By the end of 2026, more than 210,000-square-foot Cleveland Clinic interdisciplinary center will serve as a performance training facility for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the community and athletes from around the world (Populous). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
First Bedrock-developed facility in its riverfront plan
Today, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Clinic and Bedrock Real Estate revealed the first official renderings of the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center. Pending city approvals, groundbreaking on the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center is anticipated before the end of 2024.
Situated on Collision Bend of the Cuyahoga River in Downtown Cleveland, the center will focus on enhancing athletes’ overall performance and serve as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ new home. For 15 years, the Cavs practice facility has been located at the Cleveland Clinic Courts in suburban Independence. The new facility, measuring more than 210,000 square feet, is slated to be one of the world’s largest training facilities, according to the Cavs and the Clinic.
Designed by the Kansas City-based architectural firm Populous, the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center will be the first vertical development of Bedrock’s Cuyahoga Riverfront Master Plan, a $3.5 billion vision for the city of Cleveland that will focus on 35 acres of the riverfront, prioritizing accessibility and sustainability. Work began last August to replace riverside bulkheads so it could support construction of a building behind it.
Officials involved in the project said this latest evolution in the partnership between the Cavaliers and the Cleveland Clinic will create a lasting community asset that invites elite and everyday athletes from around the world to Cleveland. It also aims to position the city as a global sports science and wellness destination.
For the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center to rise at Collision Bend on the Cuyahoga River, steel bulkheads along the water’s edge are being replaced and a kayak boat launch added. About to begin is demolition of the Eagle Avenue lift bridge over the river and a return of the Eagle Ramp, seen above and to the left of the new performance center (Populous).
“This project is the first step in creating a more vibrant and growth-oriented neighborhood, transforming the look and feel of downtown,” said Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavaliers chairman and Bedrock founder and chairman, in a written statement. “We are grateful to our partners at the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic for their support with this very important and exciting project that will ignite our new vision for the riverfront.”
First revealed by NEOtrans, the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center is a substantial investment in the long-term sustainability and future of the Cavaliers franchise. The center will bring together a unique hub of resources to help extend the lifespan of players’ careers and is intended to help athletes from throughout Greater Cleveland “attain their highest potential.”
“The vision and functionality of this state-of-the-art facility will be a generational game changer for the Cleveland Cavaliers,” said Koby Altman, Cavaliers president of basketball operations. “The overall investment in this project speaks to how much the franchise prioritizes the well-being of our players, while also delivering exceptional resources to enhance their skills to an elite level.”
The Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center will offer comprehensive care for the general public, including athletes of all sports and levels, with access to testing and high-tech training equipment and devices, along with expert professionals from a variety of specialties, including orthopedic surgery, sports medicine, cardiology, pulmonology, exercise physiology, neurology, nutrition, psychology and genetics.
A ground-level view of the new center, as seen from the new kayak boat launch along the Cuyahoga River. In the background is the Lorain-Carnegie bridge and the George Voinovich Bridges for Interstate 90 (Populous).
“We have a championship-caliber culture, and this is another example of that commitment to our players, coaches, and support staff to continue elevating the organization into the league’s best,” Altman added. “The community engagement with the Cleveland Clinic, coupled with the downtown location, will provide another impactful destination offering to Northeast Ohio.”
Using big data repositories acquired through key partnerships and The Cleveland Clinic’s global footprint, the center will leverage cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to gain novel insights about human performance to maximize every athlete’s potential and give them a physical and mental competitive edge.
“This project will not only enhance the landscape of Cleveland but will also provide new approaches and applications to improve the health of our community through multidisciplinary care for patients of all athletic abilities,” said Tom Mihaljevic, CEO and president and Morton L. Mandel CEO chair, Cleveland Clinic.
The performance center will also translate these unique insights to populations beyond athletes, including medical and healthcare patients, first responders, and the military.
As seen from the Cuyahoga River, the new Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center is intended to not only improve physical and mental health from inside the new building, but also outside along and on Cleveland’s waterways (Populous).
“The Global Peak Performance Center exemplifies the impact we can have when like-minded organizations come together. We are proud to be working with Bedrock Real Estate and continuing to grow our relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Mihaljevic said.
The new facility will be located at the opposite end of a to-be reconstructed Eagle Avenue ramp from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse where the Cavaliers and the hockey Monsters. Canal Road will also be rerouted north of Eagle where the CSX railroad tracks and Ohio & Erie Canal ran before. The Eagle lift bridge over the river will be demolished.
Since 1993, the Cleveland Clinic has served as the Cavaliers’ official healthcare provider, offering the highest quality healthcare and medical services to Cavaliers’ players, families, employees and fans. More than 30 years later, the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center represents the most ambitious project these two organizations have ever pursued together.
The Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center’s architectural design was developed in collaboration with the Cavaliers and Bedrock. The design by Populous was inspired by three principles: embrace the river, create local icon and elevated the athlete’s experience.
Looking east along Eagle Avenue, the street will pass under the new Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center and go up a restored ramp to Ontario Street and the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse where the Cleveland Cavaliers and Monsters play home games (Populous).
The center takes inspiration from the colors and curvature of the Cuyahoga River and the surrounding valley, creating core-to-shore connectivity that adds new dimension to the coastline. The center will also include a public kayak launch point that will give the general public the opportunity to enjoy the waterfront for the first time in nearly a century.
Just blocks from the Gateway Sports Complex and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center will bring renewed energy and beauty to downtown Cleveland and join the FieldHouse as a vital part of the city’s vision of downtown being an 18-hour, 15-minute neighborhood to live, work, play and stay.
Through a holistic and revolutionary approach to training, treatment, nutrition, and recovery from the Clinic’s professional medical specialists, it will be the only Cleveland Clinic-backed professional facility to be open to the public. It will also provide a platform for the Cavs Academy program, which serves more than 50,000 youth athletes across Northeast Ohio every year.
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