Project Detail Pages: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Discovering The Cleveland Centre Concept
The Cleveland Centre Plan encompassed the Columbus Peninsula fostering the idea of circulation to develop a lateral route across the river valley. The circulation in the landscape puts an indelible stamp on our psyche.
After more than 189 years of gradual change we discover the comprehensive city centre landmark still emulates the enclosure of an observatory, tracking the movement of daylight in the sequence of seasonal change. Here Cleveland was given the shared nature of an understanding, orienting local productivity to social and natural laws with the cultures and economies of the world.
“An island of soul lifting land found in the clutter of over-industry.”
“We hold these truths to be self evident” ~ The Declaration of Independence
“Newton learned that the secret is in geometric arrangement and the movement of the celestial bodies”
The figure of Sir Isaac Newton looms large over the concept of a mechanical universe. In his journals he describes the world as clockwork; “An immaterial force guides the whole of creation, its presence manifesting through such phenomena as motion and gravity.” Cleveland Centre is a resurrection modeling Sir Isaac Newton’s truth, following life cycles that coincide with the Equinox and Solstice transitions and linking human order to the phenomenal world.
Rediscovering The Cleveland Centre Concept
“To unfold the beauty and happiness and mastery of life man shall be helped through incarnation”- Proverbs
From the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 an intensified American migration to the west was already well underway, making inroads where rivers and inland waterways allowed dependable internal transport. After the War of 1812 a more distinct character formed that included dramatic political innovations with the surge of western settlements. To strengthen bonds, the concept of centrality formed stable and legitimate federations, providing efficiency and effectiveness for individuals and minority groups to build larger communities.
In pre-electric America all people knew the relationship between matter and spirit was manifested in nature, traditionally represented in the “Tree of Life”, symbol of seasonal cycles growth and self-renewal.
“Man is a tree of the field” – Deuteronomy 20:19
Putting people in contact with their own divinity the “Tree of Life” etymology refers to time, infinitely bound through the genesis of soul and humanity. The “Tree of Life” is life itself, expressing a movement toward a source and a movement toward life in the Cleveland Centre Plan. Here Cleveland was given the shared nature of an understanding, orienting local productivity to social and natural laws with the cultures and economies of the world.
“To everything there is a season, there is a purpose and grace for all” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
“An island of soul lifting land…”
Project Detail Pages: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
