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The Locks at 321


varunner

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Thanks for the photos and the different perspective, but very little of the crane is seen (glad you posted the zoom because I couldn't see it in the first photo - ha ha).  You must be in the WestRock/CoStar building.  I actually wish they were building something taller than the twin towers so that there would be a tower crane ABOVE the twins, but alas...no dice...just a squatty, giant cube of 12 stories.  [sigh]

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2 hours ago, eandslee said:

Thanks for the photos and the different perspective, but very little of the crane is seen (glad you posted the zoom because I couldn't see it in the first photo - ha ha).  You must be in the WestRock/CoStar building.  I actually wish they were building something taller than the twin towers so that there would be a tower crane ABOVE the twins, but alas...no dice...just a squatty, giant cube of 12 stories.  [sigh]

Yes, I do have a pretty good vantage point to witness all these projects being built around me...even if just a glimpse I can feed my curiosity...a little x-ray vision wouldn’t hurt either lol..

 

2 hours ago, eandslee said:

Thanks for the photos and the different perspective, but very little of the crane is seen (glad you posted the zoom because I couldn't see it in the first photo - ha ha).  You must be in the WestRock/CoStar building.  I actually wish they were building something taller than the twin towers so that there would be a tower crane ABOVE the twins, but alas...no dice...just a squatty, giant cube of 12 stories.  [sigh]

 

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So, what is this development going to be called?  Will it still be The Locks at 3TwentyOne?  I've been trying to do a search for this project's website and I'm coming up empty.  It'd be crazy, but it seems that WVS doesn't have a website for this project...or maybe I'm just incompetent and can't find it on the web.

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There is a banner.  I just walked past it last night (there is a  protected pedestrian walkway now, I love those!).  There wasn’t a photo on the banner so I didn’t pay it much attention.  It was just the generic name and number of the building  (for example Canal Place VI, something like that).  I suspect that something more flashy will go up soon. 

 

07065150-530F-48B7-B169-58445FAA0F7A.jpeg

Edited by Brent114
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11 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

You know, I’ve looked at that article a few times before an never noticed the capital letters in “The Locks Tower.”  Thanks for pointing that out to me.  I had assumed that was just a generic name.  I need to pay attention a little better!:scared:

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1 hour ago, RVAbigdawg said:

Are there any webcams up on this project?  

I have yet to find one. Would be nice though. I think the developer is too cheap to put one up.  That probably gives you a good indication of the type of development it will be...but I digress....If you, or anyone else, finds one, please post a link here!

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Very sad to see "throwaway" buildings occupying such a prominent place in the city. The development on Browns Island in the background of this photograph is another great example of missed opportunity. They "value engineered" the decorative roof off the residential "tower" (seen to the left just behind the smoke stack). Even at that, both of those buildings are worthless, architecturally. The fake, tacked-on columns are hideous- all in the name of being "contextual." While buildings of the past, built with good materials and craftsmanship endure, I can't imagine anyone will care to save these buildings if humans are still here 50 years from now. 

Even the Robert A.M Stern-designed US Courthouse on Broad St. seems to be compromised. Up close the fake-stone cladding looks cheap. There are strange gaps that don't line up in the facade which look sloppy and quickly betray the material's "fake-ness". 

One building that seems to be standing out as the exception is the Pickard Chilton-designed glass curtain wall of the new Dominion Tower. Based on their other buildings, I think the crown will be elegant. The whole point of a glass curtain wall may be efficiency and economy, but here it seems to be done right.

It would be nice if the city had more stringent architectural standards for these developments rather than letting everything go to the lowest common denominator. When you look at what we're building, compared to 50-100 years ago, I think it speaks volumes about the decline of our culture. What does it say about a society when it worships short term profit at the expense of the future and no longer wants to invest in quality?

22 minutes ago, Hike said:

This is from the Locks Facebook page and is from August 27.  I'm trying to be optimistic that this will turn out ok.  Looking at the investment all around their development it's hard to imagine the developers would just allow something horrible to be placed right next to and become part of this nice row of historic development.  

https://www.facebook.com/thelocksrva/

321_Aug. 27.jpg

 

Edited by skycity
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10 minutes ago, skycity said:

Very sad to see "throwaway" buildings occupying such a prominent place in the city. The development on Browns Island in the background of this photograph is another great example of missed opportunity. They "value engineered" the decorative roof off the residential "tower" (seen to the left just behind the smoke stack). The fake, tacked-on columns are hideous- all in the name of being "contextual." While buildings of the past, built with good materials and craftsmanship endure, I can't imagine anyone will care to save these buildings if humans are still here 50 years from now. 

 

If I recall, they also dropped 2-4 floors off the top, compared to the initial rendering containing a decorative roof around the elevator tower.

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I’m not convinced (yet) that this building will be a turd.  As long as it isn’t ugly (and the design of this one is better than the law firm behind it and Riverfront Towers beside it), it is at worst, just fine.   The finishes will make or break it (and  the prefab panels aren't a good omen).  The scale seems a bit weird on the drawings too (thus the “yet” caveat).  

Not every building needs to be showy.  In fact, the fewer showy buildings the better (Chicago looks better than Dubai for example).   For every great skyscraper in Manhattan, there are dozens of nondescript boxes that are actually doing all of the work.  

I get that this is a good location for something better but in the 400 year history of Richmond, nothing better has come along.  Perhaps this is what’s appropriate for this site.  

Edited by Brent114
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