Urban Cowboy

The marketing photos on their website would have you believe they're marketing to empty nesters who want to experience the uptown life. Not the South End Gen Z'r.

I wouldn’t be mad if they stuck with this height and just made the other “modern looking” stick built apartment seen in the rendering mirror the brick facade. In my mind, the priority should be adaptive reuse of the existing Hall House. If they’re going to tear it down and build apartments, AT LEAST make them look like they have character. That blue/green stick built has ZERO place in uptown. And agreed this plan is not best use of this parcel.

Easy J-man. All in good fun!! We’re a community on here. And families can make jokes at the expense of others. No offense was meant, I promise you. Just poking fun at the spat a few months back. I’m sorry I made the joke and that this wasn’t received well. But to answer your question - I’m still riding my horse around town!!

Is this topped out yet?

Reno is a great addition! Easy access to Tahoe, Yosemite, and the eastern Sierra!! Without having to deal with SFO or Oakland.

That’s great news for Optimist Hall! Few places in Charlotte can replicate the authenticity and character of Optimist Hall. I was worried that another large food hall could pull customers away. And it’s such a defining sense of place that I want it to become a Charlotte staple/must-see. I think this is actually good news...because there’s optimist hall, 7th street, Lintmens, and then two other food halls in the works. An idea can be overdone.

Yandle Witherspoon Warehouse update...aka Optimist II. Water was shut off to the warehouse this morning. And Duke is disconnecting power and removing wires today. I think demolition is imminent. ....still no announcement or renderings though. Someone’s got them! Care to share???

Perhaps the gridlock will encourage cycling and transit use!

Agreed! My point is the vast majority of workers have to drive because our transit infrastructure is lacking and most value convenience behind the wheel. We’re not at a point where you can build a tower like this in a sub-market (south end) and expect office tenants to sign on without parking being a part of the lease. But I hear you and appreciate your efforts to cycle and utilize the light rail. We bought in optimist park specifically for that convenience and opportunity.

Let me preface: I don’t love the aesthetics of parking deck platforms. But this is incorporated into the building’s height, screened well, and has street level interaction. Everyone LOVES the lending tree/spectrum deck because of the screening... but that’s just sitting there and takes up half a block. This is at least a narrow lot and that adds to the garage height. I know we need to push to do better and move away from car dependency, but this comment nails it and puts this project into perspective. Seems like a step in the right direction to me. In pre-Covid life...I doubt many of you that are so vocal/borderline whiny about this deck walked, biked, or took the light rail/bus lines to work. Most of you probably have a car in your driveway, or it’s currently in a parking deck. Most of the citizens who work uptown have to drive to get to uptown, or to get to a light rail stop. So unless you live within walking distance of uptown or the Blue Line, or you take the bus everywhere... I’d recommend you practice what you preach before you start criticizing a project that many cities would clamor for. God forbid a private developer try to ensure they provide parking for 60% of its tenants. This isn’t NYC.

Add third ward and optimist park to that list. Fugly on the outside, but nice interiors for the most part. Referring to those “duets”

Expect an Optimist Hall phase 2 announcement soon. I have a friend who lives in the Alexan and he faces the Yandle Witherspoon site along Brevard. Several weeks ago he noticed a CAT/backhoe performing soil sampling behind the Plaid Penguin and behind Yandle Witherspoon. And in the last week he said there’s been a steady stream of trucks and people removing items from the warehouse. And then LandDesign filed this:

This is toxic.

Convention center looking sharp.

No activity yet

I like the view going north on College.

Last photo shows the middle inset and the darker glass that’s used.

I noticed it yesterday because they painted it white and WOW does it pop. Blended in much better when it was raw concrete.

I think if the L shaped portion had been 5-8 stories taller it would have drastically improved the building's proportions/appearance. However, I really like this building as-is, and love how it looks different from almost every angle. I do think it's a bit stubby looking from certain angles because the floor split occurs roughly halfway up (optically). Thankful for the materials in the face of the Ellis. And the location couldn't be better. We need more towers away from Tryon & College.

Agreed. Charlotte/CRVA leverages the Whitewater Center a lot in their advertising and materials. And Nascar Hall of Fame (meh). But those don't make Charlotte a destination city. The Whitewater Center resonates with me and if I was out of state or hadn't been to Charlotte before, I would incorporate the Center into a Charlotte visit. But would it make me want to visit? Nashville is unique because of the country music/honky tonk vibe that is only rivaled by New Orleans in terms of American cities with unique cultural+musical+drinking identities being THE draw. I'm not including Vegas because it is a playground and lacks authenticity (to me). If you want a case study in what TO DO...I think Austin has done a phenomenal job of capturing their city's spirit/essence and marketing it to the masses. When I think of Austin I think of Congress Avenue leading down toward the city, and Zikler Park. And the E. Caesar Chavez area. A burgeoning skyline. What they've been able to market to the masses are simple images that evoke a sense of place. A packed field for SXSW, a brisket coming out of the smoker, cowboy boots walking down Congress. Another example of a smaller market that's kicking our ass in branding is Charleston. Charlotte's identity, I feel, is an enigma and we don't have a cohesive voice. And we do a terrible job telling our story, or sharing our identity. If Charlotte was a brand, what would it be? I'm so sick of the Bojangles jokes, etc. But that's what people say. We're a city that so quick to cheer the latest restaurant from another market opening a Charlotte location, that we forget to cheer on and support the homegrown businesses. The Charlotte I want to visit capitalizes on the following imagery: The light rail pulling into uptown. The Whitewater Center. A rooftop drink at sunset. Around the Crown 10K. Cranes in South End. Pulled Pork. Yes, Nascar under the lights. Panthers, Hornets, Knights, MLS. Someone busking in Romare Bearden Park. Students at CPCC walking to class while the Gold Line moves past. Someone running along little Sugar Creek. Tubing in the Catawba. An installation at the Mint, exhibit at the Gantt. Street meat on Tryon at lunch time. Optimist Hall and Camp North End. An artist in NoDa. A sign of the times concert or the music factory. Carowinds and the airport. Golf even. Our problem is we spend so much time looking at everyone else and how we measure up, that we forget to tell our own story. And so we don't have one on the national scene outside of a nice skyline and banking.

I'd say Charlotte already has a better skyline than Denver. For a city of its size, Denver has an incredibly dull and boring skyline. Denver definitely beats Charlotte in downtown street activation and urban livability though. Minneapolis and Charlotte both have beautiful skylines. Minneapolis has the benefit of some incredible architecture, older buildings, and a really lovely riverwalk that adds a lot of visual interest. And density. Their skyline punches below their weight-class whereas I think Charlotte punches above ours.

Thanks Rob Vera!!!

You can see it rising from 4th in Midtown if you’re heading toward uptown.