Charlotte Arts Master Plan

[krazeeboi]

I agree with rockhilljames about the AACC. I'm a bit underwhelmed with Bechtler, and I'm not really diggin' the yellow facade for the Mint Museum. I hope all of them will look much better in person.

[A2]

Holy *^(%*#& $^#*!!!

Somebody help me I think I need to have some medical attention. I just lost my freggin breath!!!

This is AWESOME !

A2

[dubone]

^A2, call 911.

As for the yellow color, I believe that is the color of the stone they are using. Personally, I like all of them including the theater and the Mint. Remember, the current high class theatre is surrounded by yellow brick, and a semi-circular facade with a glass curtain-wall. The elaborate shape of the theater's glass wall is really interesting. I also really like the topographical wall on the Mint. None of these buildings can have as much glass as you'd typically expect in a building, so they must make the shape more interesting.

[A2]

Now if we could just get those renderings for the Tower.

A2

[King_of_queen]

Largest uptown office building?

I love the Crown, but I wouldnt want charlotte to look like houston anyway.

Looking at the floorplans, everything looks great except I'm a bit nervous about the Church St. facade of the Theatre.....that combined with the loading area for 400 S. Tryon make a pretty dead block.

As much as I had hoped Novare would preserve the Church St. Facade of the Power Building, I'm thinking they may need to demolish it in order to add some much needed streetscape to what will otherwise become a dead block.

Other than that, this area will be swarming with more people that any other section of Uptown in 3 short years with:

Uptown's largest office building (by sq. ft.)

Uptown's 2nd largest retail concentration (after EpiCentre)

Uptown's 4th largest condo tower (by # of units)

The city's largest museum (yes...the Mint will be slightly larger than DP)

The South's largest AACC.

The city's 3rd largest theatre.

And beyond the superlatives, a really nice new modern art museum and WFU MBA campus.

[krazeeboi]

As for the yellow color, I believe that is the color of the stone they are using.

Ahhh, I see. You can't really make that out from the rendering. I think yellow stone would look pretty cool.

[Miesian Corners]

I am beyond excited. These are incredible! Finally, the term "world-class" can be used on cultural facilities in the Queen City. I love Wachovia!!!!

[eastsider]

These just look fantastic!!! Much more than I could have hoped for. I'm even more stoked about this project now.

[dubone]

These buildings are going to be f'n amazing! I am so glad to be living in Charlotte where the powers that be can make this porfolio of project happen.

AACC

Bechtler

Mint

Theater

I have a few additional observations:

- It appears that the Bechtler is terra cota tile, as most of you thought, but some of us didn't.

- The theatre has some features reminiscent of the arena architecture, such as the metal wall and the tower with horizontal ridges.

- I love that it appears that the plaza is the same height and material (brick) all the way across First Street, leading to better pedestrian connectivity across 1st.

- I like it, but I'm worried that the main interior room shown in the Mint will be stark and empty feeling.

- I love the variations of natural color on the floor of the AACC. It seems really fitting as it seems to echo the variations in human skin coloration.

- The statue they use in front of the Bechtler looks like a clown juggling, so I subconsciously add animation and think of the circus song every time I view the rendering.

- All of these buildings are quite like the vision describe to us by the architects when they came a number of months ago.

[krazeeboi]

One good thing about all of these projects is that although they're corporately sponsored, they don't look it. I think they're pretty bold for Charlotte and a welcome sight from some of the "same old, same old" that can be expected in Uptown at times.

[turbocraig]

Man, I hope Parks Helms knows what he's doing here. He's been a champion of uptown, but I'm not so sure of this new strategy he's devised. Hopefully this accomplishes everything instead of killing it all. I know his intentions are good, but this stalling "threat" doesn't sit well with me. If he forces his hand and delays the county vote, you can forget about any Wachovia Tower renderings for months.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/15356381.htm

[dubone]

Ha! Well, Parks wants the arts as much as the rest of us, so he is just applying a little pressure.

I really want the mega-deal-land-swap to happen, and got very nervous when hearing the things that some of the city council said. Including the very ignorant statement from Warren Turner "I don't think the city should be building another arena". I think the council wants the Arts so badly, and the county wants the 2nd Ward + 3rd Ward land deal to go through (remember this isn't just baseball). So good ole Parks may have something very clever here.

