Downtown Cleveland is the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...
of
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
. The economic and symbolic center of the city and the
Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area, it is Cleveland's oldest district, with its
Public Square laid out by city founder General
Moses Cleaveland in 1796.
Downtown is bounded by
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...
to the north, the
Cuyahoga Valley to the west, and
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, a ...
to the south and east.
It encompasses several subdistricts, and its diverse architecture includes the
Cleveland Mall, one of the most complete examples of
City Beautiful design in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. Downtown's residential population has grown significantly since the 2000s and especially 2010s, registering the largest population growth, by percentage, of any Cleveland neighborhood over that time.
Districts
Public Square
The heart of downtown,
Public Square was laid out by city founder
Moses Cleaveland in 1796 and has remained largely unchanged. Based on the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
town square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
, it consists of a large open space, cut into quadrants by Ontario Street and Superior Avenue.
Public Square is the symbolic heart of the city, and has hosted presidents, vast congregations of people, and a free annual
4th of July
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music)
In music a fourth is an interval spanning four staff po ...
concert by the
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Seve ...
. At one time, Public Square was fenced off and inaccessible to vehicles.
In 1860, the
Perry Monument, a memorial to Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member
of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...
's victory in the
Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the B ...
in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...
, was dedicated in the center of Public Square. In 1892, it was moved out of the square, which by then had the fences removed after lobbying by commercial interests. Public Square is also home to the
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, which commemorates residents of
Cuyahoga County who served in the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
. Public Square also features a statue of Cleaveland; a statue of
Tom L. Johnson
Tom Loftin Johnson (July 18, 1854 – April 10, 1911) was an American industrialist, Georgist politician, and important figure of the Progressive Era and a pioneer in urban political and social reform. He was a U.S. Representative from 1891 to ...
, the city's most famous mayor; a large amount of shrubbery and other landscaping; and a large public fountain.
The
Consulate-General of Slovenia in Cleveland (formerly the Consulate-General of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
in the city) is located in the 55 Public Square building.
Notable buildings on Public Square include the
Terminal Tower
Terminal Tower is a 52-story, , landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, it was the second-tallest building in the world when it was comp ...
, home to
Tower City Center, 200 Public Square - the former
BP Building (renamed in 2005), as well as
Key Tower, the tallest building in Ohio and one of the tallest in the United States. Public Square is also home to the historic
Old Stone Church, completed in 1855. The west side of Public Square was to become the headquarters of the Cleveland Trust Company, then called Ameritrust, but the project was cancelled after Ameritrust was purchased and merged into
Key Bank
KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States.
Key's customer base spans retail, small ...
, leaving that side of the square open to this day, with only a surface parking lot on the site.
In the golden age of
department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
retail from the late 19th century to the 1980s, Cleveland's major stores extended from Public Square east along
Euclid Avenue. They included
Higbee's, Bailey's, the
May Company,
Taylor's,
Halle's, and
Sterling Lindner Davis, which collectively represented one of the largest and most
fashion
Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...
able shopping districts in the country, often compared to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
's
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 populatio ...
. Today, the buildings of the May Company, Taylor's, and Halle's are popular downtown apartment complexes, while the Higbee's building has been home to the
Jack Cleveland Casino since 2012.
Gateway District
Revitalization of Cleveland's Historic Gateway District began in the 1990s with the Gateway complex, which included construction of
Progressive Field
{{Infobox stadium
, name = Progressive Field
, nickname = ''"The Jake"''
, logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg
, logo_caption =
, image =
, caption = Progressive Fiel ...
and
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serv ...
, the homes of the
MLB Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...
,
NBA Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
, and
AHL Cleveland Monsters. The Gateway complex was built on parking lots on the site of the former Central Market. The baseball stadium and basketball arena are connected to Tower City Center, and
RTA's
rail transit system, via an enclosed walkway. The neighborhood includes retail, housing, and a large variety of restaurants.
