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More Port Authority newsMembers of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority board revealed today that they are reconsidering plans to relocate to new facilities north of East 55th Street and efforts to attract container shipping. They also indicated that the Port Authority faces a budget shortfall this year and reflected on recent events. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Port Authority that failure to establish a new confined disposal facility by 2015 could halt dredging of the Cuyahoga River and the Port of Cleveland. The owners of the Quay 55 apartments asserted that board member John Carney has conflicts of interest and called for his removal. Longtime port staffer Rose Ann DeLeon resigned on Wednesday, becoming the third official to leave in the last six weeks. Categories: Cities and places
Cleveland Cold Storage building controversyThe Plain Dealer and Channel 3 have more details about the dispute between the Ohio Department of Transportation and Fred Finley, owner of the Cleveland Cold Storage building. Update: a judge returned control of the building to Finley pending a January hearing. Categories: Cities and places
Saturday movie: near perfect six minutes, with donutGreat storytelling - not a second wasted - coupled to beautifully detailed animation, Pigeon Impossible, from Lucas Martell:
 Categories: Cities and places
Environmental justice studyA study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that African Americans are more likely to live in proximity to a polluting industrial facility than white Americans. The disparity was especially acute in Midwestern cities. Categories: Cities and places
Belt Parkway traffic headaches coming From the Times Ledger:The city Department of Transportation has begun a half-billion-dollar rehabilitation project to restore seven bridges on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, which is expected to affect Queens residents significantly. The Queens Borough Board heard in detail Monday about the massive project, which will renew and rebuild the seven bridges, most of which project officials said “have passed their useful life,” dating back to the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt. The work began last month and is scheduled to be finished by October 2014. The bridges are at Fresh Creek Basin, Rockaway Parkway, Paerdegat Basin, Mill Basin, Gerritsen Inlet, Nostrand Avenue and Bay Ridge Avenue. “Although these bridges are located within Brooklyn, construction on them is expected to have a great effect on many Queens residents while work goes on,” said Maura McCarthy, Queens borough commissioner for the DOT.  Categories: Cities and places
Bronx tells mosque to keep prayers to themselves From the Village Voice:A Bronx mosque that had sought a sound permit to amplify its morning call to prayer has quietly rescinded its application. But the Jame Masjid mosque's revocation of the proposal didn't hush its neighbors, since the mosque plans to resubmit its request to play the undulating ribbon of Arabic invocation, or adhan, through a loudspeaker during four of five daily prayer times. Residents called the plan, which was unveiled in October, an imposition on the daily lives of a diverse community. The idea of prayer booming through the streets also touched off cultural resentments. "When in Rome do as the Romans do," said Gerri Lamb, who lives a quarter mile from the mosque. "If you're not in your own country, in your own culture, then you can't force me to be a part of it"... The comment, made during a Community Board 9 hearing on the issue (though the proposal was off the table at the moment), seemed to sum up neighborhood tensions. The local advisory board had asked residents to avoid that type of commentary while testifying, but Lamb received uproarious applause.  Categories: Cities and places
Bronx tenants sue slumlordFrom the Daily News: Urine in the stairwells. Moldy walls. Leaky pipes. Vermin infestation. Broken elevators. Tenants at 1380 University Ave. in Highbridge said these are just some of the living conditions they've had to endure for years - and they've had enough. Together with attorneys from the Urban Justice Center, 47 tenants earlier this week filed suit against their landlord in Bronx Housing Court. "This landlord is violating tenants' rights on multiple fronts," charged tenants' attorney, Marie Tatro. "These residents live in unsafe conditions without the services they pay for." The lawsuit alleges landlord University Residence LLC failed to address repeated complaints of broken windows, doors and cracked walls, leaking ceilings, inadequate heat and vermin infestations. The lawsuit also alleges that after opting out of the city Housing Preservation and Development-run Mitchell Lama program in 1997, the landlord continued receiving millions in tax breaks, charged market rates for apartments that should be rent stabilized, and has illegally converted apartments.  Categories: Cities and places
Green Neighborhoods InitiativeThe City of South Euclid intends to renovate five to seven houses through its $800,000 Green Neighborhoods Initiative, and will apply green building and universal design techniques. The City is also preparing to establish its first community garden at a previously vacant lot on Warrendale Road. Categories: Cities and places
