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The Cleveland Metroparks and its partners today broke ground on the Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center, a world-class community center coming to the East 55th Street Marina in Cleveland. When complete in 2026, the center’s two new structures will comprise the first community sailing center of its kind along Lake Erie in Ohio, offering stunning views of the Downtown Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie sunsets.
The project will provide unprecedented public access and sailing opportunities to the region, thanks to major support from partners including from Mayfield Heights-based Parker Hannifin Corp., Madeleine Parker, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation and The Cleveland Foundry.
Construction on the $18.5 million Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center is expected to be completed in 2026. The development team is led by Whiting Turner Contracting Co. of Baltimore. Others include Osborn Engineering, Terracon, HBM Architects, and S&ME. NEOtrans broke the story on this project way back in 2022.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Cleveland Metroparks unveiled the new structures and their features in this upcoming project. The east building of the Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center will feature two stories of multi-purpose learning spaces, indoor and outdoor community areas, dining and a marina store.
Totaling nearly 24,000 square feet, the education space will house two sailing simulators and, for the first time, bring indoor waterfront dining to the East 55th Street Marina. Outdoor dining will be available on the first level as well as the Washkewicz Rooftop Terrace.
The second building, the nearly 4,000-square-foot Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Boathouse, will sit to the west end of the marina. It will serve as the sailing hub with boat and equipment storage, multipurpose spaces plus a covered exterior classroom space.
The Sailing Center will be fully accessible, featuring adaptive equipment and wheelchair-accessible amenities, exceeding ADA standards by incorporating universal design principles.
“We are excited to break ground on the Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center, a project that will expand access to our lakefront and bring forth new recreation and education opportunities, as well as enhanced guest amenities for all members of our community,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman in a written statement.
“This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a welcoming destination along our lakefront and strengthens our ongoing collective efforts to better serve east side communities through projects like the Mandel Community Trail, enhancements to Gordon Park South and the CHEERS initiative,” he said.
The Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center will serve as a year-round anchor for the community and be a vibrant lakefront destination for sporting and community events, education and water-based recreation. The facility will offer public programs that bring the benefits of sailing to families and individuals who have historically faced economic barriers, preventing them from participating in the sport.
“The Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center will allow residents of our hometown to access new recreational opportunities, build skills and connect with our region’s lakefront,” said Jenny Parmentier, chairman and CEO of Parker Hannifin.
“This investment is also about strengthening our community through participation in the sport of sailing, something Parker Hannifin has a strong connection to dating back to the son of our founder and former Chairman and CEO Pat Parker,” she explained. “This new innovative community asset has the potential to positively impact generations.”
“Giving back to the community was important to him,” reflected Madeleine Parker about her late husband Patrick Parker, who died in 2005. Patrick Parker’s legacy of sailing, innovation and philanthropy moved Mrs. Parker to give the lead gift in his name. “He would be happy to have his name on this sailing center.”
The Sailing Center will connect the City of Cleveland’s harbor to the city’s cultural hub of University Circle through its location along the Mandel Community Trail, currently under construction along North Marginal Road from East 9th to East 55th streets and set to open in 2026.
Despite being situated along a major river and a great lake, many Cleveland residents have never experienced direct water-based recreation, as over 90 percent of Lake Erie’s shoreline within Cuyahoga County is privately owned with no public access.
“Lake Erie is one of our greatest regional assets and this innovative effort is a continuation of our recent investments to strengthen community connections and opportunity along our lakefront,” said Jehuda Reinharz, president and CEO of the Mandel Foundation.
“Together, we are breaking down physical, economic and social barriers to enhance the quality of life for our region, particularly in our neighborhoods closest to the lakefront who have been historically disconnected,” he said.
The Sailing Center will host year-round Sailing STEM programming for schools & community partnership organizations under the operation of The Cleveland Foundry at the Charlie Britton Sailing School.
Programming will include Youth Learn-to-Sail, Youth Learn-to-Race, Interscholastic Racing, Adult Basic Series, Community Dinghy Race Nights, Family Sailing Basics and more. The Foundry will also provide Ohio Boating Safety and Education Classes and Water Safety Certifications classes to the community.
By expanding the reach of sailing instruction and hands-on educational experiences, the Foundry brings to the public a progressive pathway of learning opportunities designed to safely grow knowledge and access to the sport of sailing for all of Northeast Ohio.
Since 2016, The Foundry has partnered with Cleveland Metroparks across its locations to expand its sailing operations, break down socio-economic barriers and improve public access to the sport and the lakefront.
“The Foundry’s mission is to make rowing and sailing programs accessible, remove financial and experiential barriers and build a community that can fully embrace our great lakefront,” said Foundry Executive Director Gina Trebilcock.
“The Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center, inspired by Patrick S. Parker, former Chairman and CEO of Parker Hannifin, who was an avid sailor and Cleveland philanthropist, will provide our community direct lakefront access, grow our reach to schools, neighborhoods and community centers and make Cleveland a leader in the sport of sailing,” Trebilcock added.
To date, project funds have been raised through leadership gifts from Parker Hannifin Corporation, Madeleine Parker, Pam and Don Washkewicz, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation, and through other significant gifts including those from Cleveland Foundation, Mike and Gina Trebilcock, The Foundry, The Dedinsky Family Charitable Fund, other private funders and state and local grants.
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