Plaza-Midwood Projects (Central, Commonwealth, The Plaza)

[videtur quam contuor]

69 years for a DQ in same building and same location is amazing. The DQs of my childhood have been long gone. 

A year ago I was involved in family research and found 14 addresses in Indianapolis where members of my family before me lived over four generations and also a business address. I did a Google map search for those addresses and none of the buildings were there. This includes the business and a brick apartment building where my parents lived when my older sister was a toddler. In one case the street no longer exists as it has become part of a giant business campus. These were family homes from 1890's to 1950. Three additional from 1950 to 1980's are extant. 

tempus fugit y'all

[nashbill]

Went to DQ this evening.  Had medium vanilla cone, my usual. And still had a major sneeze attack about five minutes after eating it.  Which is also usual. Allergic to something. OK! I'm over it. It can go.  Maybe somebody will build something nice, to cover the side of the ugly parking garage. I do like the mural. it's one of my favorites that I've seen around the city. So goodbye DQ.

Edited September 7, 2019 by nashbill
sentence taken out

[southslider]

Used to regularly walk to that DQ back when you had a pawn shop on every block of Central, but also an unobstructed skyline view from "Downtown Midwood".  Drug deals used to go down between DQ and the cleaners behind them that's now a wine bar across from the formerly empty lot behind Nova's. Homeless would hang out across Pecan at the picnic tables in front of the old gas station turned Fuel Pizza, well before any tire shop turned Pure Pizza a block over.

Well over a decade ago, when this Gen Xer bought a little bungalow just off Central, my Babyboomer boss questioned my choice in location and joked I could always find anything stolen from my home down at one of the pawn shops.  By the time I sold my place, my Millennial colleagues were dumbfounded I'd ever leave such a cool area. Well, an area can only change so much before you question if you should change, too. Plus, cashing out some appreciation didn't hurt either.

[SgtCampsalot]

17 hours ago, nashbill said:

Went to DQ this evening.  Had medium vanilla cone, my usual. And still had a major sneeze attack about five minutes after eating it.  Which is also usual. Allergic to something. OK! I'm over it. It can go.  Maybe somebody will build something nice, to cover the side of the ugly parking garage. I do like the mural. it's one of my favorites that I've seen around the city. So goodbye DQ.

Me too! Similar thing with McDonald's shakes. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by SgtCampsalot

[nashbill]

^Haha. Thought I was the only one. It is weird that it happens every time. When I lived closer, I would ride my bike and had to stop and sneeze for a few minutes then be fine and on my way.

[Miesian Corners]

Aston better not turn this DQ into yet another outlet for a certain over-hyped and over-priced Ohio-based ice cream chain. 

[cltcane]

3 minutes ago, Miesian Corners said:

Aston better not turn this DQ into yet another outlet for a certain over-hyped and over-priced Ohio-based ice cream chain. 

Just waiting for the CA article written by Ted who knows that Jeni’s will “kill it” here.  The P-M location will be extra “Instagrammable”, so he, of course, will be “bullish”.

[atlrvr]

DQ is 100% owned by Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet) the 2nd largest public company in the US after Walmart.

Jeni's is a small private company run by friends.

What, exactly, are people up in arms over?

[Miesian Corners]

1 hour ago, atlrvr said:

DQ is 100% owned by Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet) the 2nd largest public company in the US after Walmart.

Jeni's is a small private company run by friends.

What, exactly, are people up in arms over?

$2 for ice cream as opposed to $6? 

Im well aware of the fact DQ is an international chain, but this is  history. And face it, .Jeni’s will eventually sell out to Wall St (Ben & Jerry). 

[archiham04]

18 hours ago, atlrvr said:

DQ is 100% owned by Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet) the 2nd largest public company in the US after Walmart.

Jeni's is a small private company run by friends.

What, exactly, are people up in arms over?

I think it is the transition from business that caters to the masses to business that caters to the gentry.  It's almost as if we are gentry-if- y -ing ? or gentry-i - cating... searching for a word... can't seem to put my finger on it...

[ertley]

I sympathize with people's remorse over DQ leaving that location--I felt the same way when the Independence Krispy Kreme was demolished (20? years ago?)... but of course this is a story as old as time... 

The main reason I'm relatively sanguine about the DQ loss is specifically because of its location, not the passing of a 'classic' institution (and hopefully they will be able to reopen nearby as they plan). I'm big on corner lots, especially those at significant intersections, having noteworthy buildings with sidewalk retail, and even though I would have been happy having the DQ--as well as anything that's been in a place for decades--remain if it could've, I think the potential* of having a good corner building there with sidewalk retail is worth the loss. From an aesthetic point of view, when they allowed that sub-par apartment building to the west to be constructed and loom over it, the DQ was relegated to being a relic, structurally.

*Of course, there's a real possibility that the city allows a mediocre building to go there--and that apartment building next door, which is clearly anticipating a similar structure to abut it where the mural is, doesn't portend a truly worthy replacement.

Side Note: I personally am impatient for the city to align Pecan south of Central with the leg north--to me it's obvious they need to take part of the CVS parking lot to make that happen; and the CVS building is clearly something that should be replaced with something more suited for a corner location. 

[Scribe]

And here I am, still driving up to Ninety's in University to have some of their Hershey Premium Ice Cream ... to each his own...

Edited September 9, 2019 by Scribe

[Nathan2]

I agree. Before I knew DQ was leaving, I always thought that the street presence of the DQ needed some improvements. Would have been nice to do away with the parking at the front and add picnic tables or something. I hope whatever goes into this corner lot does the neighborhood justice. 

[KJHburg]

a friend just told me that the Central Square shopping center with the large parking lot at Pecan and Central maybe on the market for a cool $25 M  anyone know anything about this?   If this site is redeveloped it would be a game changer for the Plaza Midwood area bringing much higher density.  

 

[Guest]

a friend just told me that the Central Square shopping center with the large parking lot at Pecan and Central maybe on the market for a cool $25 M  anyone know anything about this?   If this site is redeveloped it would be a game changer for the Plaza Midwood area bringing much higher density.  
 

Sounds like a generational buy, and under priced haha.


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[EllAyyDub]

On the market soon, price will be determined by the market.  

[videtur quam contuor]

Does this include the older brick buildings lower down by the railroad?

[KJHburg]

Yes it does as my friend had an office there long time ago

[Matthew.Brendan]

Huge potential here, fingers crossed.

[NOLA2CLT]

hope the old brick buildings stay as I think those were part of an old railroad depot of some sort...the actual strip mall can go...as long as they find a close location for Bistro La Bon and Yama...love those places.

[Nathan2]

I hope any new development keeps the "plaza" brick building look and not anymore of the generic beige we have seen with some of the newer apartments in the area. 

[KJHburg]

Notice the top listing on Berkeley Capital website

https://berkeleycap.com/#listings

[Matthew.Brendan]

The real question is what will the parking situation be  There's no end to the groaning on Nextdoor about the notorious over zealous booting of cars in that lot.

Free public deck would be a boon for the whole area...

[CLTranspo]

I can see why people are sad but it’s currently such a god awful use of urban space. I’ll be sad about the inevitable bland luxury apartments and parking deck. 

It would be awesome if whoever buys it could tie into the street grid and develop more of a town center vibe. Connecting Sunnyside across the tracks to Commonwealth would be even more amazing and would help tie it in to the future streetcar stop. 

[NOLA2CLT]

Good thing they "renovated" the ole Family Dollar sign to that awful Central Square sign...people will be lining up to buy this parcel.