What happens when rugged downtown Cleveland catches the eye of real estate developer Dalad Group? The answer is a one-of-a-kind artistic makeover.
An abandoned building turned-upscale apartment complex stationed in the heart of the Warehouse District became the cultural phenomenon downtown Cleveland needed. After sitting empty for two decades, the deserted buildings were tackled by the Dalad Group, but only one would become the site of the Worthington Yards Apartments and its associated art initiative, YARDS Projects.
A partnership between YARDS Projects’ director Liz Maugans and Dalad Group president Neil Viny was just the ticket to make this happen.
Since the 1940s, the Dalad Group has specialized in renovating properties, converting them into luxurious spaces and wowing the city’s residents with their knack for sprucing up untamed environments. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that a prominent project began in the Warehouse District.
History of the Warehouse District
“Back then, Dalad assembled 60% of the Warehouse District, about 1.5 million square feet,” said Viny, whose family owns the Dalad Group.
Viny confides that despite the lack of street visibility and absence of windows, the family’s innate interest in vintage warehouse spaces with “quirky exposed structural members” was the motivator for diving in. This history of remodeling the area served as the foundation for the 2017 $32 million transformation of five abandoned buildings into 98 upscale living spaces in the heart of the Warehouse District.
Worthington Yards Art Gallery grand opening
It was in one building where Viny saw what others missed — an opportunity to implement an art gallery that would cohabit with residents. Partnering with Maugans, director of YARDs Projects and former executive director of Zygote Press, the duo set out to curate an artist’s dream. In 2020, they celebrated the grand opening of Worthington Yards Apartments and two other integral projects: the YARDS Projects art gallery and the Dalad Collection.
Just downstairs from Worthington Yards’ tenants are portraits and conversation-starting pieces by local artists. It was this opportunity to display passionate imagery reflecting the climate of Cleveland that drew Maugans to the scene. Her wealth of experience in the artistic world is woven throughout each exhibition she oversees. In addition to her role as an adjunct professor at Cleveland State University and holding the Haddad Arts Mentor position for studio art and art history, Maugans spearheads the curatorial concepts for the Worthington Yards Project. Though the themes for each exhibition may change, inclusivity and representation remain at the core.
Diverse and community-building art projects
“I am from a school where diversity of creativity rules the roost,” Maugans said. “I thematically pull together the shows with inclusion and belonging at the center.”
This deep commitment to diversity was demonstrated when photographer Donald Black Jr., served as a guest curator for the gallery. His niche of African American art, paired with poet (as well as wife and collaborator) Ali Black, was a complementary element to the gallery’s mission.
Along with both founders’ vision for quality artwork that exudes beauty is the desire for community building and social impact. Though art imitates life, art can also impact it. With this in mind, Maugans created the “Resident’s Select Show,” which allows artists to submit their work and for Worthington Yards residents to make their selections from among those exhibiting in the show. This program serves as a bridge between the building’s artists and art lovers.
Another outlet for community engagement reached outside the apartment’s walls. Maugans’ program, “Art Ventures,” offers opportunities for attendees to act as creative explorers. On Saturday mornings, attendees meet for their choice of coffee, mimosas and donuts to hear the featured artist expound on their work. The group then takes a field trip off-grounds to the artist’s studio to view their work first-hand.
This creative engagement designed to forge unity in the city satisfied a great need, especially following the loneliness of the pandemic. In fact, the gala opened only three days before COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency. Viny and Maugans resisted being deterred by this worldwide crisis. Instead, their determination brought more than 400 attendees to the grand opening they had worked so hard to curate. With each challenge that mounted, the solutions-oriented founders found a way.
Pandemic creativity
To continue helping artists navigate the pandemic, Maugans executed “Art Made in the Shutdown.” Featuring more than 250 artists, this event was necessary for artists hit hard financially whose shows were canceled due to the pandemic.
“I had timed gallery hours, so people felt comfortable,” said Maugans. “We had Zoom meetings where artists could talk about their experiences during this time. I also sold over 50 works from this show, so artists were able to make some money.”
Additionally, attendees could schedule tours and meeting times to view artwork while wearing masks.
Then and now
The Worthington Yards adaptive reuse project has taken on a life of its own, branching out of the confines of a single building. The dexterous renovation of Dalad and the keen eye of Maugans synergized to form Viny’s vision and then some. With downtown’s downfall, as exhibited by once-frequented malls such as Tower City, the gallery is an answered prayer for the deserted area, bringing back beauty to an environment notoriously known for the opposite.
For those who have been around a while, this statement rings especially true. In the 1970s, Don Harvey, a local artist, was a resident in the Warehouse District back when it was illegal to be a resident. He witnessed firsthand the transformation the Dalad Group initiated in 1984 when it became legal to develop old warehouses.
“In the 1980s, there wasn’t much street life,” Harvey said. “Then restaurants popped up. People moved in. It became more trendy. Buildings became mixed with artists and regular tenants, so artists had to relocate because their artistry was disturbing other residents, but it was bustling.”
This bustling is evident at other mixed-use spaces the Dalad Group has created, such as The Hat Factory and Tinnerman Lofts. Such buildings are the new wave of culture and class that only an art patron of Viny’s caliber could concoct. His partnership with Maugans, whom Harvey references as “a force in the art world,” puts the Worthington Yards Gallery in a league of its own.
However, even with the innovative practice of renovating old buildings, the city’s history is incorporated too. The gallery’s current show, The Sage Wisdom Exhibition, celebrates artists over 65 who have kept their creative fingers on Cleveland’s artistic pulse. These spaces of honor and prestige exist all because two visionaries collaborated on what is now the Worthington Yards Gallery.
Previously belittled by naysayers, this hidden jewel is proof of that age-old saying: beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.
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