Plan Baton Rouge

[richyb83]

Ha...Yes that's Los Angeles City Hall....not only is it similar in appearance...but virtually the same height(454'ft) as the State Capitol

 

To think their City Hall was LA's Tallest Building until 1968 is crazy....then Earthquake-technology came about & the skyscraper building-boom was on in the early 90's...now their City Hall is ONLY the 30th Tallest Building!

 

Just doing some crash research...LA is about to get their "New Tallest" skyscraper (now under construction) Wilshire Grand at 1,100'ft...soon to overtake US Bank Tower 1,018'ft

[The ATX]

Too bad that building to the left of LA city hall didn't get built.

[dan326]

Neat! It looks like San Francisco is getting a new tallest too.

[greg225]

I think that might be Los Angeles.

I wish it was Baton Rouge lol

[Mr. Burnham]

Neat! It looks like San Francisco is getting a new tallest too.

Yeah, but its in a little more flux right now.

[greg225]

                    Transbay  Transit Center  in San Francisco                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Edited June 18, 2015 by greg225

[greg225]

BRAF headquarters in downtown Baton Rouge on the market for just over $4M                                                                                                       The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is selling its downtown headquarters at 402 N. Fourth St.—a three-story, 19,376-square foot office building it constructed in 2007. The listing price is $4.08 million, or $210 per square foot. Realtor Hank Saurage is listing the building and says demand for the property is strong.

“We have a few very interested buyers we are working with,” he says. “We have identified a half dozen potential buyers for this property and other buildings in the downtown market. Activity is heating up.”

Saurage declines to comment on why BRAF is selling the building or where the foundation and its for-profit real estate company, Commercial Properties Realty Trust, might be moving. But in a statement to Daily Report, BRAF confirms it is relocating to the new IBM riverfront tower, where both the foundation and CRPT will occupy the top floor of the nine-story building.

The new space is 23,000 square feet—more than the entire BRAF building on Fourth Street and will enable BRAF and CPRT to almost double the amount of usable room the two entities have for their combined staff of nearly 50, the statement says.

Commercial Properties is developing the IBM building and the adjacent residential tower, 525 Lafayette, as part of a deal that was confected to help bring IBM to Baton Rouge. Later this month, law firm Fishman Haygood will move into the eighth floor of the building.           https://www.businessreport.com/article/braf-headquarters-downtown-baton-rouge-market-just-4m

[greg225]

Lanny Keller: Time for a costly but necessary face-lift of Third Street, epicenter of downtown Baton Rouge's transformation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 

For a city that had all but abandoned its downtown a generation ago, the notion that $200 million in private-sector investment has come to the center of the city is remarkable.

 

But that’s the figure from Davis Rhorer, of the Downtown Development District, about investment that is centered on Third Street.

Old-timers remember downtown Baton Rouge as a shopping district and then as a place of decline, an area that was only an office park during the day. The not-so-old-timers can remember a basically failed effort in urban revitalization known as “Riverside Mall.”

At last, a riverside mall has arrived. Sometimes, too much so: runners in shorts can mingle with prom-night dresses to the point that traffic can be held up on busy evenings.

The boom on Third Street is now encompassing not just the renovation of old storefronts into restaurants and clubs but large-scale residential development and hotel projects that are underway or on the drawing boards, as well as those already open.

These include more than 100 residential units, in addition to those already opened in the old Hibernia bank building, now the 440 on Third mixed-use development. The old Commerce building next door will add 90 or so apartments, and another 28 units are on Third Street at the site of the old Onyx building. Two hotels on Third Street directly include a Courtyard by Marriott and a Watermark hotel renovation of the former state office building, one of the city’s original skyscrapers. Other hotels are nearby.

Rhorer told the Press Club of Baton Rouge that eight new merchants will be announced in the coming months for the Third Street corridor.

“Residential is so key,” Rhorer said. “It spills over into the market in so many different ways.”

