Over the past year, MidTown Cleveland has been developing a placemaking strategy for its service area. In partnership with LAND studio, Cleveland’s nonprofit organization dedicated to creating public art and public space projects, MidTown Cleveland implemented two murals in 2018. In addition, MidTown Cleveland worked closely with neighborhood residents to develop Leo’s Listening Parties, a series of free, public musical performances inspired by Leo’s Casino, a nationally renowned jazz and soul music club.
If 2018 is considered a pilot year for public art and programming in MidTown, it is clear that the positive impact of these relatively small investments has been incredible—and demonstrates that there is appetite for much more. It’s in recognition that MidTown has only scratched the surface as far as public art is concerned that LAND studio is developing this public art plan. The intention is for this plan to help target areas for art investment, identify potential partners, and recommend strategies that will have the greatest impact. It should also be noted that MidTown may asssist other neighborhoods in public are efforts, but does not prioritize projects outside of its service area.
HISTORY
MidTown’s story is as old as Euclid Avenue, which serves as its commercial corridor. This story weaves together a legacy of innovation, cultural relevancy, and the ongoing integration of people, commerce, and transportation in a neighborhood that bucks easy definition.
Euclid Avenue is the commercial spine in MidTown. Formerly the main road that connected Cleveland to Buffalo, NY, it was transformed in the early 20th century into one of the most elite addresses in the United States, filled with the mansions of Cleveland’s industrial tycoons. In the mid-1900s, many of these mansions were torn down to make way for commercial buildings and parking lots related to the auto industry. Today, only a few of the mansions remain, their presence a reminder of past grandeur that seems almost out of place among more functional buildings that have replaced them.
The homes of Millionaire’s Row are not the only beacons to a past era that have been lost. The Cleveland Arena, once located at 3717 Euclid Avenue was home of the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first Rock and Roll concert and created by Alan Freed, the DJ who is credited with coining the term. The Moondog Coronation Ball attracted over to 20,000 people to a venue that held 11,000. This infamous concert was shut down after the first song due to overcrowding and street ruckus, which has only fueled its cult status.
Further to the east, Leo’s Casino was located at 7500 Euclid Avenue. This venue was widely recognized as a launching pad to greater musical fame. Leo’s was one of the first music clubs that allowed racial integration and it saw most of the biggest names in jazz and soul throughout its nine-year run on Euclid. (It was previously located on Cedar Avenue.)
The Dunham Tavern Museum, is the oldest structure in Cleveland. Built in 1824 as the home of early Ohio settlers Jane and Rufus Dunham, they capitalized on their location along the busy trade route to become a tavern an inn several years later. It remained an inn until 1857 before it was sold to become a private home. The Dunham Tavern has stood as a silent witness to the Civil War, the Gilded Age, industrial wealth, race riots, urban renewal, and urban reinvestment.
MidTown’s legacy of culture is not easily visually idenfiable, but abundant. Taken as a collection, MidTown hosts a museum of architecture representing nearly every era of American architectural styles. The uses and forms have changed, along with the land use around them, but there are few places in Cleveland with such a varied building stock—which is an asset that MidTown can celebrate.
CONTEXT
In 2017, MidTown Cleveland, the neighborhood community development corporation, launched a strategic plan that recommended four pillars on which it would focus its work:
• Connection
• Creating Place
• Communication
• Capacity
Investment in a public art plan helps to address each of these objectives. Public art creates dialogue among people, fosters a sense of pride, and visually communicates
to and about the neighborhood it is in. It invites the talents of artists to make changes to the visual landscape. In MidTown, there is creativity and entrepreneurship brimming within the businesses throughout the neighborhood—yet this creativity is largely invisible from the streets and sidewalks.
MidTown is now home to a multitude of industries and entrepreneurial efforts. MidTown is also home of Cleveland’s HealthTech Corridor, a place-based economic development strategy to attract and retain high tech and health tech companies in the City of Cleveland.
In 2019-2020, MTC will also be pursuing a number of initiatives, including a 2020 Neighborhood Master Plan, a collaborative E. 66th Street Corridor planning effort, and expanding the work in our AsiaTown Initiative. Other opportunities include the new Cleveland Foundation campus as well as Innovation District planning.
