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Gaslight Village - East Grand Rapids

GRDadof3

By GRDadof3
in Grand Rapids

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joshleo Whistle-Stop

joshleo

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Here are some of my thoughts on this whole project:

1. The old style of the buildings is great. It adds to a more hometown historic feel that matches the rest of wealthy street. Aside from the gross brown/yellow building in the new development, i think the buildings look great!

2. the pianos. Adding a bit of local history with art is a great idea. However, I feel as though the tiny pianos don't do the concept justice. They are too tiny. The base of each sculpture is almost as large as the rest of the sculpture itself. I fear that people will accidentally run them over. I think that it would be better if it was 3 large sinking player pianos in the middle of the fountain rather than the tiny ones that from anything more than 20 feet away are completely unintelligible.

3. The "sails." I am all for sculpture, I am all for art. I like the silver "birds" at the entrance of the area. But this new sculpture (which I think looks like the multicolored abdomen of an insect more than sails) does not match the historic/old/hometown feel that they established with the architecture. it clashes and becomes an eyesore more than an accent piece. It would be better if it did not have such garish colors. Perhaps some shades of blue, white, ivory, teal...to match the whole theme of water and sails...

4. The street signs. They look like something from doctor seuss. They do not match the sculpture or the architecture. at the northwest exit (near the sculpture) one of the signs is already blocked by a tree... poor planning.

5. The fountain. Fountains are great, I am all for the fountain in the development but again, the colors do not match the street signs, the sculpture, or the architecture.

Each design element is fine on it's own but together they clash like nothing i have ever seen before! I feel like they went to the store and found things they liked but never thought what they would all look like together when they got it all home.

I hope something changes...

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dbrok Hamlet

dbrok

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Here are some of my thoughts on this whole project:

1. The old style of the buildings is great. It adds to a more hometown historic feel that matches the rest of wealthy street. Aside from the gross brown/yellow building in the new development, i think the buildings look great!

2. the pianos. Adding a bit of local history with art is a great idea. However, I feel as though the tiny pianos don't do the concept justice. They are too tiny. The base of each sculpture is almost as large as the rest of the sculpture itself. I fear that people will accidentally run them over. I think that it would be better if it was 3 large sinking player pianos in the middle of the fountain rather than the tiny ones that from anything more than 20 feet away are completely unintelligible.

3. The "sails." I am all for sculpture, I am all for art. I like the silver "birds" at the entrance of the area. But this new sculpture (which I think looks like the multicolored abdomen of an insect more than sails) does not match the historic/old/hometown feel that they established with the architecture. it clashes and becomes an eyesore more than an accent piece. It would be better if it did not have such garish colors. Perhaps some shades of blue, white, ivory, teal...to match the whole theme of water and sails...

4. The street signs. They look like something from doctor seuss. They do not match the sculpture or the architecture. at the northwest exit (near the sculpture) one of the signs is already blocked by a tree... poor planning.

5. The fountain. Fountains are great, I am all for the fountain in the development but again, the colors do not match the street signs, the sculpture, or the architecture.

Each design element is fine on it's own but together they clash like nothing i have ever seen before! I feel like they went to the store and found things they liked but never thought what they would all look like together when they got it all home.

I hope something changes...

I agree with just about every observation you've made, except for one. I hope that it doesn't change. As unusual as the entire complex is, it's somehow growing on me and it's interesting to have unique architecture that doesn't make sense in Grand Rapids. Part of the point of art and architecture is to get people talking and checking it out, and the project has definitely accomplished that; it's caused a stir. I think once the initial shock wears off, the residents of EGR will begin to really appreciate it.

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andrew.w Hamlet

andrew.w

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I can't really comment on how well the different elements work together since last time I was there was in July before the fountain, sails, and signs were installed. However, even seeing each separately, I am having a hard time visualizing them as a whole. It's almost as if someone decided they were going throw as many flashy features into this project as they could.

2. the pianos. Adding a bit of local history with art is a great idea. However, I feel as though the tiny pianos don't do the concept justice. They are too tiny. The base of each sculpture is almost as large as the rest of the sculpture itself. I fear that people will accidentally run them over. I think that it would be better if it was 3 large sinking player pianos in the middle of the fountain rather than the tiny ones that from anything more than 20 feet away are completely unintelligible.

