Calder Plaza Building to get makeover

[GRDadof3]

6 hours ago, mpchicago said:

This was formally known as the Frey Building, and served (at least partially) as back office for the former Union Bank, now Chase.  Frey started Union Bank, and Foremost Insurance. DP Fox owns this building and the Chase building, and I think CDW manages the two.  Concept Design drew up the new entrance, in an effort to make the building more visible, and I assume help with vacancies.  I want to say the Chase building was suppose to get a minor face lift too. I do like the work that Concept Design did. 

This was well done. Good design can be achievable. 

[discgrab21]

 

Looks like they are already working on removing some of the exterior walls in that SW corner??

[joeDowntown]

On 5/18/2016 at 9:31 AM, mielsonwheels said:

This isn't the Calder Plaza building I know, but it's a building by Calder Plaza and I couldn't find a topic thread for it, so I'm just dropping these here.  This is the building next to the Chase building, I can't honestly say I ever remember actually seeing this building before the entry renovation even though I've walked by it probably a hundred times.  So kudos to the architect for drawing at least one persons attention.

Drove by 300 Ottawa this morning. It looks really nice. The only thing I think they missed out on is potentially pushing the entrance out further (closer to the street). It they did this at both 300 and 200 Ottawa, it would make the streetscape look great. Maybe in 20 years when they want to refresh the building again?

Joe

[joeDowntown]

Has anyone noticed the sculpture outside 300 Ottawa (looks nice - love more public art)? Is that the Split Ring from Woodland mall? It's either a doppelganger, or they plucked it from the mall.

Joe

[GRDadof3]

11 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

Has anyone noticed the sculpture outside 300 Ottawa (looks nice - love more public art)? Is that the Split Ring from Woodland mall? It's either a doppelganger, or they plucked it from the mall.

Joe

Plucked from the mall. Someone on my FB feed posted about it. It's apparently where it was originally. 

[EastownLeo]

2 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Plucked from the mall. Someone on my FB feed posted about it. It's apparently where it was originally. 

I believe it was part of "Sculpture Off the Pedestal"

[joeDowntown]

8 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Plucked from the mall. Someone on my FB feed posted about it. It's apparently where it was originally. 

Interesting. I know that when they updated the mall and moved from it's original location over a water feature, the artist was pissed. Said that was the intended spot for it. Guess he must not care now. Surprised we didn't hear more about it. I think it's a pretty significant piece of art. I like it downtown better than a place lean on while eating a Wetzel's Pretzel.

Joe

[GRDadof3]

On 6/24/2016 at 6:21 PM, joeDowntown said:

Interesting. I know that when they updated the mall and moved from it's original location over a water feature, the artist was pissed. Said that was the intended spot for it. Guess he must not care now. Surprised we didn't hear more about it. I think it's a pretty significant piece of art. I like it downtown better than a place lean on while eating a Wetzel's Pretzel.

Joe

Amongst the city's permits, there's one for a tenant on the 2nd floor of 200 Ottawa who is taking over the entire floor, and mega architecture firm Gensler is doing the design. Found that interesting. Anyone know who's on the 2nd floor of 200 Ottawa. 

[andrew.w]

Well actually...the split ring was first part of an exhibition of large outdoor sculpture at the Vandenberg Center in the early 70s, and it was placed...right in front of 300 Ottawa. Maybe it was designed to ultimately be in the fountain, but you could argue that it has now returned to it's original home.

 

Image is from a book that can be found in the public library: Sculpture Off the Pedestal

[andrew.w]

Also, I finally went back and looked at my thesis notes. This is who I have for architects for all of the various buildings:

• Old Kent Building, 1966, Daverman Associates
• 200 Monroe / MichCon Building, 1967, Daverman Associates
• 200 Ottawa / Union Bank Building, 1967, Carson Lundin and Shaw,
• City and County Buildings, 1968, SOM
• Federal Building, 1972, Louis C. Kingscott
• 300 W Ottawa / Frey Building, date unkown, WBDC
• State of Michigan Building, 1975, WBDC
• Calder Plaza Building, 1981, architect unknown

Also don't have specific dates for these (though ordered by approximate completion):

• Michigan Title Building, Daverman Associates (built pre-urban renewal)
• Post Office, Daverman Associates
• Grand Rapids Press, Daverman Associates
• Hall of Justice, SOM
• Grand Center, Harry Weese

 

[GRDadof3]

11 hours ago, andrew.w said:

Well actually...the split ring was first part of an exhibition of large outdoor sculpture at the Vandenberg Center in the early 70s, and it was placed...right in front of 300 Ottawa. Maybe it was designed to ultimately be in the fountain, but you could argue that it has now returned to it's original home.