The natural integration of high-tech companies, nonprofit and social service organizations, government agencies such as the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and the Board of Elections, health care providers, food producers and retailers, designers, and industry makes MidTown a true melting pot for people of all backgrounds, aspirations, and career paths. This public art plan intends to provide opportunities for varied content to be created—mandating an understanding that no project will be able to represent everything. The flipside to the sentiment that nothing will please everyone is that in order to appeal to a range of interests and aesthetics, there is an incredible opportunity to implement a
large number of projects in a large number of styles from a large number of artists. The neighborhood can look creative and eclectic without necessarily being reflective of the work taking place inside the buildings throughout MidTown. The public realm can simply be another location in which creativity ignites innovation.
RACIAL EQUITY
In response to Cleveland Neighborhood Progress’ Year of Awareness Building and a call to operationalize racial equity, MTC is undergoing an organizational transformation in centering racial equity and inclusion in our policies, practices and procedures.
We acknowledge the long, rich, and diverse history of our neighborhood, from the trails of indigenous peoples to the Dunham stagecoach tavern, from Millionaire’s Row to industrial innovation, from the legacy of black music and entrepreneurship to the HealthTech Corridor. We also acknowledge that racial redlining, mass demolition, displacement, and structural racism is unfortunately part of the legacy of both our neighborhood and our organization.
We aspire to create a model equitable neighborhood, with strategies to ensure that all people benefit from and shape our neighborhood’s growth and change, particularly historically marginalized people of color. To achieve this, our organization will be intentional about the following values:
Inclusion. Taking active steps towards having a board of directors and staff reflective of the full diversity of our neighborhood and includes the voices of residents
Historical Acknowledgment. Acknowledging the generational impact of ongoing structural and cultural racism in our community and doing what we can to disrupt and reverse it
Power Sharing. Sharing power over decision making that impacts our neighborhood by making our processes more transparent and finding meaningful ways for people to engage in the neighborhood
Relationship Building. Developing meaningful long term relationships built on trust, collaboration, and open communication with the full diverse cross section of the MidTown community
Authentic Community Engagement. Identifying, engaging, and supporting local leaders over the long-term to build capacity and shared ownership by creating infrastructure for ongoing community involvement, engagement and relationship building
Economic Opportunity. Target wealth creation opportunities on historically marginalized communities through creative approaches to entrepreneurship, project spending, and ownership models
Inclusive Spaces. Creating a neighborhood filled with places, spaces, and developments that are specifically welcoming to people of all backgrounds
As an organization, we intend to integrate this statement of racial equity and inclusion as guiding principles in all spheres of our work, including Planning and Placemaking.
USING THE PLAN
USING THE PLAN
Familiarize yourself with the plan. Understand the focus areas and what the opportunities are within them. These opportunities can build upon existing development, curb challenges, or create opportunities for individual art projects or programs to add a sense of identity and place to the neighborhood.
1. PRIORITIZE
Priorities will be determined by a number of factors including timing, need, and funding. Public and private investments in the neighborhood may spur opportunities and funding for art implementation. Certain challenges facing the neighborhood, like community identity or safety perceptions, can create opportunities for arts enhancements through programming and public art. Opportunities for specific grant funding may arise and be fulfilled by an idea or project identified in the art plan. In the short-term, low-hanging-fruit projects can be implemented with smaller budgets and shorter timelines, while funding for more aspirational projects can be leveraged through the demonstration of a cohesive plan.
3. INFORM 4. IMPLEMENT
Bolster future projects. Identify projects or areas of highest importance for MidTown and ensure they are being fostered. The art plan should be shared with partners, developers, residents, and funders to better coordinate initiatives and drive interest in placemaking and public art projects.
Build the art plan into the strategic plan. Use it as a guide or toolkit to build upon existing projects or to create future ones. Maintain current projects and push to integrate the art plan where necessary. Identify areas of development and ensure alignment with the plan.
2. LEARN
STRENGTHS
STRENGTHS
PUBLIC & PRIVATE INVESTMENT
MidTown is a main connection on the Health Line, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s bus rapid transit line that links Downtown to University Circle. Over $100M was invested in this transit line, which has led to $300M of economic development activity. In addition, the Cleveland Foundation and the City of Cleveland have invested $102.5M in MidTown’s section of the Health-Tech Corridor, which has generated close to 5,000 jobs and $4B total in real estate investment. The public investments in infrastructure and entrepreneurship have resulted in significant private investment. MidTown has seen improvements to historic buildings, such as the Victory Building, Dealer Tire, and the Agora and large-scale venture capital into innovative businesses, technologies, and start-ups.
Property values in MidTown are soaring as investors see the area changing from a passthrough to a place. This increased interest in development in MidTown has resulted in MidTown Cleveland leading an effort to strategize around the highest and best uses for valuable land along Euclid and Chester Avenues.