East 4th Street
East 4th Street is a popular restaurant and entertainment street adjacent to Prospect Avenue, Cleveland's historic "
Radio Row." East 4th encompasses Cleveland's
House of Blues
House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film '' The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...
, ''
Iron Chef''
Michael Symon
Michael D. Symon (born September 19, 1969) is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author. He is of Greek, Sicilian, and Eastern European descent. He is seen regularly on Food Network on shows such as '' Iron Chef America ...
's Mabel's BBQ, comedy club/restaurant Pickwick and Frolic, as well as a dozen other dining and retail storefronts. The neighborhood is home to hundreds of residents who live in the apartments and loft condominiums above the storefronts. East 4th is also adjacent to the historic
Cleveland Arcade, the first indoor
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
in the United States, built in 1890.
Warehouse District
Originally an early residential neighborhood, the Warehouse District was built into a warehousing and shipping neighborhood during the industrial rise of Cleveland, Within the past few decades, it has been converted again back into an entertainment, dining, and residential hub. The Warehouse District is the largest downtown neighborhood by population, and continues to grow with an assortment of shops, clubs, bars, and
loft condos/apartments. West Sixth Street is known as the heart of the district. Famously, the 17-story Rockefeller Building sits on the corner West Sixth and Superior Ave erected by
John D. Rockefeller.
Playhouse Square
Home to the second-largest performing arts complex in the U.S.,
Playhouse Square is downtown's cultural heart. The area is dominated by five historic theaters built during the 1920s –
State
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* '' Our ...
,
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
,
Allen,
Hanna
Hannah or Hanna may refer to:
People, biblical figures, and fictional characters
* Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin
* Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin
* Hanna (Irish surname), a fami ...
, and
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
theaters are all located in a cluster near the intersection of Euclid Avenue and E. 14th Street. Additionally, the smaller theaters include the 14th Street Theater, Kennedy's Theater, Westfield Insurance Studio Theater, Second Stage, and Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre.
Ideastream Public Media teamed up with Playhouse Square to renovate the former Playhouse Square Building, transforming it from an empty office building to One Playhouse Square, a downtown broadcast headquarters. Now known as the Idea Center, the facility includes high definition television studios, control rooms, radio studios, and performance space fronting Euclid Avenue, as well as a variety of high-tech business startups and other tenants located on the building's upper floors. Since 2005, Ideastream's broadcast properties have been located at the Idea Center; this includes
PBS station
WVIZ (channel 25),
NPR member
WKSU () and
classical music/
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
outlet
WCLV (). WKSU also is relayed over a regional network, including
WCPN (). Residents of the district also include
Cleveland Playhouse and
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University (CSU) is a Public university, public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in op ...
performing arts.
In spring 2014, a $16 million outdoor streetscape transformation was completed. Focusing primarily on lighting and signage, a centerpiece of a 4,600-piece LED crystal chandelier hangs over the Euclid Avenue and East 14th Street intersection 24-feet off the ground. According to the
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, it is the largest outdoor chandelier in the world. Other additions include four gateway signs spanning entry points, a large 1920s-era "Playhouse Square" sign at East 13th Street and Euclid Avenue intersection, a fire pit at Star Plaza, a 28-foot-tall digital display, and architectural lighting to show off details of the historic buildings.
Civic Center
The Civic Center district holds Cleveland's governmental and public buildings. The most visible structure is the
Justice Center Complex
The Justice Center Complex is a building complex located in the Civic Center District in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. The complex consists of the Cleveland Police Headquarters Building, the Cuyahoga County and Clevela ...
, consisting of the Cleveland Police Department headquarters and Cuyahoga County Jail. Other notable structures include
Cleveland City Hall
Cleveland City Hall is the seat of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio, and the home of Cleveland City Council and the office of the Mayor of Cleveland. It opened in 1916 and is located at 601 Lakeside Avenue in the Civic Center area of D ...
,
Cuyahoga County and Cleveland Municipal Courts,
Public Auditorium,
Cleveland Public Library main buildings, the
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland is the Cleveland-based headquarters of the U.S. Federal Reserve System's Fourth District. The district is composed of Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia ...
, the
Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse
The Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse is a historic courthouse and post office building located on Superior Avenue in Downtown Cleveland, downtown Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Its west side faces Public Square, Cleveland, Public Square and ...
, and the
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Cleveland Metropolitan School District, formerly the Cleveland Municipal School District, is a public school district in the U.S. state of Ohio that serves almost all of the city of Cleveland. The district covers 79 square miles. The Clevelan ...
administration building (now occupied by the
Drury Plaza Hotel).
The
Public Malls, Malls A, B, and C, also known as the Burnham Malls, hold public green space and gardens fronting the lake. The
Fountain of Eternal Life, also known as the War Memorial Fountain, is centered on the Mall A. On the western edge,
Willard Park is host to the controversial public art, known as the
Free Stamp
Free may refer to:
Concept
* Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything
* Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism
* Emancipate, to procure ...
. On the eastern edge sits Fort Huntington Park, containing a
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
of
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry commemorating the
Battle of Lake Erie
The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the B ...
, a statue of Clevelander
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games.
Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifeti ...
, and the
Cleveland Police Department memorial of officers killed in the line of duty. A major addition to the area is the $465 million
Global Center for Health Innovation and
Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.
Nine-Twelve District
Cleveland's financial district, the area around East 9th street from Lake Erie south to Prospect Avenue, serves as corporate or regional home to many firms in the financial, business, legal, communications and publishing sectors of the city's economy.
Architecturally, the area is characterized by large, glass office towers built predominately in the 1950s to 1980s. The tallest is
Erieview Tower at 40-stories, the centerpiece of the largely unbuilt Erieview Urban Renewal Project of the 1960s.
The Galleria was added to the tower in the 1980s originally as a shopping mall, but today serves as a mix of small stores, office space, ''gardens under the glass'', radio headquarters, and a food court. The 31-story
One Cleveland Center
One Cleveland Center is the fifth tallest skyscraper located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, following Erieview Tower. The building has 31 stories, rises to a height of , and is located at 1375 East 9th Street. It has about of office space. It wa ...
is nicknamed the "silver chisel" due to its distinct shape. The seat of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
The Diocese of Cleveland ( la, Dioecesis Clevelandensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Pope Pius IX erected the diocese April 23, 1847, in t ...
, the
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, is located at the heart of the district on E.9th. There is a large cluster of high-rise downtown housing in this area, largely concentrated in the East 12th Street area.
Alexander Mann's U.S. headquarters and
Medical Mutual headquarters are present here. The
City Club of Cleveland is housed in the City Club Building, which is at the corner of East Ninth and Euclid.
WKYC
WKYC (channel 3) is a television station in Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. Its studios are located on Tom Beres Way (a section of Lakeside Avenue in Downtown Cleveland named after the stati ...
, the local
NBC affiliate
Affiliation or affiliate may refer to:
* Affiliate (commerce), a legal form of entity relationship used in Business Law
* Affiliation (family law), a legal form of family relationship
* Affiliate marketing
* Affiliate network or affiliation pla ...
, has its broadcast center on Lakeside Avenue on the northern end of the district.
WOIO, the
CBS affiliate, and
WUAB, the
CW affiliate, both owned by
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is an American publicly traded television broadcasting company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1946 by James Harrison Gray as Gray Communications Systems, the company owns or operates 180 stations across the United St ...
are housed in
Reserve Square on East 12th Street. Good Karma Broadcasting houses its two stations,
WWGK and
WKNR, inside
the Galleria at Erieview
The Galleria at Erieview is a two floor shopping mall that opened in 1987 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the east side of the city's downtown. It is adjacent to the Erieview Tower, a 40-story office building. The Galleria is a few blocks a ...
.
Short Vincent
Short Vincent, located between East 6th and East 9th Street, is short street that once served as one of Cleveland's major entertainment districts and a center for the city's nightlife.