The activity of downtown hotels is also a central contributor to after-hours activity, the “24-7 downtown” that seemed an impossible dream when Rhorer was forming the DDD in the late 1980s. More than 80 restaurants and bars, including several with regular live music for patrons, have been part of the transformation of the area.

There is also a generational shift, as a cadre of younger entrepreneurs and developers has invested in downtown, because “they came first to party and then decided they wanted to live here,” Rhorer said.

Downtown is an economic bright spot for Baton Rouge where once it was a negative. What can keep the progress rolling? Along Third Street, what’s going on is amazing. What’s not so amazing is Third Street itself.

In a city-parish government that is struggling with the traffic and street repairs needed over a huge area, Third Street is easy to ignore. It’s working, even if it becomes a traffic jam sometimes on weekend nights. But if the city-parish is going to contribute to downtown growth, a major face-lift of Third Street is in order.

The more elegant pavement on Lafayette Street next to the Shaw Center for the Arts is an advertisement for what the city ought to be doing for downtown infrastructure.

It is going to be an expensive project. Lafayette grasped the need for a major upgrade to its major downtown street in the mid-1990s. The Jefferson Street “streetscape” project has amply justified the investment, even if the cost rose to about $9 million, well over the original estimates.

The same issues face a Third Street streetscape project. When you start digging up streets of that vintage, costs will be substantial.

Still, the city-parish government is a relatively small investor so far in downtown Baton Rouge. Even the Shaw Center streetscape, a city-parish contribution of less than 10 percent of the $53 million project, was initially controversial at the Metro Council. Cities such as Lafayette and Shreveport have invested more in their downtown main streets.

The drab streets and sidewalks of the old days won’t inspire new levels of private-sector investment, and, ultimately, it is city hall that is responsible for the city’s streets, just as the city-parish government benefits from the sales and property taxes of downtown’s growth.    http://theadvocate.com/news/business/12785344-123/lanny-keller-next-big-downtown

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting Greg225....saw this earlier...wondered if I should post??  If done right...Lafayette Street, Third Street & even Fourth Street could be special...a true 24/7 vibe......

 

Then gradually work their way down to improving Fifth, Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Streets...those 3 corridors are screaming for some mid-rise mixed use infill!

 

Sorry the proposed 10-story office tower on the main Sixth Street parking lot never got off the ground right after Katrina...missed opportunity!

[Mr. Burnham]

Thanks for posting Greg225....saw this earlier...wondered if I should post??  If done right...Lafayette Street, Third Street & even Fourth Street could be special...a true 24/7 vibe......

 

Then gradually work their way down to improving Fifth, Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Streets...those 3 corridors are screaming for some mid-rise mixed use infill!

 

Sorry the proposed 10-story office tower on the main Sixth Street parking lot never got off the ground right after Katrina...missed opportunity!

Street by street Downtown can and will become a truly special place for the city. Help pave the way for Baton Rouge to grow into a larger city. That 10-story office building should come back to life...maybe with another ten floors put on.

[dan326]

I know its definitely a pipe dream, but I'd like to see all the north-south street looks like the space in front of the Shaw Center. Well maybe not all the streets, but at least River, Lafayette, and 3rd Street.

Edited July 10, 2015 by dan326

[dan326]

Also, I know the time's done and gone but I'd like to see someone construct another lowrise or 2 in the French Quarter/Spanish Colonial style, to give downtown some character.

[Mr. Burnham]

Also, I know the time's done and gone but I'd like to see someone construct another lowrise or 2 in the French Quarter/Spanish Colonial style, to give downtown some character.

It would be even cooler if Baton Rouge could create it's own style...