The momentum in MidTown is real. It’s gaining speed as the values of both Downtown and University Circle continue to increase as well. The strength of the market in MidTown is one of its best assets. In MidTown, public art can augment both public and private investment as part of a holistic strategy for neighborhood revitalization.
STRENGTHS THEMES
THEMES
As a neighborhood, MidTown is hard to pin down as One Thing or One Place. Because it has a mix of older, industrial buildings, high-tech businesses, historic architecture and destinations, new housing, public housing, older housing, entertainment venues, health care facilities, and a destination grocery store, there is no shortage of content to jumpstart creative minds when thinking through future artworks. These themes should also be considered as launching grounds for idea generation. MidTown is so textured and rich that many artists may simply be inspired by the unique industrial landscape or grateful for the opportunity to create a mural that represents their personal style. Because MidTown is so many things and has consistently evolved (as it continues to do so, even today), it is a place that should encourage artistic creativity, not try to force it into a specific mold.
STRENGTHS THEMES
MUSIC
Music is part of the DNA of MidTown. As mentioned earlier in this plan, the district was bookended at one time by both the Cleveland Arena and Leo’s Casino. It was also home to WJW, where DJ Alan Freed coined the moniker “Rock and Roll.” This musical lifeline has persisted. Today, MidTown is home to the recently renovated Agora, which is owned by the second largest concert producer in the United States. Fourteen blocks to the east, the Masonic Temple has been acquired by the largest concert producer in the country, which ambitious renovation plans. The MidTown Office Park is also home to Radio One, which hosts Cleveland’s rap and R&B radio stations, along with a Latinx station. A recording studio is located adjacent to the Agora and a business that designs album covers is in the neighborhood too.
In Summer 2018, MidTown Cleveland produced a resident-inspired programming series called Leo’s Listening Parties. These events brought neighbors together to experience live music performed by musicians who had played at Leo’s Casino decades earlier. Additionally, neighborhood residents shared their experiences of Leo’s with members of the community and encouraged additional activities to bring people together.
While Alan Freed, the Moondog Coronation Ball, the Agora Ballroom, and Leo’s Casino have been documented as part of Cleveland’s Rock and Roll history, MidTown’s musical legacy is a story that has not been told as a whole. There is an opportunity to showcase this legacy through public art and in partnership with the musical businesses that call MidTown home today.
TECHNOLOGY
The HealthTech Corridor is Cleveland’s densest concentration of businesses that are focused on innovation ranging from communications to artificial limbs that are controlled by the human brain. Taking advantage proximity to University Circle’s healthcare institutions and Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State at the western end of the district, MidTown is literally space for meetings of the minds to take place.
The mural on the East 55th Street bridge graphically references the science and technology taking place within the district. If having artists use technology as a theme is important for specific projects, finding some local companies that are willing to host tours of their facilities, provide scien-
tific information, and other tactile jumping off points could be useful for artists.
ART
There are a number of existing works of public art in MidTown. The neighborhood is just so large and there are so many opportunities that they can feel lost. There is a mural at Oriana House on East 55th Street by Mark Howard, a mural on 1834 E. 55th Street by Terran Washington, a printed graphic mural on one of the highway overpass bridges by Darius Steward, a mural at East 36th Street and Euclid by Lady Noel, and several non-sanctioned works of street art.
For MidTown to continue to feel authentic, murals and sculptures should continue to be implemented throughout the neighborhood, both as part of organized efforts and as individuals projects that are done just because an artist and/or a building owner saw an opportunity to add something creative to the world.
MidTown’s artistic spirit is so different from the more formal artworks in public spaces throughout University Circle, which are characterized in large part (but not
STRENGTHS THEMES
completely) as grand spaces with busts, sculptures of important people, and with a great deal of formality. These spaces are beautiful, but different from the grittier, more industrial feel of MidTown. The types of artwork that are installed throughout the district need to feel fresh, energetic, and should be reflective of the cultural diversity that makes up the community.
INDUSTRY
Much like the neighborhood’s musical heritage, MidTown’s industrial heritage seems to be part of its DNA. The neighborhood has been long-defined by people who make things: businesses, products, raw materials, innovations, music, connections, etc. Rather than consider the neighborhood as a place for industry, it is also a place that rewards the industrious. This hard-working ethos is apparent at every corner and has evolved as the types of businesses that fuel the city’s economy have changed throughout the decades.
