The Observation Deck

While the city and civic leaders close hospitals, channel millions of public assets and $$$ to friends and colleges, hide most of the documents courts have deemed public from the public, Lakewoodites find something they can truly get outraged over. Something they believe is in their wheelhouse, and can they rap themselves up into. The red barn NO GREEN BARN! aka Tyler Barn in Metro Parks.

This past fall Cleveland Metroparks painted Tyler Barn, forever called the green barn, especially by million of partying baby boomers in the 6s, 70,s and 80s. In its heyday it was often possible to walk from one end of the twin fields to the other end on the hoods or trunks of cars that parked there. It was party central all of us at one time or another would say and/or hear, "Meet you at the green barn." By the 80s Malls had taken over as the place to hangout, and Metro Park started policing it, and then adding baseball and soccer fields, until it died as a hangout. To be honest I doubt that most people even knew or cared the barn had a name other than "Green." While the change is shocking from a drab dull green to an incredibly bright red, the chances for photos especially in the snow have increased.

I kind of like it red, especially the color they chose. However it would seem most baby boomers are seriously offended.









Yes it is that red!

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I really like the Red Barn. I have to say I spent some time there in the old days. I was probably in the army when you went there.

The green barn was always a blur what with the Rolling Rock and Motown on the radio

Stan

It is against the law to drink alcohol in the Emerald Canyon.

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Some back to back comparisons








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I always thought that the Green barn was primarily a big utility shed with a nameplate on it. All of a sudden it's iconic. Isn't it interesting that even though the red isn't a traditional "barn red" that some tints ? yellow? orange? just juked it up just right.

Stan Austin wrote:I always thought that the Green barn was primarily a big utility shed with a nameplate on it. All of a sudden it's iconic. Isn't it interesting that even though the red isn't a traditional "barn red" that some tints ? yellow? orange? just juked it up just right.

Stan

Not sure what it was, but damn is that a wild red. Hard to capture just how bright it is.

Years ago, McLaren Formula One team (which has a Lakewood connection*) looked all over for a red to represent their sponsor McLaren. When they got it right in person, it was never right on TV or in photos. Finally after years of looking they ended up coming to Cleveland and worked with DayGlo, on a proper color, that looked a little pinkish/orangish in different light but always photographed perfectly. It was also perfect on TV, which they figured was a more important and larger fan base than in person. They would order it by the 30 barrel shipments keeping it in stock over in the UK. The color today is known as McLaren Red, and you cannot purchase it from DayGlo. Ferrari F1 went through s similar plight when Marlboro moved their sponsorship to them, and DayGlo again mixed a new color slightly more orange than McLaren Red. Ferrai has been so happy with the results they still use it without having Marlboro sponsorship since tobacco sponsorship was banned in international sports.


The McLaren MP4 driven here by World Champion Ayrton Senna (photo by Jim O'Bryan)

Funny side story I have not boosted the red in any photos but I have boosted the green in the one photo, so they do not appear as black. Which brings me to BP America working for years to find the right green that could photograph correctly. A couple Lakewoodites worked on that problem. Eventually the only proper green for printing came from Raven Ink in Glasgow, Scotland, and hundreds of barrels were housed in the BP warehouse in South Carolina for printing jobs. Eventually BP relaxed the exact color to save on many costs. But kept it for photo ids, as it was nearly impossible to fake.

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And--- the color fits in!

Stan Austin wrote:And--- the color fits in!

Personally, I love a big red ruby in the middle of the Emerald Necklace, at the Emerald Canyon!

https://www.facebook.com/The-Emerald-Ca ... pQGi9Xmd5M

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