THE Orlando Photo Thread

[bic]

Haha...I dunno about that but thanks for the compliment.

Judging by this picture, it looks like the people who move into the upper floors on the south side of The Verde will have some of the best views of the downtown skyline. They'll pretty much see it all-- Thornton Park, Eola South, the CBD, "Main and Main," I-4, new arena, old arena, Citrus Bowl, et al.

[orlandonative]

I think JRS is right, you have a great eye for photography, that was the first thing I picked up on in your pictures.

[VistaLakes01]

I think JRS is right, you have a great eye for photography, that was the first thing I picked up on in your pictures.

I agree, great pictures from everyone. The street level scenes are great! Has anyone ever been able to photograph a skyline shot from that dip heading west on the 408 approaching Mills Ave exit where the skyline rises up and looks really tall? That is my favorite view, has been since the CNA Tower days. It's probably too dangerous a risk to take a pic from that spot, but do ya'll know what I'm talking about?

[codypet]

I agree, great pictures from everyone. The street level scenes are great! Has anyone ever been able to photograph a skyline shot from that dip heading west on the 408 approaching Mills Ave exit where the skyline rises up and looks really tall? That is my favorite view, has been since the CNA Tower days. It's probably too dangerous a risk to take a pic from that spot, but do ya'll know what I'm talking about?

I have one, but its mad old! Circa 2005 (Star Tower and the Plaza are yet to go up)

How about another?

Edited June 5, 2007 by codypet

[VistaLakes01]

I have one, but its mad old! Circa 2005 (Star Tower and the Plaza are yet to go up)

How about another?

Thanks codypet! Wow, that area already looks so differents now, especially with the new 408! The old 408 doesn't look as bad as I remember But the new xway is incredible. I think a new skyline picture would probably have to be taken heading east out the back window of a car to get more buildings in...i'll have to attempt that one day soon.

[codypet]

Thanks codypet! Wow, that area already looks so differents now, especially with the new 408! The old 408 doesn't look as bad as I remember But the new xway is incredible. I think a new skyline picture would probably have to be taken heading east out the back window of a car to get more buildings in...i'll have to attempt that one day soon.

I didn't realize it at the time but if you look hard CNL2 was still being built.

[VistaLakes01]

Hey Orlando! Once again here's a gripe about the building height limits in Downtown O-Town! Check out the pic in Charlotte Coffee House under Charlotte Skyline Shots Post #358. What do you think??

[Violindude]

Hey Orlando! Once again here's a gripe about the building height limits in Downtown O-Town! Check out the pic in Charlotte Coffee House under Charlotte Skyline Shots Post #358. What do you think??

While Orlando might not have Charlotte's height hopefully we'll pass them in density. Like some one said earlier look at Vancouver. You wouldn't even know all their building are under 500' because it's so dense. They have a low height limit to protect the view of the North Shore mountains. Who needs a tall skyline when you've got mountains? While Charlotte is trying to be Atlanta I think we should model our city after Vancouver. I love Atlanta but Vancouver's skyline is much better in my oppinion. But I must say a good photo.

Edited June 6, 2007 by Violindude

[Whipp]

While Orlando might not have Charlotte's height hopefully we'll pass them in density. Like some one said earlier look at Vancouver. You wouldn't even know all their building are under 500' because it's so dense. While Charlotte is trying to be Atlanta I think we should model our city after Vancouver. I love Atlanta but Vancouver's skyline is much better in my oppinion. But I must say a good photo.

have to be honest, i love density, but vancouver is crammed full of tall condo buildings that to me are just not as appealing as a glass office tower. maybe it just reminds me too much of a strip of condos on a beach or something. which i guess is why i could care less for miami's skyline either. best skyline in the country imho is seattle. thats who we should emulate.

oh, and yes, those photo's of charlotte are pretty nifty. i think i have a little p*nis envy.

[VistaLakes01]

have to be honest, i love density, but vancouver is crammed full of tall condo buildings that to me are just not as appealing as a glass office tower. maybe it just reminds me too much of a strip of condos on a beach or something. which i guess is why i could care less for miami's skyline either. best skyline in the country imho is seattle. thats who we should emulate.

oh, and yes, those photo's of charlotte are pretty nifty. i think i have a little p*nis envy.

