Optimist Park / Belmont Projects

[tozmervo]

1 hour ago, SgtCampsalot said:

Can some construction people help me out here?

This is the old Farrar store at Belmont Ave / Harrill St. What are they doing here? They've knocked out seemly random stretches of bricks along the side, and appear to not be extending them lower. Note the vertical scoring that was done seemingly at random intervals.

I'd have thought it was oultines for windows, except it is not in any regular pattern.

Can you tell if the brick above the openings is braced in any way? (Maybe from the inside?) My guess is that they are about to install steel lintels ahead of removing the rest of the brick below for larger window/door openings. You can see vertical saw cuts at each end of the openings that strikes me as an outline for the rest of the opening. 

[KJHburg]

Optimist Mill and the Trammel Crow apartments on Parkwood N Brevard.  Today.   And the boutique apartments along Parkwood and the new apartments at N Brevard and Parkwood by the LYNX station.  

[SgtCampsalot]

The Lofts at Hawthorne Mill, while I didn't get any photos, they're about open now (I think they have a couple residents) and looks great.

However the thing I'm most excited about is the pedestrian path (pic#1-4) they installed connecting Louise Ave and Hawthorne Ave.

This is such a critical connection, especially in the ambiguous future where the Gold Line extends down Hawthorne to loop around the Barnhardt Manufacturing Building (pic#6).

Also, along the path, a single family home (pic#5), that would look way better had it been a duplex/triplex, standing stoically sentinel over the newly rehabbed Mill.

Edited January 6, 2019 by SgtCampsalot

[videtur quam contuor]

Barnhardt Manufacturing, family owned from 1899 until today. Same location. Hawthorne Middle, two blocks down the street, is the former Tech High School for Charlotte and the families that lived around it worked at the nearby Barnhardt and other businesses similar to it.

The Barnhardt family home has been discussed here in the past in the Plaza-Midwood section.

http://www.barnhardt.net/history/

The small county graded 1-12 schools, Long Creek, Pineville, Berryhill and others closed in the 1950-53 period and with the opening of East Mecklenburg, and Myers Park in 1951-54 Tech was re-commissioned a junior high. The City and County were separate school systems at that time

[SgtCampsalot]

Those two little brick/concrete block buildings on Seigle Ave, right before the RR tracks underpass, have a Now Leasing sign out front for "Retail/Office" and some concept art.

I'm glad to see these getting rehabbed (figures since it's definitely got soil contamination) though the modernistic touches in the concept are so gratuitous on these humbly modest yet already-attractive structures.

Edited January 13, 2019 by SgtCampsalot

[Guest]

Here’s the high res renderings, it’s the single worst rendering I’ve seen in a while. Just shaded boxes with windows and some weird corrugated metal, shipping container type applications. I wouldn’t give it much credence, it’s clearly a lazy attempt to add interest to the buildings. I’m sure once they get leased it’ll be very different.


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[KJHburg]

Optimist Hall their new website is making me hungry.  Can't wait to check it out when it opens.

http://optimisthall.com/

[kermit]

The Duke office space at Optimist Hall appears to be (kinda) occupied. 

It has furniture, lights are on and there was a 4 person meeting happening just now in a conference room. Looking through the windows from the train suggests the building is otherwise unoccupied so far.

Edited January 18, 2019 by kermit

[JacksonH]

On 1/5/2019 at 4:24 PM, SgtCampsalot said:

The Lofts at Hawthorne Mill, while I didn't get any photos, they're about open now (I think they have a couple residents) and looks great.

However the thing I'm most excited about is the pedestrian path (pic#1-4) they installed connecting Louise Ave and Hawthorne Ave.

This is such a critical connection, especially in the ambiguous future where the Gold Line extends down Hawthorne to loop around the Barnhardt Manufacturing Building (pic#6).

I've long wondered what the purpose is of that Gold Line loop around the Barnhardt building.  Does it have something to do with this new pathway link over to Louise Avenue, or are there some big plans involving the Barnhard site that warrants a LYNX station there?

[SgtCampsalot]

9 minutes ago, JacksonH said:

I've long wondered what the purpose is of that Gold Line loop around the Barnhardt building.  Does it have something to do with this new pathway link over to Louise Avenue, or are there some big plans involving the Barnhard site that warrants a LYNX station there?

It is to avoid having to run streetcar tracks over the CSX freight tracks on Central Ave; it would not be allowed. So going down Hawthorne means it would to under the tracks bridge, then around, through Barnhardt and Clement Ave, back onto Central

[JacksonH]

6 hours ago, SgtCampsalot said:

It is to avoid having to run streetcar tracks over the CSX freight tracks on Central Ave; it would not be allowed. So going down Hawthorne means it would to under the tracks bridge, then around, through Barnhardt and Clement Ave, back onto Central

Thank you so much!  I've been scratching my head about that for the longest time.   So how are the going to manage tracks down Clement Avenue?  That's such a narrow street and it appears there's very little room to widen the road.

[southslider]

4 hours ago, JacksonH said:

Thank you so much!  I've been scratching my head about that for the longest time.   So how are the going to manage tracks down Clement Avenue?  That's such a narrow street and it appears there's very little room to widen the road.

Past Sunnyside ain't funded. If ever built, Clement would look like Elizabeth Ave, just one shared lane in each direction with some recessed parking. And it'd likely be just as messy, with cars hanging out and stopping streetcars on their tracks.

If the line is ever extended on the Eastside, it really should just stay on Hawthorne to Parkwood to The Plaza out towards Shamrock.  That area could use more pedestrian-friendly development. Central is already seeing that, is closer to future Silver Line, and has way too much traffic for tracks in travel lanes.

