Reinvigorating Cleveland’s Celebrated Superior Arts District

Cleveland’s Superior Arts District tells the story of the power of preservation, highlighting how GBX Group has leveraged key partnerships, targeted investments, and facilitated tax incentives to transform an urban neighborhood in decline into a destination for new businesses, residents, and entertainment.

Since 2011, GBX and its partners have worked together to bring the Superior Arts District to life with a number of projects utilizing a mixture of federal, state, and local programs and historic preservation easements. GBX has worked alongside local non-profits, private-sector partners, and stakeholders to rehabilitate and modernize a collection of red brick buildings that line Superior Avenue in this nationally registered historic district while forever protecting the historic character of the buildings.

GBX helped create a Business Improvement District in 2017 (the Superior Arts Improvement Corporation) with the goal of supplementing and improving on public services in the neighborhood. The company has worked with individuals, community leaders, nonprofits, and public and private partners to bring capital into this district.

The collective efforts of GBX and project partners over the last decade have contributed to the Superior Arts District's growth, including the addition of urban businesses, residences, and entertainment just east of Cleveland’s Central Business District. It is a story of how historic preservation is driving economic, social, and cultural growth into this historic neighborhood, across the City of Cleveland, and into bordering communities.

Situated on Superior Avenue between East 18 th  and East 26 th  streets and bordered by St. Claire Avenue to the north and Payne Avenue to the south, Cleveland’s Superior Arts District was once home to the  second-largest  garment district outside of New York City. From the mid-19 th  century through the early 20 th  century, the district cemented itself as a bustling manufacturing hub and served as an economic driver for the city and the broader region, creating jobs and industrial activity that supported the community’s livelihood and prosperity.

Designed by Pittsburgh architect, Robert Clay, and built by the William Dunbar Company, the Empire Improvement Building was constructed in 1913 and is a prominent structure in the Superior Avenue Garment District of Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland had the second-largest garment district outside of New York City in the early 1900s. Dozens of warehouses, factory lofts, and retail shops lined Superior Avenue just outside the central business district. This redeveloped office building is now the headquarters for GBX Group.

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The neighborhood consisted of small, family-owned factories as well as two large factories, Joseph & Feiss Company, a leading manufacturer of men’s clothing, and H. Black & Company Building, a major manufacturer of women’s suits and cloaks. During the industry’s peak in the 1920s,  one in seven  Clevelanders worked in garment factories, with employees coming from diverse ethnic groups.

The Innerbelt Freeway, conceived in 1940 to divert Cleveland traffic around the downtown area, also played a significant role in the decline of the district as it created both a physical and economic divide from Downtown Cleveland to Midtown and the Central Neighborhood. By the end of the 1950s, the district was in rapid decay, and many residents began to sell their businesses and move to the suburbs. For the next forty years, the district became increasingly vacant, with many once flourishing buildings falling into a state of neglect.

By the early 1990s, there was an abundance of industrial space available in the city. Cleveland preservationist Tom Yablonsky began to develop plans for utilizing these spaces, creating a new historic district along Superior Avenue. At the time, Yablonsky was known for creating historic districts with a focus on art, culture, and nature. He was one of two key players who helped establish the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, and several historic districts including Cleveland’s Warehouse District and the Gateway District.

The historic district and individual historic building designations that Yablonsky helped to facilitate have allowed for buildings along Superior Avenue to be purchased and renovated utilizing government preservation incentives. Many of the properties were zoned for commercial and residential occupancy, which attracted local artists who wanted to live and work in their studios.

In the early 2000s, local real estate visionary and developer David Perkowski also took an interest in rehabilitating the historic area. Perkowski’s portfolio included various projects focused on revitalizing Downtown Cleveland and bringing back residents who had moved to the suburbs decades earlier.

One of the first buildings Perkowski started to develop along Superior Avenue was the H. Black & Company Building, originally built in 1907 as a garment factory and known as the first reinforced concrete structure in Cleveland. It became the Tower Press Building due to its distinct tower that looks down over the Superior Arts District. Tower Press was the first building in the neighborhood to be individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Early in 2007, the Superior Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significant contribution as a major garment manufacturing center in the United States. Plans for redevelopment in the neighborhood were underway and gaining momentum in the area until another national economic crisis hit that year, causing work to stall and adding financial pressure to local building owners. It was also around this time that half of the Tower Press Building’s roof collapsed, causing Perkowski to take on a considerable amount of debt. Despite utilizing tax credits for the $10 million roof renovation, Perkowski realized he needed additional capital to continue rehabilitating Tower Press and the other buildings he owned in the area. 

