refracts light and well, this article explains much better than I can.

Thanks. I was curious because I know you can see across the lake farther than you would imagine. I have seen the smokestack from the power plant in Nanticoke, Ontario, from I-90 driving through Erie. So tall objects on the other side can be seen.

So you can't see Pelee Island or anything heading west, either?

I can also see Cape May, New Jersey, from the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, if the air is clear.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

Thanks. I was curious because I know you can see across the lake farther than you would imagine. I have seen the smokestack from the power plant in Nanticoke, Ontario, from I-90 driving through Erie. So tall objects on the other side can be seen.

So you can't see Pelee Island or anything heading west, either?

I can also see Cape May, New Jersey, from the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, if the air is clear.

no not pelee, but sometimes you can see cedar point peninsula and the rides and coasters if you are out on the lake in boats.

speaking of cedar point, there was a photo someone took there in the 1970s or 80s from the top of the astro tower or whatever it was called where you could see cleveland sorta.

my hand in this is one day when lake erie was mostly frozen over that winter we walked out so far we couldnt see the shore in any direction. yes, we were being very reckless and stupid jr hs aged kids!

[mrnyc]

dubz

[kccumm]

Cleveland has come a long way since I left in the mid 70's really amazing

[harryc]

great set - missed soo much when we passed through - the last 2, need to revisit this neighborhood in the evening.

[DetroitSky]

Cleveland looks amazing!

[Austinlee]

Great photos Mayday. Those few pics of downtown from the observation floor are all stunning. I always have to stop on each one and examine them for like 30 seconds - 1 minute for each pic to pick out the details.