Cold Storage Building is Shrinking

June 14, 2011. West bound I-90, the highway that goes from Boston to Seattle.

June 26, 2011. East bound I-90

July 2, 2011 from the Detroit Superior Bridge

July 2nd. Ground level Abbey Road

To-day, 5 July. East bound I-90

I drove around to-day and photographed. I could have done 'worthwhile' things. So, i drove to University Circle, East Cleveland, West Collinwood, and then to Edgewater. I got home, and one of the television stations was showing the clean up at Edgewater Park for Independence Day weekend.

Well, to-morrow is supposed to bring traffic changes about the Innerbelt Bridge. ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation), well it could be Oregon, or Oklahoma, 'tain't, 'tis Ohio. Of those three Indian (if we were in Canada, Ontario of the First Nations' people) states, 'tis Ohio — land of the pumpkin colored barrels. It is their most expensive project yet. Their description may be accurate, still confusing.

The Cold Storage Building is coming down. I guess it went up in 1927 and '28 as blocky as can be. People had real ice boxes then. Food was kept cold there before it went out to stores and restaurants. Ships and trains brought stuff in, and out. The Van Swearingens were building the Terminal Tower [1926-30, and then the second tallest building in the world, only the Woolworth Bldg. N.Y. City was taller] and Union Train station, and the old food markets were torn down. Electric was still new. In a solid concrete and cork insulated building electric icing systems were used. After electrification reached all homes, the need of the terminal (its other name, Distribution Terminal Warehouse) was less needed. It made ice that was used on lake ships, and for butchers to prepare meat on site.

For some years it stood empty, right next to the bridge and used for advertising, and otherwise ignorable. The last advertisement was white washed, and it looked better. It was not to safe to implode the building, the bridge has structural problems. An explosion three feet away of nine floors of concrete cubicles, penthouses, and a water tank is not a good idea. The bridge needs replacing, it is under watch, traffic has been reduced. Some people remember the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Pawlenty was governor, and is running for President. Would a bridge disaster in Cleveland propel a Kasich candidacy again? Better they take their time.

Not unlike St. Michael's, the building can be seen from many spots. Now, that pieces are missing, it is more noticeable; before when it was a dust, dun, khaki, grey block, not for years. If you enter from Abbey/West 14th, behind Annunciation Greek Orthodox, it is dead front ahead. Now, when it went up it was a tall building for any city. In 1928 there were few nine storeys. The last few years it was an ugly billboard.