[richyb83]

DDD Commission Meeting
July 14, 2015, 8:00 a.m.
Holiday Inn Express, 400 North Boulevard
AGENDA

 

1. Call to Order

2. Declare Quorum

3. Approve Agenda

4. Approve May 12, 2015 Minutes

5. Board Action

6. Update from Previous Board Meeting

a. Governmental Issues

b. Development Initiatives

• Holiday Inn Express
• Downtown Parking Study
• Commerce Building
• Third Street Development
• Rotary Centennial Project Update
• Yazoo Plaza
• City Hall Plaza
• Riverfront Improvements
• Downtown Maintenance Committee
• Downtown Greenway Update
• Downtown Bike Racks/EPA Bike Share Program
• New Businesses
• Events
  o Art Melt/ Divine Protection Service - July 25
  o LA Marathon Halfway to Geaux - July 28
  o Hump Day 2 Mile - August 5
  o Foundation for Historical Louisiana/Old Governor's Mansion
  o Manship Theatre Events / LSU MOA
  o Capitol Park Museum
  o Old State Capitol
  o River Center Events
  o BRSO
  o LASM
  o USS Kidd

7. Strategic Plan

a. Plan Baton Rouge II

8. Ongoing Projects

• CPEX
• BREADA
• DBA

9. Correspondence

10. Public Comment

[Mr. Burnham]

^

Exciting stuff in that meeting...I may have to go!

[Antrell Williams]

I know its definitely a pipe dream, but I'd like to see all the north-south street looks like the space in front of the Shaw Center. Well maybe not all the streets, but at least River, Lafayette, and 3rd Street.

I'd like that too but I'd include North Blvd and Florida Blvd.

Also, I know the time's done and gone but I'd like to see someone construct another lowrise or 2 in the French Quarter/Spanish Colonial style, to give downtown some character.

It would be even cooler if Baton Rouge could create it's own style...

We used to have more buildings in that style before the Civil War.

[richyb83]

I know its definitely a pipe dream, but I'd like to see all the north-south street looks like the space in front of the Shaw Center. Well maybe not all the streets, but at least River, Lafayette, and 3rd Street.

Really like those grooved-brick pavers in front of the Shaw Center for the Arts on Lafayette Street!  They are suppose to act as traffic-calmers too....it would be a nice start...& North Blvd too like Antrell said!

Speaking of Third Street...it was mentioned plenty at today's DDD meeting....

The Commerce Bldg renovation should be ready for tenants in January 2015. Originally built in 1955, was stripped bare and rebuilt from the inside out to create more than 90 residential units, with a rooftop recreational area and restaurant with views of Tiger Stadium

A few block south... Onyx Residences will have an Iberia Bank & Kean's at street-level with an sooth "Apple store feel" it was said..it's 28-residential units will be open early next year

A question...mentioned above on the DDD Agenda....is "Yazoo Plaza" going to be name for the new revamped space north of LASM along River Road ??

 

Edited July 15, 2015 by richyb83

[dan326]

I know its definitely a pipe dream, but I'd like to see all the north-south street looks like the space in front of the Shaw Center. Well maybe not all the streets, but at least River, Lafayette, and 3rd Street.

I'd like that too but I'd include North Blvd and Florida Blvd.

Also, I know the time's done and gone but I'd like to see someone construct another lowrise or 2 in the French Quarter/Spanish Colonial style, to give downtown some character.

It would be even cooler if Baton Rouge could create it's own style...

We used to have more buildings in that style before the Civil War.

Yeah, I had read in that book that BR was destroyed during the Civil War... I also know you're not supposed to ruminate on what if's but I do wonder what downtown would look like if it hadn't gotten blown down in the 1860's, then bulldozed in the 1960's. But I guess like Mr. B said, this could be our chance to create a new style. I think the style of LSU business school is a good candidate.

Another more attainable idea could be to paved all the entire intersections like Towne Center. I'm still not completely happy with North Boulevard. It definitely looks better, but it as a whole from old Capital to the Interstate doesn't seem finished.

I know its definitely a pipe dream, but I'd like to see all the north-south street looks like the space in front of the Shaw Center. Well maybe not all the streets, but at least River, Lafayette, and 3rd Street.

Really like those grooved-brick pavers in from of the Shaw Center for the Arts!  They are suppose to act as traffic-calmers too....it would be a nice start...& North Blvd too like Antrell said!

