Riverview Welcome Center

The Irishtown Bend project is an ambitious undertaking that has the potential to transform a section of the Cuyahoga River Valley into a regional asset. The scope and scale of the project is such that it will take a number of years before it is completed. To that end, shorter-term interventions on the hilltop along West 25th Street will be completed as progress toward the larger park vision occurs.

One such completed initiative is the transformation of the former community center at the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority’s (CMHA’s ) Riverview Terrace into a revitalized public gathering space, gallery, and outdoor plaza that will complement the future development of Irishtown Bend.

Malaz Elgemiabby, a Sudanese interdisciplinary designer living in Cleveland, led the redesign of the space. As part of the 2019 Cleveland Foundation’s Creative Fusion artist residency program, Elgemiabby worked extensively in Ohio City, specifically with CMHA residents, to reimagine the existing community center. The outcomes of her engagement process included a community photography project and improvements to transform the center into a usable space and to ensure its integration into Irishtown Bend’s overall transformation.