University Circle
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.
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, transportation administration, and marketing. 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.
Institutions
University Circle houses a large number of educational institutions, centers of arts and culture, houses of worship, health care facilities, and neighborhood organizations. The following are members of University Circle Inc.
Education
Case Western Reserve University
The Cleveland Institute of Art
The Cleveland Institute of Music
The Cleveland Music School Settlement
The Cleveland Public Library - Martin Luther King Jr. Branch
Arts & Culture
Children's Museum of Cleveland
Cleveland Hillel Foundation Inc.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Dittrick Museum of Medical History
Fine Arts Garden Commission
Gestalt Institute of Cleveland
Hallinan Center
The Sculpture Center
Severance Hall - home to the Cleveland Orchestra
Western Reserve Historical Society and The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
Houses of Worship
The Church of The Covenant
Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church
Mt. Zion Congregational Church
Pentecostal Church of Christ
The Temple-Tifereth Israel
Health Care
Center for Dialysis Care
Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center
The Cleveland Sight Center
Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office
The Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland
The Louis Stokes Veteran's Administration Medical Center
The Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation
University Hospitals of Cleveland
Neighborhood
Ambleside Towers
Cleveland Friends Meeting
Judson at University Circle
The Junior League of Cleveland
The Magnolia Clubhouse
Maximum Accesible Housing of Ohio
Park Lane Villa
The Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland
University Circle Police Department
Events
Parade the Circle – Saturday, June 14, 2008; 11am-4pm
This interactive community arts event features The Cleveland Museum of Art’s vibrant, one-of-a-kind parade and UCI’s Circle Village. Professional and amateur artists work up to six weeks before Parade the Circle to create unique costumes and human-powered floats for the festivities. Main stage performances and hands-on activities provided by more than 20 cultural institutions accompany the parade in Circle Village.
WOW! Wade Oval Wednesdays – June 18-August 27 2008
UCI’s free summer concert series presents an array of top musical entertainment with genres ranging from jazz to reggae to Beatles hits. The event was created to attract visitors to the Circle midweek and to encourage them to take advantage of extended hours and special programming at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and The Cleveland Museum of Art. Over 10,000 people attended this past summer, both the young and the young-at-heart, to enjoy delicious food, drinks, art, music, and family fun.
Holiday CircleFest – Sunday, December 7, 2008; 1pm-5:30pm
UCI kicks off the holiday season by bringing together more than 20 University Circle museums, gardens, galleries, churches, and schools for one free day of music, activities, and holiday shopping. UCI provides shuttle buses with tour guides to chauffeur visitors around the Circle. Holiday CircleFest is capped off by The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Winter Lights Lantern Procession and a public art installation on Wade Oval.
Transportation
The Circle area is well served by public transportation, including a stop on the RTA's Red Line. The CircleLink shuttle service 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.
Development
The Development cluster of UCI advances the growth of the Circle by providing the essential amenities of urban living, supporting institutional growth, ensuring the optimal use of shared spaces, and improving access with the goal of creating a premier urban district.
Current Projects
• Bring Back Euclid Avenue Campaign – West Gateway, Central Gateway, Lot 45, Visitor & Living in the Circle Center, Wade Oval Visitor Kiosk, New signage
• 1000 Homes Campaign – Mortgage Assistance Program, Housing Projects (Uptown, Wade Park Townhomes, E 118th St Townhomes, Hazel Dr. Townhomes, Circle East, University Circle Place, Park Lane Villa, Chester 82, Upper Chester)
• Supporting Institutional Growth – Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center, Cleveland Institute of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Mt Zion Congregational Church, Cleveland Clinic
• Linking Public Spaces Campaign – Circle Walk Trailhead, Rockefeller Park Strategic Plan, Wade Oval, Lake-to-Lake Trail, Parklands Trust/Holden Parks Trust
• Improving Access – MLK/105th Traffic Circle, Mayfield Road Streetscape, City Racks/City Seats, Cornell Road Bridge, RTA Stations (Cedar-University & E 120th)
• Encouraging Smart Development – Design Review District, National City Bank Relocation, Cozad-Bates House