In reviewing REALNEO for material on the historic Cleveland U.S. Coast Guard Station, to accompany these November 25, 2009, photographs and Thanksgiving Day Pans of the Coast Guard site, I came across the May, 2006, REALNEO discussion "COAST GUARD IDEAS" about what should be done with the site... with a lengthy vision from "Citizen" Ed Hauser.
Ed Hauser was the most active citizen EVER fighting for preservation of the Coast Guard Station, in extension of his long battle to preserve the green spaces surrounding the station, called Whiskey Island . So, Ed had a very developed position on how the Coast Guard Station fit into a beautiful, bigger picture for this important gateway of Cleveland.
His recommendations below are from May 26, 2006, and there has not been any good progress toward following his advice or generally planning reuse of the facility, preserving it, or stabilizing it from further decay since - it has largely been abandoned and decaying for the 3+ years since Ed wrote these recommendations, and is currently open to the elements, vagrants, and scrappers, all of which are actively destroying the place today.
On December 17, 2006, I posted to REALNEO the following update on Ed's work to save the Coast Guard Station , which contemplated taking legal action to force the city of Cleveland, which owns the property, to "keep the properties secure and water tight":
Ed is taking next steps in his one man, multi-year battle to save the remarkable National Historic Landmark Coast Guard Station, at the tip of Whiskey Island, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga, designed by J. Milton Dyer, also architect of Cleveland City Hall. Ed mentioned to me he in the process of pressuring the city of Cleveland Law Director Robert Triozzi to seek a court order to force the city to comply with its own landmarks-preservation law, which requires owners of city landmarks to keep the properties secure and water tight, and, if the city fails to act responsibly and lawfully, Ed intends to file a citizens lawsuit against the city.
At the time, I indicated how little support there was among our other historic preservation leadership to save the Coast Guard Station:
Wasted years into the process, Kathleen Crowther, head of the Cleveland Restoration Society, is now quoted in the PD article saying "she has doubts that the Coast Guard station can be saved." "We always want to see landmarks saved," she said. "but we also want to be realistic."
Two years later, Ed Hauser was dead .
Three years later, the Dyer Coast Guard Station is in the decayed but still spectacular state it appears here, today.
The Coast Guard Station clearly may still be saved. But, we may need to file a citizens' lawsuit against the city of Cleveland, and we as a community must push for follow through on some of Ed's other recommendations, and come up with our own other plans to complete Ed's visioning, now that we and the Coast Guard Station are without Ed to lead the way.
We aren't doing so well, so far, are we?
Read on, enjoy a few more photos, and post your vision for the future of the historic Cleveland Coast Guard Station, in historic Cleveland... the head of the Cleveland Restoration Society has doubts that the Coast Guard station can be saved, and says we "want to be realistic".
What is realistic to you, real NEO?
Below is Ed Hauser's sensible vision for the future of the historic Milton Dyer U.S. Coast Guard Station, at Whiskey Island, Cleveland Harbor, posted as a comment to the "Coast Guard Ideas " discussion on REALNEO... still open for you to add your perspectives.
Submitted by
Ed Hauser on May 26, 2006 - 7:02pm.
Jeff- Thanks for getting this discussion going!
Here are my thoughts on this great discussion about the historic Cleveland Harbor Coast Guard Station. I think it should be restored to it's original spendor. The boathouse could have some theme with Great Lakes environmental and history education. The observation deck should be open for the spectacular views. The little garage could be a seasonal snack and beverage stand (similar to Edgewater).
Immediate "minimal repair" of the roof and structures to keep it from falling in on itself before it can be restored. Immediate repair of the pier so that the general public can see the disgraceful state this gem is in. Once everyone gets pissed off enough we will demand that our leaders take us and this property serious and FIX IT.
We need to put pressure on the Cleveland Matroparks to take ownership and operate the historic Coast Guard Station (city owned), Wendy Park (county owned) and Whiskey Island Marina (county owned). Until we get this package deal of our waterfront gems protected by the Metroparks, we will have to fight the Port Authority every year until Carney and Stark get their Port Development project approved and move gravel to Whiskey Island. If the Port gets control of Whiskey Island- I will not be interested to watch sunsets over mountains of gravel.
Over the last two months, the Friends of Whiskey Island have handed out over 800 postcards to citizens to send to the the Metroparks Commissioners in support of the Metroparks to acquire and operate the Coast Guard Station, Wendy Park and the Marina. We have collected about 300 of them that we will turn into the commissioners at their board meeting in the near future. Please join us, I'll let you know when we go.
In July 2005, Mayor Campbell, the County Commissioners agreed that the Metroparks should take over the Whiskey Island properties. The Metroparks said they would, once the Towpath Trail is completed to Whiskey Island. That may take seven to ten years, if ever. We can't fight the Port Authority for that long, because they will eventually win. Let's get the Metroparks to do the job that we pay them to do - acquire and conserve our precious natural resourses!
