495 replies to this topic

[okinawatyphoon]

^^ Yup I feel the same way. I've always liked Newport News's real downtown and am saddened to see it fall to pieces. It has some decent high rises and is right on the water.

[mercuex]

Well frankly if Richmond becomes nice it would really give people like me more reason to see Richmond-Hampton Roads as a sort of joint metro area ... After all, the distance between Baltimore and DC is roughly the same.

Peninsulakiddo ... VCU aint bad. I'm going here for all the wrong reasons (After a brief stint in DC) but there are pleny of opportunities here if you make the best of it. It's got a really good real estate/land development program too.

As far as DT NN goes ... I actually feel like I've read that article before though I can't be entirely sure. I'll try and do a Lexis Nexis search tonight and see if I can come up with anything about that.

Would anyone like to bother the NN planning dept? Usually when I email them I tell them that I am a student doing a project and they're usually pretty helpful as far as giving me the inside scoop on stuff. I think the office has plenty of my emails. I just want some more info on high rises in NN  

[Merrittk92]

okinawatyphoon, on Jun 30 2005, 07:27 PM, said:

^^ Yup I feel the same way. I've always liked Newport News's real downtown and am saddened to see it fall to pieces. It has some decent high rises and is right on the water.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I know this isn't exactly the 30ish floor high rise that gets all the excitement. In any case, I think it's one coolest buildings in the area. B)  I'm talking about the VASCIC building in downtown NN. It really does look like the conning tower of a submarine cruising on the surface. Kinda neat..methinks!


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Photo of the VASCIC building



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  Now compare that to the conning tower of the U.S.S. Virginia

[mercuex]

So while we're on the topic of downtown NN, I thought maybe I could add a few pictures of my own ... I used to have a fairly decent picture of the gritty NN "skyline", but alas, I think it's on my computer in Richmond.


This is River Tower. It's actually fairly upscale and caters to upper middle class tastes and sensibilities ... if only the downtown accomodated the view that's sure to come with living here ...



This is the Victory Arch with the eternal flame. Definitely one of those little jewels of NN that only 0.01% of the population seem to even know about.



Here are some of my own pictures of the VASCIC building ...




(This is of the boardwalk/promenade outside of the VASCIC building ... awesome views)





And the old Warwick Hotel that is now an SRO ...



As soon as I can get my camera back I'll mosey on down over there for some new pictures.

[okinawatyphoon]

^^ Wow, thanks for the pics! That is a nice boardwalk....shame there's no one on it. That would be great to see some more dt NN pics. I'll do some searching to find some too.

[okinawatyphoon]

Here's a few from the VASCIC website:

Edited by okinawatyphoon, 30 June 2005 - 10:50 PM.

[Merrittk92]

Thats awesome work there guys. I think we're all in agreement, VASCIC is a classic. MERCUEX, thanks for the pics. Victory Arch & the old Warwick are jewels that need to be preserved at all costs.  

[mercuex]

Merrittk92, on Jul 1 2005, 03:12 AM, said:

Thats awesome work there guys. I think we're all in agreement, VASCIC is a classic. MERCUEX, thanks for the pics. Victory Arch & the old Warwick are jewels that need to be preserved at all costs. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really wouldn't be surprised if municipal workers and shipyard engineers go out to each lunch there during the day or something. If I could I'd go down there during the work day but, alas, I'm at work myself.

Anyone else from the area want to volunteer?

By the way, those pictures from the VASCIC site look fantastic. I think I took the top one once upon a time and put all sorts of notes in the margins about downtown to dispel people's unfounded talk about the area (for people who just don't take the time to go there).

It's not a terrible place, really. I actually go bike riding down there when I get a chance. I wouldn't be surprised if crime was extremely low. It's certainly lower than in Denbigh (no offense to any Denbigh dwellers here).

[urbanfan]

mercuex, on Jul 1 2005, 10:24 AM, said:

I really wouldn't be surprised if municipal workers and shipyard engineers go out to each lunch there during the day or something. If I could I'd go down there during the work day but, alas, I'm at work myself.

Anyone else from the area want to volunteer?

By the way, those pictures from the VASCIC site look fantastic. I think I took the top one once upon a time and put all sorts of notes in the margins about downtown to dispel people's unfounded talk about the area (for people who just don't take the time to go there).

It's not a terrible place, really. I actually go bike riding down there when I get a chance. I wouldn't be surprised if crime was extremely low. It's certainly lower than in Denbigh (no offense to any Denbigh dwellers here).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, the boardwalk gets moderate use.  Mainly, from workers at the center.  The city is actually planning on creating a waterfront park down in that vicinity.  I came across this on their web page, I believe under planning.

