About


The Gordon Square Arts District is a world-class arts destination, anchored by its three major theatres, with unique shopping and fantastic dining options in the heart of Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. It was revitalized in the early 2000s through a joint campaign between DSCDO, Cleveland Public Theatre and Near West Theatre.

In the Gordon Square Arts District, arts and culture are part of the day-to-day experience of residents and visitors. Many of the artistic organizations in the district share values of equity, inclusion and social justice, and all offer free or low-cost opportunities among their programming.

The Gordon Square commercial district and Capitol Theatre cinema at West 65th Street and Detroit Avenue date back over 100 years. Read more about the history of Gordon Square here.

Special Improvement District

Gordon Square Arts District-Cleveland Improvement Corporation (GSAD-CIC) is a non-profit organization which administers additional services on behalf of property owners within the “Special Improvement District” (SID).

The SID includes many properties in the Gordon Square Arts District along Detroit Avenue between West 58th and West 74th Streets. (See this boundary map.)

SID services include holiday lighting, flowerbed and tree maintenance, safety escorts and patrols, litter clean-up, sidewalk and parking lot snow removal, marketing and support for special events.

The SID contracts with Northwest Neighborhoods CDC to manage vendors, administer finances, provide marketing and serve as primary contact for district needs.  Oversight of programs and services is provided by the SID Board of Directors and four working subcommittees: maintenance, marketing, safety and finance.

Meetings: The SID Board of Directors meets the third Wednesday at 9am during the following months: January, March, May, July, September, November (in addition to an annual membership meeting in November). Meetings are held either in-person at the Northwest Neighborhoods CDC office (6516 Detroit Ave, Suite 1) or via Zoom. Please contact program manager Chelsey Kovar at ckovar@nwneighborhoods.org or 216.961.4242 x302 for more information or for record requests.

For more information about the SID and its work, see these resources:


How is a Special Improvement District formed? Check out this overview by the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission.