For nearly 40 years, we have been grateful to call Playhouse Square home. During that time, we have played a role in the community effort to redevelop the theater district and downtown Cleveland. With our current lease set to expire, our board and staff had a chance to thoughtfully explore a wide range of options for our future home and to determine whether there was an opportunity to play a similar role in the development of a different Cleveland neighborhood. More than a decision about office space, we viewed this as an opportunity to further our mission and strengthen our connections to Cleveland neighborhoods and to the people we serve.

Home to more than 650 organizations, including 50 nonprofits, 12 design and architecture firms, 75 health-tech and high-tech ventures, dozens of manufacturers and hundreds of small businesses, MidTown is a vital economic hub in the city. More than 18,000 people work in MidTown and more than 2,000 people call the area home. We recognized an opportunity to plant our roots in a district with a rich history and an exciting future, linking two of the city’s civic and cultural centers: Downtown Cleveland and University Circle.   

Nearly three years ago, our board of directors approved a set of selection criteria to evaluate potential sites for our future headquarters. Priorities included:

• enhanced accessibility, visibility and compatibility to strengthen the foundation’s ties to the community;
• feasibility in terms of cost and timeline;
• and the opportunity to make a catalytic impact that would benefit the surrounding neighborhoods and Greater Cleveland as a whole while establishing a model for sustainable development.

The site in MidTown emerged as the strongest option that not only satisfied the criteria but represented the greatest chance to enhance our physical accessibility and make a city-wide impact.  

This move builds on more than 15 years of Cleveland Foundation investment in MidTown and is part of a broader community vision to enhance neighborhoods throughout the core city of Cleveland while honoring ongoing placekeeping efforts. We believe MidTown and the surrounding neighborhoods - including Hough and Central - are currently on the verge of the same type of exciting transformation that Playhouse Square was when we first moved there, and we see an opportunity to be part of this current and future development by physically locating in the area. This project represents our commitment to establishing a model for sustainable, inclusive and equitable development in Cleveland neighborhoods.

Centered around a vibrant green space and easily accessible via public transit, the new district is envisioned as an innovative mixed-use hub that connects the city geographically both east and west along Euclid Ave. as well as north and south for a mile along E. 66^th St. It is designed to create a new sense of arrival and a new sense of place in the heart of the city.

Recognizing the disconnect between the Dunham Tavern Museum’s roots as a stagecoach stop on the Buffalo-Cleveland-Detroit post road and the current need for urban green space that has been informed by the community, this new district will be a welcoming destination for all Greater Clevelanders – residents, community leaders, entrepreneurs and students alike – as well as a unifying link between two of the city’s existing civic and cultural centers: Downtown Cleveland and University Circle.

Our move to MidTown will not affect our grantmaking support of Greater Cleveland’s nonprofit organizations. The cost of our new headquarters is similar to the rent we currently pay in Playhouse Square, and we intend the building to be a long-term asset for the community. The dollars being used for the headquarters project are entirely separate from our grantmaking funds. We have a long history of making significant place-based investments across the core city of Cleveland while continuing our grantmaking in other neighborhoods and areas of need. We remain committed to serving our three-county footprint of Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties.

It is our hope that the enhanced visibility and accessibility of our offices will help us better serve our community, providing a welcoming space where everyone can come together to address our greatest challenges and embrace our greatest opportunities.

Our goal is to be a good neighbor to the residents of MidTown and the surrounding neighborhoods. We look forward to working closely with existing residents to understand how best we can join them to become a trusted partner in the neighborhood. This is already happening with the E. 66^th St. planning project, which has incorporated a Hough Youth Council and a Resident Council in the decision-making process. As this project unfolds, we will continue to be purposeful in our planning to ensure we are engaging with, and learning from, our neighbors.

We are inviting the community to join its community foundation in being a part of our exciting next chapter. We will work with our partners including CDCs, neighborhood groups, civic leaders, and others who have been working in the community for decades. We believe this project should be informed by community input, leverage placekeeping efforts already underway and build on the forward momentum of MidTown – while embracing and celebrating the heritage of surrounding neighborhoods.

We hope to break ground by the end of this year and open our doors to the community in summer 2022.

When our board of directors unanimously approved this move, it kept the community and neighborhoods at the heart of its decision-making process. We are purposefully locating ourselves in the beating heart of this city to partner with neighborhoods and support their ongoing work toward equitable growth and development.

Our move to MidTown will accelerate existing and planned development in the district and surrounding neighborhoods and help to unite the city between Downtown Cleveland and University Circle. The development of the new civic district in MidTown will also further the community’s shared vision for enhancing the East 66^th St. corridor from Euclid Ave. through the League Park District and north to Superior Ave., with the aim of creating a national-model public space that emphasizes seamless connectivity and accessibility via a 21^st century green street.

To be the best neighbor we can be, we are reducing the footprint of our current workspace design by at least one third so that we can expand the availability of community space in our new home, including: 

• A welcoming lobby that invites you in to be a part of your community’s foundation
• An interactive art space showcasing the work of local artists and creators through rotating displays
• A public café serving takeout and beverage options that will be operated by a local, mission-driven organization or entrepreneur who is committed to social impact
• Additional spaces will be available by reservation for nonprofit or community use, including:
  • The Steven A. Minter Conference Center featuring multiple free meeting spaces available for nonprofits to use throughout the week
  • Additional ground-floor conference rooms for meetings and gatherings
  • A multipurpose room for community events, classes, performances and other activities
  • A community staircase connecting the second and third floors, offering informal gathering and event space
  • Indoor-outdoor event and meeting spaces on the building’s third floor featuring sweeping views of the city and a large terrace that can be booked for private gatherings

In addition, we’re thrilled to announce that Neighborhood Connections will co-locate its offices in our new home – with a street-level presence on E. 66^th St. – as it continues the critical work of building a more just, equitable and inclusive community. If you have ever been to a Neighbor Up Night, you know just how exciting this is that we are coming together in this new space.

In order to move forward with the planned construction, the site needed to be remediated. This required the removal of underground gas tanks that had been on the property for decades. We plan to break ground on the construction of our future home later this year.

This partnership with Dunham Tavern Museum will ultimately help it to achieve its stated long-term goal of becoming a more accessible, usable green space for the surrounding neighborhood. By weaving together four key objectives – history, education, nature and community – the Dunham Tavern Museum’s plan will enhance and expand its campus, providing resources to improve its existing green space with plazas, gardens and intimate public parks; strengthen its connection to the surrounding neighborhoods with visible entry points; create a Heritage Trail and new east-west greenway; and elevate its presence in the community by telling the complete story of the land. These developments will expand the current green space surrounding the Dunham Tavern Museum’s campus by an additional net acre.

For more than 106 years, our donors have chosen to work with us as a trusted partner in our shared philanthropic mission to enhance the lives of all Greater Cleveland residents, now and for generations to come. Thanks to the responsible stewardship and visionary leadership of the foundation’s board and staff over the years, we have successfully undertaken game-changing projects that align with our mission and values.

This project represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be part of transformative and equitable development in Cleveland’s core city neighborhoods. It will serve our mission by improving the quality of life in Cleveland neighborhoods and by strengthening the fabric of our city as a whole.