Project Thread/New Construction/Photo du jour/Const. CAMs

[titanhog]

Ok...a couple of things...

I believe we are now half way up (or maybe a tad over half way up) on 505CST...so just imagine this current view of the tower, yet doubled in height.  Am I correct?

Also...you can now definitely see Bridgestone rising above the Omni Hotel.  How many more floors on this one?

[markhollin]

Updated article from Tennessean.com that includes a series of videos on Nashville's growth.  Have included some screen grabs from the first video about the daily life of a  crane operator on the Westin Hotel project from about 5 months ago.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2016/11/05/even-experts-didnt-forecast-nashville-middle-tennessee-growing-fast/93293958/

 

[chris holman]

JW Marriott construction 

[rookzie]

At first, Mark, I thought it was from you directly, as you seem almost like the Jeep on "Popeye", always floatin' around and just "up" and appearing in many places inaccessible to most of us ─ hotel suites, penthouses, pools, caves,....  and now this.

[titanhog]

26 minutes ago, rookzie said:

At first, Mark, I thought it was from you directly, as you seem almost like the Jeep on "Popeye", always floatin' around and just "up" and appearing in many places inaccessible to most of us ─ hotel suites, penthouses, pools, caves,....  and now this.

He's like those Russian kids who "walk a tightrope" on the edges of skyscrapers, like you see on youtube.  Mark ain't skeer'd! 

[Titans10]

5 hours ago, titanhog said:

Ok...a couple of things...

I believe we are now half way up (or maybe a tad over half way up) on 505CST...so just imagine this current view of the tower, yet doubled in height.  Am I correct?

Also...you can now definitely see Bridgestone rising above the Omni Hotel.  How many more floors on this one?

Bridgestone should be about the height of the crane on the right and 505 will come to the spires of Batman right??

[titanhog]

26 minutes ago, Titans10 said:

Bridgestone should be about the height of the crane on the right and 505 will come to the spires of Batman right??

I'm thinking, from this angle, 505 will look to be just above the start of the Batman spires.

Edited December 8, 2016 by titanhog

[bhibbs]

4 hours ago, titanhog said:

He's like those Russian kids who "walk a tightrope" on the edges of skyscrapers, like you see on youtube.  Mark ain't skeer'd! 

I came across guys doing this in nashville recently, the photos they posted made my hands sweat

[donNdonelson2]

Nashville Hot Chicken is spreading across the country. Coming soon to a new place in Salt Lake City.

[titanhog]

^^Anything to help spread the "Nashville" brand.  Love it!  

[markhollin]

[21jump]

18 hours ago, titanhog said:

^^Anything to help spread the "Nashville" brand.  Love it!  

I had "Nashville" hot chicken at a restaurant in Santa Monica last month and it was disgusting, the KFC version was significantly better; and that says a lot. There is a restaurant in Los Angeles named Howlin' Rays that specializes in Nashville hot chicken and they have hour plus lines for daily. It's one of the most popular restaurants downtown.

[Vrtigo]

A quick glimpse at Bridgestone, the Cambria, and the JW:

[titanhog]

1 hour ago, 21jump said:

I had "Nashville" hot chicken at a restaurant in Santa Monica last month and it was disgusting, the KFC version was significantly better; and that says a lot. There is a restaurant in Los Angeles named Howlin' Rays that specializes in Nashville hot chicken and they have hour plus lines for daily. It's one of the most popular restaurants downtown.

I guess it will be like restaurants that sell "Philly" sandwiches all over the place.  Most of them aren't as good as what you get in Philly.

[titanhog]

Ok...this is kinda what I think "Paris-style" sidewalk cafes could look like along 1st Ave / Riverfront.  I realize, in this mock-up, the road is closed...which would be nice for pedestrians.  You could probably open the road for deliveries / trash pickup during a set time (early morning?)...but if you wanted a 2-way road like we have now, there would probably have to be a different plan.

 

[BnaBreaker]

As amazing as I think that would be, I think the main hurdle here is simply that for as long as those buildings have existed, most of those "fronts" on 1st Ave. have, in actuality, just functioned as the backs of the businesses fronting 2nd Avenue.  Since that side of the building fronted the river, it was used as a loading/unloading zone for all the river barges. So, I'm no expert, but it seems like it'd be next to impossible to section these buildings off to create 'fronts' on both ends, not only because it'd likely be a logistical and legal flustercluck, but also because the restaurants & bars fronting 2nd require that rear space to function properly.