 

Image is from a book that can be found in the public library: Sculpture Off the Pedestal

 

I seem to recall it was moved from in front of Macy's and taken out of that fountain that used to be there when they did the "redesign" at Woodland, and that the artist said it was never supposed to be part of a water feature. That's why it's now high and dry in front of the Apple store. 

 

[x99]

9 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

I seem to recall it was moved from in front of Macy's and taken out of that fountain that used to be there when they did the "redesign" at Woodland, and that the artist said it was never supposed to be part of a water feature. That's why it's now high and dry in front of the Apple store. 

It looks like a giant lock washer.  I'm sure having it contextually displayed is very important.   I think I will create a "sculpture" called Bent Bolt and then whine about where people put my giant bent bolt for decades.  You can tell I'm a huge fan of "modern" sculpture.  

In other news, I see there is a request out for public input about a redesign of the concrete parking lot roof where a big piece of rusty orange scrap metal is sitting.  I'm sure we'll be hearing from all of the sculptor's heirs about how that thing is allergic to grass or having any other object placed within 100 feet of it soon enough.  My suggestion:  Repurpose it into steel beams to use in a few 3 to 4 story, street fronting low-rise buildings.  Or leave it there, build around it, and hang a tire swing from it.  At least then it'll be useful.  

[GRDadof3]

38 minutes ago, x99 said:

It looks like a giant lock washer.  I'm sure having it contextually displayed is very important.   I think I will create a "sculpture" called Bent Bolt and then whine about where people put my giant bent bolt for decades.  You can tell I'm a huge fan of "modern" sculpture.  

In other news, I see there is a request out for public input about a redesign of the concrete parking lot roof where a big piece of rusty orange scrap metal is sitting.  I'm sure we'll be hearing from all of the sculptor's heirs about how that thing is allergic to grass or having any other object placed within 100 feet of it soon enough.  My suggestion:  Repurpose it into steel beams to use in a few 3 to 4 story, street fronting low-rise buildings.  Or leave it there, build around it, and hang a tire swing from it.  At least then it'll be useful.  

*Doesn't like modern art*

I don't think I've ever heard someone make such a definitive claim, not with a degree above HS diploma. 

Here's some Bob Ross remix for you then. 

 

[RegalTDP]

42 minutes ago, x99 said:

It looks like a giant lock washer.  I'm sure having it contextually displayed is very important.   I think I will create a "sculpture" called Bent Bolt and then whine about where people put my giant bent bolt for decades.  You can tell I'm a huge fan of "modern" sculpture.  

In other news, I see there is a request out for public input about a redesign of the concrete parking lot roof where a big piece of rusty orange scrap metal is sitting.  I'm sure we'll be hearing from all of the sculptor's heirs about how that thing is allergic to grass or having any other object placed within 100 feet of it soon enough.  My suggestion:  Repurpose it into steel beams to use in a few 3 to 4 story, street fronting low-rise buildings.  Or leave it there, build around it, and hang a tire swing from it.  At least then it'll be useful.  

 

[ctpgr34]

[GR_Urbanist]

1 hour ago, x99 said:

It looks like a giant lock washer.  I'm sure having it contextually displayed is very important.   I think I will create a "sculpture" called Bent Bolt and then whine about where people put my giant bent bolt for decades.  You can tell I'm a huge fan of "modern" sculpture.  

In other news, I see there is a request out for public input about a redesign of the concrete parking lot roof where a big piece of rusty orange scrap metal is sitting.  I'm sure we'll be hearing from all of the sculptor's heirs about how that thing is allergic to grass or having any other object placed within 100 feet of it soon enough.  My suggestion:  Repurpose it into steel beams to use in a few 3 to 4 story, street fronting low-rise buildings.  Or leave it there, build around it, and hang a tire swing from it.  At least then it'll be useful.  

x99 can cut right into it better than anyone. Makes me jealous sometimes!

 

But yeah, the whole "redesign Calder Plaza" is a waste of time if no one will acknowledge the real issues with it.

 

1) It IS just the roof of a parking garage. It has virtually no history before the 60s. People's emotional connection to it is weak at best. Calling it a "gathering place" is obnoxious as no one goes there unless they HAVE to for an event. The area in front of the art museum is a gathering place, this is at best an events space.

