Credit: Photo by Pete Pattakos

Jack Casino’s proposal to add a second pedestrian bridge will appear before the Cleveland Planning Commission’s Near West/Downtown design review committee on Thursday.

In a godforsaken world where this abysmal idea somehow receives approval, Jack Casino (Phase 1, of course) would be connected to the May Company building and parking garage at the corner of Prospect and Ontario by a pedestrian bridge (a Phase II, if you will) to the north of the existing bridge that connects the casino to the casino parking garage.

Credit: Cleveland Planning Commission

This would be bad — an abomination of planning, to be more exact — and should be swiftly rejected for many of the same arguments raised against the first pedestrian skyway some eight years ago.

Here’s the PD’s Steve Litt from 2011:

The glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge would slice diagonally over the major downtown intersection of Ontario Street and Prospect Avenue, partially obstructing views to and from Public Square, the New England-style civic commons in the heart of downtown.

The negative impacts of the changes proposed by Rock Gaming are hard to quantify, but they’re the kind of actions that can erode a city’s visual integrity and sense of place, even its identity.

Nevertheless, it’s unsettling to contemplate a beautiful building disfigured by having a walkway stuck in its facade. It’s something like poking a straw in Mona Lisa’s nose.

No matter how glassy and transparent it is, the walkway will block views, including vistas of Tower City Center, the vast office, retail and hotel complex built on the southwest flank of Public Square between 1924 and 1930.

Unfortunately, there’s little chance that the city will stand in Rock Gaming’s way or push for better alternatives.

Note that everything he worried about came to pass. After all, who doesn’t love this view?

Credit: Photo by Pete Pattakos
Who doesn’t love historic downtowns marred by auto-centric amenities that empty out sidewalks and obliterate classic design in favor of GET THESE GAMBLERS IN HERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DISCOMFORT?

The second bridge, Rock says, would, “leverage the prime, central location of the parking garage to revitalize the street-level retail frontage on Ontario and Prospect.” Which is of course a joke in addition to being demonstrably false, as the bridge would funnel folks high above the street and directly into the casino and offices above.

Anyway, whereas Litt once lamented, correctly, that Cleveland wouldn’t have the stones to say no to Gilbert, hopefully that will be different today.

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This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2019.

Vince Grzegorek has been with Scene since 2007 and editor-in-chief since 2012. He previously worked at Discount Drug Mart and Texas Roadhouse.

15 replies on “Jack Casino Wants a Second Pedestrian Bridge, Which is a Horrible Idea That Shouldn’t Happen”

  2. Edmonton has their entire downtown connected by these bridges, along with a few tunnels. It’s awesome when winter or rain is blasting outside. You get there you can go anywhere after you park. It makes the entire area fun and inviting.

  3. Soon will be like minnhapless, a city of nothing but pedestrian bridges for yuppie wimps. IF THESE SUBURBAN WUSSY GAMBLERS CAN’T TAKE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DISCOMFORT?, THEY NEED TO MOVE TO THE SUN BELT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. You gotta be tough to live in Cleveland, asshats. Get lost!

  4. This OK with me, even though I generally object to overhead walkways. There really is no North South foot traffic on Ontario on this block so hurting retail or eateries on Ontario is a mute point. If it helps to keep businesses in the upper floors of the Higbee , it is a good thing. I actually think it will look attractive once it is lighted up at night. That section of Ontario is kind of a dead zone as is. It will liven it up a bit.

  5. When you cant do enough research to know which design review committee this is going before, I’m not sure how credible anything else can be.

  6. Yeah its better for those in the May co apartments to stand on the street in 10 degree winter weather, waiting to cross the street while the wind burns their faces. And god forbid people can get across that intersection without being panhandled or mugged. Get over yourself Litt. Your ideas are archaic and misguided. Come to reality and let peoples comfort and convenience enter into the equation. As downtowns residential scene grows, those tiny sidewalks on ground level wont suffice and the space above will be a welcome addition. Why dont you instead try to obtain a classic and impressive design instead of flatly opposing the pedestrian bridge?

  7. Couldnt agree more with the above comment! Again – just another negative article when the City of Cleveland is getting some type of new construction improvement. The whole city of Chicago is wrapped in underground tunnels and walkways. I know people that live in buildings and work in other buildings blocks away and never have to walk outside.

    Have you walked on that street recently? It smells horrible. There are no businesses open there. Don’t you want the casino to make more tax dollars so they can support all of the free handouts that you want to give everyone?

  8. Bridges to protect the faces and the feet of the elite, while the working slobs mush through the slush.
    Welcome to 21st-century America…a two-tier society…quite literally. Makes me want to puke.

  9. Plain Disgusted – You should probaly move to a socialist country if that is the way you feel. I hear everything is equal in Russia!

  10. Love it or leave it, right? And you’ve heard everything is equal in Russia? You heard wrong, pal.
    Upon reading your reply, It’s quite obvious that you’ve never been to Russia. Ever been to Indiana?

  11. Have you seen the little old ladies gambling their life savings away on the slots? Are you gonna make them push their walkers across a snow covered Ontario?

  12. I have not been to Russia, but have been to about 20 countries all over including some in Asia and Africa. Have you even been to Canada?

  13. Yes. I have. Ever been to America? I have been to nearly all of the Lower 48 ,as well…just five more states to go, Now I remember you. You are that yuppie from New York, and elsewhere, who works for some IT outfit based in California, and who knocked down a house in Ohio City to put up a big McMansion like the ones in Plasticville. So you’re a cheerleader for gentrification.

    And you’re also gung-ho about downtown residential living and development over neighborhood redevelopment and restoration, while the neighborhoods go to hell and my neighbors need shotguns to protect themselves from drug thugs.

    So OF COURSE you love new and shiny pedestrian bridges and you babble about socialism and Russia and moving there. You drank the Kool-Aid. And you don’t exactly sound like the brightest Crayola in the box.

    Got a newsflash for you…enjoy your day in the sun,. A year from next month, the nightmare will be over.

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