Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex
Encyclopedia
The Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex is a multipurpose campus located in downtown
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...

 Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. It comprises two sports facilities, a transitional space known as Gateway Plaza, and two parking garages. The complex is primarily situated between East 9th Street to the east, Huron Road to the north (although Gateway North parking garage is across Huron), Ontario Street to the west, and Carnegie Avenue to the south. The sports venues are Progressive Field, which is the home of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

's Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...

, and Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena , is a multi-purpose arena, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States....

, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

 of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

. The complex is owned by the city and is managed by the Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland. The organization's board members are appointed by county and city leaders.

Facilities

The ballpark and arena were the first sports facilities in the United States to be constructed simultaneously at the same location. The siblings are connected to Tower City Center
Tower City Center
Tower City Center is a large mixed-use facility located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The facility is composed of a number of interconnected office buildings, including the landmark Terminal Tower, a shopping mall, two hotels, and the main hub of Cleveland's three rapid transit lines...

 and the RTA Rapid Transit
RTA Rapid Transit
RTA Rapid Transit is a rapid transit and light rail system in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County owned by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority...

 system via an underground walkway.

The ballpark was completed first, opening on April 4, 1994, as Jacobs Field (now known as Progressive Field). It cost approximately $175 million to build, of which $91 million, or 52 percent, came from Indians owner Richard Jacobs. The remaining $84 million, or 48 percent, was from a 15-year sin tax
Sin tax
A sin tax is a kind of sumptuary tax: a tax specifically levied on certain generally socially proscribed goods and services. These goods are usually alcohol and tobacco, but also include candies, soft drinks, fat foods and coffee, while services range from prostitution to...

. It was designed by HOK Sport (now known as Populous), a division of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum
HOK is a global architecture, interiors, engineering, planning and consulting firm. HOK is the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering firm and the "No. 1 role model for sustainable and high-performance design." HOK also is the second-largest interior design firm...

. HOK designed it as a retro-modern ballpark, similar to their just-completed Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...

 in Baltimore, with asymmetrical fences of varying heights, a smaller upper deck, and stepped tiers. The ballpark was situated in a way that would showcase Cleveland's downtown skyline.

Gund Arena (now known as Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena , is a multi-purpose arena, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States....

), a roughly square-shaped build, has dimensions of 480 feet (146.3 m) long by 440 feet (134.1 m) wide by 140 feet (42.7 m) high (750000 square feet (69,677.3 m²)). It was designed by Ellerbe Becket
Ellerbe Becket
Ellerbe Becket, an AECOM Company, is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based architectural, engineering, interior design and construction firm – ranked as one of the world's largest architectural firms – and with offices in Dallas, TX, Kansas City, MO, San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Dubai,...

 Sports & Venue and Robert P. Madison International Inc., a local architectural firm. Similar to the ballpark's downtown views, the arena has a 108 feet (32.9 m) by 48 feet (14.6 m) bay window that faces southeast and shows off the city's industrial Flats
The Flats
The Flats is a mixed-use industrial, entertainment, and increasingly residential area of Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The name reflects its low-lying topography on the banks of the Cuyahoga River.-History:...

. The construction and engineering were completed by an integrated team from Ellerbe Becket. The underground service area can accommodate 26 tour buses. It was built for approximately $152 million and opened on October 17, 1994.

Gateway Plaza is multifunctional open space situated between Quicken Loans Arena to the north, Ontario Street to the west, Gateway East parking garage to the west, and Progressive Field to the south. However, it is technically bordered by Bolivar Road, Ontario Street, East 6th Street, and Eagle Avenue. It is primarily concrete roadway, but it does features decorative industrial art pieces and limited green space. On game days, it frequently hosts on-location radio and television broadcasts, along with satellite truck
Satellite truck
A satellite truck is a mobile communications satellite Earth station, typically mounted on a truck chassis on a platform allowing satellite transmission from any location that the production truck can reach, provided a line of sight to the desired satellite is available.-Equipment:Typically a...

s for TV broadcast uplink
Uplink
A telecommunications link is generally one of several types of information transmission paths such as those provided by communication satellites to connect two points on earth.-Uplink:...

s, as well as other game-related events. For instance, some events for the 1997 MLB All-Star Game Fan Fest were held in Gateway Plaza.

There are two parking garages, which can hold 3,300 cars. The Gateway North garage is an rectangular-shaped structure, with its main entrance on Ontario Street and another two on High Street. A third floor covered walkway above Huron Road connects on its south east corner to The Q. The City of Cleveland plans to convert a portion of the garage into a downtown bike station
Bike station
A bike station, bicycle center or cycle center is a building or structure designed for bicycle commuters that typically requires users to join as members in order to use secure bicycle parking, and sometimes showers or lockers...

. The Gateway East garage is an L-shaped structure, with three covered walkways. A third floor covered walkway above East 6th Street connects on its western side to The Q, while two more connect to ballpark to its south above Eagle Ave. Its main entrance is on Huron Road, with a season-ticket holders entrance at East 6th and Bolivar and another at East 7th and Bolivar. Both garages are currently managed by Standard Parking.

Greater Cleveland Dome Stadium Corporation

The Gateway complex had its genesis in the early 1980s. City fathers had longed to bring the Cavaliers back to downtown Cleveland since the team left for the Richfield Coliseum
Coliseum at Richfield
The Coliseum at Richfield was an arena located in Richfield Township in Summit County, Ohio, roughly halfway between Cleveland and Akron...

 in 1974. Moreover, the Browns and Indians were housed in Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...

, which was costing the city money in a time when it could ill-afford it.