Densely packed with restaurants, dive bars, jazz clubs, and bounded by the risqué Roxy Burlesque Theater and the
art deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
Bond Clothing Store, the district first emerged in the late 1920s and reached its height in the 1940s and 1950s.
Short Vincent became the "gathering place for gamblers, sports figures, racketeers, lawyers, and newspapermen" and "offered good food, underworld gossip, and the odds on anything."
The street's Theatrical Grill served as the "headquarters" for notorious mobster
Shondor Birns, but also hosted visiting celebrities such as
Frank Sinatra,
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
,
Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
,
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...
,
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...
,
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in ''The ...
, and
Milton Berle, among many others. Mobster
Danny Greene
Daniel John Patrick Greene (November 14, 1933 – October 6, 1977) was an Irish-American organized crime figure based in Cleveland, Ohio. Greene gained power first in the local chapter of the International Longshoremen's Association, where he ...
and boxing promoter
Don King were also regulars on the Short Vincent. The north side of the street was considered the "respectable" side, while the south side was a center for the
numbers racket and was "studded with girlie shows."
The pavement between the two sides "was referred to as the Gaza Strip."
The area fell into decline by the 1960s and 1970s and disappeared as an entertainment district with the expansion of National City Bank (today the
PNC Center) and the demolition of long-time Short Vincent establishments in the late 1970s.
North Coast Harbor
Home to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum,
Great Lakes Science Center
The Great Lakes Science Center is a museum and educational facility in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
Many of the exhibits document the features of the natural environment in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The facility i ...
,
FirstEnergy Stadium,
Steamship William G. Mather Maritime Museum and the
USS ''Cod'',
North Coast Harbor
North Coast Harbor is a district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie. The district serves as the home of the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, FirstEnergy Stadium, the Steamship William G. ...
is the tourist district of downtown Cleveland. The North Coast District is home to the city's port, although there are long-term plans to move the port west of the river and open up the area for housing and lakefront development.
North Coast is also the former home of
Cleveland Stadium. Cleveland Stadium was torn down after the former
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
franchise left the city in 1995, and was replaced with
FirstEnergy Stadium, which serves as the home of the reborn
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
football franchise. Cleveland
Burke Lakefront Airport is located east of the Rock Hall, and serves as a commuter and business airport that reduces small aircraft traffic at the larger Cleveland
Hopkins International Airport
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is an international airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the primary airport serving Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, the largest and busiest airport in the state, and the 43rd busies ...
, located southwest of downtown. The district fronts
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...
on the north and also includes Voinovich Park and a fishing pier. Plans for the city's lakefront include adding thousands of housing units, retail shops, a marina, and other amenities to North Coast Harbor.
Campus District
The Campus District is a downtown Cleveland neighborhood just east of the central business district. The district is bordered by Lakeside Avenue to the north, Broadway Avenue to the south, East 17th Street to the west and East 30th Street to the east.
Members of the Campus District include Cleveland State University, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, Cuyahoga Community College and more.
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University (CSU) is a Public university, public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in op ...
has in past years been derided as an open enrollment commuter school, but has moved to dispel that belief. The university is progressing through a master plan
to raise standards, enrollment, and rebuild its fortress-like campus. CSU plans to build a college town adjacent to downtown, including new retail, restaurants and housing to serve an increase of resident students planned to be in the thousands.
The university's desire to attract more traditional college students and begin to raise its stature as a research university figure into these plans a great deal, and CSU opened its second residence hall, a complete retrofit of Fenn Tower, in the fall of 2006. Over the past decade, CSU has partnered with the city and other area stakeholders to transfer technology research into startup companies and enterprises, improving the economy of the area and stimulating downtown life in the Quadrangle. As part of CSU, the
Wolstein Center, formerly the CSU Convocation Center, is located in the Campus District, and serves as the home of CSU Men's Basketball and various concerts and special events throughout the year.
