Topic: Cleveland Innerbelt takings: What we stand to lose (photo essay)

[noozer]

I get the sense that both the Governor and the new adminsitration at ODOT will be receptive to ideas on how to do better with less $$ and create more cost-effective alternatives to just adding more lanes.  It won't be enough to just try to stop a particular project.  The challenge will be to come up with a better alternative.

Consider that many, if not most, highway projects are currently based on the need to mitigate congestion or create more capacity.  If that is true, one only needs to ask whether investing in other alternatives like rail and better mass transit, can redirect some of the traffic off the highways and achieve the same goal.

[gildone]

^but what about the 26th St yard?

[noozer]

ODOT is aware of the need to preserve it.

[KJP]

See the images I posted of ODOT's preferred options for the Inner Belt in the Grander Plan For Inner Belt thread. You will see that the East 26th Street Yard is untouched.

[JDD941]

  The real question here is....what can be done?   When I read about some of the plans ODOT has...some of the statements that come from Joe C (RTA) about rail ("my lifetime" and 100mil cost per mile) it really chaps my ass!  (Mayday..MTS..not a word!)  There are a lot of people on here that have great ideas about how plans could be tweaked to make things better around the city/region.  I, for one, love to read everyones ideas and throw a few of my own in.  I also like to bitch about ODOT, RTA,and city leadership when it comes to some of these projects.  Is there(are there) someone here that can really get these ideas, through the right channels, to the right people (as well as the public) in a way that looks like the ideas are coming from well informed, educated, highly concerned people?  The first person that comes to mind for me(no offense to all else) is KJP.  This just seems like such a David and Goliath confrontation to me. 
   When I showed my concerns at the West Shoreway meeting...about all I got was a shoulder shrug.  These freaking people seem SO proud of their anti urban, nonsensical highway projects it makes me sick.  Bringing up LTR, street cars, true trench and cap systems, retaining walls to save space, or doing ANYTHING below ground is like talking splitting atoms to a caveman !!(no offense to the Geico guy)
  There needs to be someone/someway to pick up the ball and run with it and make our voices heard!  I am sure there are many others out there that may feel the same way but don't even know about Urbanohio let alone have a way of being heard by the powers that be. 
  Any ideas?  Letters, calls, public polls......how can anything be done?

[MyTwoSense]

... it really chaps my ass!  (Mayday..MTS..not a word!) .....

Maybe you should borrow the Popes assless chaps!  Sorry I couldn't resist.

[redbrick]

I lived in Columbus during the time the I-670/High Street cap was fought for and won. I attended most of meetings, especially those held in Victorian Village. My memory is a bit fuzzy (it was 15 or so years ago) but I do recall that ODOT held to the party line -- "cap too expensive", "would delay project", blah, blah, blah... for quite a while.

That was until federal lawsuits were threatened and some consultant or lawyer from The National Trust for Historic Preservation got involved. Then ODOT started to soften on the "no cap" stance and other design changes. Of course it took very engaged and vocal community groups as well.

[noozer]

I was a reporter during that time in Columbus and your memory is correct, but that was also during Gordon Proctor's reign over the "Borg" (ODOT).  I think we will see some change with the new administration, but they still need to hear from the public to know that change is desired.

[JDD941]

  I just sent a little letter of concern to this site  http://www.buckeyetraffic.org/feedback.asp  .....basically pleading for the new administration to check out urbanohio AND to be more forward thinking than the past admin.....

[musky]

Thought these would help clear up what is currently (as of Feb 1) on ODOT list. There is also a board of possible historic issues as well.
And, here is a rendering of the currently proposed curve. It does not look like there will be any taking of the any of the rail yard from what I can tell, but I could be wrong.

[KJP]

Thanks JDD941 for the vote of confidence. I have the benefit of an opinion column in Sun Newspapers, which helps. But I am just one person. If I alone bring these arguments to the fore, then I can be easily dismissed. But if a room full of people say what they want (rather than what they don't want -- that doesn't give anyone direction), then the power of multiple voices can move even the most stubborn, ignorant and vision-less people to act in the way you want. I've seen it happen a million times. It makes elected officials whimper, then they sing your song. But you need to coordinate the voices with the same general, basic message. Just be loud and clear.