Smoke gets in your eyes near Midville restaurant From the Times Ledger:A new restaurant in Middle Village appears to be pleasing diners with its high-end Italian food, but some neighbors are complaining that its old-style wood-burning oven is giving them a face full of soot. La Bella Cucina opened Sept. 4 at 69-61 Juniper Blvd. South and soon afterward hosted a Republican fund-raising dinner for City Council candidate Tom Ognibene and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Its Web site touts its authentic, brick-oven pizzas. But neighbor Bernice McCormick told Community Board 5 in October that black smoke pours from the restaurant’s wood-fired oven most of the day, making her eyes burn. CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano said he had written to the owner asking her to stop using the oven and contacted the city Department of Environmental Protection, which issued a $400 violation against the restaurant Oct. 14 for odor emissions from the smoke. The restaurant is slated for a hearing on the violation Nov. 30. “I thought maybe that did some good, but then, like the last two Sundays, it was pretty bad when I passed by,” he said. A DEP spokeswoman said the agency had received 10 complaints involving the restaurant between September and the beginning of November. The DEP said it recommended the restaurant either use a different fuel to light the fire in the oven before switching to wood or install a filtering device on the chimney to reduce smoke and odor. Photo from News Blaze  Categories: Cities and places
Jamaica Hospital adds new beds From the Times Ledger:Jamaica Hospital has been making progress in its efforts to expand its services to not only handle the void left after Queens lost two major hospitals, but also to serve the influx of patients, the medical center’s administrator said last week. The hospital completed part of the renovation of its facilities to include 14 new medical surgery beds. The expansion is part of a multimillion-dollar effort to meet the growing needs of patients in southeast Queens who head to the hospital for both urgent and long-term care, according to David P. Rosen, president and chief executive officer of Jamaica Hospital. The new beds are on the sixth floor of the hospital, at 89-00 Van Wyck Expwy. The floor used to hold three auditoriums, clinical departments and medical offices, according to Rosen. Those facilities were moved to the hospital’s former nursing and rehabilitation center, Rosen said. Work will continue for the rest of the year and when completed the floor will have a total of 39 beds. Since the closing of Mary Immaculate and St. John’s hospitals in the spring, other Queens medical facilities have reported great increases in emergency room visits. Jamaica Hospital has seen a 20 percent increase in ER visits, according to Rosen.  Categories: Cities and places
Top of the Aughts: The Best LA Buildings of the Decade!
To compile the list, we asked local architects, media types, Curbed readers, and various other experts for their opinions. We tallied the votes and then cast this list, which weighs such factors as architecture, neighborhood influence, and cultural impact. Not all these are beauties--this list contains at least one structure that'll burn your eyes out. And overall, half are rehabs/renovations of existing buildings, ironic given that California was at the center of the nation's recent building boom. But whether they're architectural rehabs or shiny new structures, all these buildings impacted the city--and for the better. The buildings, it should be noted, are in no particular order. Disagree with the selections? Did we leave something out? Make your voice heard in the comments. And now, without further ado... Building: Standard Hotel The background: An early pioneer in the neighborhood, Andre Balazs’ renovation of the architect Claud Beelman’s Standard Oil building not only was a great example of adaptive re-use in downtown, but it introduced a new crowd of locals and tourists to downtown. The experts: “With a pirate flag flying atop the building and those vibrating rooftop waterbeds, many didn't know what to make of Andre Balazs' Standard when it opened in 2002. Nor did I when he gave me a tour for an article a few days before the debut--the giant black foot in a bathroom was especially perplexing. In a way, the building kicked open the door for those wondering if the young, hip and monied would hang out Downtown. Much of what has followed shows that Balazs was ahead of his time."---Jon Regardie, executive editor, Downtown News
Building: Disney Hall The background: An engineering feat, an acoustic wonder, Gehry’s Disney Hall arrived after years of delays (cue the parallels to the Grand Avenue project). Internationally recognizable, the music hall now rivals the palm tree in terms of ID'ing Los Angeles. The experts: "It's become an icon for the city. But its image is almost separate from its purpose as a music hall because in an abstract sense, it represents something that is free, risky and loose--it’s an attitude for the city. It's shows an opening and a willingness to do a major product like this. It also reinvents the building type.---Sci-Arc Director and architect Eric Owen Moss [Photos via The Age]
