1020 replies to this topic

[NCB]

The five tallest buildings in Metairie, in case anyone is curious:

1. Three Lakeway Center- 403 feet
2. The Galleria- 269 feet
3. Two Lakeway Center- 259 feet
4. Heritage Plaza- 245 feet
5. Executive Tower 1- 204 feet

And when stacked up against the major skylines in Louisiana, Metairie ain't to shabby for a suburban skyline.

Total height of five tallest buildings in Metairie: 1380 feet
Total height of five tallest buildings in Baton Rouge: 1500 feet
Total height of five tallest buildings in Shreveport: 1380 feet
Total height of five tallest buildings in New Orleans: 2884 feet

However if you were to combine the total height of the 10 tallest buildings in each of those cities, Metairie wouldn't even be close. But still, not too shabby.

[SBCmetroguy]

NCB, on Oct 19 2006, 09:23 AM, said:

The five tallest buildings in Metairie, in case anyone is curious:

1. Three Lakeway Center- 403 feet
2. The Galleria- 269 feet
3. Two Lakeway Center- 259 feet
4. Heritage Plaza- 245 feet
5. Executive Tower 1- 204 feet

And when stacked up against the major skylines in Louisiana, Metairie ain't to shabby for a suburban skyline.

Total height of five tallest buildings in Metairie: 1380 feet
Total height of five tallest buildings in Baton Rouge: 1500 feet
Total height of five tallest buildings in Shreveport: 1380 feet
Total height of five tallest buildings in New Orleans: 2884 feet

However if you were to combine the total height of the 10 tallest buildings in each of those cities, Metairie wouldn't even be close. But still, not too shabby.

That's actually not bad at all! I really like the taller buildings in Metairie... very unusual for a suburb in the state of Louisiana. But then again, metro New Orleans is unlike any other metro in Louisiana (in a good way.)

[richyb83]

Metairie may not be incorporated for some reason; but I still consider it Louisiana's 4th largest city.

[richyb83]

Quote

1. Houston = 10.51
2. Atlanta = 7.65
3. Dallas = 7.31
4. Miami = 5.83
5. New Orleans = 4.18
6. Charlotte = 3.34
7. tie...Austin/Nashville = 3.05
9. San Antonio = 2.86
10. Tampa = 2.58
11. Memphis = 2.19
12. Jacksonville = 2.12
13. Birmingham = 2.11
14. Fort Worth = 2.09
15. Orlando = 1.97
16. Little Rock = 1.47
17. Winston-Salem = 1.41
18. St. Petersburg = 1.34
19. tie..Baton Rouge/Raleigh = 1.31
21. Jackson, MS = 1.06
22. Mobile [including BH]= 1.03
23. Shreveport = 1.001
24. Columbia, SC = 0.81

I really am impressed with your work bluff 2085. That's a nice list. Very close to what I have been thinking. I can't wait to see this list in another 3 to 5 years to see all the changes. I am kinda suprised Atlanta is ranked ahead of Dallas; then again...Atlanta does have Mid-Town to go along with their downtown..where Dallas has a more compact CBD in terms of their "Skyline"

Edited by richyb83, 19 October 2006 - 04:04 PM.

[krazeeboi]

bluff2085, on Oct 19 2006, 03:13 AM, said:

an [unscientific] list of 24 Southern cities [no oklahoma or kentucky though] with the formula. Houston is number one pretty easily.

1. Houston = 10.51
2. Atlanta = 7.65
3. Dallas = 7.31
4. Miami = 5.83
5. New Orleans = 4.18
6. Charlotte = 3.34
7. tie...Austin/Nashville = 3.05
9. San Antonio = 2.86
10. Tampa = 2.58
11. Memphis = 2.19
12. Jacksonville = 2.12
13. Birmingham = 2.11
14. Fort Worth = 2.09
15. Orlando = 1.97
16. Little Rock = 1.47
17. Winston-Salem = 1.41
18. St. Petersburg = 1.34
19. tie..Baton Rouge/Raleigh = 1.31
21. Jackson, MS = 1.06
22. Mobile [including BH] = 1.03
23. Shreveport = 1.001
24. Columbia, SC = 0.81

Interesting formula and listing, but it doesn't take into account other factors like architecture, placement of towers, topography, etc. For instance, I would definitely place Raleigh above Baton Rouge and there's no way Jackson ranks ahead of Columbia.

[NCB]

Alright guys, something we suprisingly haven't done yet is rank our favorite skylines in Louisiana, so I figured I'd bring that idea up. I won't make it too hard, so I'll just rank my top 5 in the state.

1. New Orleans
2. Shreveport
3. Baton Rouge
4. Metairie
5. Lake Charles

Now for my analysis:

#1. I don't think anyone could argue with New Orleans being #1, nothing else in the state even begins to compare in terms of height, density, number of buildings, overall size, etc.



#2. Shreveport has a very nice and impressive skyline in nearly every way, especially considering the area isn't that big. Though a metro of 450,000 is obviously nothing small, either. Anyway, the density is great, the buildings look great, the height is definately good, and the casino hotels outside of downtown add even more to the skyline.