Superior Arts District
Located north of Campus District is the Superior Arts District.
The district once served as the center of Cleveland's garment industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, "second only to New York."
However, as Cleveland's garment industry declined, many of the district's buildings became vacant and abandoned.
Bruce Madorsky and Dan "Daffy Dan" Gray were the first to see the potential in developing the area. Beginning in the 2010s, Madorsky and Gray began selling their investments in the district, creating the conditions for additional revitalization.
In 2016, the Superior Arts District was formally split from the Campus District to "promote safety, growth, and vitality" in the area.
Today, the mixed use area serves as a live-work district for local artists, and includes several apartments, bars, restaurants, and cafes.
The Flats
The
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River ( , or ) is a river located in Northeast Ohio that bisects the City of Cleveland and feeds into Lake Erie.
As Cleveland emerged as a major manufacturing center, the river became heavily affected by industrial pollution, so ...
splits
The Flats into two halves: the East Bank of the Flats and the West Bank of the Flats. Although the Cleveland City Planning Commission considers most of the area to be part of the Cuyahoga Valley neighborhood, it also defines part of the East Bank as an extension of Downtown.
Historically significant, the Flats served as the location of
Moses Cleaveland's first landing when he founded the city.
It was also the location of some of the earliest populations of Cleveland.
Lorenzo Carter, the first permanent European settler in the city, built his cabin on the banks of the Cuyahoga in the Flats.
Throughout much of Cleveland history, the Flats area was almost entirely industrial. By the 1980s, it had become a popular nightlife district in Cleveland. Its demise in the early 2000s spurred a complete redevelopment where a majority of the existing buildings were demolished. In its place, an 8-story Aloft Hotel and a 21-story office tower were built. Restaurants, apartments, and a riverside promenade are planned for Phase II of this mixed-use project. The West Bank of the Flats contains the majority of the district's residential population, primary stemming from a set of apartments and condos known as Stonebridge. The areas also boasts bars, restaurants, jet ski rental, strip clubs, and, most recently, the home of the
Greater Cleveland Aquarium. The current state of the Flats is in mixed-use redevelopment.
Demographics
In December 2020, ''
Crain's Cleveland Business'' estimated Downtown's population to be 20,000. According to the 2020 census, there are 7,244 occupied units in Downtown out of a total 9,569 units, which is a 75.7% occupancy rate and, despite Crain's optimistic numbers, the census also reports 13,338 people living in the Downtown area.
The demographic composition of Downtown in 2020 was 53.1% white, 32% African American, 10.1% Asian and Pacific Islander, and 4.9% mixed and other groups. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.3% of the population.
The
median household income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...
was $54,834.
Downtown's foreign-born population was 17.2% in 2019.
Recent developments and projects
Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth in Downtown. Between 2010 and 2014, Downtown Cleveland saw more than $4.5 billion in residential and commercial developments. As of 2000, 100,000 people worked in the district, which in 2012 contained more than 16 million square feet of rentable office space.
Euclid Corridor
The $197 million Euclid Corridor Transportation Project connected downtown, Midtown, and
University Circle by introducing
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
(BRT) to the city in the form of the
HealthLine. The project involved a total reconstruction of Euclid Avenue from Public Square to beyond University Circle (located approximately east of downtown), and included bus-only lanes with center-median station boarding, priority signaling, and fast commute times. In addition to transit and road improvements, the transportation project also invested heavily in the Euclid Avenue streetscape, rebuilding the street from storefront to storefront, removing old vaults and streetcar tracks, and building new sidewalks, lighting, and landscaping.
The project included a large public arts component, with different areas of the Euclid Corridor route being addressed by local and national artists. The project is expected to spur investments in residential, retail, office, and mixed-use redevelopments, including over 4,000 residential units along the corridor. In addition to the BRT line, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance funded a study on retail feasibility on the avenue, focusing on the area between CSU and Public Square.
