Atlanta firm of Cooper Carry is top choice to design the new Cuyahoga County convention hotel (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The Atlanta architecture firm of Cooper Carry, which helped plan the widely acclaimed Uptown development in Cleveland, is the top choice to design Cleveland’s new 650-room convention center hotel. An 11-member committee of county officials, lawyers and consultants recommended Cooper Carry as the top choice at a meeting of the Cuyahoga County Council Tuesday. Council President C. Ellen Connally said the recommendation would be reviewed by the council's economic development committee. Cleveland lawyer Jeffrey Appelbaum, who is advising the county on the project, said he anticipated approval of the recommended firm. “We think they’re going to be an inspiring choice for this project,” he said. “We’re very excited about working with them.” Appelbaum said the county will negotiate a contract with Cooper Carry. If negotiations fail, the county will negotiate with the second-ranked choice, the Chicago office of HOK. In the meantime, Appelbaum is seeking up to $1.5 million to allow Cooper Carry and other consultants to start design work immediately, even before the contract is negotiated. “It’s a full-court press to confirm programming and launch the schematic design,” Appelbaum said.

The hotel is a top priority of County Executive Ed FitzGerald, who wants the hotel to open by 2016 to boost the viability of the new, $465 million Cleveland Convention Center and interconnected Global Center for Health

Article Provided By: The Cleveland Plain Dealer