Photo courtesy of Nicholas West at City Data


#3. Baton Rouge's skyline, while not bad, ain't that great either. Not much height or density, and most of the buildings aren't that great, but it's still pretty nice, IMO, and the Capitol helps it out big time. Now, after these new towers come up, especially RiverPlace, I wouldn't be suprised if they move up to #2. A little more height and a little more density could make the Baton Rouge skyline look much better.



4. The last two can probably be switched with ease, but I decided to put Metairie in front of Lake Charles because to me, it has better height, and just looks better. They are both spread out, but I like the newer glass buildings that Metairie offers, and the fact that there are multiple nice sized buildings, though One Lakeway Center is obviously the center of the skyline. And hey, you have to be impressed that a Louisiana suburb actually has a pretty decent skyline.

Note* this image does not show The Galleria, which is over 200 feet tall, but is just outside of the viewing area along I-10.


5. Again, you could probably just have switched the last two out and put Metairie here, but I decided to make Lake Charles my #5. The overall skyline isn't that amazing, but it's still pretty impressive, and the 300 foot tall Hibernia Bank Tower really is nice and makes the skyline what it is. Not bad at all for a metro of only about 200,000.



And just for FYI purposes, my #6 would have to be Monroe, there's just something about that skyline and its look that I really like.

[SBCmetroguy]

Quote

And just for FYI purposes, my #6 would have to be Monroe, there's just something about that skyline and its look that I really like.

I like the old, gritty look of Monroe's skyline. I don't know why, but I've always liked the view of it from I-20.

And I'm glad to see Shreveport as your #2, though I hate to think that may soon change. With Baton Rouge's imminent skyline transformation, we have some VERY serious competition there.

Edited by SBCmetroguy, 27 October 2006 - 07:46 PM.

[dan326]

NCB, on Oct 27 2006, 05:50 PM, said:

#3. Baton Rouge's skyline, while not bad, ain't that great either. Not much height or density, and most of the buildings aren't that great, but it's still pretty nice, IMO, and the Capitol helps it out big time. Now, after these new towers come up, especially RiverPlace, I wouldn't be suprised if they move up to #2. A little more height and a little more density could make the Baton Rouge skyline look much better.

You're right. If Huey hadn't built the state capitol, the skyline wouldn't have been nearly as good. Maybe the developers thought that Baton Rouge would continue to grow because of oil, even if the building was spaced out from the next building, another one would come in and fill the gap. And definitely B.R. isn't known for it's inovative skyscrapers. Except for the Shaw Plaza and maybe Marriot and State Capitol, all of B.R.'S buildings are essentially blocks.But that'll change with RiverPlace and 2 City Plaza.
You know, I find it kind of strange that the building is named 2 City Plaza instead of City Plaza 2. But I guessed that doesn't matter as long as it gets built.

Edited by dan326, 27 October 2006 - 10:29 PM.

[richyb83]

That's a very old picture of downtown BR. Trying to remember how OLD ?? None of the New state buildings or Shaw Center are on that pic.... 3 of those buildings around One American Place have been "Emploded" !!!

Yes Baton Rouge is still #3......but it's Skyline is better than that old pic

Look at new wikipedia pic.

Edited by richyb83, 27 October 2006 - 11:11 PM.

[SBCmetroguy]

richyb83, on Oct 28 2006, 12:09 AM, said:

That's a very old picture of downtown BR. Trying to remember how OLD ?? None of the New state buildings or Shaw Center are on that pic.... 3 of those buildings around One American Place have been "Emploded" !!!

Yes Baton Rouge is still #3......but it's Skyline is better than that old pic

Look at new wikipedia pic.

The Wikipedia photo is awesome. The photographer deserves major props!!

[richyb83]

This a little better, still 3rd place.
This has 1 out the 4 New State Buildings visible (between Capitol & One American Place) One is being built in this pic.... the other two cannot be seen, not sure if(when) they began??


The Chase Buildings may be hiding Galvez bldg.??

2007 is gonna be nice.

WOW Brian...that was a quick reply. Yes he does.

[richyb83]

This adds to the density....4 large buildings on 4 blocks. The 2 in the middle were opened for 2,000 state workers this past Summer.


These are two of the new state buildings behind the new State Museum at the Capitol Park Complex..
Galvez (left) is my favorite


Edit* I downsized the top picture for you, Richy.

Edited by NCB, 28 October 2006 - 12:12 PM.

[richyb83]

Locating a recent downtown BR aerial seems impossible; That BR aerial pic posted above had to be around 1990. The Sheraton hotel is not there....

The Centroplex is only 1/2 what it is now as the River Center.

BTW...yes New Orleans wins by a landslide; Shreveport has good density. Lake Charles Hibernia Tower is tall for the size of the city. Metairie has a nice skyline esp. for a suburb.

[NCB]

So Brian and Dan, and anyone else if they would like to contribute, what are your top 5 skylines in the state? You don't need to go into detail or anything, I'm just curious how you guys would rank them?

