ArsEcclesiae

Good to know that when the Zombie Apocalypse happens we will all have a place to go now

I loved reading that book as a child. I credit it partially with developing my love of architecture and urban design. I still love it when I find a quirky old house completely surrounded by modern buildings; like an old sentry keeping watch over the neighborhood.

Could the red mean restoration/redesign? The small little corner of the building across from the current gas station and Goodwin's is also red. Isn't that the sixties style old post office? Perhaps they are going to update it to bring it more into character with the rest of the village?

Thanks for the pictures John! I havn't been in downtown in a while and its nice to see the progress on the HDCH parking garage wall. Looking good down there...can't wait until it's all finished!

I have to say that I never much cared for the look of the basement structure to begin with. The bottom doesn't seem to marry with the upper portions of the building at all IMHO.

Will the plants gorw bigger though? Maybe it just looks sparse right now (I have not been down there yet....just thinking that they might have planted them with the idea of mature growth in mind)?

That is a sweet shot! Would make an awesome framed photo!

Very lovely pictures! The "fuzzyness" of the photos (IMHO) lends an air of nostoligia, as though the photo is something seen through the lense of the mind's eye. Anyway, my favorite is the last photo of the three that you posted, looking down Monroe Center (at least I think that is where that is). The only thing that makes it not quite perfect is...nobody is there doing Christmas Shopping!

I love the colors too, such diversity! Oh, and I am so Thankful to Louis Campau for giving us the interesting street grid downtown. I know it can be a little crazy and annoying, but look at the character it gives the city with this shot of the winding road.

HDVCH looks so massive now that it's frame is looming on the horizon! Big old Butterworth looks so puny in comparison, at least in the photos preceding. I think that is one thing that the "neede" did for the building. By giving the building a slender focal point, it detracted from the massiveness of the central building by the contrast of the ultra slender, as well as drawing the eye upward.

I wonder if that is simply because in most American cities the religious buildings have been obscured because of neighbouring high-rise structures (think St. Pat's in NYC...most "iconic" church I can think of in a large American city). In Europe, the cathedral was generally the focus of the skyline, along with the steeples and turrets of smaller churches. These became well established symbols for centuries before being obscured by larger structures. I just mentioned this because unlike most of the other churches in GR...St. Adelbert's has a dome, and is clearly seen from any of the highways going into downtown. Whether or no...it certainly dominates the West Side.

Seeing that picture of the Basilica made me think...what is the most "iconic" structure in GR? I have talked to a lot of people who have never been to GR other than driving though it, or have not been here much, but almost all of them mention the "big green dome." It seems like if nobody remembered anything else about GR it was that there was a church with a "big green dome." so...is this the most iconic structure in GR? Just wondering what people's thoughts are on that.

I was looking at the building earlier today, and I noticed that above the section of darker glass, there is an extra band of clear glass that further makes that part of the front different from the rest of the building, which leads me to beleive that the change in color was intentional. Either because they wanted it to be that color on purpose, or because they had to use a different type of glass whose color may have been impossible to match and so they integrated it into the whole in as asthetically pleasing a way as possible.

I thought it was a design element too. I think that I like it the way it is, it breaks up the sea of green glass and gives the facade a little artistic tension that it would otherwise lack if the color was solid all the way around. Was it in the artist's renderings of the building?

GO SPARTANS!!! Looks great...can't wait to see it up and drive down the new Michigan Street corridor in a few years! The "bumps" I am not all about, but I am waiting to cast judgement until I see it in person.

I remember seeing a very old picture of Grand Rapids showing the hill behind the city. I was surprised bacause it looked just like a sand dune! There were parts of the hill that was just exposed sand with trees just on the top where it was not so steep. Wish I could find that picture...I think its in some book at the Library.

Awesome Pic of the Amway Grand Plaza! Love it!

...mind if the rest of us have a glance into your crystal ball? Stop hogging the goodies!!! j/k

Sweetness! Is that a waterfall fountain?

I agree with you...That building has such character and such an awesome location (Short walk for people working at VAI, Medical Mile, Downtown offices or students at GRCC). It would be awesome if it got a face lift! If I ever lived downtown...I always thought that is where I would like to live!

I would park in the Belknapp neighborhood when I attended GRCC and walk across Coit bridge and down Michigan to Bostwick. I always enjoyed the walk (Rainy days were not quite so pleasant...but that's why you dress for the weather) and with all the construction getting underway it was rather exiting...not to mention the fantastic views of the city from Belknapp every morning!