MidTown is also one of the few areas within Cleveland where industrial needs are so integrated into non-industrial spaces. The Flats along the Cuyahoga River are the other location where industry is so apparent.
Using and celebrating the unique elements that industrial spaces require to proudly define the district can be a very place-based approach to public art.
FUN/WEIRD—THE UNEXPECTED
MidTown is such a hodgepodge of buildings, uses, people, industries, and transportation options. It has a little bit of everything. As such, it has the unique and fun potential to build off of the strange dichotomies that define its physical and social landscapes. With potentially Collinwood as its only true local peer in this way, MidTown has the opportunity to try on different artistic styles in different places and ways. Taking an approach that invites artists in to do things just because they are fun and a little weird. There are so many potential canvases in MidTown that working with artists who have a range of interesting styles can help the district’s collection differentiate itself from others in the city.
SOCIAL SERVICES AND ACTIVISM
MidTown is home to a number of organizations that seek social justice and the well-being of all humans. These groups include the ACLU, Recovery Resources,
Jane Edna Hunter Family Services, and the Centers for Children and Families. In addition, there are many institutions catered to childhood development, entertainment, and education like the Children’s Museum, New Bridge Academy, and Campus International, a Cleveland public school.
CHALLENGES
CHALLENGES
PERCEPTIONS
For years, MidTown has been perceived as a place to pass through. The fast-moving and high capacity thruways on Chester and Carnegie do not encourage passersby to stop and consider MidTown as a place. The neighborhood’s large building footprints and lack of ground retail with mostly 9-5pm employers means that the streets are empty in the evenings. This leaves pedestrians and passersby with uneasy feelings regarding personal safety.
GAPS
The MidTown neighborhood underwent a slew of demolition during the period of urban renewal as a result of vacancy, urban sprawl and redlining. This left patches of vacant lots scattered throughout the neigh-
borhood, many of which are not landscaped or well-kept. These lots, often next to historic, denser, or larger buildings, create gaps in the built environment that exudes feelings of loneliness, ghost-like reminders of the past. One of the most visually significant gaps is the bundle of empty lots at all four corners of E. 55th and Euclid Ave.
HURDLES
Several large vacant landmark buildings loom in the neighborhood, such as the Warner & Swasey building. Others are large warehouses that are kept in use but lack ground floor retail. Finally, community liabilities like dark underpasses and the railway corridor create noise and unsafe spaces. Pedestrians are dissuaded from walking due to lack of public destinations.
BOUNDARIES
As a CDC, MidTown has a clearly defined service area. However, because MidTown as an entity and concept emerged only in the past three decades, neighborhood residents and businesses perceive these boundaries to be more permeable. Further, MidTown has been known primarily as a commercial business corridor, and not as a place of residence. Visually speaking, there are very few landmarks or symbols that alert people to MidTown’s identity, culture, and boundaries.
GEOGRAPHIES
GEOGRAPHIES
GEOGRAPHIES
For the use of the MidTown Art Plan, we identified distinct areas of the neighborhood in order to more easily categorize a large district. These Geographies are as follows:
• Lower Euclid
• Upper Euclid
• MidTown North
• Corridors
• Neighbors
In this sections, we will take a closer look at the characteristics of each Geography and define how each one plays a critical role in the makeup of the neighborhood. We will explore what makes them unique and how they influence movement and sense of place. Understanding the makeup of the neighborhood helps influence the best approaches to physical public art enhancements. For example, a small-scale sculpture along a fast-moving corridor like Chester is going to have less of an impact as a larger-scale mural. It will also help us understand where investments make the most sense from a budget perspective. Identifying
best and highest uses will help maximize budgets and increase audience impact.
Note: AsiaTown, although not part of the official service area, MidTown does have an active role in planning in this area.
LOWER EUCLID
This Geography is located between the Innerbelt and 55th Corridor on the east and west, and between the Chester Corridor and Cedar Ave to the north and south.
Lower Euclid contains the MidTown headquarters which makes it a major focal point. It also contains major businesses like the Agora, the Masonic Auditorium, the Children’s Museum, and the Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services.
