Architecture & Creative Placemaking
Grammar Studio

Client: Hingetown Redevelopment

Striebinger Building
Cleveland, OH

How might a building become a hub for a creative and entrepreneurial community?

When we bought the Striebinger Block in 2013, it was failing structurally and facing foreclosure. We were able to negotiate the purchase of the building rather than let it fall to an out-of-town buyer who had committed to demolish the building. Instead, we were able to structurally rebuild the building from the inside out, and to bring in young entrepreneurs to open businesses in several of the retail spaces. We also worked with other existing retail businessowners to ensure they could keep their spaces and continue operating.

The seven apartments above each have different floor plans and incorporate salvaged materials and refinished pieces from the original building, including original clawfoot tubs and enamel sinks.

We got a grant from the regional sewer district to design and install a large outdoor living wall, which uses rainwater collected from the roof and stored in basement cisterns to irrigate the wall through a recirculating process. Approximately 2,000 native, drought-resistant plants provide a home on the wall for butterflies and other insects.


Credit: Grammar Studio