This illustration shows a proposed pedestrian bridge that would connect the Horseshoe Casino to its parking garage. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With Cleveland's looming winter as a backdrop, the Horseshoe Casino's landlord will try to clear the way for construction of a skywalk linking the casino to its parking garage.
At a Nov. 15 hearing, Forest City Enterprises will ask a National Park Service appeals officer to overturn the agency's rejection of a bridge to the second floor of the casino, located in the historic former Higbee store on Public Square. The park service oversees the National Register of Historic Places, which includes the Higbee Building and the rest of the Tower City Center complex.
The project could go ahead without the agency's approval, but Forest City would forfeit tax credits. The company filed the appeal nearly a year ago and has asked more than once to reschedule the hearing.
Forest City spokesman Jeff Linton could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The glass-enclosed 170-foot bridge would pass diagonally over Prospect Avenue and Ontario Street, providing casino-goers with a sense of security and sheltering them from foul weather.
In the meantime, the Horseshoe recently began a 24-hour van shuttle that runs between the garage and casino every 10 minutes.
City Council amended skywalk paperwork on Monday, substituting the name of Rock Ohio Caesars, owner of the five-month-old casino, for USA Parking Systems, a Rock affiliate. Jomarie Wasik, the city's director of capital projects, told council members that she thought the skywalk construction might begin soon.
Rock Ohio spokeswoman Jennifer Kulczycki called the revision routine. She said that the company remained interested in having the bridge but that she did not know whether action was imminent.
Among the project's critics is the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, which recommended that the park service reject the skywalk. The office's Judith Kitchen wrote that the bridge would be a "conspicuous and out-of-character addition" to Tower City.
The skywalk needs only a building permit from Mayor Frank Jackson's administration to proceed, but council members Matt Zone and Zack Reed, who both oppose the project, held out hope they can apply political pressure to stop construction.
The two also oppose a proposed skywalk that would connect a Westin Hotel -- a former Crowne Plaza closed for renovation until next year -- to historic Public Auditorium. The auditorium will be connected to a convention center and medical mart now under construction.
Zone and Reed said the bridges would obstruct sweeping vistas envisioned as part of a 1903 plan for arranging public buildings in downtown Cleveland. Councilman Joe Cimperman, who represents downtown, said the bridges, properly designed, could mesh with surroundings while benefiting development.
"We are talking about projects that yield jobs," Cimperman said. "Historic preservation, at its heart, is still about economic development.