958 replies to this topic

[Cotuit]

A rooftop restaurant would be nice.  

[eltron]

I usually don't like the PoMo stuff, but this one really looks alright to me...

I keep getting images of the Singer Building (demolished) in NYC, or even better, the Wrigley in Chicago. The assemblage and massing here seems to work well, with the style and materials tying it together but the different massing providing appealing variety. We'll see. I actually liked the slightly blurry screen capture image better than the glossy rendering, gave it kinda that old-timey aged patina...

anyway, taken with all the other more contemporary things going up, I think it offers a good balance of traditional forms.

[Cotuit]

My reservations are only slight. Hands down I think the new tower looks much better than the existing Westin.

[Cotuit]

Quote

It's almost a done deal
A purchase-and-sale contract has been signed by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority and The Procaccianti Group.
BY ANDREA L. STAPE Journal Staff Writer | April 1, 2005

PROVIDENCE -- The sale of state-owned The Westin Providence moved one step closer to completion yesterday, with the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority and The Procaccianti Group signing a definitive purchase-and-sale contract.

Now, The Procaccianti Group has until Monday to pay the authority $4 million worth of "earnest money," in order to keep the deal going forward. The company paid a $1-million initial deposit earlier this year and the remainder of the $95.5-million price tag for the four-star hotel will be paid when the sale closes, according to the contract.

The Convention Center Authority, which oversees the hotel, would like the deal to close by April 27.

The authority put the hotel on the market in November, after a directive from Governor Carcieri to get the state out of the hotel business. The state borrowed money in the mid-1990s to build the hotel, the convention center and the adjacent garages.

The Cranston-based Procaccianti Group was chosen as the top bidder for the hotel in December. After the Procaccianti Group's president, James Procaccianti, settled a 10-year-old lawsuit with the state in February by paying $6.53 million, the authority voted to sell the hotel to the company.

In addition to the purchase-and-sale contract, a development agreement to build a 200-room hotel tower on the land next to the Westin has also been finalized. Under the agreement, The Procaccianti Group must build the addition by July 7, 2007. For every month the hotel completion is delayed, the company will have to pay a $200,000 late fee, up to $10 million. The Procaccianti Group can get a six-month extension to the July date in the event of a natural disater or the "unavoidable" delay of a third party. The development agreement will be signed at the closing.

...

Continue reading at: ProJo.com

[Jenkins]

Cotuit, on Apr 1 2005, 08:20 AM, said:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I very much like the design of the existing Westin and the new tower proposal. The roofline has always reminded me a bit of the the Hotel Frontenac in Quebec (just a gorgeous city to visit, btw):

http://www.peachmoun...y_Frontenac.asp

[provid]

A large truck and drill can be seen parked on the grass of the westin green. ( future site of the new tower. )

[Cotuit]

mikepl, on Apr 1 2005, 12:39 PM, said:

A large truck and drill can be seen parked on the grass of the westin green. ( future site of the new tower. )

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I heard someone talking about some rig set up somewhere when I was getting coffee this morning at Brewed Awakenings, I assumed they were talking about Parcel 2, but there was nothing there when I walked by.

I had walked by the Westin not moments earlier and didn't notice anything, probably because I hadn't had my Brewed Awakening yet.  

[KRC]

Cotuit, on Mar 9 2005, 09:50 AM, said:

Bil at A Cry For Help found this:



Good work Bil. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That looks fantastic.  I love it.  It will help create quit an urban space when all is said and done.

[glassandsteel]

Well here's more folks.  It shouldn't be hard to tell that I stole this from the journal, here's the rest....
http://www.projo.com...3x.1d7ba46.html
I believe we will probably be seeing more shots in the near future but this is a start.



I also like that parcel 2 and 9 are included in the picture, it seems as if they did us a favor.  Perhaps future renderings will show more?

[CtownMikey]

this made my day!

[Frankie811]

glassandsteel, on Apr 13 2005, 01:48 AM, said:

Well here's more folks.  It shouldn't be hard to tell that I stole this from the journal, here's the rest....
http://www.projo.com...3x.1d7ba46.html
I believe we will probably be seeing more shots in the near future but this is a start.