Characteristics of the neighborhood include high-traffic corridors of Chester, Carnegie,
and Euclid Avenues. This area contains a higher density of buildings at street level making it a more walkable portion of the neighborhood ideal for murals, wayfinding, streetscape amenities, and other human-scale elements. The high activity of this Geography will increase the visibility and value of public art. For example, the Lauren Noel mural at 36th and Euclid, implemented in the Fall of 2018, filled a gap in the Euclid Corridor where a vacant, blighted building stands. Travelers by car, bike, and bus now have a vibrant, colorful landmark to enjoy as they travel along the corridor. Local news picked-up the
story of the mural and local residence and pedestrians were intrigued and pleased by the improvement. The property owner hopes the mural will help spur investment in the property. Early plans hope to see the building developed into a restaurant. The mural also builds on the investment in the Masonic Auditorium, recently purchased by the leading concert promoter in the country, Live Nation.
UPPER EUCLID
Upper Euclid is a unique area in that it has seen a lot of investment in recent years with the addition of Univesity Hospitals, Dave’s Supermarket, Link 59, MidTown Tech Hive, Dealer Tire Headquarters, One MidTown, and Tru by Hilton, among others. These investments build on the existence of large corporate and cultural anchors in Pierre’s Ice Cream, Gallucci’s Italian Foods and Market, and the Dunham Tavern.
Despite these major investments, this area sees challenges of pedestrian experience along the corridors of Chester, Euclid,
and Carnegie, along with the connections to surrounding neighborhoods. East 66th Corridor is a major opportunity to connect MidTown to the Hough neighborhood and the culture assets that exist along this unsuspecting street. To the south, Dunham Tavern, which is the oldest remaining structure in Cleveland, and to the north, League Park, a newly renovated former Negro Leagues baseball park. Between the two sits a unique asset in Chateaus Hough, an urban vineyard and winery.
In 2018, MidTown received a National Endowment for the Arts grant to explore
enhancements along the 66th Corridor. LAND studio is also working on a plan with Dunham Tavern to create a survey of the property to better understand how neighboring residents and organizations perceive the Dunham Tavern, hoping to inform a process to grow the institutions reach and impact in the neighborhood.
MIDTOWN NORTH
The northern-most portion of the neighborhood is characterized mostly by a large area of industrial buildings and warehouses, but with the largest concentration of houses in MidTown.
This Geography borders the Asiatown neighborhood, which offers a rich cultural identity, an abundance of Asian cuisine and marketplaces, and unique programming and opportunities. Asiatown contains a large residential population that could benefit from an active MidTown and vice versa. MidTown North is also home to a myriad
of businesses hidden behind old industrial facades and include small design studios, artists, and specialty commercial services.
Also located in this section of MidTown are two major public institutions in the newly built Third District Police Station and Campus International, a high-performing Cleveland Public School which has expanded from K through 5th grade to K through High School.
Because much of this area exists interiorly, there exists an opportunity to bring the hidden character to the exterior by way of large-scale murals and wayfinding. This
area also offers the potential for pop-up parks and programming opportunities where large indoor and outdoor spaces can be utilized.
CORRIDORS
MidTown is often used as a pass-through between University Circle and Downtown, or north/south between neighboring communities. It contains many high traffic corridors, including the successful Health Line dedicated bus route. Euclid also boasts a protected bike lane, making it a popular bike, pedestrian, bus, and car traffic avenue.
To the north, Chester is a 6-lane corridor which functions more like a large boulevard or small highway. Car traffic dominates this east/west corridor making it difficult for pedestrian or bicycle traffic.
Carnegie, to the south, has characteristics of both Euclid and Chester. It is a car-centric avenue, but more narrow in scale and with more opportunities for pedestrian crossing and accessible businesses. Currently, a Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) is underway to examine Carnegie Ave.
The north/south 55th Corridor bisects the MidTown neighborhood and connects residents of the Hough and Saint Clair-Superior neighborhoods to the Central neighborhood and Interstate 490 entrance. Opportunities for wayfinding and gateways,
as well as pop-up parks and greenspace exist along this corridor.
66th is a corridor rich in culture and residents. It is a direct connection from Hough into MidTown and from MidTown into Hough with two major historical institutions in Dunham Tavern and League Park.
