Richmond's Canal Walk

[eandslee]

The Final Master Plan for the Cathedral Walk, to be in full swing within the upcoming months.

Again, sorry for the poor quality.

Tough to make out the details, but looks nice anyway. Thanks again Tommy!

[burt]

I took the canal boat ride twice. The first time was the last "sailing" at 7PM and though I was the only passenger, the eager boatman was pleased to accommodate me. As it turned out, I did all the talking, telling him about our ideas for ship-shops and hopes about extending the walk, repairing ther bascule bridge and many other canal related subjects. He listened attentively and offered encouragement. The costumed 50-ish gentleman obviously loved his job, and I was to find out a week later how truly well informed he is.

I wish I had gotten his name, for he is an excellent guide. On the second "voyage", with about 10 other passengers, I kept my mouth shut and listened raptly to his knowledgable spiel.

The "season" is now over, but next spring, I urge any of you who have not enjoyed the canal-boat experience to "book passage" for the 35-minute tour.

[burt]

I had a complete tour of Lady Bird!

Nosing around, I was invited in by a very young construction worker who appeared to be the only person on the property.

From bottom to top: the huge building is divided down the center by a wall that separates what are to be a restaurant on the canal (south) side displaying an enclosed three-story waterfall, and a hydraulic stage at the west end of a large room on the north (Slip) side. The floor on this ground level is gravel, but apparently will be finished off soon. The second floor on the north side will be cut out in such a style as to allow the hydraulic performers' to rise from below, or to remain at ground level and be looked upon from above. Sounds kinda peculiar, but you'd have to see it to grasp my explanation. There will be VIP suites on the third level and, I assume, bars all over the place.

The front (Virginia Street side) contains interestingly designed office space on all levels. None appeared to be occupied.

There obviously is lots of work remaining, but the young man seemed confident that it will be completed sooner than later. He said he is scheduled to move on the owner's new project (Haxall View) in a few weeks.

Maybe ten days later, a different young construction worker greeted me on the front stoop. While I was not invited in, he regaled me with his remantic ups and downs since arriving from San Diego at the urging of a young lady who promptly dumped him. He was an attractive guy, if a bit spacy, and insisted that things are moving along with the project.

Mmmmmm. Will this ever become the "Toads Place" of which we have read so much? "Spacy" says some tickets will be sold at up to $1500 providing total access to all facilities, thus assuring big name attractions. This is common in big, BIG cities, but is Richmond ready for it? He says "yes" and points to Vistas and other upscale condo/apartments as a steady supplier of customers.

Incidentally, the first fellow explained that drink and snack selling under umbrellas on the canal ceased because the city did not deem porta-potties sufficient. There are no rest rooms in operable condition.

A lot of money has been invested here. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something exciting will come from it.

[burt]

I was very disappointed to read in coverage of Grand Illumination that very few people availed themselves of the opportunity to sail down the canal. The operators even reduced the usual $5 fee to $2 and still could not attract riders.

[burt]

Turning Point Development, the company that is preparing Lady Bird Hat Factory to transform into TOAD'S PLACE RICHMOND, is still optimistic despite my gloomy reports above.

Jeff Sadler, general manager of Turning Point, while acknowledging conversion is taking much longer than planned, said a spring opening is now expected.

It (says today's news story in the RTD) will have a capacity of 1600 - a hundred more than The National.

[burt]

Here's hoping TOAD'S PLACE and Vistas on the James pump some life into the underused Canal Walk.

Has anyone any news about Alcoa's plans? It was rumored a few months ago that the company was seriously considering moving elsewhere; thus opening the acreage to development.

[JSI]

I don't want to get anybody's hopes up but there appears to be some work beginning at Cathedral Walk. When I ran by this morning I noticed a short, orange fencing recently installed surrounding the property. I also noticed a new port-a-john. Let's keep our fingers crossed that "real" work will begin soon.

