University Circle

Wade Lagoon stretches in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art

University Circle is the cultural, educational, and medical center of Greater Cleveland, and is located on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio. University Circle occupies approximately 550 acres (2.2 km²) around the campus of Case Western Reserve University and the adjacent Wade Park Oval. It borders Cleveland's Little Italy, home to many private art galleries and restaurants, as well as the neighborhoods of Hough, Glenville, Buckeye-Shaker, and Fairfax (also known as Midtown).

University Circle is a major source of employment in the Cleveland area, currently providing more than 30,000 jobs in a variety of fields. Over 13,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attend area institutions, and approximately 2.5 million people visit the Circle each year. University Circle Incorporated, a not-for-profit corporation established in 1957, fulfills many administrative and quasi-governmental functions for the area, including security and transportation administration. Overall nearly 50 cultural, medical, educational, religious, and social service institutions are based in the University Circle area, the largest of which is Case Western Reserve University.

Member institutions

University Circle houses a large number of allied and independent institutions, most of which are members of University Circle Incorporated. The Cleveland Museum of Art, a world-renowned art museum situated in front of Wade Lagoon, is currently undertaking a massive expansion project that will more than double its exhibit space. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is located in the Circle as well. Severance Hall is home to the Cleveland Orchestra, one of the United States' Big Five orchestras. The Cleveland Botanical Garden includes a brand new greenhouse offering two ecosystems: Madagascar Desert and Costa Rica cloud forest. The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Cinematheque, and Sculpture Center are located in the Circle. Case Medical Center is one of the nation's premier cancer hospitals and is closely affiliated with Case Western Reserve University. The Louis Stokes Veteran's Administration Medical Center is another medical institution in the area. The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine is currently located in the Circle, but will soon move to suburban Independence. The Cleveland Institute of Music with its affiliated Cleveland Music School Settlement is located here. The Circle is home to a variety of smaller museums as well, such as The Western Reserve Historical Society and Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, the Children's Museum of Cleveland and the Dittrick Museum of Medical History.

Located nearby are a number of other museums, places of worship, and specialty health care facilities, including the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Playhouse and the Health Museum of Cleveland.

Transportation

The Circle area is well served by public transportation, including stops on the RTA's Red Line. The CircleLink shuttle service (colloquially known as the 'greenie') provides free public transportation within University Circle. In the fall of 2008, the $200 million Euclid Corridor Project will enter full operation, which will introduce bus rapid transit along Euclid Avenue from Public Square to East Cleveland. University Circle is a major destination on the line, and Euclid Avenue will be rebuilt during construction, with the installation of public art, new lighting, and sidewalks included in plans.

UPtown Initiative

In the spring of 2006, Charter One Bank announced its $150,000,000 "UPtown Initiative". The UPtown Initiative will earmark $100 million in funding for economic development, including financing for the large amount of research, medicine, and technology industries in the area. This funding will be used to create jobs and spur further investment in the circle and areas around it. The other $50 million in funds will be used to upgrade, renovate, and build new housing in the Circle and surrounding neighborhoods. Portions of the funding are earmarked for local retail and other amenities of a successful urban district.

Future plans

There are a large number of future plans for producing growth in the University Circle area. Case Western Reserve University is involved with a large amount of planning in the area, including the creation of a large medical and technological research center, known as the "West Quad", which is to be built on the campus of the former Mt. Sinai Hospital. Case is additionally working with local developers MRN and Zaremba to rebuild the area known as "The Triangle", an underused retail district near the campus. The Triangle is set to be rebuilt as the centerpiece of a new University Arts and Retail District, intended to give Case more of a college town feel. Anchored by the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA), which will be moving to the area as part of the project, the university envisions restaurants, bars, entertainment spots, fashion and specialty clothing stores, as well as general retail, in addition to student housing, in a $120 million development. The current apartment towers of the Triangle development will remain. It will also be home to the university's bookstore which will sell student and general merchandise in addition to books. Future plans for the area include large apartment and condominium towers, and other housing for residents, with projections of 20,000 people living within the University Circle area.

External links

• University Circle Incorporated
• University Circle Guide