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THE GINGKOS OF JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE IN CLEVELAND, OHIOSubmitted by Satinder P S Puri on Fri, 12/20/2019 - 21:48.
THE GINGKOS OF JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE IN CLEVELAND, OHIO I love the gingko tree.
GINGKO TREES: The gingkos are small and slender trees -- native to China and have fan shaped leaves. The gingko has shown up in fossil records dating back to 270 million years. VOW! 270,000,000 years old!
There were a few of them in midtown Manhattan in New York City – where my late wife (Sarah Clingain Puri) and I used to go for frequent day trips. Both of us also worked there. We lived in the borough of Queens before moving to Cleveland in 2001. For years I did not see any gingkos in Cleveland. There is one lone gingko – a short distance outside Riverside Elementary School (14601 Montrose Avenue) on Cleveland’s west side. I am not sure when I first saw it considering that I am a volunteer teacher at the school – this is my 15th year.
JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE:
The historic Public Square (opened in 1796) underwent a $50 million renovation. The renovated Square opened on June 30, 2016 in time for the Republican National Convention – where Donald J. Trump (45th U.S. President) was nominated as the party’s nominee.
The Square has been nicknamed the Jimmy Dimora Public Square because of corruption involved in the project.
The Square has nine gingko trees (by my count). Some of the gingkos appear in more than one photograph. I have been observing them since 2016.
OCTOBER 26. 2019:
On the early afternoon of Saturday. October 26, 2019 – an overcast day with a temperature of 50 deg. F and a light drizzle -- I was passing by the Square on my way to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Some of the gingkos had changed color and this caught my eye. I photographed them against the background of buildings in and around the Square – some of them historic buildings. Not all of the leaves had changed color uniformly – some were bright yellow and some were brown.
And not all the leaves were on – a few trees had nearly shed all their leaves. Also, the brightness of the foliage was affected by the subdued daylight falling on the trees. PHOTOGRAPHS: The gingko trees were photographed with buildings in the background. The names of the buildings have been listed to provide context to the setting. In the first photograph – the Jack Casino is in the background. The casino opened on May 24, 2012 in the former Higbee Department Store which in turn opened on September 1932. The new Rebol restaurant in the Square is on the right.
I have been carrying the Welcome Jimmy Dimora Public Square sign – ever since the Square opened in June 2016. I still carry it where ever I go in Cleveland. It is now part of Performance Art – a sign with patriotic colors and a cryptic message that invites curiousity, comments, and conversations.The sign has been seen by thousands. It is on the Internet, on Youtube, and in the records of The Plain Dealer/
In the second and third photographs – the Jack Casino is on the left and the landmarked 52-story Terminal Tower (opened on June 28. 1930) is on the right.
In the fourth photograph – the Renaissance Hotel (opened on December 16. 1918) is in the back.
 In the fifth and sixth photographs – the modern 22-story building in the back is the former Illuminating Building and now the First National Bank Building.
The Old Stone Church is in the back (left of center) in the seventh photograph. The landmarked church was dedicated on August 12, 1855.
The 57-story Key Tower with an almost leafless gingko is in the eighth photograph.
The landmarked Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil War Monument – opened on July 4, 1894 is part of the new Square and shown in the back of the ninth photograph.
The 45-story Huntington Bank Building (opened in 1981) and the 125-foot high black Quincy granite shaft of the S&S Monument can be seen in the tenth photograph.
The historic May Company Department Store Building – opened in 1915 – is on the back (left side) in the 11th and 12th photographs.
 The historic 9-story Park Building with a brick facade, opened in 1904, first used for offices and now converted to condominiums is on the back in the 13th and last photograph.
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