I think San Diego may have some strict height restrictions, while they have nice density, from the pictures I've seen the buildings don't seem all that tall. I don't think Orlando should emulate any city but should have our own admirable skyline and street level downtown. It needs to be a striking or shocking city all of a sudden rising out the middle of the Florida peninsula and send the signal that here's a huge city in Florida that doesn't need the beach or oceans to exist. People need to say "Wow, how did this happen?!"

I understand what you mean about strip condos on the beach, even Daytona Beach or Panama City can or already have buildings as tall or taller than Orlando but have nothing to do with the size of the city. But I do disagree about Miami, a lot has changed over the past decade. I now consider the beachfront condos down there the same as apartment buildings in Manhattan or Chicago, but have Florida architecture as opposed to brick buildings in those cities.

[Whipp]

I think San Diego may have some strict height restrictions, while they have nice density, from the pictures I've seen the buildings don't seem all that tall. I don't think Orlando should emulate any city but should have our own admirable skyline and street level downtown. It needs to be a striking or shocking city all of a sudden rising out the middle of the Florida peninsula and send the signal that here's a huge city in Florida that doesn't need the beach or oceans to exist. People need to say "Wow, how did this happen?!"

I understand what you mean about strip condos on the beach, even Daytona Beach or Panama City can or already have buildings as tall or taller than Orlando but have nothing to do with the size of the city. But I do disagree about Miami, a lot has changed over the past decade. I now consider the beachfront condos down there the same as apartment buildings in Manhattan or Chicago, but have Florida architecture as opposed to brick buildings in those cities.

i said seattle not san diego.

[VistaLakes01]

i said seattle not san diego.

I know you said Seattle, I was talking about the FAA building height restrictions here in Orlando and I was stating that possible San Diego has some height restrictions. Seattle has a beautiful skyline and is a real city on street level also.

[facilities man]

While Orlando might not have Charlotte's height hopefully we'll pass them in density. Like some one said earlier look at Vancouver. You wouldn't even know all their building are under 500' because it's so dense. They have a low height limit to protect the view of the North Shore mountains. Who needs a tall skyline when you've got mountains? While Charlotte is trying to be Atlanta I think we should model our city after Vancouver. I love Atlanta but Vancouver's skyline is much better in my oppinion. But I must say a good photo.

Charlotte has a great skyline but check out an overhead satellite view of the downtown. It's smaller than you'd think and absolutely sorrounded by large surface parking lots. Not dense at all. Orlando has a better downtown, Charlotte has a better skyline.

[demon]

I think San Diego may have some strict height restrictions, while they have nice density, from the pictures I've seen the buildings don't seem all that tall. I don't think Orlando should emulate any city but should have our own admirable skyline and street level downtown. It needs to be a striking or shocking city all of a sudden rising out the middle of the Florida peninsula and send the signal that here's a huge city in Florida that doesn't need the beach or oceans to exist. People need to say "Wow, how did this happen?!"

I understand what you mean about strip condos on the beach, even Daytona Beach or Panama City can or already have buildings as tall or taller than Orlando but have nothing to do with the size of the city. But I do disagree about Miami, a lot has changed over the past decade. I now consider the beachfront condos down there the same as apartment buildings in Manhattan or Chicago, but have Florida architecture as opposed to brick buildings in those cities.

The height restriction in San Diego is 500 ft. They have awesome density and it's an incredible urban city. Very walkable, good mass transportation, lots of stuff going on at the street level. Plus it's the only city I've ever been to where you could walk to the airport.

[VistaLakes01]

Charlotte has a great skyline but check out an overhead satellite view of the downtown. It's smaller than you'd think and absolutely sorrounded by large surface parking lots. Not dense at all. Orlando has a better downtown, Charlotte has a better skyline.