Building: Arclight/Cinerama Dome The background: Movie-going got swanky again. And it was about time. The restoration of the concrete geodesic Cinerama Dome, and opening of the ArcLight Cinemas theater also marked a new chapter in Hollywood development. The experts: “This was the culmination of another multi-year preservation battle for ModCom. This was very nearly a gory accident as the plans swerved all over the road from using the dome as a lobby, arcade and any number of indignities. A huge round of applause to Pacific for seeing the light and embracing Welton Becket (and Pierre Cabrol's!) 1963 geodesic dome as the centerpiece of a groundbreaking complex that changed the way we see movies in Los Angeles. Overnight, every other multiplex became second rate and now we all think a chicken apple sausage with bbq watermelon sauce is a completely normal thing to expect at a snack bar.”---Chris Nichols, Associate Editor, Los Angeles Magazine [Photos: top left image via LA Office of Historic Resources; top right image via Arclight Cinemas; bottom left image via Film School Rejects; bottom right image via Los Angeles Foodie]
Building: Inner City Arts The background: Housed on the site of a former auto body shop, the third phase of this campus (this round added a library, learning center, theater and more), earned Maltzan numerous awards. It's also one of a handful of new architecturally-minded projects to open in the Skid Row neighborhood. The experts: “Inner City Arts fuses its admirable purpose -- arts for the underserved -- with exemplary architecture, landscaping (by Nancy Goslee Power) and environmental graphics (by Michael Hodgson).---Dwell editor/KCRW host Frances Anderton
Building: Caltrans District 7 Headquarters The background: Oppressive, innovative or brilliant? All or none may describe your feelings about Pritzker Prize-winning Thom Mayne’s 2006’s office building. We prefer "battleship." But it's an instant landmark for downtown, an inspiration to young architects. The experts: "It makes a strong case for engaging progressive architects to shape the city. Morphosis designed a massive government building that is sustainable, beautifully executed, on time and on budget. Its commonplace to think that designers who challenge convention will cause delays and increase costs, but here the architect turned this cliché around by bringing technology and innovation to the building process itself."---Jeffrey Allsbrook, Standard-LA Via Kansas Sebastian and RPA 210
Building: Kodak Theater/Hollywood & Highland The background: Ugly brings the money, honey. Yes, the winner of our Ugliest Building Contest is also one of the Best Buildings. Opening in November 2001, the Kodak Theater hosted the Oscars in 2002, bringing the Academy Awards back to Hollywood. More importantly, the elephant-clad development (truly god-awful to look at, there's no way around it) would eventually bring all those other new Hollywood buildings, too. The experts: "Hollywood and Highland was the critical first project in the neighborhood, it was a major catalyst for Hollywood development. The opening of Hollywood and Highland convinced other developers to come to the area."---Leron Gubler, President & CEO, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Photos: Via Phil Dragash and Reto Kurmann and ningtan
Building: Griffith Observatory The background: It took a 2007 wildfire to make many people realize just how fond they were of the Griffith Observatory (which almost turned into a giant marshmallow in that blaze). Just a year earlier, the building had finished a $93-million expansion, a renovation of John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley's original design. The experts: “One of L.A.'s most visible and beloved landmarks, it received a first-rate restoration, and creative expansion that provided much-needed space and upgrades while preserving its iconic appearance. The project also represents the most private funding ever raised for a preservation project in Los Angeles.”---Linda Dishman, Executive Director, LA Conservancy
Building: Van Nuys Civic Hall Background: City Hall MiniMe, orginally designed by architect Peter K. Schaborum was restored for about $22 million, a meant partially meant to mollify backers of the secession movement and give a stronger political voice to the Valley. The experts: “Restored to its 1930s-era phallic glory, it's a great building, albeit a much less impressive one than the downtown version….one of the great things about the refurb was that it included a virtual-meeting link up for Valley residents. That way they could gripe to the city council without driving the 20 miles to downtown!”---Mariel Garza, Editorial Page Editor, Los Angeles Daily News. [Photos: Big Orange Landmarks and gjew828@pacbell]
Building: Camino Nuevo High School The background: You can’t live in Los Angeles without noticing the number of hulking schools being built around the city. But rising on an inhospitable intersection, this charter high school is an example of school architecture that bucks the LAUSD tear-down mentality and overspending. The experts: "It's a memorable response to a ridiculously tough and tight site. The facade gives the school a futuristic silhouette that captures the whirring craziness around it, and works to blocks the area's harsh noise and light. Inside, a carefully protected courtyard supports an intimate sense of community. It's a brave approach that's sorely lacking in LA's public architecture."---Sam Lubell, Architects Newspaper [Photo: World Architecture News ]
