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Hinman project - new 13 story hotel at 10 Ionia


GRDadof3

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19 minutes ago, GRBorn said:

High fives all around! ;) I was thinking about it yesterday and they said the would close Louis Street between Ottawa (and Fulton/Commerce?) except for the police garage. I wonder if they'd rip the parking structure down to give themselves more staging area to work with. This is going to be some of the tightest construction we've seen in GR.

Joe

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44 minutes ago, joeDowntown said:

High fives all around! ;) I was thinking about it yesterday and they said the would close Louis Street between Ottawa (and Fulton/Commerce?) except for the police garage. I wonder if they'd rip the parking structure down to give themselves more staging area to work with. This is going to be some of the tightest construction we've seen in GR.

Joe

That might help explain why they've hired McHugh out of Chicago as the GC. 

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2 hours ago, GRBorn said:

It's nice to see it approved, from a broad perspective, but it does make me sort of wonder how much longer Heartside can or should continue as a historic district.  I found this from the historic district requirements with a quick Google search:  "the majority of the components that add to the district's historic character, even if they are individually undistinguished, must possess integrity, as must the district as a whole."  When Heartside was designated, it may not have been pretty, but its architectural integrity was fairly intact. A 40 story building in a modern style looming over a historic district? It just adds insult to injury, when you also consider Gallery on Fulton, Verne Barry Place, 38 Commerce, and most of the newer buildings on Division. Heartside is an absolutely terrible example of how preservation ought to work, in many respects.  So, in the long run, while I am happy to see something like this built in Grand Rapids, it does make me wonder if it makes Heartside's historic designation (or at least its current boundaries) ever more pointless.  Now, had it been a beautiful traditionally styled skyscraper that really blended in nicely, another story.  But it ain't.

I'm sorry if this all sounds a little cynical, but it disgusts me to see stuff like this approved and then hear about some ordinary joe getting raked over the coals for putting in the wrong friggin windows or doors or siding or whatever.  How that heck do you look at that guy with a straight face?  Seems to me HPC basically has no argument at that point.  

 

Edited by x99
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1 hour ago, GR_Urbanist said:

For the sake of sanity, I hope that the Heartside "historical district" is dissolved, and it is replaced with a building-by-building designation scheme.

You aren't preserving anything by putting absurd demands on what is going up on empty lots. If these buildings are truly historic examples of anything, then they will stand out on their own. And that should be the point of preservation. To make the real historic actually stand out and be seen, not watered-down in a sea of faux historic buildings.

That is one perspective, but it sort of misses the point of preserving a district.  You do preserve something by putting demands on empty space, sort of like we preserve Yellowstone by not filling it with giraffes and roller coasters.  "Ooooh... look how the buffalo stand out from the giraffes and how the geysers stand out from the roller coasters!!"  The analogy is a stretch, but you get the point.  Eventually, the overall character is toast.  You can severely damage a historic district with a construction crane just as easily as with a wrecking ball.  The nature of the threat changes, but it is no less a threat.

Edited by x99
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Downtown is kind of blocked off and surrounded with certain obstacles. With Heartside district, Heritage Hill, and the two highways that sort of split up the city, it is nice to see Heartside district giving some leway for future growth. I'd much rather see the HPC work on preserving the old buildings than blocking and preventing future growth. I would count this as a big win for everyone in GR.

Edited by TheSutterKing
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3 hours ago, TheSutterKing said:

Downtown is kind of blocked off and surrounded with certain obstacles. With Heartside district, Heritage Hill, and the two highways that sort of split up the city, it is nice to see Heartside district giving some leway for future growth. I'd much rather see the HPC work on preserving the old buildings than blocking and preventing future growth. I would count this as a big win for everyone in GR.

It is a win, but because you're dealing with legalistic nonsense, it's something of a loss for every other historic district (at least in my view of what is "compatible" with traditional architecture).  

Anyhow, I think my point is made, so enough of the historic aspects.  Onto the positive aspects, which is a new 42 story building that will be going up NOT on the river.  That's pretty major, and I'm excited to see it happen.  I don't think we've seen a final rendering of the approved design.  Does anyone know if there is one floating around?

