I don't even know anymore

I find it increasingly difficult to be positive lately. I don't know if this is an occurrence due to a multitude of factors or a result of a singular event. What I do know is that it seems increasingly difficult to not walk up to people and slap them in the face.

Daryl Davis sent this to my email, which I appreciate. A nice little account of the Planning Commissions meetings regarding the Breuer Tower. A building that I once intoned on this very internet site that I was entirely indifferent to. Oh, how the world has embittered me.

Now I realize just how for saving that building I am, and not for the reasons that I think most would want to realize.

I think it should be saved if only to prove that the people have a voice, that a concerted effort to speak out against a ruthless and unformulated plan will prove that logic and common sense will prevail.

I think it should be saved because Cleveland has a history. One that is constantly under threat of being torn up to create suburbs, of being emptied to create lifestyle centers, of being forgotten to hasten 'social engineering' and of being demolished to fabricate icons to egos.

I think it should be saved because right now it being demolished for unverified reasonings is in essence the acceptance of a lie. Allowing it to fall is to say that those who can lie, cheat and steal the best should do the thinking for the rest of us. It says that as a city we are all dupes and will accept whatever we are fed.

It should be saved because we don't know what is going in its place. Perhaps I would be more willing to accept the fate of the tower, even though it flies in the face of any logic I could apply, if only there was a semblance of what was to come. Perhaps I fear the bait and switch more then anything. Promise me a green icon for the city and put a parking lot in its place. I almost expect that to actually occur.

It should be saved because a government building has no place on a financial district corner, let alone that particular financial district corner. Personally I think that location was chosen so Dimorra (cheese-steak dangling from the corner of his mouth) could watch an Indians game without exerting himself too much. One would think the County would want a building by all the other federal buildings, perhaps so that they could interact or something. I don't know. Maybe this is the new 'de-centralized de-regionalized regional government' thing that will sweep the nation and show how progressive we are.

I think it should be saved because as someone who was trained as an architect, as someone who hopes to actually make a difference, as someone who attempts rational thinking mixed with empathy and attempts to understand the needs of others, I cannot for the life of me make a good argument to tear it down, no matter how many lunches I spend staring at it trying to figure it out.

No sir, I can't.

Special thanks to Gloria Ferris.

2007 Cleveland Design Competition Winners Announced

Here is the Competition website.

Here is the Winner's Announcement.

Here is the Online Gallery which currently only has the winners posted. Word around the kool-aid cooler is that eventually they are going to have them all online.

My quick run-down as I formulate my opinion into actual sentences is such. While some would complain that only 14 of the 70 submissions were from northeast ohio and fluff over the content and direction as shown I would like to take a moment to just admit that I was very pleased (as a contestant and as a Clevelander) with the variety, thoughtfulness and direction that the competition took as a whole. It was fun ,extremely well run, things went smoothly (even though I never did get my giant novelty check) and the submissions were outstanding. From public parks to giant towers to organic shapes which encompassed most of the west bank the designers involved proved their merit in spades and took on the with tenacity the spirit of the competition.

And while I may not particularly agree with the choices made, I respect the direction that the judges took and do not find fault in their selections and will not second guess the decisions. I will say that there was an amazing level of finesse to a lot of the designs and it was easy to pick out some of the local submissions (I know that I overthought the site - a trap I think many locals fell into). All in all I would call the competition a resounding success and am very excited to see what those kids come out with next year.

Cleveland as a tourist destination? Not for lunch.

I admit I have been lax as of late. At first I wanted to keep the post for the Cleveland Chapter for Architecture for Humanity up on top at various feed sites with the hope of collecting the most viewers possible.

Secondly I have been busy, packing, looking at places, playing with toys, etc. Also I have been taking the time to meander about the town. Just yesterday Bradley over at Design Rag and I decided to try to see if the Rockhall would be a good place to grab a quick bite for lunch. We were figuring that since it is a nationally known icon for the city that it would only make sense that certain parts of it would be open to the general public in order to foster the Rockhall as more of a public city icon, to integrate it into daily life so as to increase it's perceived importance. As we strolled down East 9th (Rock and Roll Avenue) with the view of the clear blue lake coming more and more into view we passed vendors hawking their lunch wares (Urban Grill? I think that is what it was called. Smelled AMAZING!) we joked "Wouldn't it be just like Cleveland to have a great iconic center where you couldn't even grab lunch without paying the ridiculous entry fee?" or "How silly would it be to have a center designed for tourists that wouldn't let visitors grab a delightful meal when even the banks have their sidewalk cafes open to the public!". Oh we laughed and gaffawed as we crossed the gigantic Key Plaza eager to see what luncheon delights awaited our discerning palettes. Oh what wonderfully punny plates would they offer? Hall and Oat(meal)? Some Cranberries? A bowl of Raspberries? Maybe even a veggie cheeseburger in paradise? Alright, enough of that.

So Bradley and I finally arrived within the doors of the infamous Rockhall. Directly to our left was the admissions table and to our right was the gift shop which you could easily access without entering the actual museum. We breathed a collective sigh of relief. If they would lay the gift shop outside of the 'pay' area then one could only infer they would have been so generous with the cafe.

They weren't. I don't know how to succinctly sum up our search for the cafe. We wound up in the museum, past the admissions booth, without paying. Probably due to them setting something up. We didn't care, we were hungry. So we went to the information booth and asked.

I feel bad but I started laughing loudly when told we had to purchase a ticket to spend money in their cafe. The girl was nice and even offered us a map or list of events or something. Bradley and I couldn't understand. Why would a nationally recognizable operation not even allow for the chance that one (selling the city or whatever to an out of towner) would only have time for a quick bite and would use the opportunity of having access to such a grand institution as the perfect launch pad to showcase some of the regions amenities? Who the hell planned that mess out?

At least the Great Lakes Science Center has an openly accessible cafe where one can grab a bite and sit out on the pier or the Key Plaza in front of the Rockhall and gaze back at the city whilst pondering such incongruities.