Building: Getty Villa The background: Among lawsuits filed by homeowners and a contentious battle at City Hall, the Villa re-opened following an eight-year renovation and expansion. And despite the Getty adopting the name Malibu, this one’s in Los Angeles, people. The experts: “There was a lot of community controversy over the Getty’s remodeling and expansion. The neighbors feared the expansion would encroach on the neighborhood, they figured they'd heard the rock music from the ampitheater. But from the beginning, we at the Post thought it was a great project. We thought it would add to the community’s cultural place, that it would be a great place to go to that was right in your back yard…. And it is.---Bill Bruns, Managing Editor, Pacific Palisadian Post [Photo: Christopher Chan]
Categories: Cities and places
Bedbugs invade Access-A-Ride From the Daily News:Dozens of irate workers rallied outside a city contractor's office building in Long Island City Wednesday, demanding that management fumigate their workplace after a year-long bedbug infestation. The bugs have been found in the offices for Access-A-Ride dispatchers on Northern Blvd. since the summer of 2008, but management ignored the problem until a pest-sniffing dog confirmed the cubicles were overrun with the insects, workers charged.  Categories: Cities and places
EfficientGovNow surveyKent State University surveyed participants in the EfficientGovNow process. The majority of respondents said that they are advancing on the regionalism initiatives identified as part of the competition. Categories: Cities and places
How Many Louis Sullivan Buildings Can You See from the Ballpark Village Site? There were those who made the audacious claim that demolition of the San Luis Apartments for a parking lot would "open" up views of the Cathedral on Lindell Boulevard. Were there people who said that demolition of the old Busch Stadium would give the public better views of the tops of the works of Louis Sullivan? If so, they were right. Categories: Cities and places
Brooks researches Brooks From Lost City:Much had been pretty solidly confirmed by articles Ian had dug up in the archives of the New York Times, the Brooklyn Eagle, and other newspapers. The address used to function as Long Island City's City Hall in the late 19th century (when it was not yet part of New York), where the local wily officials, like slippery James Gleason, conducted city business. In 1910, it was purchased by Mssrs. Martin Heilbut and Herman Kleefeld, real estate men. During the next decade, it was referred to by several names, including Kleefeld Hall, Kleefeld's saloon, Kleefeld's Hotel and just plain Hielbut and Kleefeld, until the 1920s, when it began to be referred to as the Court Square Restaurant.  Categories: Cities and places
Chagrin River restoration plansThe Village of Kirtland Hills is finalizing its plans for the restoration of the altered 8,700-foot stretch of the Chagrin River. Categories: Cities and places
A Montreal whodunnit: How to make sense of all these firebombings
Photo from mtlp’s photostream on Flickr While a whodunnit may sound fun, it’s disquieting and mysterious to think who’s throwing all these Molotov cocktails at cafes and bars. CBC has reported that there have been at least 5 fire bombings in the past month. The incidents have been scattered around the city: a couple in the Mile-End, one in St. Michel, one in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and one in Little Italy. The report also notes that no witnesses are stepping forward, raising suspicious that the victims of the attacks are implicated in some way. And since no one’s talking, these police investigations underway are likely going to be filed away under “Unsolved”. A bit of levity was added to this serious issue by the police investigator assigned in this case: according to Cmdr. Robert Quevillon, the overall arson rates are down between 12-17% compared to this time last year. Talk about optimism! But seriously. Has a rival gang invaded the Mafia’s turf? Or is it infighting? Or maybe a new thrust to gain power by the Hell’s? It’s easy to let the imagination run wild with plausible scenarios borrowed from “The Sopranos”. But there’s no need for TV for inspiration: these attacks are likely very familiar to Montrealers, given the similarities with the biker gang wars of the 1990s. I wasn’t here then, but it sounded pretty ugly at times. Back in the 1990s, given the recessed state of Montreal’s economy, these kinds of events probably contributed to feelings of unease about living in the city and probably fueled the exodus from the Island, and the province. Could a similar thing happen again? It seems unlikely, giving the trendiness or urban living (not to mention the higher cost of gasoline, so essential to the suburban dream). Should we be more worried about this? I’m still not sure. But one thing’s sure: worrying probably didn’t help much last time around. Categories: Cities and places
MMPI controversy continuesFrank Jackson responded to MMPI's assertion that it is infeasible to incorporate Public Auditorium into the planned Medical Mart, and questioned the company's commitment to the project. MMPI officials replied that they remain dedicated to building it, and Tim Hagan reiterated his support for the company. Others have begun complaining about the County's monthly payments to MMPI. Categories: Cities and places
Euclid Tech CenterThe Euclid Tech Center is a proposed 98,000-square-foot office/research & development building at Euclid Avenue and East 69th Street in Cleveland. Its developers are seeking financial assistance from the City and State to build the $20 million project. Categories: Cities and places
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With Curbed LA's new look, what better time to take a look at the... past? Here, a round-up of the 10 best new—and rehabbed—buildings of the decade. 
