University Circle

Wade Lagoon stretches in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Located on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, University Circle (also known locally known 'The Circle') is a neighborhood dominated by cultural and educational institutions, as well as being the medical hub of Greater Cleveland. Encompassing approximately 550 acres (2.2 km²) of the Case Western Reserve University campus and Wade Park, University Circle is bordered on its south by Cleveland's Little Italy as well as the neighborhoods of Buckeye-Shaker and Fairfax (also known as Midtown). It is also bordered by Hough to the west and Glenville on the east, .

University Circle is an important economic sector in Cleveland with approximately 2.5 million people visit the Circle each year. Neighborhood businesses and institutions provide more than 30,000 jobs in a variety of fields. As the neighborhood's name implies, higher learning is a major part of the culture of University Circle, with more than 13,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attending the areas various institutions. University Circle Incorporated, a not-for-profit corporation established in 1957,serves as the neighborhood chamber of commerce, providing many administrative and quasi-governmental functions for the area, including security, transportation administration, and marketing.

Notable Institutions

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A view of Case Medical Center's Lerner Tower.

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The Frank Gehry-designed Peter B. Lewis building is home to Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management.

A partial list of University Circle institutions includes:

• Case Western Reserve University
• Severance Hall (Home to the Cleveland Orchestra)
• The Cleveland Museum of Art
• The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• The Cleveland Botanical Garden
• The Cleveland Institute of Art
• The Cleveland Institute of Music and the Cleveland Music School Settlement
• Cleveland Cinematheque
• Case Medical Center
• The Louis Stokes Veteran's Administration Medical Center
• The Western Reserve Historical Society and Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
• The Children's Museum of Cleveland
• The Dittrick Museum of Medical History

• 
  Adelbert Hall at Case Western Reserve University
• 
  Severance Hall
• 
  Main entrance to The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• 
  Hershey Children's Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Garden
• 
  The Cleveland Institute of Art
• 
  The Cleveland Institute of Music

Transportation

The Circle area is served by public transportation, including a stop on the RTA's Red Line. The CircleLink shuttle service (colloquially known as the "Greenie") provides free public transportation within University Circle. On October 24, 2008, the RTA HealthLine began operation, introducing bus rapid transit along Euclid Avenue from Public Square to Louis Stokes Station at Windermere in East Cleveland. University Circle is a major destination on the line, and Euclid Avenue was rebuilt during construction, with the installation of public art, new lighting, and sidewalks along the entire length of the HealthLine.

Uptown project

In the spring of 2006, Charter One Bank announced its $150,000,000 'Uptown Initiative'. The aim of the program is to spur economic development in University Circle, and its surrounding east side neighborhoods. $100 million of the initiative has been earmarked for boosting commercial development, with the remaining $50 million meant for housing renovation and new residential construction.

In addition to this investment, in 2008 Case Western Reserve University, in cooperation with neighboring University Circle institutions and local developers, announced a plan to develop a new 'uptown' district within University Circle, to be centered on the section known as 'the Triangle' at the corners of Euclid, Ford, and Mayfield. Anchored by the planned expansion of the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland's new $25 million home, the development will also provide new commercial space and residential units.

External links

• University Circle from The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
• University Circle Incorporated
• University Circle Guide