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Charlotte Arts Master Plan

cityboi

By cityboi
in Charlotte

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nonillogical Burg

nonillogical

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the Bechtler opening seemed to be a huge success. i just missed the opening speech/ribbon-cutting, but from 12:00 to 2:00, it only got more and more packed, creating a kind of slow conveyor going around each floor. everything came together nicely and though the collection is sure to not be everyone's cup of tea, it is a really great cross-section of some of the most important artists of the century. you probably already know if you're the type of person who will enjoy it or not.

having worked on the Bechtler brand and all the materials for the last year and a half, this was a huge payoff to see it all come together. the signage and displays came out great, as did the museum store and all the merchandise there. some surprisingly awesome (but expensive) decorative and fashion items in there. i think the cafe will be a little more full-service in the future, they were only doing basic coffee in the huge crowds.

seeing so many people so enthralled with this museum really made me feel inspired in uptown again. check it out as soon as you can.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/1157175.html

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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The Bechtler was incredible and so was the Knight Theater. For the Bechtler I was impressed with both the space and the lay-out. As for the art, I honestly didn't really take it in as it was too crazy with people, but I will be going back in the spring when the rush has died down slighlty so I can actually enjoy it.

The Knight was very impressive to me. I tried out the top balcony seats and they fanatastic. Every seat is comfortable and the views and acoustics I think are going to be well reknowned. I'm looking forward to seeing the Aluminum Show and Alvin Aliey Dancer Theater there.

On a related note we took a walk over to the Gantt and noticed they were getting some spillover crowds which is fantastic. I think the museums should offer a special one day pass for the Becthler, Mint and Gantt for one price that would encourage visitors to see each.

I do have to say that the empty lot between the Gantt and St. Peter's is more noticeable than ever. We need something there to keep the flow and what ever it is needs to have a major street facing retail component.

Finally relating to the comments section of the Observer. As was advised to me - I've put all the comments on blocked view as the only people who seem to utilize the comments section are those who have nothing to offer the city but their own unhappiness at life.

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Forrest Whistle-Stop

Forrest

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I had a great time at The Bechtler yesterday as well. But WTF do they have to bag all the parking spaces on Tryon St!? mad.gif All those empty spaces could have been utilized by patrons. Tryon is always a wind tunnel but it was doubly miserable yesterday cold.gif and so damn annoying to walk by all those empty spaces that could have been available.

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kickazzz2000 Hamlet

kickazzz2000

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I love the architectural design of the Bechtler, particularly the entrance/facade. Can't wait to check it out next time im back in town!

Re: Comments. I'm beginning to come of the opinion that the editors choose headlines that specifically get the lunatic fringe riled up. Example..the mention of "feel of NYC" in the Bechtler article. Its funny and sad at the same time.

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uptownliving Town

uptownliving

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I had a great time at The Bechtler yesterday as well. But WTF do they have to bag all the parking spaces on Tryon St!? mad.gif All those empty spaces could have been utilized by patrons. Tryon is always a wind tunnel but it was doubly miserable yesterday cold.gif and so damn annoying to walk by all those empty spaces that could have been available.

I was thinking the same thing...my guess is they did that for the Panthers Home game which is today...but they could have put the "Sunday Only" No Parking Bag.

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New Name Burg

New Name

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I was thinking the same thing...my guess is they did that for the Panthers Home game which is today...but they could have put the "Sunday Only" No Parking Bag.

I was thinking some of it might have had to do with cleanup from New Years Eve...but...looked pretty cleaned up by Sat morning...

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tozmervo Metropolis

tozmervo

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After (wisely) avoiding the "black friday" crowd at the Bechtler yesterday, I went to check it out today. There are some absolutely wonderful pieces in there - there is a magnificent Max Ernst in there that I wanted to take off the wall and ride back home on my bike*. Some of my other favorites included Degas, Calder, Le Corbusier, and an Italian sculptor whose name escapes me (it's the horse).