I didn't even notice that what I thought were just spot lights are actually small upright pianos; now I understand the relevance that the player pianos in the lake have to this development.

Those pianos probably will get run over by someone who doesn't notice them, which bring me to this question: why was the fountain put in the turnaround (essentially in the middle of the road) rather than in a plaza/sidewalk where people could have better access.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Here are some of my thoughts on this whole project:

1. The old style of the buildings is great. It adds to a more hometown historic feel that matches the rest of wealthy street. Aside from the gross brown/yellow building in the new development, i think the buildings look great!

2. the pianos. Adding a bit of local history with art is a great idea. However, I feel as though the tiny pianos don't do the concept justice. They are too tiny. The base of each sculpture is almost as large as the rest of the sculpture itself. I fear that people will accidentally run them over. I think that it would be better if it was 3 large sinking player pianos in the middle of the fountain rather than the tiny ones that from anything more than 20 feet away are completely unintelligible.

3. The "sails." I am all for sculpture, I am all for art. I like the silver "birds" at the entrance of the area. But this new sculpture (which I think looks like the multicolored abdomen of an insect more than sails) does not match the historic/old/hometown feel that they established with the architecture. it clashes and becomes an eyesore more than an accent piece. It would be better if it did not have such garish colors. Perhaps some shades of blue, white, ivory, teal...to match the whole theme of water and sails...

4. The street signs. They look like something from doctor seuss. They do not match the sculpture or the architecture. at the northwest exit (near the sculpture) one of the signs is already blocked by a tree... poor planning.

5. The fountain. Fountains are great, I am all for the fountain in the development but again, the colors do not match the street signs, the sculpture, or the architecture.

Each design element is fine on it's own but together they clash like nothing i have ever seen before! I feel like they went to the store and found things they liked but never thought what they would all look like together when they got it all home.

I hope something changes...

Welcome to the wonderful world of New Urbanism. I think it's probably one of the best examples of a New Urbanist project I've seen actually. Some of them try too hard to have a small town feel. This is a bit more avante guard, and the playful street signs are cool. If you love Monroe Center, I don't think you'll find a new urbanist project that you'll like very much.

My only critique are some of the color choices, and the new sail sculpture is very grand flanked by two sweeping staircases, invoking the feeling that you're about to transcend to something aspiring. But they only lead up to a parking deck. If they led up to a performing arts center or art museum, they'd probably be perfect in my book.

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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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Welcome to the wonderful world of New Urbanism. I think it's probably one of the best examples of a New Urbanist project I've seen actually. Some of them try too hard to have a small town feel. This is a bit more avante guard, and the playful street signs are cool. If you love Monroe Center, I don't think you'll find a new urbanist project that you'll like very much.

My only critique are some of the color choices, and the new sail sculpture is very grand flanked by two sweeping staircases, invoking the feeling that you're about to transcend to something aspiring. But they only lead up to a parking deck. If they led up to a performing arts center or art museum, they'd probably be perfect in my book.

When it comes to new developments, I like things that "break the mold". I rode my bike down the other night and it's pretty cool when the fountains are going. I agree with GRDad that the dramatic staircases should lead to something - like an interdisciplinary art center. Too bad it seems it's too late to turn the tide on where the parking deck will be...

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numstead Hamlet

numstead

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1. The old style of the buildings is great. It adds to a more hometown historic feel that matches the rest of wealthy street.

I disagree with that. I don't think they match at all. The storefront buildings on the south side of Wealthy are primarily one story, with an occasional converted two story house thrown in. I don't know how many different buildings there are off the top of my head, but I'm sure its probably close to ten. On the north side of Wealthy there are two buildings. These two buildings have floor-to-floor heights in the 14' to 16' range. They completely dwarf and visually dominate their counterparts.

Now, having said that, I also have to say that the Gaslight Village development is infinitely better than those stupid strip malls that are getting built on the East Beltline between the malls, especially the one at Lake Eastbrook that Concept Design Group descibed in the Press as being "village-esque". (I'll also include the one being built at Cascade/East Paris and the one with the Starbucks near 28th/I-96)

And as for the comment I made about EGR being "conservative", I didn't mean "conservative" in a political sense but rather in a "not-flamboyant" sense.