[wrldcoupe4]

Work on Cathedral Walk would be welcome news.

Burt, part of the problem with the canal boat participation on Friday night could have to do with the fact that the canal boat season ended on November 19. Couple that with poor publicity about operations for the special occasion and it's no wonder many people didn't show up. Even setting up a booth at the James Center for selling canal boat tickets could've helped and would have been relatively easy to accomplish.

I heard nothing about it except from you.

[burt]

It was in Venture Richmond's announcement of activities for that night. Incidentally, did you ever receive it?

You're right. A booth set up near James Center selling canal boat tickets would probably have filled each boat.

[burt]

I don't want to get anybody's hopes up but there appears to be some work beginning at Cathedral Walk. When I ran by this morning I noticed a short, orange fencing recently installed surrounding the property. I also noticed a new port-a-john. Let's keep our fingers crossed that "real" work will begin soon.

If a fence is up, JSI, that's a good sign that something is afoot down there. I'm keeping all my extremities crossed.

[wrldcoupe4]

It was in Venture Richmond's announcement of activities for that night. Incidentally, did you ever receive it?

You're right. A booth set up near James Center selling canal boat tickets would probably have filled each boat.

I never did receive that email. And, to be fair, many people that were downtown on Friday aren't signed up for email updates like we are. There's got to be other ways to get the word out. Poor marketing efforts will continue to have a negative effect on Richmond fulfilling its true potential. This is just a tiny example of how poor marketing affects things.

[jasonb]

I never did receive that email. And, to be fair, many people that were downtown on Friday aren't signed up for email updates like we are. There's got to be other ways to get the word out. Poor marketing efforts will continue to have a negative effect on Richmond fulfilling its true potential. This is just a tiny example of how poor marketing affects things.

I did get the email from Venture Richmond earlier last week. VR then sent out a second email friday morning. The events (boat rides, lighting ceremony stuff, etc) were also mentioned in special insert inside Style Weekly. Although, I would agree their efforts need to be more mainstream (like radio and TV).

[wrldcoupe4]

Man the spam blockers here must think its spam..

[JSI]

Looks like work has begun with bombs going off at the Main St. Station Plaza...

Bomb squad blows up item in Richmond

[eandslee]

Looks like work has begun with bombs going off at the Main St. Station Plaza...

Bomb squad blows up item in Richmond

Ain't nothin' like starting the project off with a "bang"!

[JSI]

Burt had asked on another thread if there was going to be a hydrolic stage at Toad's? The woman giving the tour did not mention anything about that. I was very impressed with the space created in the Lady Bird Hat building. I didn't realize the building would be used for so many different purposes (you'll see in the pictures). I was not that impressed with the progress of Toad's Place. They still have to build a stage, offices/VIP rooms, pour concrete, create a restaurant, cut a huge hole in the floor and many other things. They still plan on a spring opening but I've heard that before...Here are some pics with some thoughts:

Very neat entrance into the middle floor of Lady Bird. One of the other people on the tour commented on the dry wall screws holding up the blue ceiling (it looks cheap).

Unrented space on the southside of the 2nd level

View from one of the numerous balconies

Top floor of Toad's Place (a huge hole in the floor still needs to be cut)

Unrented office space on the 3rd floor

I thought this was a really cool feature to the building. It's going to be a rock wall with water coming down it with a spiral stair case wrapping around the entire thing (or something like that)

Views of rented office space on the 3rd floor

Bottom Floor / Stage of Toad's Place. A huge whole will be cut in the ceiling

There was photographer from the Times Dispatch with us as well. I overheard him saying he was supposed to take pictures of the canal for an upcoming article for maybe Sunday. I guess we'll have to wait and see. One last thing, so far 38,000 out of 50,000 ft. of space has been rented at Lady Bird. I hope everybody enjoys the pictures.

[TBurban]

Wow, its much bigger on the inside! Lookin' good. Great shots!

