Code,951016
Subject,William Blunden
Date,8/29/2006
Interviewer,Nina Gibans
Abstract,"William Blunden arrived in Cleveland in the mid 1960s, working for architects Dalton and Dalton and Don Hisaka before starting his own firm.  In this 2006 interview, Blunden discusses the development and deterioration of Cleveland's Euclid Avenue and speaks more broadly on how he believes Cleveland can remain a viable city while dealing with the loss of population and business. Blunden stresses the need for strong leadership and creative ideas in carrying out new development plans that take advantage of the city's many assets.  He also is critical of what he sees as  the wasteful and uneconomical demolition of old buildings, arguing for preservation and rehabilitation of such structures.  Blunden talks briefly about some of his own work and also points out the importance of supporting Cleveland's architectural community, calling on Cleveland's leaders to use local architects more readily."
Special Notes,"architecture, urban design, euclid avenue, csu student center"
minutes:,
0,"introduction and background: Lima, OH (history, description, changes)"
1,
2,"america in the 1950s: ""still had a certain innocence"""
3,"military experience, education, early interest in architecture"
4,reasons of moving to cleveland
5,
6,"education (schools, curriculum, influential instructors, etc.)"
7,
8,
9,Early career: moving to cleveland
10,Dalton and Dalton
11,Don Hisaka
12,Millionaires Row/Euclid Avenue:  anecdote about delivery driver pre-World War I
13,
14,
15,"CSU Student Center, planned demolition:  ""americans have very short attention spans…"""
16,appraisal of Don Hisaka's design
17,standards in architecture
18,"Architecture, Cleveland:  institutional politics"
19,support for local architectural community
20,
21,
22,"Cleveland, urban issues:  business leadership"
23,"Arcade:  ""that building is a jewel"", renovation, importance"
24,"""as you go down euclid avenue, it’s the old buildings that stand out"""
25,"Cleveland Trust Rotunda/Breuer Building:  appraisal, importance, need for preservation"
26,"Cleveland, urban issues:  leadership, renewal plans"
27,"Public Square:  a working definition, viability of redesign"
28,
29,northwest quadrant
30,value of historic buildings
31,Euclid Corridor Transportation Project:  evaluation
32,"Cleveland, urban issues:  economic stagnation, loss of corporate dollars and leadership"
33,"models for success: Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN"
34,
35,"demolitions, civic leadership"
36,
37,"depopulation, changing economy"
38,
39,need for a realistic definition of success
40,regional cooperation
41,"Lake Front:  Cleveland Browns Stadium, Convention Center"
42,"Convention Center, plan:  ""it should be a priority"""
43,
44,"convention centers in San Francisco, CA and Baltimore, MD"
45,"Cleveland, urban issues: timing, need for competitive housing development"
46,need for innovation
47,"Cleveland, Assets:  University Circle (""the best thing about cleveland""), Lake Erie, medical industry, Public Library.  (need to build up from these unique bases)"
48,
49,
50,"University Circle:  evaluation, need for further development"
51,"Cleveland, transportation:  historic consequences of highway construction"
52,possible benefits in long-term
53,"Euclid Avenue:  decline ""has been very hard to watch"""
54,downtown vacancies
55,downtown retail
56,"Cleveland, urban issues:  leadership"
57,"Lake Front:  Burke Lake Front Airport; need for ""city-driven development"""
58,"Cleveland, urban issues:  need for long-term planning and unified vision"
59,
60,"Architecture, Cleveland:  support for local architectural community"
61,Wal-Mart analogy
62,
63,Cleveland State University's plan for new student center
64,other local projects using out-of-town architects
65,Architecture:  growing uniformity of American cities
66,the problem of celebrity architects
67,"Architecture,  early career and projects:"
68,Cleveland Public Library Branch
69,"Lakeshore Christian Church (lakewood), Adult Training Center (I-480)"
70,"City Halls (macedonia, suburban cincinnatti), Cleveland Clinic, CWRU Library furniture"
71,"Oberlin College, Unity Church (westlake)"
72,demolished community center
73,design philosophy
74,
75,cleveland state university student center
76,