Manchester Development

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, whw53 said:

some of the architecture is good, some bad or will be along here - but when it's packed in like this it starts to blend and what is more interesting to me about Decatur is not the architecture of any individual building but the form of the collection of buildings that is emerging along the narrow streets here. When you have a good urban street grid - like this old industrial section of Manchester provides - then the architecture doesn't have to over-compensate. 

!!!

[Brent114]

Just took a rainy walk around the hood.  For those out of town, here are some photos of a the rising buildings and how they are fitting into the fabric (mostly fitting I with the buildings built over he last 5 years or so) of Manchester. 

 

[I miss RVA]

27 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

Just took a rainy walk around the hood.  For those out of town, here are some photos of a the rising buildings and how they are fitting into the fabric (mostly fitting I with the buildings built over he last 5 years or so) of Manchester. 

 

HOHHHH-LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

What an AMAZING treasure trove of photographic goodness! OMG!  @Brent114you ROCK, my friend! Wow - I'm REALLY glad that I found the silver polish and put some elbow grease into a couple of Silver Port-a-Potties & @Hikelocated his engraver's implement. This week two award winners BEYOND deserve their trophies for their excellent and outstanding work. They are beyond deserved!

A couple of fun thoughts on these awesome photos:

1.) When looking at these pictures, it honestly feels like I'm looking at a totally different city. My old-school brain keeps saying - "Wow... this CAN'T be Richmond, is it?" And my new-fangled RVA brain says - "OHHHHH YEAH, BABY!!! THIS AIN'T YOUR PARENTS' OR GRANDPARENTS' RICHMOND!"

2.) The Commodore - and Hull Street - are really coming together, aren't they?!

3.) Decatur Street is changing SO quickly - and CAN YOU IMAGINE what it'll look like when Hourigan's 20-story (equivalent height - 24 stories) tower looms off in the distance, where the silos are now? OMG!

4.) That cityscape shot with South Falls I in the picture and the downtown skyline in the distance is absolutely EPIC. @Brent114  !!!  EPPP-PICCC!!!! THIS is the picture that makes RVA look like a SIGNIFICANTLY bigger city than her population bears out. MAN - the cityscape is FANTASTIC - and has SUCH a Brooklynesque look & feel to it - Richmond-style, of course! 

5.) Manchester has MASTERED what Scott's still needs to learn - the art of streetscape. Both are on grids - neither neighborhood has too many super wide streets. I think the biggest advantages that Manchester has are that A.) it got the jump on Scott's by several years - that head start makes a huge difference. B.) SO much of Manchester's core of development is somewhat clustered/concentrated into one part of the neighborhood whereas most of Scott's is scattered around the neighborhood and C.) Manchester has a riverfront and as such is developing its own skyline (in addition to the proximity to downtown), which adds SO much to the overall cityscape. Manchester is NAILING the vibe, the look, the feel. 

I can't wait to see how she looks in another five or so years when she's even MORE robustly built out!

Edited March 29 by I miss RVA

[eandslee]

Got to say, that second to last photo is just amazing!  Love that view!  Wowza!

[I miss RVA]

3 minutes ago, eandslee said:

Got to say, that second to last photo is just amazing!  Love that view!  Wowza!

It really is. Total urban cityscape. Makes RVA look and feel SO much bigger than she actually is, population-wise.

[Hike]

Amazing photos @Brent114 thanks for walking tonight. I don’t recognize Manchester anymore, so much happened and in a fairly short period of time. The over hang of the building to the parking area, in the photo below, seems ready to be hit by a moving truck or is this an optical illusion, higher than it looks? Can imagine laying in bed and bang, moving trucks here.

Edited March 29 by Hike

[Brent114]

If you zoom in you can see that it has been hit a few times lol.

It’s defiantly tall enough for a SUV or pickup truck.  I think an Amazon van would get stuck though. 

[Hike]

11 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

If you zoom in you can see that it has been hit a few times lol.

