The Warehouse District
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cleveland Warehouse District | |
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| (U.S. Registered Historic District) | |
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| Location: | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Built/Founded: | 1850 |
| Architectural style(s): | Early Commercial, Italianate |
| Added to NRHP: | September 30, 1982 |
| Reference #: | 82003558 [1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
Cleveland’s Warehouse District is a region of the city center consisting of an eight-block district north and west of Superior Avenue and W. 3rd Street.
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[edit] History
In the first half of the 19th century this neighborhood was part of Cleveland’s original residential area. In the late 19th century, the Warehouse district was home to the late wholesale commercial area, and was occupied by warehousing and distribution terminals for more than 100 years. Although it fell into serious disrepair after the businesses of its namesake had moved on, after the late 1980s it became a hot night spot for twenty-somethings and urban professionals. This most recent transformation from empty, run-down warehouses to hip, happening clubs and restaurants is only the latest in a long lifecycle for the historic area. Following in the footsteps of the then burgeoning Flats entertainment district, the Warehouse District grew to the point of supplanting its older sibling as Cleveland’s premier weekend place-to-be.
[edit] Recent developments
The metamorphosis to the Warehouse District’s current state began with the opening of Hilarities Comedy Club in the late 1980s (Hilarities has since moved to E. 4th Street). The transformation of the district initially sought to attract artists in live-work spaces, but rent and popularity became too high, and drove artists to nearby Cleveland neighborhoods of Tremont or the St. Clair Superior.
Although more than half of the original eight-block area has been razed and replaced by parking lots, by 2000 the remaining restored buildings were home to many restaurants and clubs. West Sixth Street is known as the heart of the district and on this street can be found live music at the Blind Pig, the Velvet Dog's rooftop patio bar, and the restaurant and bar Panini's. The Metropolitan Cafe, Blue Pointe Grill, and Johnny’s Downtown serve food on W. 6th as well, while the Cabaret Dada theater has provided improvisational comedy for over a decade.
The neighborhood has seen many of the rehabilitated warehouses converted to office and residential space. The ornate Victorean age facades of these historic warehouses are often preserved and restored, while the interiors of the buildings expereience complete transformation into contemporary and trendy spaces. Its apartments and condominiums are responsible for a large portion of downtown Cleveland's recent population growth. Most of the remaining structures have been rehabilitated, and developers have started to plan and build infill construction projects.
It was announced at the end of 2005 that local developer Robert L. Stark, of Stark Enterprises, is planning a $1,000,000,000+ redevelopment of what are currently surface parking lots in the Warehouse District, adding retail, office, housing, and structured parking in a series of buildings from the lakefront to Public Square. Phase 1 is beginning in the blocks bound by W.6th, W.3rd, Superior, and St. Clair. Stark Enterprises would like to complete Phase 1 by 2009
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