[BuckeyeB]

I think those of you who live in the Cleveland metro area need to start showing up at every Cleveland City Council meeting and demand a change. KJP is right. He is only one voice and you can't rely on him to carry the argument alone.

I am not too familiar with what is going on up there, and I don't want to speak out of turn, but I think everyone who has an inetrest (transit advocates, businesspersons affected by this, enviros and anyone else) should band together and meet to formulate a plan of action.

I am sure if you do this other statewide organizations will take more than a passing interest in what is going on with the Inner Belt, which I think is a poster child for what's wrong with ODOT. Maybe if there are some folks up there willing to carry the ball, one of these organizations might be willing to facilitate such a meeting.

At any rate, the possible destruction of yet more historic buildings makes me sick.

[JDD941]

  I did write a letter (email) to the Governor's office via the website as well as the ODOT wesite to express my dismay with the options provided for public transit, the highway projects, and the lack of emphasis on passenger rail that is historic in Ohio.  It was not completely negative...I cited ideas that I have thought of as well as others on this site.  I even urged both agencies to look into this site to see first hand what other people think as well.  I am not sure if it is worth my time or not to send a similar email to RTA due to the fact that JoeC seems completely unapproachable about alternative transit (expansion).  I would be more than willing to be part of a "push" to bring this to the powers that be as well as the public.  I can only write so many letters to the editor of the PD only to be denied or have the article chopped into nonsense.  If we all band together...I am in!!!

[BuckeyeB]

  I did write a letter (email) to the Governor's office via the website.....If we all band together...I am in!!!

That's the spirit! We know this thing is wrong. We have to band together and fight!

Let's do this.

[MyTwoSense]

both buckey and JDD comments are all the more reason why the "whats next for UO" thread is extremely relevant.

[Firenze98]

This is a bit off the current topic, but looking at the buildings slated for demolition by Blinker12, one caught my eye.  I have the original building drawings of the Daniel's Furniture building at 2800 Superior Ave.  It was constructed in 1919 for the Ohio Box Board Co.  The terra cota detailing at the top is quite interesting and it would be ashame to loose it.

[JDD941]

What I wrote (which was not as well thought out as I would have liked, but what the heck:

I am very concerned with a few of the highway plans that ODOT has for the Cleveland area (Innerbelt, innerbelt bridge, and the Shoreway project) for the way that they are/were planned with the prior administration. It seems to me that highway projects from the prior admin seem to be so cookie cutter, antiquated, and very anti-urban. What I mean by this is that instead of coming up with fresh ideas to save space, preserve buildings, and keep the city urban...it seems ODOT has liked to cut a huge swath with sweeping grass filled banks, while at the same time knocking down perfectly good building in order to make a highway. Why not consider making a true trench system through Cleveland, using retaining walls to save space and structures surrounding? Maybe even consider using caps ovet the trench to actually TAKE BACK land in the city! I have been to other states that employ this type of construction and it seems to work well (I-696 near Detroit is a great example). I URGE the planners at ODOT to check out a website dedicated to Ohio and it's projects...the concerns the people have on the site are just a few voices of the many. I think you might be shocked at how disappointed people are with the past admin of ODOT. You may also be surprised with some of the great ideas that are talked about on the site. Please Check out www.urbanohio.com and look at the projects and/or transportation section. Thank you for your time. Concerned taxpayer, Joe Dorsey



Believe it or not, I already received a response from ODOT!

Mr. Dorsey,

Thank you for submitting your comments regarding the Cleveland Innerbelt Project.  Your comments have been forwarded to the study team for further consideration and will be included and addressed in the environmental documentation prepared for the project to identify the preferred alternative.

Lora Hummer
Public Information Officer
Ohio Department of Transportation

[KJP]

Now we all know your name Joe!!