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After seeing the district’s vast potential and receiving the call from David Perkowski, GBX came on as a partner in 2011 to help with the rehabilitation of 2320 Superior Avenue, turning it into 2320 Superior Lofts. In 2014, GBX permanently protected the historic character of Tower Press Building with a Historic Preservation Agreement that protects the building’s façade and historic character in perpetuity through an easement. This important preservation tool also helped to provide the financial stability needed to continue the rehabilitation and operation of the building.

Between 2011 and 2014, GBX completed three preservation projects with Perkowski. One was the Bloch Building, previously a garment factory, where GBX placed a Historic Preservation Agreement on the building and helped Perkowski secure historic tax credits to convert the building into apartments specifically for local student housing. The Superior Arts District borders Cleveland State University, which at the time was adding local residential options as part of a broader transition away from being exclusively viewed as a commuter college.

Over the course of the next five years, GBX continued to acquire and rehabilitate additional historic buildings and adjacent parcels throughout the Superior Arts District. By the end of 2016, GBX had preserved 15 buildings in the neighborhood. The company then decided to take on a more personal project, acquiring the Empire Improvement Building, a 1913-built 50,000 square-foot women’s clothing factory that was ultimately turned into GBX’s corporate headquarters.

GBX moved into its new headquarters in 2018. The award-winning adaptive reuse rehab served as an anchor in the district and an example of how to protect the historic character of a building while modernizing it for current-day use. GBX has used its headquarters as a showcase to help recruit new tenants and companies to consider moving into or purchasing historic buildings in the neighborhood.

Between 2018 and 2021, GBX continued to invest in the neighborhood by placing Historic Preservation Agreements on additional buildings in the corridor contributing to the Superior Avenue Historic District. In 2020, GBX, in partnership with Ethos Capital, repurposed another former garment factory building at 2125 Superior Avenue into 55 short-term rental units. In the midst of a volatile and uncertain hospitality market due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the partnership was able to rent out a majority of the units, while also providing short-term housing to healthcare workers supporting Cleveland’s world class hospital system during a global health crisis.

That same year, GBX assisted CrossCountry Mortgage, a national retail mortgage lender, with relocating their headquarters into the district. GBX sold them two historic buildings and associated parcels as part of a city-block sized portfolio that included historic and non-historic buildings, as well as adjacent parking lots.

CrossCountry Mortgage commenced construction on its new corporate headquarters in 2021, ultimately adding more than 600 jobs to help cement this burgeoning district as an economic driver in the neighborhood.

From 2020 through 2023, GBX and its partners have continued to formulate development plans to reimagine several other unique projects in the district. These plans include a proposal to transform the State Chemical Manufacturing Co. Complex (including Superior Street Baptist Church) into a multi-entertainment venue, Roar Cleveland, the first of its kind in the area. GBX also sold the historic 269,000-square-foot Artcraft Building, the largest building in the Superior Arts District, to a local developer that is working with the city of Cleveland to transform it into the Cleveland Police Department’s new headquarters. Project construction is set to begin in Spring 2024.

GBX has been very active with Downtown Cleveland, Inc. and Campus District, as well as other groups and community organizations, with the goal of promoting safe streets and connectivity for residents and businesses in the Superior Arts District. The company has worked with Bike Cleveland, a local advocacy organization, the Campus District, and the City of Cleveland on a plan to replace Superior Avenue’s wide lanes originally designed for trolley cars with a center-street bike lane called the Midway to increase the district’s connectivity. This project was recently approved by the city and planning is underway.

GBX’s integral role in the revitalization of the district has inspired other businesses to move into the neighborhood. In addition to attracting large companies like CrossCountry Mortgage, residential and retail occupancy rates have risen. According to the Downtown Cleveland Alliance 2021 Annual Report, residential occupancy in downtown Cleveland reached the highest level since before the COVID-19 pandemic, rebounding to 90.1% from 84.1% in 2020. Growth in both rent and occupancy drove property values to increase. The city’s retail occupancy rate also hit 87.3%. The GBX investments in the neighboring Superior Arts District are contributing to the growth of Cleveland’s urban core.

Ten years after GBX began its journey to bring new life into the once bustling garment district and industrial production hub, the company is one of the largest stakeholders in the Superior Arts District and a driving force behind its continued transformation. With GBX ’s expansive knowledge, forward-looking vision, and early investments into the historic preservation of the Superior Arts District, the company has helped revitalize and modernize the neighborhood, producing economic, social, and cultural impact in the community. Buildings that were once largely vacant and neglected now house corporate headquarters, multifamily apartment units, small businesses, eateries, event spaces, and more.

A study completed by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University in March of 2020 showed that the economic impact as a result of the Empire Improvement Building’s reuse as GBX’s corporate headquarters created 350 jobs, more than $24 million in labor income, and nearly $85 million in economic output annually. It also supports $4.5 million in new tax revenues.