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dbrok Hamlet

dbrok

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Now, having said that, I also have to say that the Gaslight Village development is infinitely better than those stupid strip malls that are getting built on the East Beltline between the malls, especially the one at Lake Eastbrook that Concept Design Group descibed in the Press as being "village-esque". (I'll also include the one being built at Cascade/East Paris and the one with the Starbucks near 28th/I-96)

Yeah, those strip malls are horrid and will look cheap and chinsy in less than 10 years. Actually they already do.

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starrfish Whistle-Stop

starrfish

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I was in East several times over the long weekend and almost everytime I went past the new fountain there were people (usually kids/teens) playing in the water. Has anyone else wondered how long that will be "allowed" or if it's something that's encouraged? From a safety standpoint, mixing cars and wet kids (only those small partially submerged pianos "contain" the fountain and its revelers) doesn't seem like a good idea - or am I being a proverbial wet blanket?

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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I was in East several times over the long weekend and almost everytime I went past the new fountain there were people (usually kids/teens) playing in the water. Has anyone else wondered how long that will be "allowed" or if it's something that's encouraged? From a safety standpoint, mixing cars and wet kids (only those small partially submerged pianos "contain" the fountain and its revelers) doesn't seem like a good idea - or am I being a proverbial wet blanket?

Let's hope they don't prohibit it. It's not like it's a through-street, it's just a turnaround.

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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I noticed last thursday for the first time (who knows when they went up) signs saying "feel free to get your feet wet, but please park your wheels on the sidewalk" or something to that effect.

I was expecting that....if you use the Chase Bank drive-through, you get spit out at the turnaround. I was leaving the bank and couldn't drive out because there were bikes left in the "street" at the turnaround. I think the signs will suffice and I certainly hope they allow kids to play in there. A week ago friday, there had to be 30 kids in there after dark (with parents sitting on the steps since they hadn't installed benches yet)....gotta love that.

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starrfish Whistle-Stop

starrfish

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I noticed last thursday for the first time (who knows when they went up) signs saying "feel free to get your feet wet, but please park your wheels on the sidewalk" or something to that effect.

I was expecting that....if you use the Chase Bank drive-through, you get spit out at the turnaround. I was leaving the bank and couldn't drive out because there were bikes left in the "street" at the turnaround. I think the signs will suffice and I certainly hope they allow kids to play in there. A week ago friday, there had to be 30 kids in there after dark (with parents sitting on the steps since they hadn't installed benches yet)....gotta love that.

Oh, cool - if there's a sign encouraging getting the feet wet and having a little fun, more power to the revelers. Wasn't sure what the official line would be on frolicking in the fountain...glad to hear it's pro fun! Hopefully, fun and safety can co-exist!

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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Thank you for that video. The combination of photos and video really puts this whole thing into perspective. This development looks nice, but for a second I start to feel this thing in my stomach when I just know something is off. Some of the focal points of this development are really bizarre.

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grrwymg Hamlet

grrwymg

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Nice vlog. It's nice to see somebody with some actual talent for a change, as opposed to this. Scroll down to the November 10 entry and follow the link. (This is really a link to a link, I just liked Matthew's commentary.)

-nb

Whoa, I went to grade school (well, 1-4) with Matt. I didn't know his dad had cancer. :{sodEmoji.|}

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walker Burg

walker

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Well I took a look at Josh's video and I think that the people who think the pink thing is a hot air balloon might have got it right. It sort of fits in with the historic theme of the pianos. Back when the amusement park, Ramona Park, occupied that location, they had hot air balloon ascensions on week-ends to help draw a crowd to the park.

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civitas Burg

civitas

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Well I took a look at Josh's video and I think that the people who think the pink thing is a hot air balloon might have got it right. It sort of fits in with the historic theme of the pianos. Back when the amusement park, Ramona Park, occupied that location, they had hot air balloon ascensions on week-ends to help draw a crowd to the park.

But hasn't the developer called the pink section a spinnaker? That, along with the ship's bow with splashing water, would suggest a nautical intent.

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