Very true! I think that Orlando actually has a very large downtown compared to many cities. Alot of other cities are more square shaped, while Orlando is very long, as the mayor has said "from hospital to hospital." And then because Orlando's city limits end at Florida Hospital, to me the city's urban life actually continues in to Winter Park, the new downtown Maitland and Uptown Altamonte. So let's say we start with SoDo, ORMC, CBD (DOWNtown), Midtown (go east to west at this point Baldwin Park, Colonialtown, Thornton Park, South Eola, Parramore) then back to Uptown, Ivanhoe, Florida Hospital and their proposed village, Winter Park, Maitland, Altamonte.....I would consider this all in-town urban living. And then the city of Orlando has our other urban enclaves outside of downtown (within Orlando city limits) Lake Nona, Vista Lakes and Metro West. As Orlando's density increases you are starting to see that this city is on the way to being HUGE! You can start to see it now from both ends of the 408 entering the city. If Verde goes up in Uptown that is going to make a huge impact, especially with the density that follows, even if they are 12-25 floor buildings!

Very true! I think that Orlando actually has a very large downtown compared to many cities. Alot of other cities are more square shaped, while Orlando is very long, as the mayor has said "from hospital to hospital." And then because Orlando's city limits end at Florida Hospital, to me the city's urban life actually continues in to Winter Park, the new downtown Maitland and Uptown Altamonte. So let's say we start with SoDo, ORMC, CBD (DOWNtown), Midtown (go east to west at this point Baldwin Park, Colonialtown, Thornton Park, South Eola, Parramore) then back to Uptown, Ivanhoe, Florida Hospital and their proposed village, Winter Park, Maitland, Altamonte.....I would consider this all in-town urban living. And then the city of Orlando has our other urban enclaves outside of downtown (within Orlando city limits) Lake Nona, Vista Lakes and Metro West. As Orlando's density increases you are starting to see that this city is on the way to being HUGE! You can start to see it now from both ends of the 408 entering the city. If Verde goes up in Uptown that is going to make a huge impact, especially with the density that follows, even if they are 12-25 floor buildings!

OOps! I forgot Millenia!

[sunshine]

No matter how you want to put it, Orlando downtown is extrmely small compared to cities of similar size around the world.

[facilities man]

No matter how you want to put it, Orlando downtown is extrmely small compared to cities of similar size around the world.

I totally disagree with that statement. Orlando has a large downtown AREA. The skyline is small. A similar size metro area would be Pittsburgh. Their downtown looks like a small New York, but it's .66 square miles and you can walk across town in either direction in literally 5 to 6 blocks. Cincinatti, and Charlotte, are the same. Tampa too if you don't count Channelside.

[prahaboheme]

^Disagree.

Pittsburgh is much larger in both size and feel downtown.

Orlando has an opportunity to expand downtown into Parramore; a continuous streetwall down Church Street from Thornton Park to OBT would be quite impressive--and there is no reason not to expect it.

[VistaLakes01]

I totally disagree with that statement. Orlando has a large downtown AREA. The skyline is small. A similar size metro area would be Pittsburgh. Their downtown looks like a small New York, but it's .66 square miles and you can walk across town in either direction in literally 5 to 6 blocks. Cincinatti, and Charlotte, are the same. Tampa too if you don't count Channelside.

