One of Cleveland’s iconic buildings could get a major upgrade and offer new amenities for Cleveland State University students.  

Cleveland State’s 21-story Rhodes Tower, which opened in 1971, has been underutilized for years because it has unaddressed maintenance problems and it contains asbestos-laden building materials. But university officials are trying again to give the tower new life.

Renderings of Cleveland State’s latest plans reviewed by Signal Cleveland show a two-story glass entrance off Chester Avenue with a “monumental open stairwell.”

The plans also show new dorms with up to 500 beds. A typical floor would have 15 single rooms, nearly a dozen double rooms, and two rooms for resident assistants. There would be shared amenity spaces and work areas designated for collaboration.

Cleveland State Chief Financial Officer David Jewell said redoing the tower would “really activate” the campus by creating an inviting space that “would spur students to be active, to come out of class, do the things we want them to do, and be successful.”

Rhodes, with its “great Lake Erie views and downtown views of the skyline,” could really strike a chord with students wanting to learn and live in an urban setting, Jewell said. 

He added that revitalizing the tower could help add life to Cleveland State’s downtown campus as well as to the city in which it sits.  

Cleveland State deals with asbestos, aging infrastructure

The building, which features a brutalist concrete facade, currently houses classrooms, the library, and some offices. Though Cleveland State is relatively young – the university celebrates its 60th anniversary this year – its infrastructure is rapidly aging. 

In 2009, Cleveland State’s former vice president for business affairs told The Cleveland Plain Dealer it would be “a couple of years” before the tower’s 19th floor reopened after an asbestos exposure. The floor is still a ghost town today. 

Two water pipes burst in late 2022, damaging four floors of the library, including some of its special collections. Cleveland State staff tell Signal Cleveland they’ve long been concerned about the tower’s maintenance troubles, including unreliable elevators and a restroom being closed for nine months.  

Even if, hypothetically, officials wanted to demolish the building, it would be costly. Asbestos fireproofing – which is harmful in dust form – would have to be removed before demolition. 

“Whether we convert the tower to a residence hall or we revitalize it back to what its current uses are, either way, we need to abate the asbestos in the building,” said Jewell. 

The university already won what’s called a Brownfield Grant to help pay for the removal. They will soon issue a public request for bids for a planner to map it out. 

Raising money for renovated tower is towering challenge

The plan to pay for the tower’s renovation is complicated and comes as Cleveland State is currently trying to close a projected $40 million deficit. 

But Jewell said the money for Rhodes Tower would not come from the university’s operating budget. He said officials recently made moves to allow it to chase tax incentives and grants to help pay for it.  

Cleveland State recently transferred ownership of Rhodes Tower to Euclid Avenue Development Corporation. That’s the university’s real estate arm. The corporation, commonly referred to by its acronym, EADC, is now technically the university’s landlord. 

This, in part, allows the university to be eligible for historic tax credits and other funding. The university has already applied for some grants and should hear back this summer.  

Jewell also said EADC would finance the renovations and use revenue generated by the building to pay off the debt. 

Cleveland State introduced the Rhodes Tower renovations more than a year ago under the umbrella of its master plan. Things are moving ahead now with the transfer of the building to EADC. 

Listening to students and watching demand 

Jewell said the architecture firm working on the tower plans talked with students throughout the design process. Architects asked students for their thoughts on things such as room layouts, preferred amenities, and what they’d like to see in shared spaces. 

The bulk of students who attend the university are commuters. University officials said there is, in fact, more interest in students wanting to live on campus. Overall, though, there are far fewer students enrolling at the university. Cleveland State has seen about a 13% drop in enrollment over the past five years. Its fall 2023 enrollment clocked in at roughly 14,175 students. The number is expected to continue dropping.  

Another factor that could impact these plans is the work Cleveland State is doing with accounting and consulting firm Ernst & Young. EY’s recommendations could say the university doesn’t need any additional on-campus housing. 

Jewell said the university will reconcile the Rhodes Tower refresh with EY’s recommendations once the final report is issued later this spring.  

“This can’t be all ‘Field of Dreams,’” he said. “It can’t just be ‘Build it and they will come.’ That mentality doesn’t work for higher education any longer.” 

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