The Observation Deck

I'm putting my money were my mouth is, it's Peanuts, that's nothing, to save a landmark, who is with me,? Stop the demolition of the historic Hilliard Theater. Seriously, Let's restore it, make it great again... I will be there Monday morning, with rufus, we will stop the wrecking ball. or they will crush us, call the police now, I will be there.

besides, I could use a good meal.

Theaters are were many off us fell in love, there's something magical about a theater, to deprive that to our children is a crime. save it..

Looks like I'm all alone on this one, doesn't matter, I have a passion.

I was going to have a face lift and hair transplant, then I thought, it may be just a little too late, for that, so what better use to invest, but to save Lakewood.

I can't do it alone.

I can't pledge five large, but I commend your dedication to the preservation of this landmark!

The Hilliard Theater is special, built around 1925, old world craftsmanship, state of the art, for the times, I can imagine how great the place would be if restored to it's original glory, bustling with a restaurant, an art theater like the Heights Art Theater on the east side, with apartments upstairs. Or if the Beck Center were to move in there, wouldn't that be great. A million dollars to tear it down, that would replace the roof, heating & cooling systems. What will go in it's place?

If anything should be demolished, the apartments, The Silver Coast is a good candidate. It may serve some purpose, but it's not special, it's generic, looks just like any other building built around the same time, take a picture of the entrance, and you could mistake it for anyone of a hundred structures built anywhere in Cuyahoga County, the Hilliard Theater property is special. just my opinion. enough said, shut my mouth.

mjkuhns wrote:I can't pledge five large, but I commend your dedication to the preservation of this landmark!

"five large" << a nicely old school description that brings a smile.

cross posted from too bad too sad.

@jackie f taylor, believe me, I feel your pain.
That Theater is special in so many respects. And it was special to me for about 10 years when I rented storefronts on the Madison side and partnered with Bob the owner to keep the theater dry until the time was right for it's rebirth. There were excellent plans for its reuse in a novel way that would have alleviated the need for lots of parking in the short term. It involved a collegiate partnership with the New School out of NYC.

The only people who understood what we were talking about were the interim planning director and interim economic development official appointed by then mayor Tom George. Mayor George was immensely supportive and a breath of fresh air.

This didn't last long. The usual suspects of the professional permanent and "connected" governing class around these parts filled those positions and the oppressive sense of myopia returned to my impression of city hall.

My brother and I delivered programming plans and a long term urban design concept that offered art, education, food, and entertainment to that prominent Y at Hilliard and Madison. The plans were delivered to city hall, but to those who displaced the wonderful interim officials; a city hall where the plans went into the apparent Bermuda Triangle the city has long kept especially for any visionary or positive use of that building.

The overriding pall cast over the plans was pretty thick, as it seemed more and more apparent that this community's powerful and unimaginative had their vendetta against the place and they were going to enforce it. The sense of hostility towards both Lakewood's architectural heritage and its vibrant youth culture (you know, its defining characteristics that its future depends on) gave pause. So much so that we wondered if the risk was too great- not because of technical or market issues but of the threat that city hall would nail us to a cross for trying something that didn't "click" with their "clique."

The dealings between my brother and Bob the owner faltered under this weight.

I'm aware that this scenario (with different actors and plans) has played out for Bob several times since. And that temporary roof stabilization plans were thwarted by city hall as well.

I no longer doubt that the city's actions of the last 6 or 7 years are not unrelated to other monumental events in city governance vis a vis what were thought to be civic institutions.

I guess I'm drawn to buildings and things that bear witness to the excellence expressed in the creative output of dedicated and talented people.

In particular, I somehow have an appreciation for the work of those who would soon become part of a legion of disillusioned creatives. Were they unrealistic? Maybe by underestimating what happens when the power hungry and greedy and bone-headed take over wherever they sense the energy of creativity at work.

The artisans who built the Hilliard theater are among the disillusioned, I suspect- where all their talents became passé and their excellence replaced with acres of cheap drywall and drop ceilings;
as are the stewards of the theater who saw it remodeled in 1953 so as to conceal much of its beauty behind acoustic deadening curtains - that incidentally destroyed the phenomenal acoustics of the space until removed by Bob the owner;
as are those who were undoubtedly mortified when the 70 year parking lot lease was broken in 1962 so the roach motel next door could be built over the increasingly needed parking lot;
as are those who saw their dream of legitimate art theater deteriorate to pathological porno;
as are those who tried again in the late 80's when the long neglected boiler finally could take no more abuse and small boilers were provided to apartment and stores only- damning the theater to unconditioned environmental damage to roof and contents;
as am I, who spent a decade doting on the building, keeping the theater dry with materiel supplied by Bob the owner, and codeveloping detailed plans for a thoroughly modern approach in utilizing an irreplaceable performance space whose subtlety and fundamental structure was well designed and well built and remains strong even today;
as is Bob Dobush, who, for whatever flaws are pointed out in his strategy (like underestimating bureaucratic myopia and intransigence), is paying a stiff price for having wanted to preserve something beautiful for future restoration that generations of Lakewoodites could enjoy- and stand as testament to the cultural durability of architectural and engineering excellence.

Instead we will soon have testament to human greed, stupidity, and sociopathology. And a short-sightedness that exposes the utter lack of any vision for Lakewood that doesn't involve a corporate cookie cutter motif that is as already ubiquitous as it is un-Lakewood.

IMO, Lakewood should take its leadership and country club set and dump the lot of them out where Lakewood hospital has actually landed- in the strip center hell they all apparently crave.

Where destruction is success.
Where tastelessness is klassy.
Where history is …history.

Terry Tekushan wrote: Instead we will soon have testament to human greed, stupidity, and sociopathology. And a short-sightedness that exposes the utter lack of any vision for Lakewood that doesn't involve a corporate cookie cutter motif that is as already ubiquitous as it is un-Lakewood.

IMO, Lakewood should take its leadership and country club set and dump the lot of them out where Lakewood hospital has actually landed- in the strip center hell they all apparently crave.

Where destruction is success.
Where tastelessness is klassy.
Where history is …history.

Terry

Thank you for jumping in. No one knows more about this theater than you.

I believe your take on City Leadership is spot on as well.

A bunch of 70-year-olds, talking about what is needed for the future.

Sell of the hospital, so friends can make a buck. Break the theater owner, so friends can make a buck.

The saddest part of all of this is had he gone to the county, the city wouldn't have been able to bankrupt him.

Pretty wild as the city hall goes on a rampage to destroy history, businesses, residents that have a different view than they do.

.