Rethinking Cleveland’s Arts District

“University Circle, Cleveland’s cultural and educational district, is a classic underachiever. It’s like a brilliant but nerdy student who never lives up to his potential, socially or academically… The district holds a magnificent collection of great institutions, from Case Western Reserve University to the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra and University Hospitals… Nevertheless, the place looks and feels dead most of the time. It is marred by wide, heavily trafficked streets; by inwardly oriented buildings that fail to animate their surroundings; and by a paucity of housing, retail shops and restaurants.” Still, the corporation that made University Circle what it is has recognized that a change is necessary, and is taking steps to make the entertainment district more… well, entertaining.