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Berkman Tower and Carolina Theater

dubone

By dubone
in Charlotte

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orulz City

orulz

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Thinking about the tower on an abstract level,

Being on the same block as the Hearst tower presents a difficult architectural problem. How will a shorter, narrower building relate to its surroundings when in the company of giants like IJL and Hearst? 32 stories is by no means an insubstantial building, but put it so close to Hearst and it might just get lost. If the final product is less than stellar when it comes to architectural details (let's hope not - the renderings seem OK) then it would look especially cheap in comparison with the BoA complex.

Then again, it does serve to stretch the skyline about half a block northwards, and larger buildings have been built in closer proximity in plenty of other cities, with no terrible ill effects to speak of.

Just some thoughts.

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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I didn't put too much energy into this, but here is a rough placement of this building in the skyline. I think it will look great, especially since that part of the skyline is a bit uniform. It will be nice to get some diversity of the kinds of buildings in there.

73355128_02f92583a9_o.jpg

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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Hello again everyone:)

Is the Berkman really going to be 32 stories? What sort of architecture will it be, and is it set or still a proposal?

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=269131

It is a proposal. Last week, the Observer implied that chances were getting slim for the project and the developer was demanding an agreement for a city subsidy by the end of the year. However, the city council kept the project alive for almost another month by voting to continue negotiations and bringing it to a vote on 1/9/06. A major change is that the developer will agree to own the theater, so the city is not automatically liable for maintenance.

The council vote could be a) politics and they'll really just let it fail next month, b) optimism that the developer will turn around and give more concessions, or (most likely) c) the councilmembers are interested in saving the theater and know this the last shot, even if the economics are not completely sound.

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orulz City

orulz

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That rendering is quite well made. I think you got the scale just about right (somewhere between 50 and 100 feet shorter than IJL). Thanks! I guess there's more separation between this tower and the Hearst tower than I had imagined, but it definitely looks "small" nestled in among them. I guess that gives you a good idea of exactly how huge the BOA HQ and Hearst Tower are.

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Charlotteman Burg

Charlotteman

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Thanks for posting the skyline pic with the Berkman superimposed

I think the tower would look very very nice as shown:) Sure it's smaller, but Charlotte needs MORE midsize highrises to mix with the more gigantic palaces in the sky!

The architecture is rather nice in my opinion. It has a classic feel to it, and if there are two spires that will be lit at night, it should really look terrific. It won't get lost at all. I hope it comes to fruition.

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Rickydavisfan21 Hamlet

Rickydavisfan21

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yea...... bout those spires, I should have recognized this before, being that I have an architectural background, those are simply sight lines, not spires, I think, correct me if I'm wrong, they are lines placed to help the artist who rendered the building line things up and make sure everything was perfect and precise, but then again I might be wrong and those are spires that'd be awesome!.

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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yea...... bout those spires, I should have recognized this before, being that I have an architectural background, those are simply sight lines, not spires, I think, correct me if I'm wrong, they are lines placed to help the artist who rendered the building line things up and make sure everything was perfect and precise, but then again I might be wrong and those are spires that'd be awesome!.

You might be right. If you zoom close in on those renderings in the pdf presentation, those could just be drafting lines that are continuations of the lines of the actual building design, rather than spires. I would like it either way, but somehow, those spires add something nice to the design, and I hope they really are part of it.

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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http://www.charmeck.org/NR/rdonlyres/eyqvl...ia/01090604.pdf

The details of the deal are included in the document in the agenda. Also, the analysis of comparable cities is pretty interesting at the end. I think that should answer the fears of canabalistic competion among theaters.

I'm pretty confident that the council will vote to approve this deal. I just hope that the developer can get financing in the right amount of time.

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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Does anyone know whether the prohibition on adult entertainment at the Carolina Theater excludes alcoholic beverages and bands that say naughty words? The seems somewhat vague, but maybe the actual contracts will include specific legalese about boobs and stuff.

Also, I was thinking today just how great this project is that is it is right in the center of the Downtown Drinking District. On the same block, there is RiRa, Connelly's, Phils, Blue, and a number of other restaurants and bars. Then a block east, there is Forum, Bar, and the other clubs and bars next to 7th Street Station. One block north are some chain bar/restaurants like Fox&Hound and Rock Bottom.

Having a "cool" theater for good evening shows and live music will be a great addition to Charlotte's night life.

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atlrvr Metropolitan Area

atlrvr

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I believe we already have code which defines "adult entertainment"......by simply mentioning adult entertainment the existing code should regulate what is and is not allowed, so I'm pretty sure that the code clarifies that only sexual-by-nature entertainment is prohibited.

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dubone Megalopolis

dubone

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Considering their location, and the fact that they now have an approved subsidy, I think that as long as they sell enough units they will be okay.

I think now that last night's vote was affirmative, they will move forward with marketing like websites and such.

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fulcrumsf Whistle-Stop

fulcrumsf

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If you google theatre organs and charlotte your likely to find The Carolina Theatre preservation group's website. I'm too lazy to do it right now, the website is pretty lame though.

Edit: I did it anyway, it's http://theatreorgans.com/nc/metrolina/index.html just click on "Explore It Now".

Thanks Appatone, your right the website is pretty bad.

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London Crossroads

London

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Just FYI, this is not the website for the tower. The developer has not yet "announced" the building. I am sure the tower's website and much more info will be available at that point.

Actually, this isn't even the official website for the Carolina Theatre Preservation Society. It has a lot of information and pictures about the theatre, but you're right, it could be done much better. CTPS is working to have there website completed as well.

The problem up to now for both groups (developer and CTPS) has been a lack of a firm commitment (in the form of a purchase agreement) from the City. Now that they have that, they can start the fundraising and "development" activities in earnest. I think we will be hearing a lot about this project in the coming weeks.

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