CIM Receives 2020 Building the Circle Award

The Cleveland Institute of Music, NewBrook Partners, JGJ Construction and Vocon were recognized with University Circle Inc.’s 2020 Building the Circle Award for the student housing complex at 1609 Hazel that opened in July. 1609 Hazel, developed by NewBrook Partners in collaboration with CIM, is a five-story residential building with 22 acoustically isolated practice rooms, four floors of suite-style living for students, exercise studios, spacious lounges and much more.

After thanking UCI for this honor, Paul W. Hogle, CIM’s president and CEO, immediately recognized Chair Emeritus Richard J. Hipple for envisioning the opportunities a partnership like this could offer; Trustee and former chair of the CIM Facilities Committee Jeffrey Linton for his leadership and oversight; and CIM Senior Vice President Eric Bower for shepherding CIM through the entire process.

“Blueprint:100, the strategic plan CIM adopted in 2017, recognized and prioritized the need to address CIM’s student housing future in a next-generation way,” Hogle explained in 2019 when the project was announced. “This new project is the first purpose-built student housing in CIM’s 100-year history. By collaborating with NewBrook Partners, we are able to both provide an incredible space that will attract the world’s most talented classical music students to Cleveland, serve their needs exceptionally well and create a business model that allows the Institute to remain focused on raising the permanently endowed scholarships required to further lower CIM tuition.”

Chris Ronayne, president of UCI, reminded community members in July that “years ago, this street was really a parking lot, and today it feels more like a community. The fabric is what makes this area special. This is a UCI anchor institution because of CIM’s commitment to stay in place. A globally renowned place like University Circle starts with the incredible music at CIM.”

“If there such a thing as a cornerstone of the cornerstones, it would be our collaborators at NewBrook Partners,” Hogle added. Introduced to NewBrook by the Cleveland Institute of Art, where NBP also developed a new residence hall, Hogle said NewBrook would be an ensemble with whom we could collaborate that was patient with learning who we were. “They were refreshingly transparent, and the final product was and is a level of excellence to which we all aspire.”