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40 minutes ago, x99 said:

It is a win, but because you're dealing with legalistic nonsense, it's something of a loss for every other historic district (at least in my view of what is "compatible" with traditional architecture).  

Anyhow, I think my point is made, so enough of the historic aspects.  Onto the positive aspects, which is a new 42 story building that will be going up NOT on the river.  That's pretty major, and I'm excited to see it happen.  I don't think we've seen a final rendering of the approved design.  Does anyone know if there is one floating around?

I was wondering the same. Seems odd that they didn't make a rendering to submit to the HPC. Instead, it was an elevation combined with some close-up drawings and a few materials pictures of buildings around it. I would think though that if a rendering existed, it would have been in that packet. 

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SwJBWqG.png

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I wonder what they're thinking for the roof screen wall? Copper would be a nice finish and a nod to the historic district. The way it looks now reminds of the copper roofs on the Federal Building (Kendall) and former GR Press headquarters.

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I could be reading some of this site plan wrong since I think it combines first and second floor elements but...

Any chance a portion of the "tenant areas" will be retail / restaurant? Seems like such a great location to capture downtown foot traffic. Plus as a tenant or hotel guest it would be nice to have a bar and/or restaurant on the ground floor.

I don't mind the rounded northeast corner of the building but I think it would be great to see it pushed closer to the property line (light green) creating a sharper edge on the corner. Would hate to see the little patio area go unused.

Elevators take up a good chunk of the floor space but I assume the quad set will serve the hotel only.

The hotel drop-off could be a bit confusing. The building address is Ionia, the primary road is Fulton, and the drop-off is on Louis.

Overall it's shaping up to be a good project! I look forward to seeing updated renderings.

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15 hours ago, Quercus said:

SwJBWqG.png

gyRBXQi.png

 

I wonder what they're thinking for the roof screen wall? Copper would be a nice finish and a nod to the historic district. The way it looks now reminds of the copper roofs on the Federal Building (Kendall) and former GR Press headquarters.

csOER6u.png

I could be reading some of this site plan wrong since I think it combines first and second floor elements but...

Any chance a portion of the "tenant areas" will be retail / restaurant? Seems like such a great location to capture downtown foot traffic. Plus as a tenant or hotel guest it would be nice to have a bar and/or restaurant on the ground floor.

I don't mind the rounded northeast corner of the building but I think it would be great to see it pushed closer to the property line (light green) creating a sharper edge on the corner. Would hate to see the little patio area go unused.

Elevators take up a good chunk of the floor space but I assume the quad set will serve the hotel only.

The hotel drop-off could be a bit confusing. The building address is Ionia, the primary road is Fulton, and the drop-off is on Louis.

Overall it's shaping up to be a good project! I look forward to seeing updated renderings.

I believe they are using the term "tenant" to mean "retail tenant," not "for the tenants of the apartments." Because they've talked about the cafe on the corner being a public cafe, and it's labeled "tenant." 

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So here's an interesting thought... What do we think will happen first -- Constructing the building or enlarging the parking ramp?  I wonder if that will get the ramp enlarged first to create some additional parking and staging space for the construction activities.  

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3 hours ago, x99 said:

So here's an interesting thought... What do we think will happen first -- Constructing the building or enlarging the parking ramp?  I wonder if that will get the ramp enlarged first to create some additional parking and staging space for the construction activities.  

True. They could use the top floor of the parking garage for staging materials. And Louis St. 

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4 hours ago, x99 said:

So here's an interesting thought... What do we think will happen first -- Constructing the building or enlarging the parking ramp?  I wonder if that will get the ramp enlarged first to create some additional parking and staging space for the construction activities.  

Maybe knock down the parking garage and use that area as the staging space?

Then when the tower's structure is up and they are doing inside finish work they could rebuild a new parking ramp and use Louis St. as the staging area.  I seem to recall the parking garage looked like it had some changes to the ground floor (adding retail) in some earlier renditions.  It might be simpler to just start from scratch on the parking ramp then investigate into possible reinforcements and then do the potential reinforcements.

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