TRANSFORMATION

HOW IT HAPPENED

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When we first encountered the Creamery, it was mostly vacant. The windows were broken out and boarded up; old cork insulation covered the ceilings (show pic). But in the midst of decay, its underlying design still made an impression.

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Glazed yellow bricks, high ceilings, enormous windows, and massive concrete columns all could be incorporated into a new design based on historic uses.

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We stood on the roof and looked west to the yellow clock tower of the West Side Market and east to Tremont’s church steeples and realized that Creamery sits at the intersection of two of Cleveland’s healthiest neighborhoods; but that in its current state, the Creamery only served to isolate one neighborhood from the other.

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We knew that if the Creamery could be saved and returned to a productive use, it would be a dramatic success story for a long-abandoned factory, and a powerful example of how sustainable development can transform Cleveland. Our hope is a significant investment in this building will extend ongoing neighborhood renewal efforts and forge a greater link between Ohio City and Tremont.

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Construction began in January of 2014. Despite a fire and a brutally cold winter, the building is on schedule to be 100% occupied in November, 2015. The walk-in coolers have been transformed into bedrooms. Old dock doors are now the front doors of new businesses. The old boarded-up windows now provide great views of Downtown. The Creamery is taking on a new life while retaining its original identity.

PROJECT PARTNERS

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS TAKE TIME, PERSEVERANCE, AND DEDICATED PARTNERS. LOTS OF THEM. WE’VE BEEN LUCKY TO HAVE AN AMAZING TEAM WHOSE HARD WORK AND VISION HAS MADE THIS REDEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE.

LENDING & INVESTMENT

Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group

Cleveland Development Advisors

Cleveland Economic Development

Cuyahoga County

Enterprise Community Partners

Clean Ohio Fund

Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit

Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit

New Markets Tax Credit

THE PROJECT TEAM

Architect – Dimit Architects

General Contractor – Turner Construction

Historic Preservation Consultant – Naylor Wellman

Owner’s Representative – Andy Clark

Environmental Consultant – BJAAM Environmental 

Accountant – Novogradac

New Market Tax Credit Legal – Porter Wright

Construction Legal – Thompson Hine

General and Corporate Legal –  Meyers Roman

Local CDC Partner – Tremont West Development 

City Councilman – Joe Cimperman

Mentorship – McCormack Baron

Neighborhood Block Club – Lincoln Heights Block Club

TO ANYONE WHO WE MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN TO ADD TO THIS LIST, YOU ARE AWESOME AND WE THANK YOU, TOO!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE CLEVELAND FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE LOCAL 93 UNION

SEE THE TRANSFORMATION