Medical Mile/Michigan Street Developments

[pr sc]

Love the first photo. At the end of the day, we all love us some crane pictures.

Me too. It looks like a crane ballet!

[John E]

Jeff,

Thanks for the up to date pictures.

~John

[GRDadof3]

Updates on HDVCH. That glass is looking pretty spectacular. I like how it reflects, yet looks like it has depth all at the same time.

This was all graded and seeded, and now it's all torn up again. Are they going to do something special with the landscaping here, to correspond with the rebuilt bridge?

[MuskeMI]

This was all graded and seeded, and now it's all torn up again. Are they going to do something special with the landscaping here, to correspond with the rebuilt bridge?

I think it's the only access for vehicles in and out of the tower 35 pit. Probably got cleaned up when LHCP finished, and now it's needed again.

[joeDowntown]

I was able to check out the new Children's Hospital from the 5th floor of Kendall and it looks great. Definitely hard to imagine when that area was just a parking lot, the Towers building, a law firm and Burger King!

Joe

[John E]

I was able to check out the new Children's Hospital from the 5th floor of Kendall and it looks great. Definitely hard to imagine when that area was just a parking lot, the Towers building, a law firm and Burger King!

Joe

Yeah, it is super cool the way the Medical Mile is building up. Did you see the new Michigan State University sign on the Secchia Center building that went up yesterday?

More in the May 2009 set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/sets...57617514749627/

~John

[GRDadof3]

Yeah, it is super cool the way the Medical Mile is building up. Did you see the new Michigan State University sign on the Secchia Center building that went up yesterday?

More in the May 2009 set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/sets...57617514749627/

~John

Eesh. I'm really disappointed in the look of the facade.

[Yankee Fan]

Eesh. I'm really disappointed in the look of the facade.

I kept convincing myself that it was not the facade, but the sign kind of put the nail in the coffin. I am thoroughly disappointed in the facade, too.

[Captain_Planet]

Tower 35 will have the same fantastic cast stone product, so don't hold your breath for that one to look any better. Whoever ran the sales pitch for that product must have been one smooth talker...

[GRDadof3]

Tower 35 will have the same fantastic cast stone product, so don't hold your breath for that one to look any better. Whoever ran the sales pitch for that product must have been one smooth talker...

No kidding. At least the art museum, which is essentially the same shade of battleship gray, has a beauty to it with its crisp lines and differing angles.

Even in the rendering, the color looked a bit warmer, with even what looks like a texture to it. I would even go so far as to say it looks a shade or two lighter than "warm beige" in the rendering.

Now it looks like "bone" color. Tower 25 seems to have a bit more white tint in the color too than MSU. Maybe it's to blend seamlessly with the concrete street (be one with its surroundings).

But hey, it's not important what the outside looks like. It's what's going on inside that is important.

[LA Dave]

Eesh. I'm really disappointed in the look of the facade.

Yeah. To paraphrase an old Chrysler Corporation ad, "suddenly, it's 1955!"

[Quercus]

I'm not a big fan of the material either. Perhaps it's meant to highlight the glass features; we shall see. Anyone know if that material (stone?) will hold a coat of paint?

[joeDowntown]

I agree. It'll be interesting to see what the windows do. Maybe they will help add a little color.

Joe

I'm not a big fan of the material either. Perhaps it's meant to highlight the glass features; we shall see. Anyone know if that material (stone?) will hold a coat of paint?

[RegalTDP]

Now it looks like "bone" color. Tower 25 seems to have a bit more white tint in the color too than MSU. Maybe it's to blend seamlessly with the concrete street (be one with its surroundings).

Maybe they were drawing inspiration from City Hall and all the other ornate masterpieces surrounding Vandenberg Plaza...

[fotoman311]

I agree. It'll be interesting to see what the windows do. Maybe they will help add a little color.

Joe

I'm withholding final judgment until the glass goes in as well, although there's only so much that glass can do.

[GRDadof3]

I think the glass might save the Southwest corner (where there's more of it), but I think the rest of the building is without much hope.

Good thing a big national firm was brought in on this.

[John E]

The Michigan State University sign lighting ceremony is at 9:30 tonight.

Construction webcam here.

~John

[GRDadof3]

The Michigan State University sign lighting ceremony is at 9:30 tonight.

Construction webcam here.

~John

Well the lights certainly don't seem to help:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind...gn_for_mic.html

Webcam Shot

[John E]

They are adding College Of Human Medicine under it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johne777/3550075770/sizes/l/

~John

[joeDowntown]

I'm a sucker for good signage. I think this will look nice at night, anchoring the hill.

Joe

[Explorer55]

As a MSU alumnus (and also U of M grad, so don't call me biased, at least if I am, I have reasons), I like the look of that sign on a high hill in GR, period.

[John E]

The front of the Van Andel Institute Phase II is looking real clean:

http://www.vai.org/About/Facilities/~/medi...tion052209.ashx

~John

[GRDadof3]

The Van Andel Institute and their new partner T-Gen are receiving $18 Million to study treatments of Pancreatic Cancer.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind...ed_with_va.html

They join Johns Hopkins, Univ of Pennsylvania, and a handful of other research centers who were awarded $76 Million from the fundraiser "Stand Up To Cancer."

[John E]

They are progressing nicely with the parking ramp under the future 35 Michigan Street medical building. I took video and some photos of the progress on Medical Mile today:

[GRDadof3]

Glass wall for the cafeteria has been uncovered. It's pretty sweet. The whole East side has a more dynamic look to it now. It's great to see Vinoly's entire design finally fulfilled.