THE Orlando Photo Thread

[VistaLakes01]

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.

Thanks for all the comments. My main objective was to point out how close downtown Charlotte appears be from the airport, so why no height limits? Another thing that bothers me is that there is actually an airport IN downtown Tampa and they can have taller buildings than Orlando?

[VistaLakes01]

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

Uuuh, I'd say it used to be at one time, but it has more than caught up in the past few years, especially since Orlando is no longer in the shadow of the mouse, the mouse is now in Orlando's shadow. And for those who are jealous in other markets because Orlando is getting so much more to offer than any other coeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeee

eeeee

[Camillo Sitte]

Thanks for all the comments. My main objective was to point out how close downtown Charlotte appears be from the airport, so why no height limits? Another thing that bothers me is that there is actually an airport IN downtown Tampa and they can have taller buildings than Orlando?

One more time: First, there is no law

[JFW657]

Soooooooo...... anyone got any pictures to post?

[Whipp]

Soooooooo...... anyone got any pictures to post?

here here, JFW. i'm itchin to see updates on dynatech that aren't form the webcam as well as 55 west, paramount and the florida hospital, etc.

[VistaLakes01]

Soooooooo...... anyone got any pictures to post?

I have found the perfect place for a skyline picture, If I were a photograher I would attempt it. You know where Doc's restaurant is accoss from ORMC. On the sixth floor of the attached building as soon as you step off the elevator there is a huge window to the left. There is an incredible view from there.

[bulldogger]

Here's some more pics I took from on top of the CNL/City Parking Garage...

408 heading east

some buildings on I-Drive

you can make out the peabody, rosen, part of the occc, and off to the right are a few construction cranes

universal and the twin towers

Edited June 16, 2007 by bulldogger

[JFW657]

Orlando's "other" skyline.

[slapdash09]

here are some shots of our beloved downtown from a rare, less-than-elite uptown orlando perspective . . . most of these were taken from the park north at cheney place (cue *groan*) parking garage. hey--someone's gotta speak for the guys with [not a bazillion bucks]!

these are "medium" versions of my pics. for alternate views, click on a photo and select "all sizes" above the photo in my flickr account and select large or original. i have neither the patience nor the artistic eye required for an slr camera, so kindly overlook the auto-focus of my point-and-click.

a bit of the vue through 55w

solaire on over

the courthouse and dynetech

55 west

colonial exit

the lexington

this week's demolition of the old orlando hand surgery associates building

and one shot from my view at work (thornton park central): the vue and the courthouse

Edited June 16, 2007 by slapdash09

[JRS1]

great shots. those may be the first of lexington we've had.

[sunshine]

Why do they demo that building?

[JRS1]

Why do they demo that building?

they say it's to widen I-4. if that's the case, that means say bye bye to Garland as well.

[sunshine]

isnt there a parking garage at the end of the street?

[slapdash09]

isnt there a parking garage at the end of the street?

it actually sorta ends into that orange/ivanhoe intersection with the old travelers building to the left. a couple of weeks ago they demolished the building to the north of the hand surgery building. the hand surgery building is quarantined off by dot signs.

the only info i could find on this part of the i-4 expansion project is on page 124 of www.metroplanorlando.com/site/upload/documents/TIP_0711_Dec06.pdf.

[i_cre8]

it actually sorta ends into that orange/ivanhoe intersection with the old travelers building to the left. a couple of weeks ago they demolished the building to the north of the hand surgery building. the hand surgery building is quarantined off by dot signs.

the only info i could find on this part of the i-4 expansion project is on page 124 of www.metroplanorlando.com/site/upload/documents/TIP_0711_Dec06.pdf.

Actually, it looks like those are being demolished to make way for a stormwater pond, albeit indeed a part of the I-4/Colonial upgrades. It does look, though, that maybe Garland will be losing perhaps a lane to make way for the widening/new ramps.

[JRS1]

Actually, it looks like those are being demolished to make way for a stormwater pond, albeit indeed a part of the I-4/Colonial upgrades. It does look, though, that maybe Garland will be losing perhaps a lane to make way for the widening/new ramps.

how messed up is that? this is downtown, and they're building stormwater ditches? just make a grilled sewer along Garland instead with underground drainage pipes.

[VistaLakes01]

how messed up is that? this is downtown, and they're building stormwater ditches? just make a grilled sewer along Garland instead with underground drainage pipes.

It sucks...looks like there is not any special or delicate consideration for the downtown area in the rebuilding of I-4. Seems like they are eliminating exits and wasting valuable downtown land on retention ponds. Downtown may as well just be another office park. Looks like the OOCEA is doing a much better job with the 408, adding a lot of detail in design in the downtown area.

[sunshine]

The rentention pond can be made into a nice small park. It looks like this new ramp is cut into the land of 1000 North Orange or the Flatiron proposal.

And can they not just drain the stormwater into lake ivanhoe?

[bulldogger]

in that drawing, what is up with that raised bus stop?

[slapdash09]

It sucks...looks like there is not any special or delicate consideration for the downtown area in the rebuilding of I-4. Seems like they are eliminating exits and wasting valuable downtown land on retention ponds. Downtown may as well just be another office park. Looks like the OOCEA is doing a much better job with the 408, adding a lot of detail in design in the downtown area.

i'm trying to visualize what this thing is going to look . . . are there any other "ponds" like this in the area that are similar to this proposal? it's not exactly like the big empty waterlogged areas by the eastbound exits off of i-4 at millennia and lake mary because it's on the other side of garland and not directly next to i-4. . . do any other retention ponds like this even exist?

i wonder if there's going to be a more defined pedestrian sidewalk area from the steps at that bus stop down garland to orange and ivanhoe. i_cre8, do you have more info?

[i_cre8]

in that drawing, what is up with that raised bus stop?

It refers to the easement and planned corridor for N/S light rail -- if it ever happens -- which is elevated along that portion of the route.

Of course, as sunshine pointed out earlier, the LTR alignment also runs across the 1000 N. Orange lot. Not sure if the MPB board required them to allow for a throughway for LTR.

Edited June 19, 2007 by i_cre8

[codypet]

i'm trying to visualize what this thing is going to look . . . are there any other "ponds" like this in the area that are similar to this proposal? it's not exactly like the big empty waterlogged areas by the eastbound exits off of i-4 at millennia and lake mary because it's on the other side of garland and not directly next to i-4. . . do any other retention ponds like this even exist?

Yep on the CSS board they have a pic of where that new hotel is going to be built. Just south of South Street there is a pond just like this one.

Edited June 19, 2007 by codypet

[frankieb96]

for what it's worth, here is a shot i took of my friend's car while driving on 408 heading west nearing downtown

enjoy

[JRS1]

for what it's worth, here is a shot i took of my friend's car while driving on 408 heading west nearing downtown

enjoy

welcome.

that is a great shot. we need more action photos like this one. too bad Star isn't in the shot.

[slapdash09]

frankieb96, what a clear and pretty photo. thank you for sharing!

Edited June 19, 2007 by slapdash09