I should have said College Park instead of Ivanhoe....but I totally agree with you, Tampa's downtown AREA is smaller, Cincy....Orlando is just now happening, it sucks when people are down on it and try to compare it to cities that have existed as large cities for over 100 years. Miami is newer than Orlando, and look how fast it became what it is today. Now Orlando is growing at a pace that Miami did in the past. And Orlando's downtown has a lot of room for that growth because it covers such a large area. If you look at Tampa, like facilities said, that have that downtown clump of buildings in a few square blocks, not counting Channelside. Whereas Atlanta has a long downtown area, that is the type of city Orlando is going to be skyline-wise. Or how Houston is almost a constant long skyline from downtown west to the Galleria....Houston's tallest is actually in the Galleria neighborhood. Who's to say 15 or 20 years from now Orlando's tallest won't be in Altamonte or Millenia? It's not like our inner burbs are boring generic suburbs like Orange Park in Jax, Fishers in Indianapolis. We've got a long northern stretch of trendy urban people, growing along the same lines as downtown Atlanta to Buckhead, or Downtown Miami to Downtown Dadeland (with Coral Gables and the Grove, i.e Winter Park, new Downtown Maitland, and the beginnings of high rise living in Uptown Altamonte.) Or look at the density of condos/apartments in Millenia, who's to say that there won't be some high rise office towers/condos/and hotels in that area? Like the Blue Rose? And look at the density where I live in MetroWest and high rise living that is starting up in that area? It's not your typical US suburb. Finally I say that Orlando is lacking in downtown skyline size only because it was growing at a time in the 70's and 80's when most cities downtown areas were dying, so even though we were growing, developers during that time just weren't building that much downtown office space or towers anywhere. Suburban office space and malls and single family homes were all the rage. What makes Orlando different is there was never any "flight" from the city, ever since I can remember Orlando had nice downtown neighborhoods, i.e. "The City Beautiful." So we are having the opportunity to develop the city like it was never abandoned, it is growing naturally in the lifestyle of this millenium without having to play catch up. It's not a risk to move downtown here, it isn't shady, people can actually move right in to the center of the city and not worry if the area is going to remain a good place to live. In Tampa you have to be an adventurer to buy a place in Ybor. And also don't forget that most buildings in Manhattan are residential and Orlando has the freedom to build a lot of residential downtown making it active on the street level in the actual city after hours. Whew! Hope my point is understood!

[Whipp]

Who's to say 15 or 20 years from now Orlando's tallest won't be in Altamonte or Millenia?

...eww

[facilities man]

...eww

The tallest building was almost in Altamonte. The forever unfinished Majesty building was supposed to be 40 stories. It is 307 feet tall with only 18 stories. If it were the original 40 it would have been around 600 feet tall. The city of Altamonte recognized it would stand out like a sore thumb amoung the other 8 to 16 story buildings proposed or being built and made the developer scale it down.

[MAntoniazzi]

The tallest building was almost in Altamonte. The forever unfinished Majesty building was supposed to be 40 stories. It is 307 feet tall with only 18 stories. If it were the original 40 it would have been around 600 feet tall. The city of Altamonte recognized it would stand out like a sore thumb amoung the other 8 to 16 story buildings proposed or being built and made the developer scale it down.

Well i am glad they scaled it down, they would probably be now just topping off!

[facilities man]

^Disagree.

Pittsburgh is much larger in both size and feel downtown.

Please expound.

Pittsburgh has more commercial office space and taller buildings, and it looks huge and has a big city feel because it's all contained in a 1/2 square mile downtown. Orlando's downtown is about 1 1/2 square miles. Activity in Pitt. during the workday is higher due to more people in a much smaller area, after hours I wouldn't say it's a ghost town but it's not very active. Orlando is active after hours and on the weekends. The population of both metro's is almost identical.

Edited June 7, 2007 by facilities man

[jliv]

Hey Orlando! Once again here's a gripe about the building height limits in Downtown O-Town! Check out the pic in Charlotte Coffee House under Charlotte Skyline Shots Post #358. What do you think??

Charlotte has taller buildings because it is a banking center, and bankers and law firms are the only major consumers of large downtown high-rises these days. Unless SunTrust packs up and moves its headquarters (back) to Orlando, there will never be the kind of tenant to justify anything beyond buildings the scale of Dynetech. That said, Charlotte is a bit of a Potemkin village, with an Emerald City-looking skyline surrounded by warehouses and low-slung sprawling neighborhoods typical of the South. On the street, downtown Orlando is much more impressive, because it wraps around a beautiful lakeside park, and is very human-scaled. There's really nowhere interesting to stroll in uptown Charlotte, outside of a dense 5 blocks along Tryon. The growth in downtown Orlando seems more organic, growing with the metro area, as opposed to some concerted effort by its business leaders.

I think Vancouver and Portland are great cities for Orlando to model itself after, and it should avoid any inspiration from Atlanta or Charlotte.

[jliv]

No matter how you want to put it, Orlando downtown is extrmely small compared to cities of similar size around the world.

Well, you should probably be a little more specific, because comparing Orlando to "cities around the world" is a bit vague. Orlando's core city compares very well to the cores of metros like Ft. Lauderdale, Sacramento, or San Jose.