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Music Settlement breaks ground on $14M expansion in University Circle
Author: Zachary Lewis, cleveland.com
A big addition is coming to a prime destination for little kids.
In its perennial battle for space, The Music Settlement is doing the opposite of what the verb in its name implies. Instead of settling, it’s mounting a new charge, committing to a major expansion of its longtime home in University Circle.
Following a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month, the historic complex at Magnolia and Mistletoe Drives is now officially under renovation, with the bulk of the project slated to open next fall.
“This isn’t just something that’s nice to do,” said Geralyn Presti, president and chief executive of The Music Settlement. “We need to do this. Our campus cannot accommodate the demand. We’ve got to grow and expand, and also innovate.”
The most conspicuous element of the $12-$14 million project is the restoration and expansion of the Gries House, one of three historic buildings that comprise the University Circle campus of The Music Settlement, along with the Early Childhood Building. (The other historic properties are the Kulas and Burke mansions.)
There, on land currently occupied by a playground and percussion studio, will come a new slate-gray brick building adjoining a renovated Gries House. The combined facility, which will be called the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Music House, will expand the Settlement’s total footprint in University Circle by 50 percent, 17,000 square feet, and create 14 new studios.
“We’re taking this beloved old building and preserving the historic elements but also adding acoustic features,” Presti said, referring sound-control measures. “That was key for us. It was important to us to preserve the old house.”
Demand is indeed high. The Settlement’s Early Childhood center and summer camps have long been top destinations for parents of young children, but in recent years, interest in the school’s music instruction, music therapy, and creative aging programs has also increased dramatically.
Currently, between its music education, music therapy, and Early Childhood programs, the Settlement houses 1,450 student or clients.
Click below to read the full article, published on cleveland.com on May 24, 2026.
Original Article: https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2026/05/music-settlement-breaks-ground-on-14m-expansion-in-university-circle.html
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