Twice rejected by Cleveland Planning Commission, the $21 billion international coatings company has made no move to improve its “unwelcoming” design.
(Cleveland, Ohio) Sherwin Williams, the international paint and coatings company with annual revenue of $21 billion, has been very hard to reach to get feedback on its rejected design for public plaza in front of the world headquarters presently under construction in Cleveland, Ohio, according to Cleveland citizen Jeff Barge, chief success officer of Lucky Star Public Relations and a critic of the design.
According to Barge, an “unsatisfactory design” was first submitted to the Cleveland Planning Commission by the company’s architects, Pickard Chilton, in a November 2021 meeting.
“According to planning commission member August Fluker, that design was rejected,” says Barge.
Although changes were requested in November 2021, the identical design was submitted again in a June 2022 planning commission meeting, according to statements made by Fluker. That design was “tabled” to an unspecified date, according to notes of the meeting.
“That really demonstrates a great level of arrogance on the part of New Haven-based architect, Pickard Chilton, and of Sherwin Williams itself, that it would totally ignore the request of the city planning commission and submit the same design twice,” says Barge. “It’s a real slap in the face.”
Barge has contacted William Chilton, Anthony Markese, Nancy Clayton and other architects at Pickard Chilton to get their response to the city’s request for changes, but has gotten no response, he says.
Nor has he gotten any response from emails sent to John Morikis, CEO at Sherwin Williams, and Deru Landscape Architects, which was involved in the design.
According to Barge, critics of the plaza design say it is unimaginative and more appropriate for a suburban office park, with no seating or tables provided for Sherwin Williams employees and pedestrians, no provision for bicycle parking, no space for food trucks, and no centerpiece such as a water feature.
“A reflecting pool, fountain or waterfall would be very appropriate,” says Barge. “Cleveland is a water city, situated on both a Great Lake and a river,” says Barge.
The present design does not even include a drinking fountain, says Barge.
According to a recent email from Don Petit, a Cleveland city planner who recently retired, Sherwin Williams has submitted no new plans and has made no request for a hearing on the plaza.
On Pickard Chilton’s website, the company writes: “All aspects of Pickard Chilton’s work are animated by the belief in the transformative power of research-driven design to deliver high-performance buildings that create measurable value for our clients, produce an engaging and productive environment, and build better communities. Research is an integral part of our design process, and the firm invests in explorations that significantly expand our ability to serve the needs of our clients.”
“This just is not true,” says Barge. “They are the least responsive company I have ever dealt with. They have done no research that I know of. I wonder if they are even aware of the current transformation of downtown Cleveland to a highly dense residential neighborhood with tens of thousands of residents. Their design does not interact with the living city.”
Barge concludes that he hopes Sherwin Williams will eventually produce a design that welcomes and inspires the thousands of international visitors the site will see every year.
