Cleveland in HDR – The 6th City Collection

From Wikipedia –

“The Fountain of Eternal Life, also known as the War Memorial Fountain and Peace Arising from the Flames of War, is a statue and fountain in Cleveland, Ohio designed by Cleveland Institute of Art graduate Marshall Fredericks and dedicated on May 30, 1964. The sculpture, which serves as the city’s major memorial to its citizens that served in World War II, is situated on Memorial Plaza, which is part of the Cleveland Mall.

The fountain was initiated and promoted by the Cleveland Press, which raised $250,000 in donations from private citizens and various organizations for the project. The centerpiece is a 35-foot (10.7 m) bronze figure representing man escaping from the flames of war and reaching skyward for eternal peace. The bronze sphere from which the figure rises represents the earth. Four granite carvings, representing the geographic civilizations of the world, are placed around the sphere. On the surface of the polished granite rim surrounding the fountain are bronze plates bearing the names of 4,177 Greater Clevelanders who perished in WWII and in the Korean War. Following a complete restoration during the construction of an underlying parking garage in connection with the neighboring Key Tower, the memorial was rededicated on Veterans Day in 1991”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_of_Eternal_Life

Today’s Quote: “Beauty awakens the soul to act” – Dante Alighieri

Today’s Photo: Cleveland Arcade

Today’s photo is of the old Cleveland Arcade. The Arcade was originally financed by John D. Rockefeller and it was modeled on Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This property was recently sold at auction to Toronto-based Skyline International Development Inc.

Here is a little of what Skyline had to say about their purchase – “The property was acquired by Skyline at auction for $7.7 million after previous owners invested $70 million in acquiring and restoring the Arcade, including converting office towers to the hotel, and then defaulted on a mortgage.

Skyline CEO Michael Sneyd, who has been involved in and monitoring the American market for 15 years, views this destination community and lodging company’s first U.S. acquisition as another major milestone with five key factors. He said, “It’s the right time for Skyline to expand beyond Ontario and Canada. The Cleveland Arcade is the kind of mixed-use, legacy property where Skyline has expertise. It was an exceptional deal. It’s a well-known hotel and Cleveland is a relatively nearby destination for us, and a city that’s definitely on the move.”

Company Founder and President Gil Blutrich cites the combination of over $2 billion in public and private investment that will see a new convention center, medical mart and the Horseshoe Casino all open in downtown Cleveland by 2013, plus discussions around improving the city’s transportation infrastructure, as compelling reasons to invest there now.

“Cleveland is already filled with outstanding architecture, internationally famous chefs, top attractions like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and sporting facilities. With these new additions Cleveland is poised to become a big regional draw for both meeting and leisure travelers,” Blutrich said.”

More info:

http://theclevelandarcade.com/

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toronto-based-skyline-international-development-checks-into-us-market-with-acquisition-of-historic-cleveland-arcade-and-hyatt-regency-hotel-136037953.html

Today’s Quote: “ People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents”. – Andrew Carnegie

Today’s Photo: North Coast Harbor

Today’s photo is of North Coast Harbor and it was taken from the top of the Terminal Tower on a cool fall evening. North Coast Harbor is home to the Great Lakes Science Center, Voinovich Park, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns Stadium, a massive old iron ore ship named the William G Mather, and much more.

Today’s Quote: “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great” – John D. Rockefeller

Today’s Photo: Cleveland Trust Rotunda

Today’s photo shows some of the details in the old Cleveland Trust Company rotunda. This building is located in downtown Cleveland on the corner of E. 9^th and Euclid Ave.  For more information on this amazing piece of Cleveland history check out this link:

http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=A8

Today’s Quote: It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world – Thomas Jefferson

Today’s Photo: 2012 Rock Hall Induction in Cleveland

The 2012 Rock Hall induction is in Cleveland! Guns N’ Roses, the Beastie Boys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers; how cool would it be to be there for this?

From Cleveland.com: “The 2012 induction ceremony will take place Saturday, April 14, at Public Auditorium in Cleveland. Guns N’ Roses, the Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Laura Nyro and the Small Faces/Faces will be inducted as performers. Late bluesman Freddie King will be ushered in as an early influence. Among the nonperformer inductees will be Don Kirshner, Tom Dowd, Glyn Johns and Cosimo Matassa.