GBX’s work has also enhanced the overall quality of life for residents in the neighborhood. Events, live-work spaces, and community initiatives such as the Midway bike lane, are helping residents experience a variety of new activities with more planned in the future. Residents and tenants in the district will be able to take advantage of expanded cultural events and offerings.

 The economic impact analysis of the Empire Improvement Building was completed on March 5, 2020 by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University using the R/ECON™ input-output (I-O) model and was commissioned by the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation and Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation. 

Looking ahead to the future, the Superior Arts District has the potential for further growth. Plans are underway to attract an additional 10,000 residents to downtown Cleveland’s neighboring Central Business District by 2030, which currently has an estimated population of 20,000. With upcoming new developments and business opportunities on the horizon, the Superior Arts District is well-positioned to contribute to the City of Cleveland’s plans to expand, thrive, and prosper beyond the Central Business District in the years to come.

M.T. Silver Buidling (2011)

Previously occupied by Lyon Tailoring Co. and H. M. Thorman Co., this three-story brick building was the first property GBX Group revitalized with local developer, David Perkowski. At the time, the building was vacant and Perkowski needed capital to invest in the property. In 2011, GBX Group invested in the partnership that owned the building with the goal to convert the building into apartments to be used as student housing for Cleveland State University, located a few miles away. The partnership placed a Historic Preservation Agreement on the property and GBX assisted with the Historic Tax Credits used in the adaptive reuse conversion. Through its investment as well as in-house knowledge, GBX supported the renovation of the building, now called 2320 Superior Lofts, which included repairing the exterior façade of the building, restoring the windows, and dividing up the interior space for the apartment units. (2320 Superior Avenue)

Bloch Building (2013)

Originally built as the Sunshine Cloak factory, this three-story-plus-basement commercial building shares the block with M.T. Silver. GBX Group once again partnered with Dave Perkowski to preserve this structure and thus complete the preservation of the 2300 block of Superior Ave. The investment in this building was used to complete exterior maintenance on the historic façade as well as complete improvements to attract commercial tenants for the office complex. (2310 Superior Avenue)

Gray Drugstore Warehouse (2013)

The two-story red brick industrial Gray Drugstore Warehouse was constructed in 1951 and designed to allow a two-story addition, but the addition was never constructed. This contributing historic building on Superior was GBX’s first acquisition in the district. The investment was aimed at preserving the building while completing interior and exterior rehabilitation to attract higher end tenants and replace the existing warehouse use of the building. Today, the Gray Drugstore Warehouse is owned by Ethos Capital. (2498 Superior Avenue)

H. Black & Company Building (2014)

Originally built in 1907 for a garment company called H. Black & Company, this building, now known as the Tower Press building, became home to a publishing company in the 1920s. It was left to deteriorate until 2002, when local developer David Perkowski completed his first major investment on Superior Avenue. Originally an individually listed property on the National Register, the building was converted into a mixed use residential and commercial building with artist lofts and apartments. The project received two awards of excellence in rehabilitation at the time. In 2014 GBX made an investment in this project with David Perkowski aimed at stabilizing the ownership of the building, paying down substantial debt and allowing for better operations while completing apartment updates as tenants turned. Today, the building is home to Assembly for the Arts headquarters, a local nonprofit, and 64 live-work artists' lofts. (2019-2100 Superior Avenue)

Keller-Kohn Building (2014)

The three-story brown brick “U” shaped industrial loft building was constructed in 1914 with an addition added in 1916. GBX acquired the underutilized apartment building as part of a larger portfolio of properties on Superior Avenue that included historic structures and parking parcels. The building was preserved upon acquisition, and rehabilitation plans commenced. The first phase was completed in 2017 with the completion of Superior Sound, a state-of-the-art recording studio and music management company which occupies a large portion of the first floor. Additionally, work was completed to stabilize the building’s roof and parapets. Purchased from GBX in 2021, the building will be further redeveloped into market rate apartments to serve the Superior Arts District’s growing workforce. (2230 Superior Avenue)

Artcraft (2014)

Built in 1919 as a garment factory, the Artcraft building, the largest in the district at 7-stories tall with over 230,000 square feet of space, was home to several local artists who occupied its live-work spaces as well as other commercial tenants. In 2014 GBX Group purchased the building, preserved the historic structure, and commenced multiple projects aimed at protecting and stabilizing the structure, including parapet work, water tower maintenance, mechanical maintenance, and stone masonry on the facade. The building is set to be transformed into the Cleveland Police Department’s new headquarters by a development group under TurnCap, a Cleveland-based real estate investment and development company. (2530 Superior Avenue)

Empire Improvement Building (2015)

GBX Group purchased the former historic 50,000 square-foot women’s clothing factory from Dan Grey in 2015 as part of a portfolio acquired by the firm in the historic district. The building was preserved and redeveloped into its corporate headquarters in 2018. The building has won multiple awards. Today, GBX has over 75 employees and is continuing to grow on a local and national scale. (2101 Superior Avenue)