[burt]

Oh, yes, JSI. Very much enjoyed them.

I have to say that since my tour of the building in October, it is not apparent from the photos that much has been accomplished. It looked just about exactly then as your pix do today. The ground (basement) floor is still gravel (pix #23 & 24); the hole has not been cut in the 2nd floor (pic #7) and the glass enclosed "waterfall" area looks the same (pix #3, 12 & 13). It does appear in pix #7 & 8 that a sort of VIP balcony at the Virginia Street end is under construction which I had not noticed in October.

The stage will almost certainly have to be a hydrolic affair rising from the basement (#'s 23 & 24) thru the hole to the second level (#'s 7 & 8) in order for the performers to be seen. That is what I was told by my two "guides" on separate occasions. I have also heard that the hydrolics will cost in the neighborhood of $2 million and that Ms Freund was balking at this additional expenses -- at least until all or most of the office space was rented. But you say you were told that a good hunk of the space has been committed. Maybe it will be finished by the spring. But I wouldn't be surprised if the National beats them to opening.

Really enjoyed your pictures and commentaries on Lady Bird and Vistas. Thanks so much.

[JSI]

The stage will almost certainly have to be a hydrolic affair rising from the basement (#'s 23 & 24) thru the hole to the second level (#'s 7 & 8) in order for the performers to be seen. That is what I was told by my two "guides" on separate occasions. I have also heard that the hydrolics will cost in the neighborhood of $2 million and that Ms Freund was balking at this additional expenses -- at least until all or most of the office space was rented.

Burt, thanks for your comments. The tour guide today showed us where the permanent stage would be (west end of the bottom floor) and never mentioned anything about a hydrolic stage. I don't doubt that you were told that but I didn't hear anything about it today and there's nothing pointing to that on their website.

Here's a picture of the planned ground floor of Toad's. If you look real closely you'll see the stage in the NW corner:

Here's the Main Floor:

I guess a rendering if on-stage (it does look somewhat elevated????):'

Toad's Place

[burt]

Those floor plans and the rendering do help to make configuration clearer. As I said, both construction workers with whom I talked insisted that the stage would be a hydrolic lift, but it was difficult to understand exactly how it would work or how high it would rise. And the support columns and gravel flooring of the basement (ground level) further puzzle me. We'll just have to wait for the finished product, I guess.

Thanks, JSI.

I don't see how 1600 concert-goers could fit into all of the combined space alloted on the north side of the building.

From the ground floor plan, it looks as if the main entrance is from the canal thence around the glass-enclosed waterfall into the ground floor.

[TBurban]

There was photographer from the Times Dispatch with us as well. I overheard him saying he was supposed to take pictures of the canal for an upcoming article for maybe Sunday. I guess we'll have to wait and see. One last thing, so far 38,000 out of 50,000 ft. of space has been rented at Lady Bird. I hope everybody enjoys the pictures.

Here it is...

Development in downtown along Canal Walk

About 50 people toured the Lady Byrd Hat building and Vistas on the James condominium tower yesterday. The buildings are along the Canal Walk near Virginia Street.

Lady Byrd Hat is being renovated into offices, restaurants and a nightclub. Vistas on the James will have 162 condos on 18 floors.

Part 2 comes tomorrow.

[wrldcoupe4]

Perhaps they'll hint at what is to come at the Alcoa site?

[eandslee]

Perhaps they'll hint at what is to come at the Alcoa site?

There aren't any definitive plans for this site is there? I know that there have been some speculative renderings, etc., but when is Alcoa supposed to be outta there? Nothing can be built without them gone. I'd like to learn more about what could be planned and I'd also like to see a time table.

[wrldcoupe4]

Things are progressing.

[TBurban]

The last thing I heard was that Alcoa had plans for closing down their site and moving out of there by December of this year. I would assume that it's a prime piece of property and developers are going at it like white on rice. I do hope that there's something about it tomorrow.