Tower City's fountain era officially ends
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Tower City will soon be available for private and corporate event bookings. Rendering: Courtesy of Bedrock
Bedrock is removing Tower City's Skylight Park installation to create a nearly 20,000-square-foot flexible event space.
Why it matters: The change will remove the long-dormant fountain infrastructure at the heart of Tower City — a bittersweet makeover that signals yet another shift away from retail and toward live experiences downtown.
Driving the news: Photos of construction at Tower City surfaced last week, and Bedrock — the real estate firm owned by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert — announced its plans for the event space on social media and in a press release.
- The goal, Bedrock said, is to create an open concourse designed for major public events, corporate gatherings and cultural programming.
- It could be available to book as early as March.
Also: The English Oak Room at Tower City will once again be available for bookings.
- At 5,000 square feet, Bedrock pitches it as a venue for weddings, receptions and "intimate" private gatherings.
Catch up quick: Skylight Park was installed atop the dormant fountain in 2022 with the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It featured greenery, seating and a boardwalk.
- Bedrock said in a press release that the structure limited how the space could be used, and its removal will clear the way for an array of staging and installation options.
💭 Sam's thought bubble: I'm still nostalgic for the Tower City of my youth, especially around Christmastime.
- And I always thought the "Skylight Park" concept looked pretty chintzy and out of place — a significant downgrade from the fountain.
Yes, but: Times change. Tower City opened in 1990, during an era when downtown retail was booming.
- It was in decline long before Bedrock acquired the property in 2016 and has been the subject of numerous revival attempts.
Flashback: In 2018 and 2019 — during the halcyon "Blockland" era — Bernie Moreno and local attorney Jon Pinney were in negotiations to turn Tower City into "City Block," a campus-like hub for blockchain technology, entrepreneurship and an imaginary CMSD school.
- Those plans evolved and then fizzled when Moreno pivoted to pursue a U.S. Senate seat.