GEOGRAPHIES
CHARACTERISTICS
• Dedicated bus/bike lanes
• Pedestrian activity
• Lower auto traffic
• Major route for Downtown and University Circle employees
• Mostly contiguous streetscape
• Noticeable, serious gaps
• Mix of buildings styles and use
• Vacancy
• Few green spaces or softscape
CHARACTERISTICS
• Pedestrian-scale
• Tree canopy
• Historical buildings
• Mix of architecture
• Residential
• Few gaps
CHARACTERISTICS
• Wide, 6-Lane avenue
• Low bike/pedestrian traffic
• Functions as a main thoroughfare
• Major route for Downtown and University Circle employees
• Minimal pedestrian crossing
• Low buildings
• Vast open space
• Large, nondescript buildings
• Intersecting residential streets
CHARACTERISTICS
• Wide, 5-Lane avenue
• Low bike/pedestrian traffic
• Functions as a vehicular pass-through
• Limited pedestrian crossing
• Low buildings
• Gaps in streetscape
• Fast food drive-throughs
• Neglected, historical architecture
• Many existing, varied businesses
• Some public art
• Some investment
• Close Proximity to residential Central
CHARACTERISTICS
• Stable Residential
• Wide
• Industrial/warehouse
• Storefronts/markets
• Asian plazas with restaurants and shops
• AsiaTown Connection
• Storefront vacancy
• Property gaps
• Apprears to have little investment
• No greenspace
• Few anchors
CHARACTERISTICS
• Main north/south corridor
• Wide, 4-lane commercial corridor
• Pedestrian traffic
• Functions as a vehicular pass-through
• Low buildings
• Gaps in streetscape
• Neglected, historical architecture
• Vacant Storefronts
• Many existing, varied businesses
• Some public art
• Some investment
• Close proximity to Hough
CHARACTERISTICS
• Residential connection
• Multiple points of interest
• Pedestrian traffic
• Gaps in streetscape
• Churches
• Vacant storefronts
• Some public art
• Some investment
• Cleveland Foundation Planned HQ
• Planned Cleveland Public Library Branch
CAMPUS DISTRICT
• Home to CSU and Tri-C
• Revamped CSU campus
• Student residents
• Vibrant commercial and entertainment
• Campus District CDC
ASIATOWN
• Concentration of Asian businesses
• Visible Asian Identitiy
• Active Asian residents
• Lack of greenspace
• Destination neighborhood
SAINT CLAIR – SUPERIOR
• African-American, Latinx, and Slovenian population
• One of the oldest and culturally diverse neighborhoods
• Anchor institution: Saint Martin de Porres and Slovenian National Home
• Lakefront neighborhood
• Scaled-back Saint Clair-Superior CDC
GEOGRAPHIES
HOUGH
• Home to Councilwoman and activist Fannie Lewis
• Decades of disinvestment after white flight, redlining and racial segregation
• Newer constuction, single-family homes
• Home to League Park
• Chateau Hough Winery
• Development pressure from surrounding neighborhoods
FAIRFAX
• Home of Cleveland Clinic
• Former home of numerous music venues
• 8,000+ parishioners on Sundays
• Home of Karamu House
• Birthplace of Langston Hughes
• Fairfax Renaissance CDC
GEOGRAPHIES
CENTRAL
• One of Cleveland’s oldest neighborhoods
• Home to Mayor Frank Jackson
• Lewis and Carl Stokes grew up in Outhwaite Homes
• CMHA Headquarters
• 95.9 WOVU: BBC Community Radio
• Burten Bell Carr CDC
GOAL
GOAL: CREATE + SUPPORT A COHESIVE
IDENTITY OF A VIBRANT MIDTOWN
NEIGHBORHOOD BY: - USING EXISTING STRENGTHS TO LEVERAGE PROJECTS
- IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENHANCEMENTS TO MITIGATE CHALLENGES
OPPORTUNITIES
SCULPTURE
Sculpture is an exciting way to create physical landmarks to enhance the fabric of the visual landscape both permanently and temporarily. Sculpture can be used for a number of reasons stemming from the useful to the purely aesthetic. Sculpture can be representative of a certain area or enhance the spirit of a place.
There are many ways we can think about how sculpture enhances a place. The following are a few examples to begin thinking about how sculpture can serve the needs of a given place. Avant Garde sculpture can be fun, light-hearted, weird, or simply aesthetic. Thematic sculptures can represent the past, present, future of an area or highlight certain industries or themes present in a place. Interactive sculpture can engage an audience and invite them into a space. Utilitarian sculpture, like the interactive, can be inviting but in a way that serves a specific use or need, like seating or lighting or play.
Pros:
• Long-lasting
• Striking
• Symbolic
• Three-dimensional
Cons:
• Increased cost to create
• Expensive to maintain
• Complicated to maintain
MURALS
Similar to sculpture, murals can enhance the visual fabric of a neighborhood in big ways. Although relegated to two-dimensions, murals have the potential to be scaled -up at relatively lower costs, and barrier to entry for artists is much smaller. Often there are no engineering costs involved with murals, which make them significantly less expensive and easy to pass review boards. Murals can also have a much greater array of subject matter, styles, and messaging since they are in essence large signs. Like sculpture, they can represent the spirit, industry, history, etc. of a place. Some existing programs to consider are, Paint the Town, POW! WOW!, INTER|URBAN, as well as one-off projects by interested property owners.
