Hinman project - new 13 story hotel at 10 Ionia

[MJLO]

I think it looks great!

[ZAP!]

1 hour ago, mgreven said:

Here we go!  I know people were excited for 42 stories, but this will be a nice piece of infill on that parking lot.

Reminds me of the  Flatiron Building.

[ironyisadeadscene]

Wow! Absolutely awesome! I'm not that disappointed in the height loss anymore.

[joeDowntown]

I really like it. Great infill, and I think it looks like it’s “supposed to be there”. While I really liked the idea of 42 stories, this seems... more appropriate. I like the windows, and while I’m a fan of glass, I like the more traditional window layout. As I said before, I heard an October start date. Anyone want to guess what type of Marriott property it will be?

[Guest]

I like the design, but still wish it was 42 stories.  GR sure is going to look weird in the future with all the 12 story buildings in the core the (hopefully) high-rises outside of it.  Downtown is running out of empty lots.  We need some Dan Gilbert type of projects.

[Allison Slater]

I think this actually looks even better than the last seen renderings.  Well done.

[GRDadof3]

2 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

I like the design, but still wish it was 42 stories.  GR sure is going to look weird in the future with all the 12 story buildings in the core the (hopefully) high-rises outside of it.  Downtown is running out of empty lots.  We need some Dan Gilbert type of projects.

  Yeah no. Please don't compare us to Detroit ever again. We're doing so much better than Detroit despite Dan Gilbert's best efforts. 

A couple of years ago I thought Detroit was cool and coming out of its shell but it's the same ol Detroit after all. 

[WMrapids]

9 hours ago, mgreven said:

Here we go!  I know people were excited for 42 stories, but this will be a nice piece of infill on that parking lot.

It looks nice. It’d be better with a little more variation in color, but this will fill the spot. I think if they are going to sacrifice the height, they can at least nail the details to make it still stand out in some way.

[GRLaker]

8 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

  Yeah no. Please don't compare us to Detroit ever again. We're doing so much better than Detroit despite Dan Gilbert's best efforts. 

A couple of years ago I thought Detroit was cool and coming out of its shell but it's the same ol Detroit after all. 

All the more reason to stop acting like a small town and take the reins as Michigan’s top city. Detroit is a shell of its former self and will never return to what it once was. Just leveling out in population would be a win for them. GR is going in the opposite direction and is showing no sign of stopping. Why continue to act small by continuously building Kalamazoo/Lansing sized buildings? 

[GRDadof3]

1 hour ago, GRLaker said:

All the more reason to stop acting like a small town and take the reins as Michigan’s top city. Detroit is a shell of its former self and will never return to what it once was. Just leveling out in population would be a win for them. GR is going in the opposite direction and is showing no sign of stopping. Why continue to act small by continuously building Kalamazoo/Lansing sized buildings? 

I would agree with you if it were the actual City of Grand Rapids or the citizens building those buildings, but it's not. Maybe we can set up a GoFundMe page.

It takes a) a market for such a building and b) someone to put up such a building and basically make no money doing it. Just look at the rents that the Warner Tower has to ask for just to pay for 14 stories of construction with included parking.  Dan Gilbert I guarantee is going pretty damn deep in the hole right now betting on a miracle. And yet the city around downtown Detroit continues to hemorrhage residents by the tens of thousands every year and 60% of its citizens don't pay their property taxes. 

 

17 hours ago, mgreven said:

Here we go!  I know people were excited for 42 stories, but this will be a nice piece of infill on that parking lot.

I love it. 

[GRLaker]

14 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

I would agree with you if it were the actual City of Grand Rapids or the citizens building those buildings, but it's not. Maybe we can set up a GoFundMe page.

It takes a) a market for such a building and b) someone to put up such a building and basically make no money doing it. Just look at the rents that the Warner Tower has to ask for just to pay for 14 stories of construction with included parking.  Dan Gilbert I guarantee is going pretty damn deep in the hole right now betting on a miracle. And yet the city around downtown Detroit continues to hemorrhage residents by the tens of thousands every year and 60% of its citizens don't pay their property taxes. 

It makes sense. I'm honestly just amazed that the demand wouldn't be there for a hotel, apartments, condo, office, restaurant combo to make this taller than 14 stories when our economy and population continue to grow.

I think at this rate, our last hope for a tall building in this city is the hotel attached to DeVos Place. I really hope that the study comes back saying the demand is there and that they build one comparable to at least the JW.

[arcturus]

Throw in some dirty snow and grey skies and it still looks good.  Thumbs up to the illustrator for at least having some clouds which of course is a rarity here.

[GVSUChris]

I REALLY want to know what hotel brand this is. I have been trying to think about all the brands under Marriott and I really hope that it is something interesting and nice. The design seems pretty traditional/ doesn’t read to me as something like a W or Aloft... maybe a regular flag Marriott? MAYBE a Westin? Hmmmm 

Edited June 13, 2018 by GVSUChris

[MJLO]

My guess would be a flag Marriott.  Also keep in mind that Marriott owns Starwood brands now so it technically could be a Sheraton too(I don't think there are currently any starwood brands downtown, very few in the area).  Have we ruled out that it won't be a Hilton brand for sure?  If it's another mid tier brand just below flagship i'll be disappointed. 

[mjak68]

It's a lot better than the building that used to be on that spot.   Bottom-center of the pic.  

[egrguy]

We already have a Courtyard and a JW downtown. The AC brand is coming next year.  I would guess its going to be a regular Marriott or Sheraton hotel. If it goes off brand, maybe a Moxy?