[dan326]

Well, I'd have to say
1. New Orleans
2. Shreveport
3. Baton Rouge
4. Lake Charles
5. Metairie
I put Lake Charles before Metairie because I just like the Hibernia bank a little better thant the Metairie buildings, but I'm just going by the pictures.If the Bestwestern of Galleria where in there, that might have changed things. Even with B.R.'s two new building Shreveport will still be tough competion with there density and nice hotels.
While I'm on the subject of hotels I think that Pinnacle should not put it's casino/hotel were they bought that land, because it will just turn into a big mess from all the complaints. They should put it in West Baton Rouge Parish in Port Allen. Then all the big LA cities could have suburban skylines.

Edited by NCB, 28 October 2006 - 02:14 PM.

[richyb83]

Yes I wanted to give props to Shreveport for their high-rise casino hotels on the riverfront. Baton Rouge's 10-story Sheraton was a disapiontment when it was built; I was hoping it would be similar in height to the Marroit more than 4 miles down the road. They could learn that from Shreveport.

Until the future high-rises are actually built in downtown BR, it's hard to speculate or compare w/ Shreveport.

I will be creating a NEW thread for BR sometime this weekend; Tallest Bldgs. Outside the CBD

Edited by richyb83, 28 October 2006 - 01:27 PM.

[NCB]

This is one of my favorite views of the Shreveport skyline, from I-220 over Cross Lake:





BTW, I'm sure Brian will be pleased to see all of the love and attention Shreveport is getting when he gets back.

[SBCmetroguy]

NCB, on Oct 28 2006, 01:08 PM, said:

So Brian and Dan, and anyone else if they would like to contribute, what are your top 5 skylines in the state? You don't need to go into detail or anything, I'm just curious how you guys would rank them?

1. Shreveport
2. New Orleans

Okay, okay, I'll be serious...

There really IS NO beating New Orleans as far as Louisiana cities go. The rest of the cities just can't match up... and that goes far beyond skylines as well. There are countless reasons why New Orleans is a world-class city, and as much as we'd all like to either duplicate it or even be better, it's hard to even come close to a world-class city.

That said, here is my line-up

1. New Orleans
2. Shreveport
3. Baton Rouge (could numbers 2 and 3 switch within the next 5-10 years? I hate to say it, but they just might)
4. Metairie
5. Lake Charles

And by the way, Nate, I do appreciate the attention you've give my fair city. God knows as far as Louisiana cities go, we're very far away from the other two largest cities in the state both in distance and recognition. So I most definitely do appreciate it.

I put Metairie before Lake Charles, because I personally do like the buildings in Metairie... and as far as a suburb goes, Metairie brings it. Lake Charles is nice, but in my opinion the Hibernia building (is it Capital One now??) stands alone much like Horseshoe does in Bossier City. While it's a nice building, it looks out of place where it's located.

[SBCmetroguy]

richyb83, on Oct 28 2006, 02:26 PM, said:

Yes I wanted to give props to Shreveport for their high-rise casino hotels on the riverfront. Baton Rouge's 10-story Sheraton was a disapiontment when it was built; I was hoping it would be similar in height to the Marroit more than 4 miles down the road. They could learn that from Shreveport.

Thanks. And I guess different people view things differently, but coming from this region I'm a bit disappointed in Shreveport for a couple of reasons. For starters, the crime is pushing people out of Shreveport altogether... not just for home, but for work as well. If people are afraid of being robbed at their place of business, they don't want to be in Shreveport. This is one of the main reasons I believe downtown Shreveport's office occupancy rate is so low. It stays at about 85% occupancy, and for the small amount (relatively speaking) of office space in downtown Shreveport, that is not a very good rate. If the rate were closer to 100%, it would make sense that someone might want to add an office tower or two to what we already have. The last major office tower was built down there in the 80s, right before the big oil bust. Actually the oil bust is also the main reason that tower #2 wasn't built at the American Tower site. It was supposed to be American Towers, not just the sole American Tower.

The other reason I'm disappointed is the size of the new Hilton convention center hotel. The city was warned by a company that specializes in the convention imdustry, that the only way to have their 300,000 sq. ft. center be completely successful, they needed at least 500 rooms in their hotel and at least 1,500 spaces in their parking deck. A 500-room hotel could have easily been 18-22 floors, instead of the 300-room hotel that was built. Don't misunderstand me... I'm proud of the hotel, I think it's very impressive in its design and amenities, but it very easily could have been taller, and even more impressive. I need to try and swing by there tomorrow to get some photos... it's been a while. The facade is mostly complete now, and it's a very good-looking building.

Quote

Until the future high-rises are actually built in downtown BR, it's hard to speculate or compare w/ Shreveport.

I think it's going to start shaping up quite well. The Riverplace tower ALONE is going to make the Baton Rouge skyline look a bit different.

[NCB]

SBCmetroguy, on Oct 28 2006, 06:58 PM, said:

Actually the oil bust is also the main reason that tower #2 wasn't built at the American Tower site. It was supposed to be American Towers, not just the sole American Tower.

Wow, that's interesting, and it's something I didn't know. Was the second tower supposed to be an exact twin of the original?