(nice letter BTW)

[noozer]

Overhaul, history collide on Inner Belt
Historic buildings standing in path of highway project
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sarah Hollander
Plain Dealer Reporter

To someone driving by, buildings in the path of the proposed Inner Belt rehaul may not look like much. But to preservationists, they help tell the story of Cleveland and shouldn't be sacrificed for more asphalt.

The Ohio Department of Transportation's extensive Inner Belt plan includes realigning Dead Man's Curve, building new bridges across the Cuyahoga Valley downtown and adjusting traffic flow in the crash-prone trench through Midtown.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

shollander@plaind.com, 216-999-4816


http://www.cleveland.com/innerbelt/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1174985222116020.xml&coll=2

[noozer]

4 threatened buildings now 'historic'
State evaluates structures in path of new Inner Belt
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Sarah Hollander
Plain Dealer Reporter
 
The state's historic preservation office believes four of five notable buildings facing demolition to clear the way for a revamped Inner Belt are eligible for the national historic register.

The report labeled the following buildings eligible:

Broadway Mills (1894), 300 Central Viaduct. The former flour mill represents Cleveland's once-strong milling industry and is considered the city's best surviving example of mill architecture.

Ohio Boxboard Co. (ca. 1909), 1400 East 30th St. An example of early 20th-century industrial design and one of the few remaining buildings designed by Christian, Schwarzenberg and Gaede, an architectural firm that practiced in Cleveland from 1909 to 1972.

Distribution Terminal Warehouse (1927), 200 West 14th St. The large concrete building is considered significant for its role in the evolution of Cleveland's food distribution network and for its design by noted local architect Wilbur J. Watson.

Marathon station (1928), 300 Central Viaduct. The trapezoidal building is considered a fine and largely unaltered example of an early 20th-century service station and is associated with Cleveland's early automobile history.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

shollander@plaind.com, 216-999-4816
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1175934995238400.xml&coll=2

[KJP]

That's good news. It means that ODOT has to go through a process to find/choose alternatives that mitigate impacts to these structures. And if an alternative exists that lets ODOT avoid negatively impacting those structures, then they have to give a pretty strong reason why they didn't select that alternative.

[Firenze98]

Ohio Boxboard Co. (ca. 1919), 1400 East 30th St. An example of early 20th-century industrial design and one of the few remaining buildings designed by Christian, Schwarzenberg and Gaede, an architectural firm that practiced in Cleveland from 1913 to 1972. Firm became Christian & Klopper, Inc. in 1972 and is still in business today.

[DetroitZack]

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/11/the_ohio_department_of_transpo.html

I was hoping someone could post or take pictures of the buildings in jeopardy here.  As said in the article...
*81-year-old trapezoidal-shaped Marathon gas station.
*Cleveland Cold Storage Building on West 14th St, built in 1927.
*Broadway Mills Building, built in 1894.  ODOT plans to save brickwork and the large medallions from the building and use them in nearby retaining walls.
*Non descript commercial structures

[ink]

I believe someone posted photos several years ago...

[X]

Yup, cleaned and revived, but the photo links are dead.  There is still a map of impacted buildings on the second page of the thread.

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,7101.0.html

[Clueless,Ohio]

I believe ZDM's thread on "what buildings will be demolished..." has been absorbed here into this thread.
I happen to have some pics (sorry, I did not resize these) to contribute to this and a website that talks about this...

http://www.gcbl.org/planning/innerbelt/clevelands-architecture-in-path-of-innerbelt

These first 3 are of the Broadway Mills building near E.9th & Carnegie (IMHO this is gonna be the biggest loss)






This is the trapezoidal gas station next to the B'Way Mills (this is way cool...cannot find these anywhere)


This is an example of what they're probably calling "nondescript" (to me it is absolutely NOT nondescript...I do not know if this exact bldg will be lost, but it is in the general vicinity of B'Way Mills)


This is the 1400 E.30th Building ("Tastebuds" Bldg) in the Superior Warehouse District. A terrible loss it will be. This is a picture of only half of it.

[jessyto27]

That was a very well explained essay photo. As we all know, a photo essay is not simply for photojournalists however. Every human being is drawn to stories. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, the photo essay is a brilliant way to bring your images to life and touch your family, friends, and coworkers.