[Guest]

9 hours ago, GRLaker said:

All the more reason to stop acting like a small town and take the reins as Michigan’s top city. Detroit is a shell of its former self and will never return to what it once was. Just leveling out in population would be a win for them. GR is going in the opposite direction and is showing no sign of stopping. Why continue to act small by continuously building Kalamazoo/Lansing sized buildings? 

 

8 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

.  Dan Gilbert I guarantee is going pretty damn deep in the hole right now betting on a miracle. And yet the city around downtown Detroit continues to hemorrhage residents by the tens of thousands every year and 60% of its citizens don't pay their property taxes. 

Detroit is way better off than it was 10 or even five years ago.  Granted most of the development is from Downtown to New Center and East Jefferson, but I can only see this spreading to the surrounding areas.  It reminds me somewhat of DT GR, which used to be pretty much desolate weekends and weeknights.  Development spawned more development.

I can't really see Gilbert being deep in the hole.  He has billions to play around with.  All of his recent projects have increased density from the original proposals.  He's building a 800 foot tower right now on the Hudson's site and a proposed 35 story tower for Monroe block.  The thing he has to his advantage is that Quicken and all of his other companies are located downtown.  Many of the employees are young and making six figures.  They want to live in DT and Midtown and they are given cash to do so.

As for the rest of Detroit, yes most of it is crumbling.  There are a few exceptions with pockets like Boston-Edison, Mexicantown, etc.  There are also a number of projects by groups to renovate and build infill in entire neighborhoods.  Will ever be like it was?  Probably not, but I think people will be really surprised to see Detroit in 30 years.

[kwl]

Honestly, it looks like the original render with the top 35 stories lopped off. 

Also, reminds me of my college dorm in Chicago. 

 

 

[GRDadof3]

4 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

 

Detroit is way better off than it was 10 or even five years ago.  Granted most of the development is from Downtown to New Center and East Jefferson, but I can only see this spreading to the surrounding areas.  It reminds me somewhat of DT GR, which used to be pretty much desolate weekends and weeknights.  Development spawned more development.

I can't really see Gilbert being deep in the hole.  He has billions to play around with.  All of his recent projects have increased density from the original proposals.  He's building a 800 foot tower right now on the Hudson's site and a proposed 35 story tower for Monroe block.  The thing he has to his advantage is that Quicken and all of his other companies are located downtown.  Many of the employees are young and making six figures.  They want to live in DT and Midtown and they are given cash to do so.

As for the rest of Detroit, yes most of it is crumbling.  There are a few exceptions with pockets like Boston-Edison, Mexicantown, etc.  There are also a number of projects by groups to renovate and build infill in entire neighborhoods.  Will ever be like it was?  Probably not, but I think people will be really surprised to see Detroit in 30 years.

No one has billions to play around with. Not even Musk (who is laying off thousands of people from Tesla). I take that back, the Saudi Royal Family has billions to play with, and the Bank of China. 

[demhem]

15 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

 

Detroit is way better off than it was 10 or even five years ago.  Granted most of the development is from Downtown to New Center and East Jefferson, but I can only see this spreading to the surrounding areas.  It reminds me somewhat of DT GR, which used to be pretty much desolate weekends and weeknights.  Development spawned more development.

I can't really see Gilbert being deep in the hole.  He has billions to play around with.  All of his recent projects have increased density from the original proposals.  He's building a 800 foot tower right now on the Hudson's site and a proposed 35 story tower for Monroe block.  The thing he has to his advantage is that Quicken and all of his other companies are located downtown.  Many of the employees are young and making six figures.  They want to live in DT and Midtown and they are given cash to do so.

As for the rest of Detroit, yes most of it is crumbling.  There are a few exceptions with pockets like Boston-Edison, Mexicantown, etc.  There are also a number of projects by groups to renovate and build infill in entire neighborhoods.  Will ever be like it was?  Probably not, but I think people will be really surprised to see Detroit in 30 years.

What jobs at Quicken are these lucky young people getting? I have numerous friends who work(ed) at Quicken and I can assure you none of them make(de)  6 figures. 

[organsnyder]

43 minutes ago, demhem said:

What jobs at Quicken are these lucky young people getting? I have numerous friends who work(ed) at Quicken and I can assure you none of them make(de)  6 figures. 

Six figures is fairly common for software developers, but not as common in the midwest as on the coasts. Around here (I'm assuming GR and Detroit salaries are fairly comparable), it's almost exclusively senior-level devs that make that much.

[SupercityGR]

Are they still planning on adding to the adjacent parking garage?

[GRBorn]

16 minutes ago, SupercityGR said:

Are they still planning on adding to the adjacent parking garage?

The parking garage "will remain for now."

https://mibiz.com/item/25890-hinman-scales-back-plans-for-proposed-tower-in-downtown-gr

[x99]

From a design perspective, I actually like the new one more.  But it's still not nearly as good as almost any random historic flatiron-style building, unfortunately.  It's boring, stripped down, completely unadorned, and devoid of anything resembling personality.  Oh, well.  It could always be worse... I mean, where's the six colors of metal siding mixed in with four different colors and styles of brick?   Clearly lacking in input from our wonderfully talented local architecture firms... 

[wingbert]

11 minutes ago, x99 said:

From a design perspective, I actually like the new one more.  But it's still not nearly as good as almost any random historic flatiron-style building, unfortunately.  It's boring, stripped down, completely unadorned, and devoid of anything resembling personality.  Oh, well.  It could always be worse... I mean, where's the six colors of metal siding mixed in with four different colors and styles of brick?   Clearly lacking in input from our wonderfully talented local architecture firms... 

Grand Rapids design aesthetic - "Go beige or go home".