Medical Center and Convention Center
A $465 million Global Center for Health Innovation, previously known as the Medical Mart, and Cleveland Convention Center opened in the summer of 2013. The 1.1-million-square-foot campus consists of a 235,000-square-foot Global Center for Health Innovation and a 750,000-square-foot Convention Center. The LEED Silver-certified Convention Center includes a 225,928-square-foot exhibit hall divisible into three halls, as well as 46,166 square feet of total ballroom space, made up of three grand ballrooms totaling 32,193 square feet and two junior ballrooms totaling 10,937 square feet. Views of Lake Erie from a 9,520-square-foot patio completes the northern border of the complex. The project was funded by a 0.25 percent increase in
Cuyahoga County sales tax. Permanent tenants include
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society,
Philips Healthcare,
GE Healthcare
GE HealthCare is a subsidiary of American multinational conglomerate General Electric incorporated in New York and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2017, it is a manufacturer and distributor of diagnostic imaging agents and radiopharma ...
,
Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls International is an American
Irish-domiciled multinational conglomerate headquartered in Cork, Ireland, that produces fire, HVAC, and security equipment for buildings. As of mid-2019, it employed 105,000 people in around 2,0 ...
, the
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...
, and
University Hospitals.
Flats East Bank
A multiphase, $500 million mixed-use redevelopment along the East Bank of
the Flats is being developed and financed by the Wolstein Group and Fairmount Properties.
Opening in June 2013, the $275 million first phase included a 23-story office tower, 8-story
Aloft hotel, restaurants, and a 16,000 sq. ft. health club, The office tower has been named the "
Ernst and Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewater ...
building." The two anchor tenants include the law firm Tucker Ellis and West, and the largest tenant,
Ernst and Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewater ...
. The 450,000 sq. ft. office tower is all Class A office space and features a green, open-air rooftop terrace. The initial opening restaurants and bars included Ken Stewart's, Lago, Flip Side and Wileyville.
Two
Waterfront Line
The Waterfront Line is a light rail line of the RTA Rapid Transit system in Cleveland, Ohio, running from Tower City Center downtown, then north and northeast to station, adjacent to the Cleveland Municipal Parking Lot. The Waterfront Line is th ...
Rapid stations,
Settlers Landing station and Main Avenue station received $375,000 upgrades. Work at both stations includes replacing brick and concrete pavers, repairing the glass shelters, and demolishing ticket booths. At
Settlers Landing, crews will restore eight etched glass panels that act as wind screens. The artwork depicts scenes of Cleveland's settlement and the evolution of transportation.
Several Restaurants (Alley Cat, Crop East Bank), bars (Beerheads, Punch Bowl Social), 1200-foot boardwalk, and 243 Apartments opened as a part of Phase 2 in 2015.
Flats West Bank
A $33 million
Greater Cleveland Aquarium opened on Jan 21, 2012, located at the
FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy Corp is an electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was established when Ohio Edison acquired Centerior Energy in 1997. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the distribution, transmission, and generation of electri ...
Powerhouse as the only freestanding aquarium in the state of
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
. The aquarium takes up 70,000 square feet in the powerhouse's basement and contains over a million gallons of water in 42 tanks. The main feature of the aquarium is Marinescape’s Seatube®, a 145-foot-long clear tunnel, known as a Seatube. The attraction was constructed around the building's architectural characteristics—including its smokestacks, columns and narrow hallways. Developers were not allowed to modify the structure or paint some walls because the old complex is on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
. The Greater Cleveland Aquarium was the first in the United States by
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
-based developer Marinescape NZ Ltd., who has built more than 20 aquariums in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
, and
Australia.
Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
Jacobs Pavilion (originally Nautica Stage, later Scene Pavilion, The Plain Dealer Pavilion and Nautica Pavilion) is an open-air amphitheater located on the west bank of The Flats in Cleveland, Ohio. The venue is part of the Nautica Entertainment Co ...
is a 5000-seat outdoor amphitheater. In 2012, it underwent in $1 million upgrade that included a new entrance constructed 200 feet north of the old one, creating space for an expanded riverfront plaza. Other upgrades included new brick pavement for the plaza and new fencing.
