City Hall hyptheticals

[egrguy]

I know this is pure hypothetical but are there any plans for city hall to move? it has an excellent location and would be ideal for GR's tallest tower.

i remember a plan a few years back that would have relocated city hall and placed a hotel there but it never got passed the city comission.

does anyone have the specifics on that failed hotel and does anyone know of any possible updates?

[snoogit]

I know this is pure hypothetical but are there any plans for city hall to move? it has an excellent location and would be ideal for GR's tallest tower.

i remember a plan a few years back that would have relocated city hall and placed a hotel there but it never got passed the city comission.

does anyone have the specifics on that failed hotel and does anyone know of any possible updates?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I got some stuff:

The Archetect: http://keatingkhang.com/pages/final_splash.html

and some images:

Personally, Calder Plaza should be remade into retail if its going to be revamped

[daniel nudnik]

nice images snoogit, I hadn't seen any of those before.

I wonder what the "calder arcade" was going to house.

I got some stuff:

The Archetect: http://keatingkhang.com/pages/final_splash.html

Personally, Calder Plaza should be remade into retail if its going to be revamped

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[joeDowntown]

I had never seen the image with city hall sitting across from Bridgewater. It would have been nice. Keating|Kang architects have done some cool stuff.

I think the city was way to biased on this. They wanted the move to cost them nothing, no tax dollars involved, and didn't really want to help the developer (who had the funding). They then turned around, gave Alticor Brownfield status, DDA money and have bent on almost every request. Granted, I like the Marriott plan, and the city hall proposal was much more complex but in my eyes they did nothing to help get a world-class building developed.

I also think they should have built in the ability to sell air rights when they built the new convention center. A world-class hotel should have risen from the convention center. Then again, that would have put out the "powers-that-be" since the Amway Grand would no longer be the closest hotel...

Joe

nice images snoogit, I hadn't seen any of those before.

I wonder what the "calder arcade" was going to house.

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[Josh]

This project would have given us a world class tower and also gotten rid of the ugly government buildings taking up that space near the Calder. It would have also rid us of the fieldstone wall across from DeVos Place. Is there still a possibility for this project to go through in the next few years?

[Rizzo]

Not unless Kent County wants to foot the bill... Or some developer sees a market for it.

[snoogit]

it could be reborn as retail/office.

[GRCentro]

I loved that idea, it's a shame it didn't go through. I heard Jack Buchanan lost somewhere around $ 2 million he'd spent on planning the project. Ironically enough, Richard Keating, one of the principles of Keating|Kang began his career with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the firm that designed the current city hall and county building.

I wonder what the "calder arcade" was going to house.

I believe it was to include retail and dinning. The plaza would've been given a nice face lift and made more open to the street. I think they also mentioned that the developers would work in conjuction with the city so that festivals and events could still be held on the plaza.

I had never seen the image with city hall sitting across from Bridgewater. It would have been nice. Keating|Kang architects have done some cool stuff.

I hadn't seen that image before either. That would be interesting. It looks like there was significant improvement planned for the Ford museum lawn (I doubt anyone would've missed the giant red button.) I'd like that, however, I wonder if that would even be a feasible site given that Pres. Ford will be buried directly adjacent to it. And I'm not sure I'd like to see city hall move to the other side of the river either. I still would have loved to see city hall move in with the police station and build up from the new headquarters to create a spectacular center for local government.

Historical or not, the calder plaza site has become far too valuable to be left like it is. It will be redeveloped; the question is, when?

[snoogit]

Historical or not, the calder plaza site has become far too valuable to be left like it is.  It will be redeveloped; the question is, when?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Something will start before the decade is out, I just gotta hunch.

And isnt the new courthous a Keating structure?

[Rizzo]

I feel it in the air that something big is going to be announced for that spot... Even before the decade is out... it wont be long.

[superNOVA]

Something big for that spot has been in the air since they built it. I have heard for probably a decade that there are (were) major devleopments in progress. It is just a matter of getting all of the government agencies to agree to either move or lease space.

The Federal and State being the biggest problems - as they could care less about local development and they are too stupid to understand that they are parking on a gold mine - land value wise. Plus, their buildings are easily a decade to small and they have no plans on either expanding or moving.

Pretty sad. Getting the city and county out will be much easier I suspect.

[Rizzo]

I knew that something pretty large was destinged for that spot, it was just now it seems something will come out of it in the near future, say 3 to 4 years.

[snoogit]

If I am an architect, trying to sell the city to move, I'd have a clear view to the calder structure from the convention centre, so that instead of seeing any sort of building blocking it you get an unobstructed view.

I mean, take a look at this:

is seeing the arse end of a building much better walking out? {The convention centre is in the background BTW)

[joeDowntown]

Snoogit,

I have seen other renderings that showed the new Calder Plaza and it had this really cool half circle wall (you can see it in the pic if you look for it). If I remember correctly, there also would have been a restaurant facing the calder and a nice entrance to the hotel. It looked very nice, they definitely worked hard to make it look good. Unfortunately, I think it had more to do with politics than anything else. Gallium Group HAD the funding. It was in the can if the city would have taken a progressive view of the future. Alas, we lost another world class building...

Joe

If I am an architect, trying to sell the city to move, I'd have a clear view to the calder structure from the convention centre, so that instead of seeing any sort of building blocking it you get an unobstructed view.

I mean, take a look at this:

is seeing the arse end of a building much better walking out? {The convention centre is in the background BTW)

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[snoogit]

Snoogit,

I have seen other renderings that showed the new Calder Plaza and it had this really cool half circle wall (you can see it in the pic if you look for it). If I remember correctly, there also would have been a restaurant facing the calder and a nice entrance to the hotel. It looked very nice, they definitely worked hard to make it look good. Unfortunately, I think it had more to do with politics than anything else. Gallium Group HAD the funding. It was in the can if the city would have taken a progressive view of the future. Alas, we lost another world class building...

Joe

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thats all nice and everything, but im still thinking it would have been an easier sell if there was an unobstructed view from the calder to the Convention centre is all. Even if they rotated the whole thing 90 degrees around the Calder, it would have been sold easier, if not approved.

[mgreven]

Look at the top diagram (the model, not the drawings). Doesn't it look different? Unless I'm mistaken, it looks like the city and county buildings are still standing and they have moved the hotel to the south side of the calder....plus there's a shorter matching building on the north side. Am I looking at it wrong or is it different than the drawings?

[snoogit]

Look at the top diagram (the model, not the drawings).  Doesn't it look different? Unless I'm mistaken, it looks like the city and county buildings are still standing and they have moved the hotel to the south side of the calder....plus there's a shorter matching building on the north side.  Am I looking at it wrong or is it different than the drawings?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

nope, it was two different proposals from the same group. the drawings were the first one, the model w

[Rizzo]

The Steering Commitee should start to work on a Calder Plaza transformation... This could really fun task for us.

[joeDowntown]

I agree Rizzo. Personally, I think they should move it onto the Kendall "campus" that is being proposed. When they close the section of Pearl to create greenspace, it would be a perfect place for the Calder. Still very visible, but moving it off the fantastic real estate that exists. Calder Plaza is a depressing place with no people about 345 days a year. Let's move it next to an art school.

Also, the views with St. Marks and the old art museum in the background would be fantastic!

Joe

The Steering Commitee should start to work on a Calder Plaza transformation... This could really fun task for us.

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[Rizzo]

Yah, lets goto the head of the steering committe and make this formal...