It’s defiantly tall enough for a SUV or pickup truck.  I think an Amazon van would get stuck though. 

Neat look but terrible location. No car access, no problem, allow cars under it, doink….plus, the column looks spindly too, this may not end well.

Edited March 29 by Hike

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Hike said:

 I don’t recognize Manchester anymore, so much happened and in a fairly short period of time. 

 

Same here - I'm absolutely blown away by all the dramatic changes in Manchester. It's like we're looking at a completely different city. In a way, it is. 

[I miss RVA]

39 minutes ago, Hike said:

Neat look but terrible location. No car access, no problem, allow cars under it, doink….plus, the column looks spindly too, this may not end well.

This is somehow reminding me of the famous "Can Opener Bridge" in Durham - there's a whole YouTube channel dedicated to that bridge's many victories over trucks, buses and other vehicles whose drivers THOUGHT they could squeeze through annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...  CRUNCH!!!

Edited March 29 by I miss RVA

[Hike]

10 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

This is somehow reminding me of the famous "Can Opener Bridge" in Durham - there's a whole YouTube channel dedicated to that bridge's many victories over trucks, buses and other vehicles whose drivers THOUGHT they could squeeze through annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...  CRUNCH!!!

Have seen that, the problem here, this building will not win. 

[I miss RVA]

4 minutes ago, Hike said:

Have seen that, the problem here, this building will not win. 

True - those columns, as you said, really ARE quite spindly. I'm surprised the architect didn't go with something considerably more robust.

[Hike]

1 minute ago, I miss RVA said:

True - those columns, as you said, really ARE quite spindly. I'm surprised the architect didn't go with something considerably more robust.

It’s stretching the limits of design by thinking outside the box. 

[I miss RVA]

3 minutes ago, Hike said:

It’s stretching the limits of design by thinking outside the box. 

This is true! Too much brain power would've had to have gone into that equation, methinks.

[Shakman]

13 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

This is somehow reminding me of the famous "Can Opener Bridge" in Durham - there's a whole YouTube channel dedicated to that bridge's many victories over trucks, buses and other vehicles whose drivers THOUGHT they could squeeze through annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd...  CRUNCH!!!

11foot8.com

[I miss RVA]

4 hours ago, Shakman said:

11foot8.com

And that's AFTER the railway overpass was raised by, I think, nearly two feet. (How they did it is quite impressive - and it's on the channel).

[I miss RVA]

QUESTION: Is this E. 6th Street?

 

[Icetera]

15 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

QUESTION: Is this E. 6th Street?

 

Close.  Looking East along E. 5th St. from Hull St.

[I miss RVA]

21 minutes ago, Icetera said:

Close.  Looking East along E. 5th St. from Hull St.

Ahh got it!  E. 5th. Thanks, Ice! 

[Richmonopoly]

23 hours ago, Brent114 said:

If you zoom in you can see that it has been hit a few times lol.

It’s defiantly tall enough for a SUV or pickup truck.  I think an Amazon van would get stuck though.

 

Brent!  These are gorgeous!  Absolutely the most beautiful and promising set of photos I've seen in years!!!!!!

[I miss RVA]

28 minutes ago, Richmonopoly said:

 

Brent!  These are gorgeous!  Absolutely the most beautiful and promising set of photos I've seen in years!!!!!!

  this !!!!

[Brent114]

17 hours ago, Richmonopoly said:

 

Brent!  These are gorgeous!  Absolutely the most beautiful and promising set of photos I've seen in years!!!!!!

The light rain and dusk did all the work  

[Brent114]

I made a blurry photo of 5th Street the wallpaper on my phone.

 

[I miss RVA]

48 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

The light rain and dusk did all the work  

That reminds me of one of the best baseball play-by-play calls I ever heard:

"High fly ball, right field. Jackson gets under it... smacks the mitt... and lets gravity do the rest."

[Shakman]

19 hours ago, Brent114 said:

I made a blurry photo of 5th Street the wallpaper on my phone.

 

Looks like a college kid's weekend.