Midtown Collaboration - Interiors

Midtown Collaboration Center (MCC) – Design Narrative
The Midtown Collaboration Center in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood is a model of architecture as a catalyst for community empowerment and urban revitalization. Its Euclid Avenue façade presents a simple, symmetrical form rooted in historic context, while the north façade becomes dynamic and transparent, inviting the community into the space. The main entrance, oriented to East 66th Street, features a curved gesture of open arms, connecting directly with the street and reflecting ongoing neighborhood revitalization.

Terracotta façades complement the Cleveland Foundation Headquarters’ timber and cedar, with a custom scalloped rainscreen inspired by the historic Hough Bakery menu lace pattern. This layering of materiality creates rich textures, shifting shadows, and a welcoming, approachable presence. First-floor offsets and an “outdoor living room” scale the building to pedestrians while activating public interaction.

Inside, flexible coworking, educational programs, and entrepreneurial resources support engagement, learning, and community growth. Tenants include Cleveland’s first Black-owned brewery, Black Frog Brewery, and Pearl’s Kitchen, reinforcing cultural identity and economic empowerment. A prominent mural, Growth From Within, celebrates local pride and creativity.
Through its thoughtful materiality, spatial openness, and programmatic diversity, the MCC exemplifies how architecture can foster inclusion, celebrate heritage, and catalyze positive change in urban neighborhoods.