Architecturally, the galleries - especially the fourth floor - are really wonderful. The proportion of the atrium is a little weird to me, and it's not ever utilized to it's full advantage. This may change as the galleries do, though. The Bechtler really is an outstanding addition for Charlotte.

* There is a pathetic amount of bike parking around there, I could only find one loop. Hopefully the completed street will have more.

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krazeeboi Gigalopolis

krazeeboi

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I really wasn't expecting the museum to be as packed as it was yesterday. I got there around 3:30pm or so, and the line up the stairs to the upper floors was a bit long, but moved quickly. I'll have to go another time to really explore like I want to, but I did enjoy the opening day. I also checked out the Knight Theater and they've got a pretty good lineup for the first few months of this year. I want to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company when they come next month.

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HopHead City

HopHead

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I've noticed over the last few days that there has been a lot of coverage of the Bechtler museum in the national media. Definitely a very positive thing. One example here is a write up from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-01-06-bechtler-museum-charlotte_N.htm

And note that they just say "Charlotte" and not "Charlotte, NC" :)

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tozmervo Metropolis

tozmervo

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I asked someone close to the job why the Church Street side of the Mint hasn't been clad yet. Apparently, that side will be clad in the same material that the future condo tower will use. It's supposed to be some kind of stone product that complements the white granite on DEC and the tan concrete on the Mint.

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tozmervo Metropolis

tozmervo

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I may get some funny looks for this, but I absolutely love the ally way between the DEC and Mint. This is a quick shot I took tonight:

SSPX0265.jpg

Something else nifty I saw today - there's a passageway under the mint that goes from this ally to 1st St. In the photo, it comes out right in front of the chain link fence you see. The Mint elevators are accessed from the passageway.

I could see some really cool outdoor art market setting up in this passage way, along with other installations and the like. There's some incredible potential here.

(As an aside, I was assured by someone close to the project that the crap handrails on the front of the Mint are temporary. Much nicer ones are on the way. The temporary rails were required for a TCO)

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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I may get some funny looks for this, but I absolutely love the ally way between the DEC and Mint. This is a quick shot I took tonight:

Something else nifty I saw today - there's a passageway under the mint that goes from this ally to 1st St. In the photo, it comes out right in front of the chain link fence you see. The Mint elevators are accessed from the passageway.

I could see some really cool outdoor art market setting up in this passage way, along with other installations and the like. There's some incredible potential here.

(As an aside, I was assured by someone close to the project that the crap handrails on the front of the Mint are temporary. Much nicer ones are on the way. The temporary rails were required for a TCO)

The alley way looks more interesting than I previously noticed. Need to take another look. Thanks for posting that!

BTW - on the other side of Tryon, I noticed that the NC Dance is just about finished and looks great!

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AuLukey Town

AuLukey

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I agree, the alleyway is a very nice addition to the complex. The passageway underneath the Mint reminded me a lot of some of the Broadway theater entrances. My friend and I discovered this a couple weeks ago while they were still installing the glass "roof" to the alleyway. One of those glass panels may or may not have my handprint on the bottomside. I wonder if they will completely block out rain so that this alleyway can be used for an open-air art market as previously mentioned. That would really be a great addition and would give some purpose to this alley being dressed up.

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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I was so intrigued by tozmervo's pics I went by today and took some pictures in daylight.

The first two are of the alleyway btwn the Mint and the Duke

post-24262-127033002416_thumb.jpg post-24262-12703299678_thumb.jpg

The third is the passway way through/under the Mint towards the Becthler/Knight. (I agree that this could be a great artwork display area too.)

post-24262-127033010055_thumb.jpg

The fourth is a view of the the Mint staircase from the alleyway and through a retail space.

post-24262-127033015375_thumb.jpg

Two pics of the grand staircase. I dig the second one a lot myself

post-24262-12703313226_thumb.jpg post-24262-127033141433_thumb.jpg

Three pics of the plaza in front of the Mint.

post-24262-127033147666_thumb.jpg post-24262-127033156139_thumb.jpg post-24262-127033163907_thumb.jpg

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