Trying to quantify the meanderings of Cleveland architecture and design for an entire year into a couple paragraphs shouldn't really be that difficult. There were plenty of art openings within the various art districts that form a commercialized "culture" necklace around the closing throat of our fair city.
The economy stifled Stark's and Wolstein's plans to interject mixed use living downtown as well as put the brakes on the plans of many local design firms (that itself is topic for another separate discussion).
We did see the beginning/completion of some projects, promising and otherwise. The Euclid Corridor HealthLine/SilverLine finally opened for business and is undergoing the throws of the public judgment of change (or not enough change depending on where you stand).
Robert Maschke finally built something on the hill overlooking the Lakeshore that at least attempts to challenge the standard operating procedure of custom built homes and conveniently acts as a billboard for more modern design than the average Cleveland citizen is used to.
Cameron Sinclair gave a tremendous talk at Ideastream about the work of Architecture for Humanity which I think gave quite a few people pause to question the ethics of their actions.
Winny Maas of MVRDV learned a little something about working in Cleveland as he watched his design get, well, sank. I was actually excited for the original design and now, well, I am a little sad at the tentative, boring uninspiring design that will take its place. Whether or not you attempt to cover it up with banners and supergraphics the building underneath will still be there.
Foreign Office Architects also are working on an anchor building to University Circle, designing the new building to house Cleveland's Museum of Contemporary Art. Not a lot about this project is generally known but if FOA's previous work is any indication the Cleveland.com blog will be on FIRE (in the hilarious and somewhat embarrassing for humanity way it typically is).
A couple more big names got tossed in the ring for designing the residential component of The Triangle (University Circle's public schwerpunkt) however since this is all blending together in my mind of when this all started going down perhaps this should all be filed under 2007 anyway. It doesn't matter besides, coordination is going through a local city office that isn't known for K work (the "K" stands for Kwality) and there shouldn't be any surprise if the development gets botched even after surviving the current economy.
blah blah blah, Tri-C sneaks something past the sleeping city and scurries to put up the Center for Creative Arts which doesn't offend all the senses but it tried pretty hard. I don't even know if construction is complete on it yet, I try to close my eyes every time I pass the site which is hard to do when driving on the 77 North bridge into Cleveland but I think it is worth the risk.
And speaking of bridges how about the the Innerbelt Bridge? Guess which huge infrastructure project is so completely screwed up that it the rumors ODOT is hoping the current economy forces more people to move downtown and empty out the suburbs so they don't have to deal with the bridge could be completely true and not just made up on the spot. Can you guess?
Also, ODOT basically gives Tremont the finger, closes down Highway access and keeps it that way. At least the Abbey Road bridge by the W.25th Red Line station is open again. I think.
Cleveland had two local design competitions close out the year. The second annual Cleveland Design Competition and the Fairfax Intergenerational Design Competition both got some local talent involved and even attracted some international attention.
A stay of execution was issued for Marcel Breuer's Ameritrust Tower on E.9th and Euclid as K&D Development purchased it from Cuyahoga County. No word on what the County plans to do as a new headquarters nor how quickly the Tower's redevelopment is moving as most speculative development has been placed on hold.
CSU's Student Center by Don Hisaka was razed to make way for a project by Gwathmey Seigel that I hope is executed better than the renderings for the new student center show. I was sorry to see the old student center go. At least it was interesting.
Medical Mart. Big news in 2007, big news in 2008. What will 2009 hold?
Of course the economy hasn't helped anyone. Massive cuts at design firms, speculative projects going under, major investments being lost by clients decreases the available funds for expansion and growth and cuts into budgets anyway hurting, well everyone.
Obama. What more can I say? I haven't drank all the kool-aid yet but after the debacle of the last administration having someone who can speak their mind in an articulate manner may well be welcome. Preliminary plans to stimulate the economy through infrastructure stimulus packages and oversee city and urban development can only be exciting and I am extremely excited about the prospect of our nation moving forward again.
So here is to 2009. 'F@#!' 2008. At least it can't be worse.
2007 in review
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