[49er]

The bechtler looks super 70's to me. Maybe Im crazy, but I think I remember a building at UNCC that has a similar building massing, but a whole other look obviously.

Although the Mint is modern in style, the staircase at the front gives it that grand museum entrance that many of the worlds greats have

[voyager12]

It's nice to see some parity between sports and arts in this town. Too often the former is raised above the latter. I just hope all these political machinations don't delay or stall the arts plan long term.

[uptownliving]

Well the last time they tried to link sports projects and arts projects together that failed, big time. I'm in favor of both the Arts and Baseball...but if I had to pick I would go with the Arts. Parks better not screw this one up!

[cinco]

god, not again... give the AAA baseball boosters their flippin' stadium. i really like parks helms, but don't see eye to eye on this issue. i hate it when sports issues get bundled with the arts... you guys remember the referendum that the voters shot down - that dealt with the bobcats arena? well, it was bundled with a big arts package to entice people to vote YES to the arena. the people voted NO. ironically the arena was built, but NO new arts package. i, for one, am a little tired of the arts playing 2nd fiddle to sports. i do realize that the landswap has more to do with other developments than just baseball. but, the flag that has been waved by the supporters says AAA. maybe its just symbolic, and i'm sure it's good ol' fashioned political posturing, but, some people are going to be offended by mr. helms move. hopefully, it won't be someone who could jepordize ANY detail of this arts package.

[nyxmike]

Ugh - why does everything have to get so complicated. Just approve the arts plan and figure out baseball later. This city is way to obsessed with sports.

[AuLukey]

He has a nice idea, but in my opinion, it's too bad assassinations are no longer legal... just sayin.

Is it just me, or does anybody else notice a giant blank wall of about 30 or 40 feet on the side of the Mint Museum? The designs are great, but I'd really like to avoid this lack of street level activity near the arts project. The mint is by far my least favorite of the four designs, I love abstract, and I like the way the entrance is laid out, but the side facing the street is a bit overdone up high and underdone down low in my opinion.

[TowerRooster]

The mint is by far my least favorite of the four designs, I love abstract, and I like the way the entrance is laid out, but the side facing the street is a bit overdone up high and underdone down low in my opinion.

I don't know about it being my least favorite, but I am with you on two things. I think the front of the Mint is amazing, and the side is bleh.

[uptownliving]

I beleive the first floor of the Mint building is going to be all retail...including the Mint Gift Shop. Looking at the floor plans it is not really labeled as anything but I remember reading somewhere it was going to be all retail on the ground level floor.

[atlrvr]

There is a site plan in the link that I posted......the "gray blank area" along 1st street is all retail which will include the Mint's gift shop at Uptownliving mentioned.

[Miesian Corners]

I like everything about it. And lets be realistic, where is the streetlevel retail around the Met in New York, the MOMA, the East Wing of the National Gallery in Washington? There is none. The buildings themselves are the street-level interest. Just build the damn things already!

[AuLukey]

I like everything about it. And lets be realistic, where is the streetlevel retail around the Met in New York, the MOMA, the East Wing of the National Gallery in Washington? There is none. The buildings themselves are the street-level interest. Just build the damn things already!

haha, you're right. but still, those are cities that already have a lot of street level interest. I'm glad that there is retail on the ground floor. I was worried there for a second.

[dubone]

The landswap deal is not just baseball! Baseball is just the shorthand label on it. It is about creating a new CMS headquarters that helps decentralize the school system. It is about starting residential development in 2nd Ward and the eastern part of 3rd Ward. It is about making the new 3rd Ward park more viable. It is about rebuilding the 2nd Ward park into a more successful urban design than Marshall Park. It is about restoring the grid viability in both wards. It is about returning acres of public land to the tax rolls. And lastly, it is about adding a minor league stadium to the only spot on which it can be built in town be private investors.

The city council was full of ignorant comments on this landswap. For Parks to keep the leverage that the county has to get the landswap through, he is basically forcing the city council to pay attention to the details and not just write it off as many have been doing. City council is asking the county to play along on the project that is important to them, but the city council is not doing likewise on the landswap.

Parks will NOT let the arts plan fail. But I sure hope he succeeds at getting all of these carefully crafted plans approved.

[turbocraig]

I'm thinking you should probably say all that at the public hearing, dubone. Then we'd all know your true identity!