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POSTPONED: 110 Westminster Street

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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hey.. i know we hate to label projects "in progress" when they haven't broken ground yet and all that jinxing crap. But god forbid!-->in the event that 110 dies out... will any of the powerblock proposals be pushed up to a much closer date.. ie: the hilton tower, 55 broadway, atwells site?

Now 110 would die out due to lack of funding I'm guessing.. not over saturation of the condo market.. so that void in condos could be filled with one of the powerblock proposals.

My next question is.. would the city be better off having a built-out/completed powerblock in place of 110? Not to mention the renovated dunk by the time its all completed.

What types of different scenarios can you guys n' gals see play out?

Personally, if we had to have an either/or situation, I'd rather see the Power Block done. It's important for connecting Downcity to Federal Hill, and there's too many un/under-used buildings in the area. The hole created by the current state of the 110 parcels isn't as gaping as the fact that the entire Power Block area is rather dead and lifeless.

I don't know if 110 dropping out would prompt quicker development of the Power Block, I think Proc. Group is just a little over extended with projects here and in other cities at the moment that they really need to wait a while before moving ahead with other proposals. But perhaps, if a hole opened up in the market, they'd find the resources to move ahead quicker and take advantage.

It seems the market is at a state now such as no project is really keeping others from getting started. Anyone who's holding back at this point is probably simply hedging their bets and waiting to see how the market in general shakes out, not really concerned about the number of units coming on line.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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I was told Dimeo is out. (They were worried Dimeo could not handle a building that large ) Gilbane is not bidding. Turner Construction is the front runner.

I thought Dimeo was a weird choice from the get go, do they have any experience with something so big. Gilbane's pretty busy with GTECH and Waterplace and Suffolk's got the Westin, so Turner was my thought for 110.

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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Gtech for example. Rather than "Joe Blow" who says he has a bunch of money to put up a building.

Well, they are a world known and highly respected contractor, whom I believe actually was the general contractor for one of the recent olympic games. And they also operate as construction managers for some projects.

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KRC Hamlet

KRC

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i have a question that i would like to ask all of u... Do any of you here honestly think the 110 needs a 90' spire??... i think the spire would look out of place since none of providence's buildings have any

Well, you could argue that it will make it more distinctive because no other Providence buildings have one.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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For all the talk of how flagpole-like the spire is, I rather like it (from the K. Plaza side at least, it does nothing from the bay side). It's a sleek piece of verticallity that helps draw the eye up. Perhaps a more meatier design could be appealling, but I rather like the sparseness of it, it's not overdone, just a little visual cue is all that's needed.

It also gives the building a triangular peek that ties it in with the Superman Building and 50 K. Plaza. I'd not like to see another flat topped building to join the likes of Hospital Trust and Textron.

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rhuck Unincorporated Area

rhuck

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i have a question that i would like to ask all of u... Do any of you here honestly think the 110 needs a 90' spire??... i think the spire would look out of place since none of providence's buildings have any

The whole building is different then the rest of the skyline, and that's what I like about it. I think a skyline's character is the sum of each building's character, and if each building had the same physique, it would be boring.

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Baines Hamlet

Baines

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The whole building is different then the rest of the skyline, and that's what I like about it. I think a skyline's character is the sum of each building's character, and if each building had the same physique, it would be boring.

Looking at character-less skylines like Tampa and other younger cities, I agree in full. Even though I would prefer more girth to the spire, 110 will add structural variety to the skyline. With the Westin and maybe others, it will be a needed and positive addition to an already attractive Downcity.

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Garris Town

Garris

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i have a question that i would like to ask all of u... Do any of you here honestly think the 110 needs a 90' spire??... i think the spire would look out of place since none of providence's buildings have any

That's exactly why I think the spire would work... Providence's major skyscrapers share little in common stylistically. In fact, that's their similarity. Such a different move would fit right in!

- Garris

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KRC Hamlet

KRC

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That's exactly why I think the spire would work... Providence's major skyscrapers share little in common stylistically. In fact, that's their similarity. Such a different move would fit right in!

- Garris

Excellent observation, Garris. I couldn't agree more. I make that point everytime I talk about Providence's skyline. I know it's not the biggest in the world by far. However, each building is very unique and makes a statement about it's time in history. Many cities, Hartford and Boston included, have overdone it with the glass and steal boxes with flat tops. Heck, while I love Boston and the skyline is has, you have to admit that the financial district has the flattest looking skyline. Luckily One Lincoln started to break that mold.

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Garris Town

Garris

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However, each building is very unique and makes a statement about it's time in history.

Heck, while I love Boston and the skyline is has, you have to admit that the financial district has the flattest looking skyline. Luckily One Lincoln started to break that mold.

Exactly. Providence, after 110 and Waterplace (Westin 2 doesn't count since Westin 1 is in the same style), will have almost one tower from every single major school of skyscraper design from the last 150 years or so.

Your comment on the Boston CBD is spot on. Take a snapshot of that Eastern cluster of buildings, and try to differentiate it from Houston's, NYC's, Seattle's, Chicago's, Minneapolis' etc towers... Tough to do, without the context of the one or two "signature" buildings that each skyline has and the surrounding geography. Because of how Providence is setup and sized, each of our towers becomes signature and, thus far, all of them have been different, and all of them have wonderful and unique nighttime lighting.

It'll be pretty cool, actually. I'm assuming Westin 2 will be lit at night like Westin 1 (which I love), it looks like the top of 110 will be lit, and I'm optimistic that the Waterplace condos will be saved by some cool lighting of the top. The G-Tech top will be lit as well (and it's visible from many places in the city)... We already have a great nighttime skyline, and it should be even cooler down the road.

- Garris

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