In the fall of 2010, the Trust for Public Land and the Cleveland Rowing Foundation successfully purchased seven acres of commercial riverfront land for $3.2 million. The partnership is converting the vacant concrete-covered site into Rivergate Park, a new recreational center in the Flats. Officially opened in May 2011, the park preserves public access to the Cuyahoga River for access to activities including kayaking, canoeing, rowing and dragon boating. Long term plans include a canoe/kayak launch facility, concessions, and public restrooms.
Cleveland Metroparks will replace the concrete and gravel on their land and replace it with grass, trees and other park amenities.
Cleveland's Crooked River Skate Park will be built on 15,000 square feet of city owned land. It is located along the river and adjacent to the Cleveland Metroparks new Rivergate Park. The total cost is projected to be $758,000. Groundbreaking will occur in 2013.
Cleveland State University expansion
CSU's campus continues to undergo a $500 million expansion. Recently completed projects include a new Student Center ($55 million), Euclid Commons Dorms (5 buildings costing $60 million), "College Town" (373 new residential units), Middough Building ($20 million) and College of Education and Human Services Building ($37 million).
Upcoming projects include converting the Mather Mansion into a boutique hotel and the construction of a $45 million Center for Innovation in Health Professions.
One block north of campus along Chester Ave, the privately developed Langston Apartments will add over 300 apartments units. The $54 million project opened Phase I in 2012, with Phase II opening in 2013.
Completed projects
Relocation of the Cuyahoga County Administrative Headquarters, being developed by Geis Company, is spurring a $200 million
mixed-use development
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to ...
at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East Ninth Street. The properties involved include the 29-story
Ameritrust Tower, the attached 1010 Euclid Avenue building, the historic
Cleveland Trust Company Building
The Cleveland Trust Company Building is a 1907 building designed by George B. Post and located at the intersection of East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland's Nine-Twelve District. The building is a mix of Beaux-Arts, Neoclassic ...
, and the so-called "P and H" buildings, located on the Prospect Avenue side of the complex. Additionally, two parking garages on the south side of Prospect Ave along East Ninth Street will anchor the parking aspect.
The P and H buildings will be razed and the site will become the home of a new, eight-story Cuyahoga County headquarters building, in which the county will lease for 26 years. Building size is expected to be 220,000 square feet.
The plan calls for creating 210 high-end apartments in the former office tower and part of the building at 1010 Euclid, although portions of the building will be retained as office space in case the county needs to expand in the future. A proposed hotel on the lower floors of the 29-story tower is being considered. Since 2015, the Cleveland Trust Company Rotunda and 1010 Euclid Avenue ground floor has housed a full-service
Heinen's grocery store for downtown residents.
Residential developments
Downtown Cleveland had the largest percent population growth in the
2010 Census for the entire city of
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...
. Conversion of old office space into residential is causing the population to continue to climb, along with some new construction.
Added in 2012 were the Avenue District Luxury Apartments (59 apartments)
Completed for 2013 included the Langston Apartments (318 apartments), Rosetta Center Building (85 apartments),
Hanna Annex Apartments (102 apartments), Embassy Suites hotel into residential at Reserve Square (232 apartments), and 1120 Chester Ave (36 apartments)—totaling 725 new units.
Under construction and in the pipeline for 2014-2016 are the Truman Building at 1030 Euclid (26 apartments),
Park Building and Southworth Building (34 apartments), Schofield Building (55 apartments), 28-story
Ameritrust Tower (215 apartments), Flats East Bank Phase II Residential (243 apartments), East Ohio Gas Building at 1717 East Ninth St (223 apartments), 1224 Huron Rd (9 apartments), and 1220 Huron Rd (80 apartments), May Company Building (350 apartments),
MT Silver (39 apartments), 1750 Euclid Avenue (217 apartments), Lincoln Building (17 apartments), Garfield Building (170 apartments), and the Worthington Company Warehouse (70 apartments, 13 condominiums),
—totaling over 1500 additional new units.
