Concert promoter sets opening date for new Flats venue for March 1

CLEVELAND — A major concert promoter is moving forward with plans for a new venue on the West Bank of the Flats, a neighborhood where industry and entertainment mingle.

AEG Presents announced Monday that it plans to open the Globe Iron on March 1. The name references the neighborhood’s history, where workers once built steam engines for freighters and later massive ships that sailed the Great Lakes.

The concert hall will occupy an old building at Elm Street and Spruce Avenue, in a pocket of the Flats that is mostly a parking lot. The gable-roofed structure is a rare surviving part of the Globe Iron Works foundry. In the 1990s, it housed the popular Metropolis nightclub.

It will now become an events space for 1,200 people, with a large courtyard outside.

AEG unveils plans to transform the building, part of the old Globe Iron Works foundry, into a concert hall. — AEG is unveiling plans to transform the building, part of the old Globe Iron Works foundry in the Flats, into a concert venue.

The project is a joint investment by AEG Presents and Jacobs Entertainment Inc., owner of the block and numerous other properties on the West Bank.

AEG Presents already operates the nearby Jacobs Pavilion, an outdoor venue that seats 4,900. The company also operates Agora, which has a capacity of about 2,000.

Globe Iron’s smaller footprint will allow the company to attract more up-and-coming artists to Cleveland. AEG has comparable venues in other cities, including Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Rendering shows the proposed location of the Globe Iron concert hall on the West Bank of the Flats.

The company declined an interview request on Monday.

In a press release, an AEG regional manager said the venue will be a “must-play venue,” with state-of-the-art sound and lighting, excellent visibility and “a unique setting that provides a truly great experience and supports our goal of bringing more concerts to Cleveland.”

The building will also host corporate events, weddings and fundraisers. Renderings by LDA Architects show the courtyard will be an extension of the venue, with space for cocktail parties at high tables or formal seating in rows of chairs.

The Globe Iron project visualization shows a large courtyard.

The Cleveland City Planning Commission approved the designs in June – after making one major change to the overall project.

Initially, Jacobs hoped to demolish the adjacent building to make more space for parking and a covered entrance to the facility.

But the commission and members of the city’s Design Review Board balked. The four-story brick building at 2320 Center St. was also part of the Globe Iron Works. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Globe Iron Works Building and has been vacant for years.

Jacobs withdrew his demolition application. And AEG revised its plans.

During the June planning commission meeting, Chairwoman Lillian Kuri praised the design team for its willingness to adapt.

“It’s going to be a really cool project,” she said. “It’s very Cleveland. … It’s not all cleaned up and Disneyland.”

Aerial visualization shows the proposed Globe Iron complex at the Flats.

Jacobs, a gaming and entertainment company, has said little about its plans for the Center Street building and other underutilized properties in the district.

In an emailed statement Monday, a Jacobs executive said the Globe Iron project is the result of a successful three-year partnership with AEG at the Jacobs Pavilion.

“We are pleased with their interest in redesigning the Foundry Building to further expand the live entertainment options in the area,” wrote Patrick McKinley, executive vice president of Jacobs. “This investment will expand the range of unforgettable experiences already available at Flats West Bank.”

Dominick Hubbard can see the old foundry from the parking lot of Shooters on the Water, a riverfront restaurant that has been in operation for almost 37 years.

He was excited about the news of the ongoing revival.

Dominick Hubbard is the Customer Service Manager at Shooters on the Water in the Flats. — Dominick Hubbard is the front-of-house manager at Shooters on the Water, on the West Bank of the Flats. He’s excited to see the newest music venue in the area.

“I think it’s amazing,” said Hubbard, Shooters’ customer service manager. “One of the things about the West Bank is that we feed off each other… business to business.”

Katarina Martinez, who lives in a nearby apartment building, was initially skeptical about the idea of another venue in the area. After all, there’s already Jacobs Pavilion and the Music Box Supper Club, a more intimate concert venue and waterfront restaurant.

“But,” she said, “someone approached me recently…it’s a rock ‘n’ roll town. So more venues means more music.”

Martinez hopes the project will lead to other things, too. She moved here from New York in 2019 and works remotely from the apartment she shares with her boyfriend and two pugs, Maizey and Pablo.

“We are very excited about everything that is changing and growing here,” she said.

At Shooters, Hubbard hopes things won’t change much. He’s excited about the prospect of preserving history — the buildings and businesses that make this part of Cleveland’s waterfront special — while also creating new destinations in the area.

“I think one thing that’s still missing is that constant need and desire to come to the West Bank,” said Hubbard, who started working at Shooters as a short-term gig but quickly discovered a place where he wanted to stay.

“Knowing that someone else will come to join their family in the West Bank is huge,” he said. “It’s huge news.”