A multipurpose dome would be the new home to the Browns and Indians, and would attract the Cavs back to Cleveland, according to the original proposal by County Commissioner Vincent Campanella. The concept was modeled after the Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...

. Browns owner Art Modell
Art Modell
Arthur B. Modell is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise from 1961–1995 and the Baltimore Ravens franchise from 1996–2004. Modell is the grandson of the late Morris Modell who founded the northeast...

 backed the domed stadium idea, as did Ohio Governor Dick Celeste
Dick Celeste
Richard Frank "Dick" Celeste is an American politician from Ohio, and a member of the Democratic Party. He served as the 64th Governor of Ohio from 1983-1991.-Early life and career:...

, however, he did not like funding the project with property taxes. On May 8, 1984, a ballot initiative for the $150 million dome stadium went down in defeat by a 2 to 1 margin. In 1985, another dome called Hexatron, a six-sided structure with a retractable roof
Retractable roof
A retractable roof is a kinetic architectural element used in many sports venues, in which a roof made of a suitable material can readily be mechanically deployed from some retracted or open position into a closed or extended position that completely covers the field of play and spectator areas...

 designed by local architect Robert Corna, was proposed but never left the drafting table. The proposed funding for Hexatron would be a sin tax
Sin tax
A sin tax is a kind of sumptuary tax: a tax specifically levied on certain generally socially proscribed goods and services. These goods are usually alcohol and tobacco, but also include candies, soft drinks, fat foods and coffee, while services range from prostitution to...

 on alcohol and cigarettes in Cuyahoga County, an idea floated by a young member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

 named Jeff Jacobs
Jeff Jacobs
Jeff Jacobs is a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He is currently the mayor of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.-References:...

, the son of the future Indians owner Richard Jacobs.

Still, Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich
George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich is a former United States Senator from the state of Ohio, and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as the 65th Governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998, and as the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989.-Personal life:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, his father was...

 and Governor Celeste pushed forward to create the Greater Cleveland Dome Stadium Corporation, borrowing $22 million from banks and the state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. Cleveland Tomorrow, a group of top executives from Cleveland's biggest firms, launched a development fund to further the project, and acquisition of property began in December 1985. By 1989, the site of the former Central Market, a fruit and vegetable market that dated back to 1856, and other adjacent buildings were razed and made into parking lots. However, there were funding gaps and big disagreements as to who would pay to build the project, along with a change in leadership.

Ballot Issue 2

In 1990, new leadership took the baton from the dome stadium group. The team was a partnership of Cleveland Tomorrow, led by lawyer Tom Chema, and a group of elected officials. The group included newly elected Mayor Michael R. White
Michael R. White
Michael Reed White is an American politician of the Democratic party and was the 55th and longest-serving mayor of Cleveland, Ohio encompassing three four-year terms, from 1990 to 2002...

, newly elevated Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council
Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Cleveland in Ohio. Its members are elected from 19 wards to four-year terms. The number of council members has decreased over the years...

 President Jay Westbrook
Jay Westbrook
Jay Westbrook is an American politician of the Democratic Party in Cleveland, Ohio. He presently represents Ward 16 in Cleveland City Council. He was first elected to council in 1980 and served as its president from 1990 to 1999.-External links:...

, along with Cuyahoga County Commissioners Tim Hagan
Tim Hagan
Timothy Hagan , a Democrat, is an American politician in Ohio.-Early life:Hagan was born and grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, as one of fourteen siblings . Hagan's father, Bob, was a Trumbull County Commissioner and, later, a State Representative. After graduating from Ursuline High School...

, Virgil Brown, Mary Boyle, and Jim Petro
Jim Petro
James M. “Jim” Petro is an American politician from the Republican Party, and a former Ohio Attorney General. Previously, Petro also served as Ohio State Auditor. Petro was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Ohio during the 2006 Ohio Primaries, but lost to Ken Blackwell...

. The group hastily coordinated a plan to finance the complex by asking county voters for a 15-year sin tax, styled after the Hexatron plan. The tax, which amounted to 1.9 cents on a can of beer, 1.5 cents per ounce of liquor, and 4.5 cents on a pack of cigarettes, would be a way get suburban county voters to pay for the project. But it required a countywide vote, which added it to the May primary election ballot as "Issue 2" in the hopes that it would pass with the normally light turnout.

There was heavy advertising both for and against Issue 2. There was also a Major League Baseball lockout
1990 Major League Baseball lockout
The 1990 Major League Baseball lockout was the seventh work stoppage in baseball since 1972. Beginning in February, it lasted 32 days and as a result, virtually wiped out all of spring training. Also because of the lockout, Opening Day was moved back a week to April 9...

 in February 1990 over player salaries. It directly threatened weaker teams, such as the Indians, that did not have the cushion of additional revenues from luxury boxes and other stadium amenities. Just days before the vote, baseball commissioner Fay Vincent
Fay Vincent
Francis Thomas "Fay" Vincent, Jr. is a former entertainment lawyer and sports executive who served as the eighth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from September 13, 1989 to September 7, 1992.-Early life and career:...

attended a city council finance committee meeting and stated, "should the vote [on Issue 2] be a negative one, we may find ourselves confronting a subject we want to avoid."

These factors helped drive a large turnout, as 49.6 percent of registered voters cast ballots. On May 8, 1990, Issue 2 passed by a slim 51% margin (198,390 to 185,209). A month later, Mayor White and Commissioner Hagan created Gateway Economic Development Corporation, a non-profit organization, and installed Chema as its executive director.

Both venues were completed in 1994. Todd Greathouse is the current executive director of the Gateway Economic Development Corporation.

External links

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