Speaking of Third Street...it was mentioned plenty at today's DDD meeting....

The Commerce Bldg renovation should be ready for tenants in January 2015. Originally built in 1955, was stripped bare and rebuilt from the inside out to create more than 90 residential units, with a rooftop recreational area and restaurant with views of Tiger Stadium

A few block south... Onyx Residences will have an Iberia Bank & Kean's at street-level with an sooth "Apple store feel" it was said..it's 28-residential units will be open early next year

A question...mentioned above on the DDD Agenda....is "Yazoo Plaza" going to be name for the new revamped space north of LASM along River Road ??

 

Does anyone remember that moob-looking guy that said he was going to renovate the Commerce building a while ago? I wonder what his goal was? lol It's pretty impressive to think that that old building is now going to be turned into 90 units and a restaurant. Even more impressive that they gutted it out. I'd think it'd be cheaper to demolish and restart.

I wonder what made Kean's choose that spot?

[greg225]

New 6-story mural in downtown Baton Rouge: 'On the shouldeders of gaints

 

 

 

 

The latest public art installation in downtown Baton Rouge mixes periodic elements with eager, young minds.  

The 6-story mural, titled "On the shoulders of giants," was recently completed on the façade of Mentorship Academy, on Florida Boulevard at Fourth Street.

Solutions Through Science, a Baton Rouge-based organization comprised of Louisiana chlorine and vinyl producers and users, funded it in collaboration with The Walls Project, a local public art organization.

"The mural interweaves the values of (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education with the importance of how chemistry...play(s) an important role in our daily lives," says a press release about the mural.

"Celebrated" south Florida muralists Eduardo Mendieta, Jay Bellicchi and Paul Hughes painted the work. 

About 500 students attend Mentorship Academy, a charter school that focuses of project-based learning, including robotics labs, visual arts studio and earth science labs. A formal unveiling of the mural is planned for the first week of August, when school starts. 

"On the shoulders of giants," is The Walls Project's 21st mural in the Baton Rouge area. Other murals include the towering harmonica on the side of the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino parking garage and the blues nightclub scene on the side of a Government Street pawn shop in Mid City.   http://www.nola.com/news/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2015/07/baton_rouge_mural_downtown.html                                             

[greg225]

Business First Bank moving Baton Rouge headquarters downtown

 

 

Business First Bank announced today it will relocate its headquarters to the historic 500 Laurel St. Building, a six-story structure in the heart of downtown that was designed in 1955 by the late A. Hays Town.

Business First Bank will occupy four of the six floors in the nearly 20,000-square foot building, which will house a full-service banking center as well as bank operations and corporate offices. The bank expects to relocate some 65 employees from its corporate offices on Jefferson Highway to the new downtown headquarters in 2016 once an extensive renovation is complete.

“We are proud to be the only community bank in Louisiana choosing to establish its headquarters in our capital’s downtown area, one that is rapidly and visibly transforming,” says Jude Melville, Business First Bank’s president and CEO.

Local architect Dyke Nelson, who has redeveloped several historic properties downtown, is an investor in the group that owns the building and will oversee the redevelopment of the building—a project that will cost an estimated $4.5 million. Nelson and his partners in 500 Laurel Development LLC acquired the building in late 2013 for $2 million.

“This is great for downtown, and it’s a great building,” Nelson says. “It’s a classic example of midcentury modern architecture designed by one of Louisiana’s best-known architects.”

Nelson has been working with the Foundation for Historical Louisiana to obtain state historic building tax credits, which will help finance the redevelopment by reimbursing the developer 25% of his cost. He will also use federal historic building credits, which bring in an additional 20%. Business First Bank is also helping to finance the project, which will include a complete interior and exterior renovation of the building.

Business First Bank nearly doubled its size early this year, when it completed an acquisition of American Gateway Bank. The merger gave the bank 16 branch locations and more than $1 billion in assets.