Edited December 10, 2016 by BnaBreaker

[rookzie]

9 minutes ago, BnaBreaker said:

As amazing as I think that would be, I think the main hurdle here is simply that for as long as those buildings have existed, most of those "fronts" on 1st Ave. have, in actuality, just functioned as the backs of the businesses fronting 2nd Avenue.  Since that side of the building fronted the river, it was used as a loading/unloading zone for all the river barges. So, I'm no expert, but it seems like it'd be next to impossible to section these buildings off to create 'fronts' on both ends, not only because it'd likely be a logistical and legal flustercluck, but also because the restaurants & bars fronting 2nd require that rear space to function properly.

Some of those warehouses still contain ground-entry parking, and historically they were designed for railroad dock service as the primary conveyance.  This actually lasted to a minimum extent up into the early 1980s, when much of the granite cobble-stone was still visible along that portion of First Ave.  While means could be arranged to take on provisions, without exclusive 1st Ave. access, indeed it currently does not seem tenable to pre-empt roadway passage between Union and Broadway.

[markhollin]

Here's another angle that someone might be able to do some rendering ideas with for the 1st Avenue Riverfront Cafe motif:



 

[titanhog]

54 minutes ago, BnaBreaker said:

As amazing as I think that would be, I think the main hurdle here is simply that for as long as those buildings have existed, most of those "fronts" on 1st Ave. have, in actuality, just functioned as the backs of the businesses fronting 2nd Avenue.  Since that side of the building fronted the river, it was used as a loading/unloading zone for all the river barges. So, I'm no expert, but it seems like it'd be next to impossible to section these buildings off to create 'fronts' on both ends, not only because it'd likely be a logistical and legal flustercluck, but also because the restaurants & bars fronting 2nd require that rear space to function properly.

It's definitely going to take some forethought.  It's just a shame that you only use one side of the building...especially when the other side backs up to not only another thoroughfare...but also a beautiful riverfront.  It's as if the city has turned its back on the river all along that stretch.  I realize that currently, that back of these buildings are only for load in and trash disposal...which is a waste of a great opportunity.  

It would definitely take several of the building owners along 2nd to get together and decide this is a "win" instead of nuisance.

[markhollin]

[arkitekte]

7 hours ago, titanhog said:

It's definitely going to take some forethought.  It's just a shame that you only use one side of the building...especially when the other side backs up to not only another thoroughfare...but also a beautiful riverfront.  It's as if the city has turned its back on the river all along that stretch.  I realize that currently, that back of these buildings are only for load in and trash disposal...which is a waste of a great opportunity.  

It would definitely take several of the building owners along 2nd to get together and decide this is a "win" instead of nuisance.

That was the practical design everywhere when these structures were designed. Keep in mind the rear of these structures was for back of house space, loading docks, etc.; that's how they've more or less always functioned. The majority if not all of the historic structures on the River Walk here in San Antonio were designed with their rear facades facing the river. Most have a simple entrance on the river facade with minimal signage and lighting now and it works fine. 

[titanhog]

3 hours ago, arkitekte said:

That was the practical design everywhere when these structures were designed. Keep in mind the rear of these structures was for back of house space, loading docks, etc.; that's how they've more or less always functioned. The majority if not all of the historic structures on the River Walk here in San Antonio were designed with their rear facades facing the river. Most have a simple entrance on the river facade with minimal signage and lighting now and it works fine. 

I definitely think it could here...but it would take the city and the business owners deciding that something like this (or even some other idea) would be good for the future of the city.  I mean...do we really want to continue to wall off downtown from the river without ever taking advantage of our riverfront?  As it stands now, Broadway is really the only true "opening" to the river in the CBD...thus, you can be downtown and never even realize the river exists.  It would be great to entice people to the "river" side of the buildings and use all of our resources.  

We all talk about street-level activation...and in my opinion, that stretch along 1st Ave is some of the worst street activation in the entire city.  Beautiful buildings...but basically a wall of nothing for several city blocks.  Just leaving the "front face" of our city as a loading dock / trash pickup wall is sad...to me.

Edited December 10, 2016 by titanhog

[FrankNash]

Savannah's riverfront is a beautiful example.

[titanhog]

15 minutes ago, FrankNash said:

Savannah's riverfront is a beautiful example.

[fieldmarshaldj]

^I wonder if the cobblestones still remain under the 1st Avenue pavement. I remember they were there (along with the RR tracks) back in the '70s.