I also like that parcel 2 and 9 are included in the picture, it seems as if they did us a favor.  Perhaps future renderings will show more?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great news!!!  Things were getting a little slow around here.    

[Frankie811]

CtownMikey, on Apr 13 2005, 02:22 AM, said:

this made my day!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lord of the Rooms 2  The Two Towers       Sorry folks, I just couldn't resist  

[Cotuit]

glassandsteel, on Apr 13 2005, 01:48 AM, said:

It shouldn't be hard to tell that I stole this from the journal, here's the rest

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wish the journal would post better photos.  

I've been looking around the Jung Brannen Associates Inc. website, but frankly, it sucks! For example, they have Ten Park Row as "In Progress."  

[Frankie811]

Cotuit, on Apr 13 2005, 09:11 AM, said:

I wish the journal would post better photos. 

I've been looking around the Jung Brannen Associates Inc. website, but frankly, it sucks! For example, they have Ten Park Row as "In Progress." 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That totally irks me concerning Ten Park Row. It should be filed in Works Never to be Built. And there parcel 4 sits, so lonely     So close to Citizen's Bank   Needing a developers love and vision     B)

Edited by Frankie811, 13 April 2005 - 07:37 AM.

[Mij]

Frankie811, on Apr 13 2005, 09:35 AM, said:

That totally irks me concerning Ten Park Row. It should be filed in Works Never to be Built. And there parcel 4 sits, so lonely     So close to Citizen's Bank   Needing a developers love and vision     B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is "Ten Park Row" completely in the graveyard?

[Mike D]

glassandsteel, on Apr 13 2005, 01:48 AM, said:

Well here's more folks.  It shouldn't be hard to tell that I stole this from the journal, here's the rest....
http://www.projo.com...3x.1d7ba46.html
I believe we will probably be seeing more shots in the near future but this is a start.



I also like that parcel 2 and 9 are included in the picture, it seems as if they did us a favor.  Perhaps future renderings will show more?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Looks great! It's going to be a nice addition to the Providence skyline.

[Cotuit]

Frankie811, on Apr 13 2005, 09:35 AM, said:

That totally irks me concerning Ten Park Row. It should be filed in Works Never to be Built. And there parcel 4 sits, so lonely     So close to Citizen's Bank   Needing a developers love and vision     B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's still a rumour floating around out there of Citizens building a new "campus" in the city. Nothing concrete about that has been announced yet.

Mij, on Apr 13 2005, 10:11 AM, said:

Is "Ten Park Row" completely in the graveyard?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe so. I don't think it was actually in Capital Centre, but rather on the parking lots between North Main and Canal near Park Row.

[Frankie811]

Cotuit, on Apr 13 2005, 11:10 AM, said:

There's still a rumour floating around out there of Citizens building a new "campus" in the city. Nothing concrete about that has been announced yet.
I believe so. I don't think it was actually in Capital Centre, but rather on the parking lots between North Main and Canal near Park Row.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, Ten Park Row was parcel 4 in capital city center. Beacon Companies of Boston backed out of the project after getting to the final stages.

[Magellan98]

While I like that the new Westin tower has been moved further away from the existing hotel building in the latest plans, I prefer the other design that had been posted on this site with a spire topped tower.  It made more of a statement and looked less like a pseudo replica of the original hotel.  One aspect I would love to have changed (which seems unlikely given its use in the Westin gym) is that dome on the Westin's office section.  It just doesn't fit with the rest of the structure, especially in lieu of the new tower design.  

Any word on how much of the new tower will be office as originally proposed?  I didn't see much mention of any office use in today's Projo article?

[Garris]

Magellan98, on Apr 13 2005, 01:50 PM, said:

I prefer the other design that had been posted on this site with a spire topped tower.  It made more of a statement and looked less like a pseudo replica of the original hotel.  One aspect I would love to have changed (which seems unlikely given its use in the Westin gym) is that dome on the Westin's office section.  It just doesn't fit with the rest of the structure, especially in lieu of the new tower design. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While I agree on the spire (the gabled look isn't as distinctive, but is probably cheaper), I like the dome a lot.  It looks great from various vantage points in the city and fantastic when it's lit up at night.

- Garris