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, southslider said:

Past Sunnyside ain't funded. If ever built, Clement would look like Elizabeth Ave, just one shared lane in each direction with some recessed parking. And it'd likely be just as messy, with cars hanging out and stopping streetcars on their tracks.

If the line is ever extended on the Eastside, it really should just stay on Hawthorne to Parkwood to The Plaza out towards Shamrock.  That area could use more pedestrian-friendly development. Central is already seeing that, is closer to future Silver Line, and has way too much traffic for tracks in travel lanes.

 

I'd love to see the streetcar terminate at French on the west, and Morningside on the east, forever. 

After that I'd like to see an additional line from East, going up and down Scott/Kenilworth, down Kenilworth, Up Stonewall, down mint to graham and out to Northend.

[tozmervo]

3 hours ago, southslider said:

Past Sunnyside ain't funded. If ever built, Clement would look like Elizabeth Ave, just one shared lane in each direction with some recessed parking. And it'd likely be just as messy, with cars hanging out and stopping streetcars on their tracks.

If the line is ever extended on the Eastside, it really should just stay on Hawthorne to Parkwood to The Plaza out towards Shamrock.  That area could use more pedestrian-friendly development. Central is already seeing that, is closer to future Silver Line, and has way too much traffic for tracks in travel lanes.

 

Based on the headache that parallel parking has caused, I wouldn't be surprised if that's eliminated or dramatically redesigned on future stretches.

[Guest]

 This is how I'd do it.

 

[Nathan2]

14 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

 This is how I'd do it.

 

 

 

I wish they would go ahead and at least finish the gold line through the plaza.  That neighborhood desperately needs better transit. Wishing it were possible to widen central so streetcars could have their own dedicated lanes. 

Edited January 18, 2019 by Nathan2

[NotSoAlien]

17 hours ago, kermit said:

The Duke office space at Optimist Hall appears to be (kinda) occupied. 

It has furniture, lights are on and there was a 4 person meeting happening just now in a conference room. (Looking through the windows suggests the building is otherwise unoccupied so far)

A little bird told me they finished the badge readers and everything is up and running. *just needed to do some sweeping and cleaning up*

They will be moving approx 400 people there within a few weeks. They already have the moving crates in some of the locations that are moving. 

 

[SgtCampsalot]

7 minutes ago, NotSoAlien said:

A little bird told me they finished the badge readers and everything is up and running. *just needed to do some sweeping and cleaning up*

They will be moving approx 400 people there within a few weeks. They already have the moving crates in some of the locations that are moving. 

I suppose the Duke employees alone merits all the parking lot space... I just cannot wait until the day White Pace sells/develops those lots.

[JacksonH]

11 hours ago, southslider said:

Past Sunnyside ain't funded. If ever built, Clement would look like Elizabeth Ave, just one shared lane in each direction with some recessed parking. And it'd likely be just as messy, with cars hanging out and stopping streetcars on their tracks.

If the line is ever extended on the Eastside, it really should just stay on Hawthorne to Parkwood to The Plaza out towards Shamrock.  That area could use more pedestrian-friendly development. Central is already seeing that, is closer to future Silver Line, and has way too much traffic for tracks in travel lanes.

 

That's a good point.  The Silver Line will have a Pecan Avenue stop right near the heart of Plaza-Midwood.  But development of the Silver Line is so far down the road, unless this Big Bang actually happens.

[J-Rob]

From the Optimist Hall Instagram account...

Does anyone know when the food hall opens? I can’t wait. Seriously so excited.


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[j-man]

I know they may want to hold on to that historic look, but I wish more redevelopment buildings like this Optimist project, and even in old mills in SouthEnd that are brick could get painted. I hate dull brown brick unless there is something like black windows to make it pop.  Hope this one gets that white paint. The green landscape will look so nice to compliment it and make it stand out, because I have seen old factories turned into  lofts, and they barely look renovated from the outside. 

Edited January 21, 2019 by j-man

[SgtCampsalot]

1 hour ago, j-man said:

I know they may want to hold on to that historic look, but I wish more redevelopment buildings like this Optimist project, and even in old mills in SouthEnd that are brick could get painted. I hate dull brown brick unless there is something like black windows to make it pop.  Hope this one gets that white paint. The green landscape will look so nice to compliment it and make it stand out, because I have seen old factories turned into  lofts, and they barely look renovated from the outside. 

As I am from Charlotte, where historical (aka Brick) buildings are torn down all the time, I am obsessed with raw (especially worn) red brick.

Every time I tell this to someone from somewhere like New York, Chicago, Philly, etc, they look at me sideways - I guess because they are so ubiquitous.

The grass is always greener... Absence makes the heart grow fonder... etc, et al

[Guest]

I know they may want to hold on to that historic look, but I wish more redevelopment buildings like this Optimist project, and even in old mills in SouthEnd that are brick could get painted. I hate dull brown brick unless there is something like black windows to make it pop.  Hope this one gets that white paint. The green landscape will look so nice to compliment it and make it stand out, because I have seen old factories turned into  lofts, and they barely look renovated from the outside. 

:-o
Sacrilege


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[videtur quam contuor]

Does this building have an historic designation?  In historically designated areas for residential, painting brick is not allowed except for structural reasons. That is, if walls need underground repairs and shoring, and the cracks and gaps that remain must be filled, then for uniformity a coat of paint on all the brick may be allowed. I know not about individual designated buildings.

Otherwise I say stay with the original Carolina field clay brick. It is honest and authentic and gives a structure a sense of plantedness no other surface can.

[Prodev]

The original plan was to paint the brick, but the historic commission said no to that.