Nov 6
Art does make $$$$
Cleveland Institute of Art unveils MVRDV design for $53 million expansion
The CIA has kicked design up a notch over the last few years taking in many awards and getting great job placement. To keep the success moving they are upgrading their campus with an architectural look toward the future. This will contrast nicely to the existing building which was used as a Model T factory back in the day. Check out the pics below and post your thoughts. The Cleveland neighbors aren’t sure what to think being very conservative themselves. Who better than an art school to push the boundaries as to what good design is.
The Cleveland Institute of Art added momentum to the revitalization of University Circle Friday by unveiling plans for the $53 million expansion and renovation of its McCullough Center on upper Euclid Avenue.
The four-year art college has raised nearly half the money for the project in cash, pledges and tax credits and hopes to break ground in May, said David Deming, the school’s president.
“We’re excited, we really are excited,” he said. “It’s very gratifying to arrive at this moment. It’s something the faculty, administration and trustees have been trying to figure out for 20 years.”
When the project is finished in 2009, the art institute will vacate its aging and outmoded Gund Building at 11141 East Blvd., opposite the Cleveland Museum of Art, and sell or lease the property for uses that could include a luxury condominium.
The expansion of the McCullough Center, in effect, will unify the art institute in a single campus for the first time since 1981.
The art institute project, designed by architect Winy Maas of the leading Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, will anchor the eastern edge of Case Western Reserve University’s $300 million Triangle development, also called the University Arts and Retail District.
The goal of the Triangle is to create a vibrant new residential, cultural and retail zone. The 8.5-acre development will be anchored by the art institute expansion on the east and on the west by a new building for the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland.
“There’s a whole district-in-waiting that’s just going to be lit up by MOCA and CIA,” said Chris Ronayne, director of the nonprofit University Circle Inc. “These are all iconic assets that will breathe life into the neighborhood.”
The art institute’s expansion, to be built by developer John Ferchill, will add a new 80,000-square-foot structure designed by Maas to the west side of the Joseph McCullough Center for the Visual Arts at 11610 Euclid Ave. The art institute has occupied the building, a former Ford Model T factory, since 1981.
The McCullough Center will be renovated with new galleries, classrooms, studios and a library.
The expansion next door will be a long, low, rectangular box framed in glass and steel. It will arch up in the middle like a gigantic inchworm to create a covered entrance. An auditorium, cafe and classrooms will be located on terraced floors above the arch.
Deming called the Maas design a creative reinterpretation of the McCullough Center. He’s confident it will be approved by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and the U.S. Department of the Interior for roughly $11 million to $13 million in state and federal tax credits. The credits are critical to the project.
The art college has raised an equivalent amount in cash and pledges, and is confident it can raise a similar amount by this winter. That would bring funding to 75 percent of the project’s cost, the goal set by trustees for the go-ahead, Deming said.
The Cleveland Institute of Art expansion will add 80,000 square feet to the west side of the school’s McCullough Center.
A diagram shows how Winy Maas conceived the basic massing of his Cleveland Institute of Art expansion. The project hunches up in the middle like an inchworm, and also curves to the side, to bring the warped rectangle in contact with the art institute’s existing McCullough Center.
A computer rendering shows how the expansion of the McCullough Center will look at night.
A close-up view shows the arched entrance proposed for the expanded Cleveland Institute of Art complex on upper Euclid Avenue.
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Cleveland Istitute of Art Sucks!
Why couldn’t they have done this 10 years ago!
You Jose, did not attend the school then, because if you did then you would know how many graduates have jobs in the industry. i would have to say every single OEM has at least 2-3 CIA grads.
Chrysler has at least 12. Merc, Mazda, Nissan, Hyundai, GM, Ford, BMW, etc etc etc……
Comments like bring nothing but negativity…… Even if it is Sarcasm……..
GM has 37 CIA alum in their Design Group (designers, sculptors, alias)…and that came from Ed Welburns lips. Chrysler has probably close to 20 by now.
Gravy…… well played
that looks terrible… just another misdirection for a school that has abandoned its roots, and as a result, lost all it’s unique qualities. not only is the new building boring and obvious, but now the most beautiful part of the factory is hidden behind this garbage. god i’m glad i went when i did… i experienced an amazing school that today’s students will never enjoy. The school that i graduated from wasn’t built on a facade of “beauty”, but rather a way of thinking and a sense of community.
Mr. McManmeal: I am not sure when you graduated, but I will say as a recent grad, the CIA is definately not what it is cracked up to be, so I agree with you to a point. While there are many alums doing great things out there, the school as a “business” or organization is horrible. They have shortened it to 4 years, reduced studio class time in order to pay teachers part-time as opposed to full time (less benefits), all while increasing costs to the students. Basically any one who applies get’s into the school, even into majors such as ID which is supposed to be a privelage to the few who truely want it and work for it throughout foundation. CIA sees students as dollar signs. PERIOD. The sad part is there are many (dare I say most) students each year graduating that are just plain bad and lazy. And all the while, CIA coddles them and shoves them through the system, ultimately giving some the false belief that they are able to compete in the real world. Now, this is where I disagree with you…”rather a way of thinking and a sense of community.” For those who actually see through all the BS at CIA and realize that it has eroded it’s credibility, it becomes a driving force to think, create, and work together to achieve whatever it is they want that CIA is ill-equipped to provide. As for myself and my class, 6 of 7 car guys banded together, became a family, stood up against the BS at CIA and made our way into the OEMS. CIA had little to do with our success other than giving us a building and a loose connection to the industry. For those not familiar with CIA, there is NO car design degree, and in fact the only trans. is a saturday elective class…and CIA has no one on payroll to teach car design! Despite how bad the place is, the students learn to work together with nothing and forge their own path…something that can’t be taught (and let’s reiterate that CIA doesn’t do so much teaching as is). In a completely bassackwards way, CIA does graduate a handful of truely talented students each year, whether it be car, product, glass, painting etc…despite the truely deplorable environment. As a result of my experiences there, I will not recommend CIA to anyone, specifically people interested in car design. I will however try my best to help students at CIA because they are going through exactly what I went through, and I feel for them. The one thing I hear all the time about CIA alum is that they seem to be the best at working with others and almost always represent a team attitude with pride….so maybe not so bad afterall. Best of luck to any current students.
Gravy…
“As for myself and my class, 6 of 7 car guys banded together”…I have little doubt that you were close with the people that shared your interests, thats to be expected. Unfortunately its the relationships with students outside of your focus that can be the most beneficial. Having friends in painting, photo, illustration, metals and ceramics was one of my favorite aspects of the school. A different perspective is always valuable and a strong fine arts influence is what set a CIA grad apart… or at least it did. Having an extra year of foundation was great in preparation for ID, but its the social aspect it provided that i found to be just as valuable.
agreed…perhaps that sense of community has faded and since been replaced with a clear line between fine art and applied…either way, a new building may be a way to increase people’s awareness of CIA, which is typically know as an underdog school with poor facilities…Not sure this building is going to do it. What happened to their original plan that included a 10 story building in the now parking lot behind the factory? It called for a 3 deck garage, studios and apartments/dorms for the students? That would have really helped solve some issues. If the Gund building is sold off (as valuable as the spot is, I don’t see how they won’t sell it) and this new building has no extra parking, what will they do considering parking is at a premium as is?