Pros:
• Relatively inexpensive
• Multiple application methods
• Greater pool of artists
• Quicker application
• Easier to maintain
Cons:
• Less permanent
• Restricted to 2-D surfaces
• Application only in warmer months
PROGRAMMING
Creating opportunities for the community to interact with one another is an effective way of communicating with the public and introducing them to place-building events.
Leo’s Listening Party is a great example of such an event, which has taken history directly tied to the MidTown neighborhood and created a unique experience that reinforces a community identity that can only be found in Midtown. Not all programming needs to be unique to the neighborhood. Existing regional and city-wide programs can be used to help familiarize people from outside of the neighborhood with a new place. For example, Night Market, which is an idea that exists globally, has helped celebrate the Asian culture of Cleveland while also drawing visitors from outside of the Asiatown neighborhood.
Themes offer a starting point when developing programming, and cataloging the neighborhood culture, assets, stakeholders, and businesses can be helpful in brainstorming ideas.
African American Culture
Asian American Culture
Leo’s Casino
Agora
Radio One
Children’s Museum
Tech Hive
Dunham Tavern
Design and Architecture Firms
Rainey Institute
Other: FRONT International
GREENSPACE
Recreation and respite can be important components for a healthy neighborhood, especially one home to the Health-Tech Corridor. A shortage of recreation and greenspace has been identified within the Midtown neighborhood, however, there is no shortage of opportunities. Vacant parcels and existing greenspaces can serve as a great starting point, but more inventive opportunities can exist where you least expect them and serve different members of the community. Sports courts, walking paths, shade structures, open lawns and other components of a great park can be integrated into the urban fabric in unexpected ways. Both traditional and non-traditional spaces can provide opportunities for spaces that allow the public to get out and enjoy their environment.
Warner Swasey Building
Colonel Young Park
Dunham Tavern
Pop-Up Parks
Linear Railway Park
Asiatown Plaza
WAYFINDING
MidTown Cleveland has a wayfinding and signage process underway to help orient workers and visitors throughout the neighborhood. Public art can be a component of a successful wayfinding program.
FOCUS
FOCUS
Focus areas are identified as regions of the neighborhood with historical significance, residential and commercial importance, or areas identified for future development or specific attention. These boundaries are meant to be permeable and should be used as starting points for project identification and connective catalysts.
1.
2.
4.
5.
MidTown Epicenter
Dunham District
3. Asiatown
Eastern Edge
Campus Connection
MIDTOWN EPICENTER
The MidTown Epicenter is home to the MidTown Development offices and an array of opportunities. Below are focus areas within the MidTown Epicenter:
1.
2.
3.
4.
7.
8.
Warner Swasey
55th & Euclid Underpass
Agora (Wall & Lot)
Colonel Young Park
5. Walls 6. Willson Tower
55th & Euclid Corner
Linear Railway Park
WARNER SWASEY
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Public Greenspaces
Public Parks
Public Art
Commercial Uses
Recreational Spaces
PUBLIC GREENSPACE
PUBLIC PARK
PUBLIC ART
MIDTOWN
55TH & EUCLID UNDERPASS
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Lighting
Sculptures
Murals
Installations
SCULPTURE
THE AGORA
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Music Programming
Food & Entertainment
Greenspace
Iconic Public Art
MUSIC PROGRAMMING
ENTERTAINMENT
GREENSPACE
ICONIC PUBLIC ART
FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT
ART & GREENSPACE
ICONIC MURALS
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Play Space
Plaza
Iconic Art
Pop-up Park
Interactive Art
Pop-up Programming
Iconic Features
COLONEL YOUNG PARK
PLAZA
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Murals
Installation Art
Vinyl Applications
WILLSON TOWER
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Murals
Programming
Installation Art
MIDTOWN
55TH & EUCLID CORNER
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Murals
Sculpture
Traffic Calming
Gateways
Surface Treatment
Crosswalk Art
MURALS
GATEWAYS
SCULPTURE
TRAFFIC CALMING
LINEAR RAILWAY PARK
(Rail Corridor connection from Warner Swasey to 55th and Euclid)
