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Feature Article, April 2005
Creating A Historic Hub
Historic entertainment project invigorates downtown Cleveland.
Susan H. Fishman
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Lighting features set the district apart from other areas of downtown.
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A proponent of revitalization in downtown Cleveland, MRN LTD has embarked on something a bit different of late. The commercial real estate development and management firm, which specializes in office and residential space in the Cleveland area, is in the midst of a mixed-use redevelopment with entertainment, retail and residential components at Lower Euclid & East Fourth Street. Atlanta-based TerreMark Partners LLC is handling marketing and leasing for the project.
“The street itself is so unique that it has a sense of place that was unlike anything that TerreMark had been involved in,” says Craig Kaser, president of TerreMark Partners. “We felt that the street along with an expanded trade area, which reaches as far north as Toledo and as far south as Canton, allowed for wonderful success both in terms of food and beverage presentation and lease up.”
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Inside the Pickwick & Frolic venue.
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Lease up, indeed, has been quite successful for TerreMark, who’s also involved in a redevelopment of the former Pabst Brewery, including seven city blocks in downtown Milwaukee, into an entertainment district. The company is bringing a lot of the same tenants in Pabst City — some of the best names in the business, says Kaser — to the Euclid & East Fourth Street project. TerreMark will also target both national and locally recognized restaurants, as well as urban niche retail, including galleries, gift shops and fashion. It is adding Lola, a local restaurant owned and operated by nationally acclaimed chef Michael Symon. Another anchor to the project is the House of Blues Cleveland, a 48,000-square-foot branch entertainment and dining venue, which opened in November 2004.
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A rendering of the district at night.
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Located in the heart of Cleveland near Jacobs Field, Gund Arena and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Euclid & East Fourth Street development is in the heart of the Gateway District, one of the most famous shopping corridors in the country back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was also home to some of the area’s wealthiest families, including the Rockefellers.
“It’s in the center of the city, and the city is on the brink of coming back,” notes Ari Maron, partner with Cleveland Heights, Ohio-based MRN Ltd. “We saw that opportunity and decided to capitalize on it with this development.”
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The 4th Street area at night.
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MRN began purchasing the real estate on Fourth Street years ago with the development goal to create an entertainment corridor that was mixed-use in nature that would hook Euclid Avenue up directly to the arenas, using the historical buildings.
The Gateway District neighborhood is surrounded by 17 million square feet of office space, 1,500 hotel rooms and over 5,000 housing units with more housing proposed. Famed Theater and Warehouse Districts are adjacent. Within two blocks of exits to Interstates 77, 71, 90 and State Route 2, the project is on the main corridor in downtown Cleveland, on the public square and a main transit stop. TerreMark projects that development on East Fourth Street alone will provide an estimated 1,000 jobs. The company saw that there was a large niche available for food and beverage operation in downtown Cleveland that plays to all the museums and arenas as well as the downtown daytime population, which is about 160,000.
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The Pickwick & Frolic entertainment facility.
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The project will ultimately involve over 410,000 square feet of prime downtown space and utilize approximately 17 existing buildings, some of which date from the early 1900s. That space will include roughly 300 historical loft units on Fourth Street, situated above the first-floor retail space, which will be devoted to food and beverage, nightclubs and some retail. A key component of the project, Los Angeles-based House of Blues Entertainment, Inc. recently opened its Cleveland location on the corner of Euclid Avenue and Fourth Street. A 27,000-square-foot Pickwick & Frolic, an entertainment facility that includes one of the best comedy venues in the country, is also open.
Designed by City Architecture and Sandvick Architects out of Cleveland and Cooper Carry, Inc. of Atlanta, the Euclid & East Fourth Street project will maintain an historic look, capitalizing on the great architectural block that’s been used for numerous movie sets, such as Antwone Fisher and Against the Ropes. The streets have been newly designed with pavers and architectural elements that will help invigorate the street. Pedestrian-friendly amenities include original artwork and clear winter sidewalks. Two landmark sculptures, one at either end of East Fourth Street, are being created in a “rising Phoenix” form. Light fixtures lining the street will create an animated multi-colored light show in the evenings. A snowmelt system, which is the first combined street and sidewalk heater in Ohio, will keep both street and pedestrian walkways clear of snow and ice during winter. With an average 63 inches of snowfall between October and April, the melting system is expected to make a significant contribution to traffic and sales.
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Outside the House of Blues in Cleveland.
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With residential in the final stages of completion and ongoing retail lease up, the Euclid & East Fourth Street project will begin to open in two phases at the end of this year, and is scheduled to be completed in 2005.
©2005 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.
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