Standard Plating Works and Chilcote Company West Buildings Chilcote Company Manufacturing Facility (2015)

The two adjoining buildings were acquired by GBX as part of the portfolio including the Empire Improvement Building. The buildings were preserved and initially housed tenants that GBX consolidated in the process of redeveloping Empire Improvement into its headquarters. By the end of 2020, the buildings were sold to CrossCountry Mortgage to form part of their headquarters’ campus. (2104 and 2110 Superior Avenue)

The Prince-Wolf Co. And Falk-Feierstein Co. Garment Factory (2015)

The buildings at 2125 Superior Avenue, built in 1914. were comprised of two historic textile factories known as The Prince-Wolf Co. and Falk-Feierstein Co. At some point in their history, the buildings were joined together, which created a unique courtyard in the middle tof the garment-making operations areas of the building. A relic of Cleveland’s booming garment industry, this old factory was newly renovated and revived the area as a 57-apartment unit building housing the Green Goat Café Bar, the first new food venue to enter the historic district. When the COVID-19 global pandemic hit, GBX’s development partner leased out this freshly renovated building for short-term rentals, which supported the influx of healthcare trainees coming to Cleveland for pandemic-related training. Despite the economic chaos, this building was fully occupied throughout the pandemic. In 2020, renters also moved into what is now called 2125 Superior Living. (2125 & 2131 Superior Avenue)

S. Korach Company Building (2016)

Ethos Capital partnered with GBX to acquire this 60,000 square foot garment industry historic building. The two-story red brick industrial building was built in 1912 by noted Cleveland architect Walker and Weeks. The building has been preserved and redeveloped to include office space, apartments, and event space for multiple tenants. (2400 Superior Avenue)

State Chemical Manufacturing Co. Complex (Including the Superior Street Baptist Church) (2018)

Known as the oldest surviving structure in the Superior Avenue Historic District today, the Superior Street Baptist Church was constructed in 1892. In 1941 the Superior Street Baptist Church was joined with the adjacent State Chemical Manufacturing Co. Building, which was originally built in 1926. For decades, the complex housed the State Chemical Manufacturing Co. headquarters. Part of the 2014 portfolio acquired by GBX the firm protected the building’s historic character by placing a Historic Preservation Agreement on the Complex in 2018. Today, the company and its partners are working to transform the space into the multi-entertainment venue, Roar Cleveland, slated to open in 2024. (2435 Superior Avenue)

Heller Building (2021)

This four-story red brick industrial loft building with the name “Heller” centered in limestone above the building was constructed in 1909 to function as a daylight factory, which is characterized by its fireproof construction and large window openings. The Standard Knitting Company was the initial long-term lease of the building. Acquired by TurnCap with help from GBX, plans are for the Heller Building to be redeveloped into market rate apartments to serve the Superior Arts District’s growing workforce. (2202 Superior Avenue)

Ziskin Furniture Company Building (2021)

Built in 1947, the single-story brick commercial building with a central recessed entry was originally owned by Central Outdoor Advertising. The large commercial window storefronts have been bricked in over the years. Today, a storefront renovation is underway to reflect the building’s historic façade. The building’s preservation and rehabilitation are part of ongoing efforts by GBX to transform the historic district into a mixed-use district with high walkability scores. (2331 & 2335 Superior Avenue)

2501 Superior Avenue (2014)

Built in 1946, this one-story brick commercial building was designed by Sigmund Braverman and built by Stremple Construction Company for Flo-est Realty. It originally housed a wholesale store and storeroom for apparel display and sales. The building does not have an easement but is a contributing building to the Superior Avenue Historic District.

Project Partners

City of Cleveland

Campus District

Downtown Cleveland, Inc. (formerly Downtown Cleveland Alliance)

David and Karen Perkowski/Tower Press Development

Bobby George/Ethos Capital Partners

CrossCountry Mortgage/TurnCap Development

Local developers

Preservationists

Real estate investors

Community leaders 

Designed by Pittsburgh architect, Robert Clay, and built by the William Dunbar Company, the Empire Improvement Building was constructed in 1913 and is a prominent structure in the Superior Avenue Garment District of Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland had the second-largest garment district outside of New York City in the early 1900s. Dozens of warehouses, factory lofts, and retail shops lined Superior Avenue just outside the central business district. This redeveloped office building is now the headquarters for GBX Group.

Looking ahead to the future, the Superior Arts District has the potential for further growth. Plans are underway to attract an additional 10,000 residents to downtown Cleveland’s neighboring Central Business District by 2030, which currently has an estimated population of 20,000. With upcoming new developments and business opportunities on the horizon, the Superior Arts District is well-positioned to contribute to the City of Cleveland’s plans to expand, thrive, and prosper beyond the Central Business District in the years to come.