goodbye

The most attractive (or at least visually interesting) structure on that property is the Octo 2 sculpture by Anthony Howe.

"Glazed facade" and the images provided are enough to establish expectations. I do not buy the weak notion that a "service street" cannot be attractive to pedestrians and retailers when plenty of contradictory examples exist.

I agree that Asheville Regional currently is inferior to GSP, and may never grow to an equal size. They plan to double the terminal size and upgrade to 12 gates.

The renovation plans for Asheville's airport look very nice. The images reminded me of the changes made at GSP. As expected, regional competition is increasing the demand for investment. GSP could struggle if Asheville becomes a serious competitor. It's an easy drive up U.S. 25 and I-26, and the widening of I-26 (currently underway) will make it easier.

This is a bit frustrating. I love the decision to bring hundreds of new jobs into the urban center of the Upstate region, and I love the fact that they plan to replace a bland and aging structure with a brand new corporate office building. HOWEVER, the position of the new building is strange because it will sit away from its primary street frontage and simultaneously will destroy the most attractive portion of the property -- the trees along Falls Street overlooking the park below. The building design itself appears to be as expected, a 4-6 floor bland glass box. I would greatly prefer the new building's placement directly adjacent to the sidewalk, similar to the current building. This is why I was so vocal in opposing the lack of retail space under Camperdown along Falls Street. Developers seem to think nobody has interest in walking/dining/shopping along that street, but I have seen lots of pedestrians in that area and believe Falls Street has (or had) the potential to become a very attractive retail district. Unfortunately these new developments will extend the feeling that this area, which is literally a block from Main Street and Falls Park on the Reedy, is only useful for parking and/or passing through on our way to other attractions.

This will be a nice addition to the West End district. The only question I have is, what does the side facing downtown look like?

This isn't "one we lost," but it is somewhat related to this topic. The image below is from an old postcard that claims the building is the "Court House" in "Greenville, S.C." It appears to have been an artist's rendering, but I wondered if it may have been the architect's original design for the building? Notice the extra floor with significantly attractive embellishments. I have never seen a real photograph of this building with these features, but that is one floor I wish had "survived."

I understand some of the skepticism (not the unwarranted ridicule), but keep in mind BridgeWay Station was not proposed as a simply ordinary suburban retail center, but is a planned mixed-use community (moreso than Verdae) with an attractive and accessible urban design. This property should raise the bar for future suburban developments around Greenville, or at least stand as an example of much better design outside of downtown. Woodruff Road has not worked as well as we may think. The headaches and limitations that keep many people away from Woodruff Road today have been felt elsewhere in the metropolitan area and beyond. Development along the corridor is disconnected, unfriendly/unsafe for pedestrians, and lacks a sustainably integrated residential component. Haywood Road and Laurens Road faced a similar dilemma decades ago thanks to their single-use, car-dependent, random sprawling layout. A growing number of other Upstate roads have experienced equivalent problems more recently, and the cycle is likely to continue to the end of our days on Earth. We can hope for well-planned new urban communities to "slow the spread" of poorly-planned suburbia. We should also take advantage of opportunities to properly revitalize our vacant and ailing former commercial corridors at the same time. Regarding architectural design, as stated earlier in this thread, BridgeWay Station is a real breath of fresh air, in my opinion. It has the potential to attract and inspire many people of different ages and backgrounds. It may seem like a cheap copy to some, but it will also be a place for countless others to create lasting memories. I recall numerous out-of-the-way trips to visit a truly cheap imitation of a small Bavarian village called, Helen, Georgia. The quality of building materials there may not gain the approval of some well-traveled individuals, but that little town was visually attractive and typically bustling with enthusiastic people of all ages. I collected and retained fond memories from that unique place. My interest in photography may have at least some roots there. I do not expect BridgeWay Station to imitate the broad appeal of Helen, but eventually it may be remembered as artistically inspiring, like Helen.

We should notice work on the new 7 On Main (WSPA) location. They plan to move in this summer.

The SRT does (or will) go right through Unity Park. The new park will become an extension of the greater park system along the SRT, which bodes well for its level of recreational activity. These parks are among the City of Greenville's most valuable assets. I am excited about the prospect of future greenway expansion to include Runway Park, Lake Conestee, BridgeWay Station, and beyond.