Hotels
Located in the east bank of the
Flats, the 150-room
Aloft Hotels
Aloft Hotels is a hotel chain based in North America, owned by Marriott International. The first hotel opened at the Trudeau International Airport in Montreal in 2008. -branded hotel opened in the summer 2013. The hotel is part of a $500 million mixed-used project known as the ''Flats East Bank''. A $64 million renovation and new branding of the 484-room
Westin Hotel was completed Spring 2014.
The 600-room
Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel convention center hotel opened in June 2016. A $272 million project, the new construction of a 28-story tower atop a 4-story podium sits along the
Mall next door to the
Global Center for Health Innovation.
Marriott is incorporating a 156-room Autograph Collection brand into the
Ameritrust
KeyBank, the primary subsidiary of KeyCorp, is a regional bank headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the only major bank based in Cleveland. KeyBank is one of the largest banks in the United States.
Key's customer base spans retail, small b ...
complex mixed-use design with an expected completion of 2015. Also expected to open 2015 and 2016 are the Schofield Building into a 122-room Kimpton hotel and the John Hartness Brown Building into a 206-room
Le Meridien
The old
Cleveland Municipal School District
Cleveland Metropolitan School District, formerly the Cleveland Municipal School District, is a public school district in the U.S. state of Ohio that serves almost all of the city of Cleveland. The district covers 79 square miles. The Clevela ...
headquarters, built in the 1930s by
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...
architectural firm
Walker and Weeks
Walker and Weeks was an architecture firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, founded by Frank Ray Walker (September 29, 1877 - July 9, 1949) and Harry E. Weeks (October 2, 1871 - December 21, 1935).
Background
Harry Weeks was born October 2, 1871, in W. ...
, is being converted into a 175 to 180-room hotel by
Drury Southwest Incorporated. The expected brand name is to be Drury Plaza with a projected 2016 completion date. Without a given timeframe, proposed is the Cleveland Athletic Club building conversion into a
Crowne Plaza hotel.
Lakefront
The lakefront continually sees city proposals for expansion and construction, but no major construction has occurred since the late 1990s, aside from the $17 million
Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
administrative building that opened in 2012.
Cleveland's most recent Downtown Cleveland Lakefront Plan, released April 2012, is a mixed-use development between West 3rd and East 18th streets defining focus on three geographic areas. North Coast Harbor infill development proposes new commercial development along arcades and walkways connecting
FirstEnergy Stadium,
Great Lakes Science Center
The Great Lakes Science Center is a museum and educational facility in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
Many of the exhibits document the features of the natural environment in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The facility i ...
, and
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...
with the
Global Center for Health Innovation and Convention Center. ''Harbor West'' is to be a new mixed-use development between Erieside Avenue and the water’s edge north of
FirstEnergy Stadium, and the
Great Lakes Science Center
The Great Lakes Science Center is a museum and educational facility in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
Many of the exhibits document the features of the natural environment in the Great Lakes region of the United States. The facility i ...
. Burke Development District proposes a self-contained office campus between East 9th and East 18th Streets south and west of
Burke Lakefront Airport. Building code height restrictions are in place due to the close proximity to Burke Lakefront Airport.
Two projects completed in 2013 include a 53 - ship marina along the East Ninth Street pier and a $5.5 million
Miguel Rosales-designed pedestrian bridge connecting Voinovich Bicentennial Park to the west end of the North Coast Harbor Walkway.
References
External links
Cleveland Lakefront PlanDowntown Cleveland AllianceHistoric Gateway DistrictCampus DistrictPlayhouse Square DistrictThe Warehouse DistrictMidtown Cleveland
{{Coord, 41, 29, 56, N, 81, 41, 23, W, display=title
Neighborhoods in Cleveland
Economy of Cleveland
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...