Ally Charlotte Center (f/k/a Tryon Place) - 26 floors - 427'

[j-man]

Ehhhh idk. Having second thoughts on this building. I said I liked it but tbh I rarely look at it when I’m uptown. It’s started off looking nice but since it’s pretty much finished it seems bland. I’d prefer the original renderings. 

[Urban Cowboy]

It’s always bittersweet to see a crane come down. Just me?

[J-Rob]

On 10/5/2019 at 4:32 PM, j-man said:

Ehhhh idk. Having second thoughts on this building. I said I liked it but tbh I rarely look at it when I’m uptown. It’s started off looking nice but since it’s pretty much finished it seems bland. I’d prefer the original renderings. 

I am thinking similar to BOAT, this tower will look fantastic when the hat is installed and it is lit up at night.  Hopefully they install the hat soon, so they can test out the Panthers blue before the playoffs roll around.

[GoingUptown]

Photos from today... they’ve finished the glass for the grand entrance on Tryon St, and it looks pretty nice.  The photos may not show it as well, but in person the dark trim is a nice contrast to the lighter grid trim on the rest of the building. 

[GoingUptown]

And a bonus shot of them dismantling the temporary construction elevator!

 

[t_money]

This concrete is killing me.  Already crap hanging out of joints and discolored.  Looks terrible.

That entrance looks like an after thought.  "Ya just put an awning over it, it'll be fine"

[GoingUptown]

29 minutes ago, GoingUptown said:

And a bonus shot of them dismantling the temporary construction elevator!

 

Sorry, it’s the crane being dismantled, not the elevator.  That’s still intact. 

26 minutes ago, t_money said:

This concrete is killing me.  Already crap hanging out of joints and discolored.  Looks terrible.

That entrance looks like an after thought.  "Ya just put an awning over it, it'll be fine"

I’m with you on the concrete already looking ... unfinished.  Maybe it is?  Not sure.  I do see what you mean. 

[nakers2]

I generally like the building, I agree when you get up close though you begin to notice a few cost cutting measures here and there. I notice with modern construction it always seems like the first few years are a series of touch up jobs. My old high school was built and completed in 2010, having gone back to visit recently (nine years later, lord I feel old) it seems in better condition than it was new. I think that is what will happen with this building. Panel gaps, blemishes, etc will be touched up over time. Personally seems like it would be more costly over the long term, but I'm not an expert on this. 

In regards to the deck, there's something about a low slung, sleek deck like that which makes me, not necessarily "like" it, but appreciate it more that a deck with large, gaping floor spaces. I feel like cars will not be visible in the deck, and the blank surface leaves open the possibility for future decorative elements, I do have my concerns the concrete wont age well with exposure to pollutants and weather, but we shall see. 

[j-man]

5 hours ago, J-Rob said:

I am thinking similar to BOAT, this tower will look fantastic when the hat is installed and it is lit up at night.  Hopefully they install the hat soon, so they can test out the Panthers blue before the playoffs roll around.

Ok. Yeah I guess I should hold judgment until the very end. So far it seems sort of underwhelming since it’s such a squared/rectangular shape.

[King of the Queen City]

On 10/5/2019 at 4:31 PM, KJHburg said:

One thing I noticed today not sure why I never noticed it before is that grid pattern does not continue all the way over the front.  The side facing front closest to Stonewall does not have it.  I guess I noticed it more as I was on the Legacy side. 

Either it is designed that way intentionally to complement BOAT or it is a very fortunate coincidence.  Notice the reflection in photo 1 while walking east on Stonewall. This may be blocked from the street once LU5/6/7 is built, but it is nice for now anyway.

Another example of the reflection from a photo I took on 8/31 and posted on 9/1:

On 9/1/2019 at 6:06 PM, King of the Queen City said:

Edited October 8, 2019 by King of the Queen City

[Dale]

Driving by, yesterday, for the first time in weeks, I was struck by how blah the building looks. Looks like we might get one or two lookers out of a historic boom. 