To be fair, Greenridge and Magnolia Park aren't architecturally ugly, but they do lack a quality urban layout that would have focused on pedestrians first and provided a sustainable blend of uses. They are located on Woodruff Road, so they really needed to break the mold of ordinary suburban retail centers in this region. That pedestrian-friendly new urban design would have been achieved if the McChesney Investment Advisors proposal for The Point (2007-ish) had fully developed. The City of Greenville did approve and gave the developer the green light, but then the Great Recession changed everyone's plans. BridgeWay Station could be the breakthrough, standard-raising, suburban development we have been missing in the Upstate.

I agree with Mr. Hughes:

I, for one, am very thankful The Kessler Collection created and presented a concept that was too attractive to refuse, even though at least one member of the DRB tried to push them in a very different direction. This building is beautiful and actually fits its urban park setting very well.

One of my favorite newer residential developments in Greenville is Ridgeland at the Park. It is visually very attractive, incorporating mostly artificial products that emulate natural and historical design elements ( even fixed faux shutters). I believe BridgeWay Station can achieve similar attractiveness in its own way, given the scope of the master plan and fairly dense and dynamic urban layout. I see some elements that make this project more appealing than many new urban communities.

I'm glad you brought this building to our attention in light of our recent conversations. The Landmark (Daniel) Building is an excellent example of a solid structure that was designed and constructed using high quality products, but is not widely considered "visually attractive." The exterior facade could definitely use a makeover to enhance its appeal to commercial investors, even if such a change would be considered a downgrade in the quality of materials. I like the newly designed facade of Asheville's tallest building, as an example. Could the Landmark Building in Greenville be redesigned to look somewhat similar to that building in Asheville or the First Citizens Bank building in Columbia? If so, then it could become an attractive opportunity for investors again.

Did anyone mention the new 10-story Morrison Yard office tower under construction? It was designed to resemble offset shipping containers. It somewhat reminds me of the Bosch research office building in Renningen, Germany.

Has anyone mentioned the recently-constructed TTi Innovations Center (Ryobi) in Anderson? This place has been nicely presented along I-85, directly across from the large Bosch facilities.

Those "tall steel structures" are a very rare attraction in Greenville. We have a common subspecies called "short steel structures."

Why insult our intelligence over a petty disagreement? We know exactly what we see and we know the reality of this project's limitations. We also know that everything under construction in downtown is no different when referring to artificial façades. Actually, this is true of everything under construction in the Upstate, but the primary differences between "visually bland" and "visually beautiful" are the aesthetic architectural details (aka "curb appeal"). I would love every new building to look attractive AND incorporate only the highest quality natural products, but this is impossible, even in Greenville's downtown area. Looking beyond commercial and multi-family residential development, virtually every new house has been designed and built using prefabricated artificial products that emulate authentic natural and/or historical products. People invest much of their lives in these places, often renovating them to fit an aesthetic lifestyle preference. I see little reason to condemn a developer for choosing extraordinary (attractive) over ordinary (bland) design. This development will not appeal to everyone's style preference, but that is ok. Downtown Greenville does not appeal to everyone either.

BridgeWay Station in Mauldin: Downtown Greenville: No "Disney" anywhere here. Not even Carowinds, Six Flags, or Dollywood.

I understand and agree with your assessment of the exasperating and monotonous suburban sprawl. However, the reality facing these properties is inevitable development, whether we like it or not. Unfortunately much of the suburban sprawl is extremely short-sighted and poorly planned. BridgeWay Station is a shockingly fresh aberration.

So, assuming we survive long enough, I wonder if we may all someday look back and shake our heads at the banter if every property along I-385 has been developed (including an unusually attractive BridgeWay Station in Mauldin) and downtown Greenville is twice as large as it is today?

I have been a strong supporter of growth in Greenville's urban core. This remains true today. AND I love the BridgeWay Station proposal. Thank you, Hughes team, for taking a BOLD stand against the generic and bland architecture of our era. Competition may be good for the City of Greenville, even if a few points are lost during the process.

This is one of the rare moments when I am eagerly anticipating a project's completion so that I can experience it in person.

Those were the precise places I recognized without reading his quote beforehand.