[mercuex]

urbanfan, on Jul 1 2005, 11:26 AM, said:

Actually, the boardwalk gets moderate use.  Mainly, from workers at the center.  The city is actually planning on creating a waterfront park down in that vicinity.  I came across this on their web page, I believe under planning.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Huh?? Are you joking me?

Please link!

If you're referring to the Framework for the Future thing ... that's only a rough sketch ... Anything concrete?

[urbanfan]

mercuex, on Jul 1 2005, 11:37 AM, said:

Huh?? Are you joking me?

Please link!

If you're referring to the Framework for the Future thing ... that's only a rough sketch ... Anything concrete?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, nothing concrete.  Just future plans.  As we all know they can quickly change at a moments notice.

[mercuex]

urbanfan, on Jul 1 2005, 11:50 AM, said:

No, nothing concrete.  Just future plans.  As we all know they can quickly change at a moments notice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nuts.

[PeninsulaKiddo]

mercuex, on Jul 1 2005, 08:24 AM, said:

I really wouldn't be surprised if municipal workers and shipyard engineers go out to each lunch there during the day or something. If I could I'd go down there during the work day but, alas, I'm at work myself.

Anyone else from the area want to volunteer?

By the way, those pictures from the VASCIC site look fantastic. I think I took the top one once upon a time and put all sorts of notes in the margins about downtown to dispel people's unfounded talk about the area (for people who just don't take the time to go there).

It's not a terrible place, really. I actually go bike riding down there when I get a chance. I wouldn't be surprised if crime was extremely low. It's certainly lower than in Denbigh (no offense to any Denbigh dwellers here).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

On the crime note, it isn't downtown proper that's scary as all hell, it's the East End just across 664.  DT NNews is nice and has potential a ways down the road---but the East End has a much longer road before it even comes remotely close to desirable again.

Denbigh is notorious for petty crimes---larceny, burglaries, muggings, etc.  It has some murders, but the East End is notorious for homocides.  2 or 3 years back, 29 of NNews' 36 murders occurred there...       Nonetheless, I think NNews has done a diservice to DT proper.

[mercuex]

PeninsulaKiddo, on Jul 1 2005, 05:26 PM, said:

On the crime note, it isn't downtown proper that's scary as all hell, it's the East End just across 664.  DT NNews is nice and has potential a ways down the road---but the East End has a much longer road before it even comes remotely close to desirable again.

Denbigh is notorious for petty crimes---larceny, burglaries, muggings, etc.  It has some murders, but the East End is notorious for homocides.  2 or 3 years back, 29 of NNews' 36 murders occurred there...       Nonetheless, I think NNews has done a diservice to DT proper.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well to be honest, the East End has made enormous strides since the 90s. You might have heard about Mariner's Watch ... I think I alluded to it several times in this post somewhere and definitely on Skyscrapercity ...

It's an infill project for the East End beachfront that will be new urbanist with shops, condos, apts, homes, and a marina in an upscale setting.

There's some other infill development projects down there that I can't identify off the top of my head but they do look promising.

In all honesty, the East End is potentially the most lucrative real estate in Newport News and I think some people are starting to catch on.

[PeninsulaKiddo]

mercuex, on Jul 1 2005, 05:47 PM, said:

Well to be honest, the East End has made enormous strides since the 90s. You might have heard about Mariner's Watch ... I think I alluded to it several times in this post somewhere and definitely on Skyscrapercity ...

It's an infill project for the East End beachfront that will be new urbanist with shops, condos, apts, homes, and a marina in an upscale setting.

There's some other infill development projects down there that I can't identify off the top of my head but they do look promising.

In all honesty, the East End is potentially the most lucrative real estate in Newport News and I think some people are starting to catch on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's cleaned up---but it has a long ways to go before it's up-to-par with the rest of the city.

Mariner's Watch I have definitely heard about---and I think that in a way it'll be a test to see what the future of the East End holds.

[vdogg]

Ok, You guys have lobbied for it so here it is.

[PeninsulaKiddo]

Thanks for the independent thread vdogg  

[mercuex]

hahah I reloaded the page and I saw the new thread and at first I was just tripping out I had no idea what the hell had happened lol

So ... about that east end ...

[vdogg]

I am still hunting down stuff to add to this thread so bear (or is it bare   ) with me.
The Hampton and NN thread was so symbiotic that it's hard to separate some of the comments out.

[urbanvb]

umm.. no bare-ing ... please