[dubone]

I think buildings can never live up to their renderings given the glowing lighting that is used.   I like the building, but given that it got docked to 26 floors, it was always setup  to disappoint among all the taller structures surrounding it.  I think the design is solid, and surely isn't mockable in its on-the-nose neoclassicism like Legacy Union's BoA Tower, but I think it easily fades to the backdrop.  The original taller, angular design would have been far more eye catching and dominant in the area, but we got what we got.   

Now Duke Energy's new tower going in next door for almost double the height, and when whatever goes in to Legacy Union at Stonewall and Tryon, it is sure to overshadow Ally even more. 

[ertley]

I greatly prefer the Ally Building to Legacy Union 1 (but not necessarily LU2, which I am *very* looking forward to); I fault LU1 primarily because it's a building that could've been designed in the '90s, with no (visible)--except the lighting at night--indications that the architects have learned anything, nor paid any attention to, architectural advances in the past quarter century. The reason IMO that's a particular fault is that the 1990s weren't some golden age in American architecture we should be paying active homage to.

But on topic: I think the Ally Building is a clean, strong design, and makes up mostly with its linear qualities what it lacks in imagination (and doesn't resemble a structure from the '90s). Its lack of greater height doesn't bother me, because any city needs varied building heights, to keep sunlight flowing and reduce cavern effects, and with DEC on one corner and the (eventual) mass of buildings at Legacy Union on another, having both a lower mid-height building and a corner square as well on the third corner is a nice balance.

I'm big on assessing intersections to determine the attractiveness and progress of urban development--I think even pedestrians don't pay too much attention to the appearance of intervening buildings in blocks--and I think this is now an A grade, terrific intersection for Charlotte. Most of the intersections going up Tryon, until about 6th (and definitely to 6th once Carolina Place is done), are decent, but this one now, with the Square, and then hopefully the new library, provide signature intersections with common spaces at regular intervals up Tryon, hopefully making the pedestrian experience on Charlotte's main street a varied and enjoyable one.

So, for all these reasons, even though the building isn't particularly exciting, I give it an A.    

[KJHburg]

from the freeway today.  #CharlotteRising

[J-Rob]

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

from the freeway today.  #CharlotteRising

Now that we know you are a Harley guy, I am questioning every drive by photo from here out.   If KJ had a camera in one hand, and a box of donuts in the other, how did he keep the Harley on the road?

Edited October 9, 2019 by J-Rob

[KJHburg]

58 minutes ago, J-Rob said:

Now that we know you are a Harley guy, I am questioning every drive by photo from here out.   If KJ had a camera in one hand, and a box of donuts in the other, how did he keep the Harley on the road?

Perhaps I should attach a GoPro to my helmet or better yet when walking around uptown or Southend a GoPro atop my In N Out Burger hat. 

[Bruco72]

Anyone else hearing rumors that this building will be 100% leased well, well in advance of opening..... as in it basically already is pending some final paperwork 

[KJHburg]

1 hour ago, Bruco72 said:

Anyone else hearing rumors that this building will be 100% leased well, well in advance of opening..... as in it basically already is pending some final paperwork 

Last I heard it was 82% preleased and I can surely think it could be 100% before opening.  anyone heard about the retail tenants?

[Madison Parkitect]

More progress on the hotel, looks like they've got a double height space on the corner there and a short floor on level 4.

 

[a2theb]

Just noticed the amount of space on the Tryon/Stonewall corner between the hotel and Ally Center. Anything planned for this or is it going to be a courtyard?

[CLT2014]

3 minutes ago, a2theb said:

Just noticed the amount of space on the Tryon/Stonewall corner between the hotel and Ally Center. Anything planned for this or is it going to be a courtyard?

Courtyard + a retail shop: https://www.allycharlottecenter.com/

Edited October 18, 2019 by CLT2014

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

Courtyard + a retail shop: https://www.allycharlottecenter.com/

Heres detailed plan for the plaza. It'll be pretty great.

[Hushpuppy321]

A successful High Angle Rescue of a Construction worker occurred at the site this morning from the Ally Building.  Hooray for CLT Fire Dept!

[KJHburg]

today and hotel rising. 

[a2theb]

I still cannot comprehend why this tower is not supposed to be delivered until Spring 2021.  Interior work seems to be rolling and exterior is essentially done.