Turning one into 287

A sign spotted on a delivery van in downtown Cleveland ; AROUND DOWNTOWN CATERING - CATERING TO YOUR SCRIPT . Perhaps the Cleveland Clinic and the p.d. should adopt this piece of copy to better explain their symbiosis.............. The radical surgery as urban renewal practiced in Cleveland in the last fifty years has left it closer to cadaver than city............... I am fortunate to find old copies of newspapers , Press , News , plain dealer , in my travels about town. A secret pleasure is in the reading of these older news documents for content and form. Across the board the profession of quality newspaper journalism slips in content and form , as it has yearly since post world war two , and the advent of television s a news source. A sorry state of affairs today , and for fun sometime visit CPL and pick a year and read for yourself via microfiche an earlier example of Cleveland newspaper history.Quality work compared to today's puerile ballyhoo and blather disguised as news.......................Though , earlier newspapers were no different in the department of public influence peddling from the editor's bully pulpit. The Cleveland Press while under the editorship of one Louis " Mister Cleveland" Seltzer , a great example of treachery in the name of public welfare. The Cleveland Press was the major front page water boy for the 1961 ERIEVIEW Urban Renewal Plan For downtown Cleveland . Prepared by the firm of I. M . Pei and Associates , the same firm awarded the construction of the public eyesore rock n' roll hall of fame . The Erieview Urban Renewal Plan conveniently provided the Cleveland Press with strategic railroad access to the New York Central lines providing the Press the ability to unload news paper rolls directly into it's then new Lakeside Avenue building , which is now occupied by Jones Day. Louis Seltzer used the Cleveland Press and it's pro Erieview editorials as a means of influencing public opinion to achieve his property goals for a new building on Lakeside Avenue. A pretty selfish affair , seeing that the majority of the boisterous project remained unbuilt for decades , causing a lamentable massive expanse of street level parking lots where buildings were promised to be constructed. 595 various businesses and 150 different dwellings were misplaced by this " urban renewal " project. Among the structures that housed citizens were small and large apartment houses , hotels , and mostly multi - family homes . Many multiple storied " loft style " structures , now popular as rebuilds were torn down as well. Within the Erieview boundaries for renewal 287 parcels that were separately owned suddenly became one authority................. Two hundred eighty seven individuals owning land parcels become one. Sounds like a massacre or a land grab. Both in this case , and Erieview remains a template for all failed urban renewal projects to follow in Cleveland to this day. Corrupt Cleveland politics manages to put the horse in front of the cart every time. Allowing developers to grab and acquire large parcels of land on speculation of their elaborate plans , which for the most part are never completed. A gold lining does exist in this greedy business in the profits accrued from parking cars on the demolished buildings sites. Note the still empty quadrant of Public Square that remains a profitable parking lot and not the bank building proposed fifteen years ago. Shame! Wonder if the new ambitious Wolstein flats land grab will be built in a timely fashion , or simply another case of putting the profitable horse before the cart? .................While on the subject of downtown Cleveland , a great new way to help attain a healthier downtown Cleveland would start with turning one into two hundred eighty seven. Return the city grid to usable parcels on a human scale and watch earnest development occur. Start by electing reform oriented government. Break up the land grab gangs . Open up individual ownership and development of smaller zoned lots to the intelligent public and private entrepreneurs who prefer ownership to leases. Establish within these zones a variety of districts based on types of usage. Traditional retail , food and beverage , light wholesale , antiques . The emphasis here is in creative ownership and investment , not on leasing someone Else's idea of a planned space. many of the renovated structures in existence downtown today are without ground floor tenants due to a variety of problems that start with the words "lease only"...........Another form of progressive reform government would take away the ugly street level parking lots by eminent domain from the grifters who operate them. Surface level parking lots are legitimate eyesores , and often homes to much criminal activities. Opening these acquired surface parking lots to be offered again as for sale parcels and used to attract the permanent urban dwellers that make a downtown interesting and invest able. The City of Cleveland should consider building large parking structures south of Jacob's Field on the old Broadway Avenue produce yards that are now empty Wolstein property. Connecting by loop bus , trolley , and the RTA rail line that serves the flats to a a similar expanded parking structure on the site of the currently underutilized Cleveland municipal parking lot , were the strange orange football fans party , north of the New York Central rail tracks. Thus done , the downtown area might stand a chance to attract some new blood into it's tired self. Two massive City run parking lots would result in great parking revenues for the coffers if indeed the current eyesores that pass for public parking lots were invested into and built upon. Sounds like a plan. A plan that would restore ownership to individuals and remove some of the land grab gang from power .............Any Clevelander over thirty five should have a clear memory of our famous though now out of business Hough Bakery and it's many Cleveland locations. Everyone has their favorite Hough memory. Mine was the lemon frosted white layer cake that was a yearly birthday treat in my youth. Hough bakeries were clean and bright civilized outposts replete with humming bread slicing machines , egg noddles on the counter , cookies , cakes , breads , incredible coconut squares and poppy seed pastries , and always without fail had a hygienic clean flavor to the premises they occupied. Hough bakeries main plant was located just north of Euclid Avenue near the intersection of Lakeview Avenue on Cleveland's east side , and for years I would visit the outlet store with an eye for a marked down day old bargain. If you wish to experience an authentic Hough Bakery product today call on Archie's Bakery , located at east 150th and Lakeshore Boulevard. rchie is a former Hough baker and will reduplicate your favorite Hough recipe from his location. Telephone ahead for his hours , and while you are in that vicinity push on a bit further to stevenson's restaurant for one of their great sandwiches. BOOK SELLING TIME! Hough Bakery also had a catering department , and it produced quality recipes for social events that I attended for many years. We offer a copy of the Hough owner Robbie Pile's MENU PLANNING FOR EVERY OCCASION. This 368 page author signed volume great view of this once indiginous Cleveland enterprises fine work. Thanks again to my Family , Kim and John , Ask Kim about another bakery downstate way and it's annual Christmas "shnecken".Life does'nt get better than bakery!

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