A true plaza must sit at the meeting place of major roads, not off to the side in some soul-sucking 60s clusterchuck like Calder is.

2) it is surrounded by the worse structures to ever dream of putting around a plaza. For any redesign to be anything more than putting lipstick on a pig, you will have to replace the Ford Federal Building, all of the buildings across the street,. The 5/3rd and the "Calder Plaza Building will have to be completely opened up on their ground floors, and that parking lot will have to be filled in.

3) That useless grass facing Monroe, along the blank wall, will need to be filled in as well with retail or some other attraction.

3.5) the NW corner needs to have a pedestrian stairway or transparent elevator so that it can bring activity, and pedestrian travel down to the SE corner of Michigan and Monroe to complement the projects taking place north of Michigan Ave.

4) Furniture will need to exist on the plaza. Sorry to Calder's relatives. It may also have to share the space with a 2nd sculpture.

5) Any views of the highway on/off ramps will need to be shielded from sight from the plaza.

6) Parking under it must be free after 5pm.

[joeDowntown]

3 hours ago, x99 said:

It looks like a giant lock washer.  I'm sure having it contextually displayed is very important.   I think I will create a "sculpture" called Bent Bolt and then whine about where people put my giant bent bolt for decades.  You can tell I'm a huge fan of "modern" sculpture.  

I honestly think you are one of my close friends playing a sick game of trolling me just to piss me off. If you are, well played my friend, well played.

Joe

[wingbert]

4 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

x99 can cut right into it better than anyone. Makes me jealous sometimes!

 

But yeah, the whole "redesign Calder Plaza" is a waste of time if no one will acknowledge the real issues with it.

 

1) It IS just the roof of a parking garage. It has virtually no history before the 60s. People's emotional connection to it is weak at best. Calling it a "gathering place" is obnoxious as no one goes there unless they HAVE to for an event. The area in front of the art museum is a gathering place, this is at best an events space.

A true plaza must sit at the meeting place of major roads, not off to the side in some soul-sucking 60s clusterchuck like Calder is.

2) it is surrounded by the worse structures to ever dream of putting around a plaza. For any redesign to be anything more than putting lipstick on a pig, you will have to replace the Ford Federal Building, all of the buildings across the street,. The 5/3rd and the "Calder Plaza Building will have to be completely opened up on their ground floors, and that parking lot will have to be filled in.

3) That useless grass facing Monroe, along the blank wall, will need to be filled in as well with retail or some other attraction.

3.5) the NW corner needs to have a pedestrian stairway or transparent elevator so that it can bring activity, and pedestrian travel down to the SE corner of Michigan and Monroe to complement the projects taking place north of Michigan Ave.

4) Furniture will need to exist on the plaza. Sorry to Calder's relatives. It may also have to share the space with a 2nd sculpture.

5) Any views of the highway on/off ramps will need to be shielded from sight from the plaza.

6) Parking under it must be free after 5pm.

 

There's always this approach to displaying an orange Calder...

   

[walker]

3 hours ago, wingbert said:

 

There's always this approach to displaying an orange Calder...

   

I'm pretty sure that's Calder Red just like ours, not orange.  So I think based on the Chicago Calder you could make a case for tearing down the surrounding buildings so long as they were replaced by taller black buildings that looked like they were designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in the sixties. 

[walker]

And if you want the Calder to sit on grass rather than concrete you've got to move it around a few times, that seems to fool the Calder Foundation people.

Here's a Calder that was in Fort Worth owned by a bank and on a concrete base:

 then the bank was sold and they didn't want it so it was temporarily moved to Philly in front of the art museum  - still on concrete:

   

but nobody in Philadelphia came up with the money to pay the bank so Seattle bought it and by this time no one apparently remembered that it had to be set in concrete and had to be surrounded by mid-century buildings - so here it is by itself in the grass:

 

[Chester Cheeto]

An update of the Calder building.

[GR_Urbanist]

Shots from today. Will admit it is better than I expected. I wonder if they should have just redone the entire exterior like the corner.

 

[droonus2000]

Yes, yes they should apply that skin to the rest of the building. 

[GRDadof3]

2 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Shots from today. Will admit it is better than I expected. I wonder if they should have just redone the entire exterior like the corner.

 

Yeah, why tease with that. 

[sparky05]

Drove past it the other day and thought the same thing. The rest of the building now looks like it's covered with an early 80's crust.