The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) opened its newest facility, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center, on the Cleveland State University (CSU) campus, in ceremonies Oct. 19 attended by dignitaries including Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland.

GCRTA collaborated with CSU and the city of Cleveland to develop the facility, its first downtown bus hub. Funding came from federal earmarks and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Originally designated the East Side Transit Center, the transit center bears the name of the late Congresswoman who supported public transit investment in the area.

Joining the governor and Therese McMillan, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, at the event were Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson; Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), who succeeded Tubbs Jones in Congress; CSU President Ron Berkman, and former Rep. Louis Stokes (D-OH).

“We are honored to open this center with an indoor waiting area, 12 bus bays, state-of-the-art electronic customer information system, along with a customer service center, a transit police mini-station, and food vending to serve our customers,” said Joe Calabrese, GCRTA chief executive officer and general manager. “From the groundbreaking on Sept. 10 of last year, which would have been Stephanie’s 60th birthday, to today, crews have worked feverishly to bring this transit center from design to reality.”

GCRTA noted that it expects to serve thousands of daily customers at the center with hundreds of buses. It was designed as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold project, a sustainability measurement by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The event also included the unveiling of a unique sculpture by artist Michael Murphy, which depicts Tubbs Jones differently from various angles. This artwork is part of GCRTA’s Arts in Transit Program. An additional art piece created by local husband and wife artist team Rickey and Garner Lewis, titled “The Spirit That Soars,” is located inside the center. The entire transit center was designed to incorporate key elements of Tubbs Jones’ sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of social and political issues.

Former Rep. Louis Stokes hugs Barbara Walker in front of a sculpture of Walker’s sister, the late Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. CSU President Dr. Ronald Berkman is at right.

 

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