The inductions here will be preceded by nine days of tie-in events, including the grand opening of the Rock Hall’s library and archives on Cuyahoga Community College’s Metropolitan Campus, the launch of a major new exhibition and a free “Concert for Cleveland.” Details for those events will be announced later, along with celebrity presenters for the inductions.

This will be the third induction ceremony in the Rock Hall’s hometown.”

http://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2011/12/2012_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fam.html

Today’s Quote:

“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music” – Billy Joel

Today’s Photo: Imagine

Imagine it’s September 15, 1964 and you are at Cleveland Public Auditorium, standing right here on the spot this photo was taken. You would be looking out into a crowd of 12,000 screaming Beatles fans. The fans rushed the stage and the police had to come onto the stage and stop the show. The show eventually continued but the police chief threatened to cancel the show for good if anyone got out of their chairs.

The play list that night:

• Twist and Shout**
• You Can’t Do That
• All My Loving
• She Loves You**
• Things We Said Today
• Roll Over Beethoven
• Can’t Buy Me Love
• If I Fell
• I Want To Hold Your Hand
• Boys
• A Hard Day’s Night
• Long Tall Sally

Today’s Quote: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” ― John Lennon

Today’s Photo: Side chapel of Trinity Cathedral

Today’s photo is of the beautiful side chapel located inside Trinity Cathedral in downtown Cleveland.

“But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things”. ~Vincent van Gogh

The Terminal Tower is located on Public Square and is Cleveland’s signature landmark. It was the second-tallest building in the world when it was completed. The Terminal Tower stood as the tallest building in North America outside of New York City from its completion in 1930 until 1964.

Today’s Quote: There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white  imagery. – Stefan Kanfer

Today’s Photo: Sunrise in the Italian Garden

This photo was taken early one morning about a year or so ago. If you have never spent any time here you are really missing something. Here is some more information:

http://blog.culturalgardens.org/index.php/category/italian-garden/

“A garden must combine the poetic and the mysterious with a feeling of serenity and joy” – Luis Barragan

Today’s Photo: Welcome to the Ohio Theater!

Standing on the stage of the Ohio Theater and looking out into the seats. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the Ohio Theater:

“The Ohio Theatre is a theater on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, part of Playhouse Square. The theater was built by Marcus Loew’s Loew’s Ohio Theatres company. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb in the Italian Renaissance style, and was intended to present legitimate plays. The theater opened on February 14, 1921, with 1,338 seats. The foyer featured three murals depicting the story of Venus, and the balcony contained paintings of Arcadia. Throughout the 1920s, the Ohio had a stock company and hosted traveling Broadway plays.

In 1935, the theater was redecorated in an Art Deco style and transformed into a supper club called the Mayfair Casino. The owners hoped to turn the establishment into an actual casino, but since gambling was not allowed in Ohio, the Mayfair closed in 1936. The Loew’s Theatres chain (then the parent of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) acquired the building, and in 1943 the Ohio reopened as a movie theater. A 1964 lobby fire damaged the interior, which was painted red to hide the smoke damage. Decreasing patronage caused the theater to close in early February 1969, along with the rest of the Playhouse Square theaters. Twice the Ohio and State Theatres were threatened with razing in order to build a parking lot; in 1972, when the buildings were saved by public outcry, and again in 1977. The Playhouse Square Foundation responded by obtaining a long-term lease for the theaters, and the Loew’s Building was purchased by Cuyahoga County. In 1978, the Ohio was added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with the rest of the Playhouse Square group.

Because of the extent of the building’s fire damage, the Ohio was originally slated to be the last of the group to undergo renovation, but plans were accelerated so that the theater could become the home of the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. The $4 million restoration took less than nine months, and on July 9, 1982, the Ohio Theatre became the first Playhouse Square theater to reopen, with 1,000 seats, showing Shakespeare’s As You Like It.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Theatre_(Cleveland,_Ohio)

Today’s Quote:

If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great – Tom Hanks

Fore more info: http://www.playhousesquare.org/