Business First Bank has been located at Jefferson Highway and Essen Lane since late 2009, having previously operated in the Esplanade Mall on Corporate Boulevard.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/business-first-bank-moving-baton-rouge-headquarters-downtown

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting!  This is one of downtown BR's coolest buildings they are moving into...i found this older pic of the sleek/vintage 6-story office

BTW...Got a vicious computer virus last week...not sure exactly how? Thankfully i have a tech savvy brother that came to the rescue...even so...lost some pics from those "Ransomware" criminal b#### who encrypted my files! They did NOT get a dime from me!

Edited July 17, 2015 by richyb83

[dan326]

Neat! The mural project leaders turned out to be a lot more decidcated than I thought.

Yeah, that ransomware is something! Definitely some wicked people in the world.

Edited July 17, 2015 by dan326

[greg225]

Renovation of historic Convention Street home in downtown Baton Rouge into apartment complex nearly complete                                                                                                           

After nearly a year-long renovation, the old McMahon House at 310 Convention St. downtown is nearly complete and will be rechristened The Grand Lady—a seven-unit, multifamily complex with one- and two-bedroom apartments, and an efficiency unit.

“It has really been a labor of love,” says investment banker Mark Hudson, who bought the long-vacant house in May 2014 with his wife, Debbie, for $535,000. “It wasn’t easy, but it was an act of love.”

Most of the work on the house is complete, and painters are currently completing the exterior paint job, covering the bright yellow hue with a more historically appropriate shade of dark brown. Hudson hopes to begin leasing the units by the end of the summer and says he has fielded a lot of interest so far. He plans to lease the efficiency apartment for around $1,200 per month, the one-bedroom units for $1,700 per month and the two-bedroom unit for $2,700 per month.

Hudson’s total investment in the house will top $1.8 million, but he credits state and federal historic building tax credits with making the project feasible.

“Without the tax credits this would not have been a feasible project and it would have been torn down,” he says. “Now, even when we’re not around, this house is going to be around as a beautiful asset to downtown. That’s what it’s all about—that’s the proper utilization of these rules and these credits.”      https://www.businessreport.com/article/renovation-historic-convention-street-home-downtown-baton-rouge-apartment-complex-nearly-complete 

  

[richyb83]

Finally something at the Onyxx residences at the Shaw Center  Arts block (Third  @ Convention St)...supposedly some of the delays was caused by the high water of the Mississippi...interesting enough...didn't seem to slow down construction at the IBM block that is closer to the river

[richyb83]

DDD Commission Meeting August 11, 2015, 8:00 a.m. Baton Rouge River Center, 275 S. River Road AGENDA
1. Call to Order 2. Declare Quorum 3. Approve Agenda 4. Approve July 14, 2015 Minutes 5. Board Action 6. Update from Previous Board Meeting a. Governmental Issues
	•	Courtyard by Marriott
b. Development Initiatives
	•	DDD New Website
	•	UDC Design Level 5
	•	Rotary Centennial Project Update
	•	500 Laurel
	•	Maritime One
	•	DPW Reorganization
	•	Downtown Maintenance Committee
	•	Downtown Greenway Update
	•	Downtown Bike Racks/ EPA Bike Share Program
	•	I-10 Corridor Improvement Study
	•	525 Lafayette
	•	New Businesses
	•	Events
		-	Twilight Classic - August 15
		-	Le'Moine Live - August 18
		-	Sickle Cell Walk - August 22
		-	Big River Regional - August 29
		-	Live After Five - September 4, 11, 18, 25, Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23
		-	B.R. Arts Market - September 5
		-	13th Gate Escape/ Louisiana's Ultimate Escape Game
		-	Manship Theatre Events / LSU MOA
		-	Capitol Park Museum
		-	Old State Capitol
		-	River Center Events
		-	BRSO
		-	LASM
		-	USS Kidd
7. Strategic Plan a. Plan Baton Rouge II 8. Ongoing Projects
	•	CPEX
	•	BREADA
	•	DBA
9. Correspondence 10. Public Comment