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Trails & Bikepaths
Plaza Parklets Greenspace
TRAILS & BIKEPATHS
PLAZA
PARKLETS
GREENSPACE
DUNHAM DISTRICT FOCUS
DUNHAM DISTRICT
The Dunham District focuses around the Dunham Tavern and the connnections created between the Hough and MidTown neighborhoods. Below are the focus areas for the Dunham District:
1. 66th Connection
2. Dunham Tavern
3. Chester Streetscape
4. Euclid Walls
5. Tech Hive
6. Gallucci’s
66TH
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Crosswalk Art
Parklets
Recreation
Storefronts
Murals
Programming
DUNHAM DISTRICT FOCUS
CROSSWALK ART
PARKLETS
TAVERN
PRECEDENT PARKS:
Park Killesberg
Governors Island
Stovnerarnet
Flatas Park
Kresge Headquarters
Metcalfe Park
DUNHAM
PARK KILLESBERG
THE HILLS AT GOVERNORS ISLAND
FLATAS PARK
PARK KILLESBERG
STOVNERARNET
KRESGE HEADQUARTERS
METCALFE PARK
CHESTER STREETSCAPE
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Public Art
Medians
Streetscape
Architectural Character
Development Sites
PUBLIC ART
STREETSCAPE
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
DEVELOPMENT SITES
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
MEDIAN
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Murals
Installation Art
Vinyl Applications
DUNHAM DISTRICT FOCUS
Located in the Cleveland Health-Tech Corridor, the Tech Hive is a program of DigitalC and offers a diverse population of members an in-house cafe, ample parking, day passes, dedicated desks, meeting rooms, classrooms, phone booths, & private offices.
GALLUCCI’S
Since 1912, Galluci’s has been a neighborhood staple providing Italian and imported gourmet foods to the Greater Cleveland area.
INDUSTRIAL ASIATOWN
Industrial Asiatown is a major connection between MidTown and AsiaTown. It contains harsh boundaries at both Payne and 55th and consists of a large, occupied warehouse district. Below are the focus areas within Industrial AsiaTown:
1. Payne Streetscape
Warehouse Walls
55th Corridor
PAYNE STREETSCAPE
CHARACTERISTICS:
Storefronts
Railroad Infrastructure
Industrial Buildings
Vacant Lots
Vacant Walls
Vacant Buildings
STOREFRONTS
INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS
RAILROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
VACANT LOTS
VACANT WALLS
VACANT BUILDINGS
WAREHOUSE WALLS
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Murals
Installation Art
Vinyl Applications
55TH CORRIDOR
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Artistic Retrofits
Murals
Pop-Up Parks
Art Amenities
Pop-Up Art
Sculpture
Repurpose Art
ARTISTIC RETROFITS
MURALS
ASIATOWN CONNECTION
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Programming
Pop-Ups
Murals
Signage
Commercial Districts
Greenspace
PROGRAMMING
MORGAN CONSERVATORY
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Programming
Pop-Ups
OLD DAVE’S SUPER MARKET
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Storefront Artwork
Facade Mural
Pop-Up Park
Pop-Up Programming
STOREFRONT ARTWORK
FACADE MURAL
FACADE MURAL
POP-UP PARK
POP-UP PARK
POP-UP PROGRAMMING
EASTERN EDGE
The Eastern Edge consists of many of the new businesses and tech companies defining the HealthTech Corridor. It also hinges on the Tech Hive and Dunham Tavern where much of the new planning and development is happening. Below are the focus areas of the Eastern Edge:
1. Leo’s Casino
Euclid Walls
Carnegie Corridor
Food Hub
LEO’S CASINO
CHARACTERISTICS:
Jazz History
Art & Performance
Community Music Events
Jazz Fest
Youth Music Groups
Concerts
School Performance
JAZZ HISTORY
YOUTH JAZZ GROUPS
ART AND PERFORMANCE
COMMUNITY MUSIC EVENTS
JAZZ FEST
EUCLID WALLS
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Murals
Installation Art
Vinyl Applications
PAINT THE TOWN
MidTown Mural Exploration
CARNEGIE CORRIDOR
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Murals
Installation Art
Signage
Interactive Art
Traffic Calming
Billboard Art
Lighting
ARTISTIC SIGNAGE
CALMING ART
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Programming Pop-ups
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Development Sites
Residential
Greenspace
E. 75TH
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Residential
Greenspace
CAMPUS CONNECTION
The Campus Connection is the boundary connecting MidTown and Cleveland State University. This area is a gap with potential for activation. Below are the focus areas for the Campus Connection:
