Duke Energy Plaza Headquarters | 40 Story formerly Charlotte Metro Tower

[cmett003]

32 minutes ago, pathb said:

Can we call Option 1 the Google Home option going forward?  

No because it really doesnt look anything like that

[Tyrone Wiggum]

23 minutes ago, Dale said:

All our data is already belong to them.

Speaking of which, I added the roof element.  

/For great justice

[Dale]

8 minutes ago, Tyrone Wiggum said:

Speaking of which, I added the roof element.  

/For great justice

Source: brings it to 872’.

[Tyrone Wiggum]

8 minutes ago, Dale said:

Source: brings it to 872’.

Well, I just checked in with that relative who works at DUK.  Per them, the bad news is that the 28 story garage is still a go.  But, the good news is DUK is gonna buy Southwire, so they've got an architectural design all ready to go already.  Win win -ll around:

that's a big fat /s, SEC

[JacksonH]

4 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Anyone ever thought about renaming Southend, downtown? or maybe fifth ward?

I made this very point a couple weeks ago in another thread (a NoDa thread, I think) that Southend should be "downtown" because, in my mind, you can't have an uptown if you don't have a downtown.  Charlotte is the only city I know of where that is the case and it seems rather pretentious to me, which is why I don't like calling the center city "uptown."  But that said, I like the name "Southend."

[Cadi40]

Agreed, give it 10 years and parts of Southend will be blended with Uptown. 

[nicholas]

5 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Anyone ever thought about renaming Southend, downtown? or maybe fifth ward?

Personally I think the South End name is too well-established at this point to change.

[Guest]

Just now, nicholas said:

Personally I think the South End name is too well-established at this point to change.

was a hint, not an honest to god suggestion

[NYCLT]

Spoke with someone today who told me that those parking in the Duke lot will lose their spots at the end of February

[Dale]

2 minutes ago, NYCLT said:

Spoke with someone today who told me that those parking in the Duke lot will lose their spots at the end of February

Well then they might as well have a rendering by then.

[J-Rob]

Could have put this in "Economic Expansions and Relocations", but I will put this here:

Duke bid to buy Santee Cooper out of South Carolina.  Through direct and indirect customers, it would apparently triple their customer base in South Carolina.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2019/01/17/duke-energy-makes-offer-to-purchase-troubled-south.html?iana=hpmvp_clt_news_headline

I say go big or go home with this new tower! 45 stories, please!

 

[TheOneRJ]

5 hours ago, JacksonH said:

I made this very point a couple weeks ago in another thread (a NoDa thread, I think) that Southend should be "downtown" because, in my mind, you can't have an uptown if you don't have a downtown.  Charlotte is the only city I know of where that is the case and it seems rather pretentious to me, which is why I don't like calling the center city "uptown."  But that said, I like the name "Southend."

Uptown has it’s name strictly because of it’s terrain elevation being higher than the surrounding area, I’m not really sure how that equates to being pretentious. There really isn’t a need to have an Uptown, Downtown, and Midtown. 

[nakers2]

10 minutes ago, TheOneRJ said:

Uptown has it’s name strictly because of it’s terrain elevation being higher than the surrounding area, I’m not really sure how that equates to being pretentious. There really isn’t a need to have an Uptown, Downtown, and Midtown. 

That was the original reason, it was said that farmers would go "up to town" to sell their goods, and eventually it was shortened to Uptown. In the 70's or 80's, when there was actually some notable retail Uptown, by then called Downtown like most cities, they were having trouble getting people to come in from the suburbs for anything other than work, it had a gritty feel that many white collar people would have prefered to avoid. I don't feel like doing the research at the moment, but a prominent businessman here in Charlotte promoted "Uptown" Charlotte as a hub for dining and entertainment that still sticks today. So yes, in a way, the MODERN meaning is a bit pretentious, and frankly confusing, many signs around the city contradict each other. I think one sign at the airport says Uptown and another says Downtown, unless it's since been changed.

[NYCLT]

39 minutes ago, nakers2 said:

That was the original reason, it was said that farmers would go "up to town" to sell their goods, and eventually it was shortened to Uptown. In the 70's or 80's, when there was actually some notable retail Uptown, by then called Downtown like most cities, they were having trouble getting people to come in from the suburbs for anything other than work, it had a gritty feel that many white collar people would have prefered to avoid. I don't feel like doing the research at the moment, but a prominent businessman here in Charlotte promoted "Uptown" Charlotte as a hub for dining and entertainment that still sticks today. So yes, in a way, the MODERN meaning is a bit pretentious, and frankly confusing, many signs around the city contradict each other. I think one sign at the airport says Uptown and another says Downtown, unless it's since been changed.

Yep it's an exit on I-85 near the airport that still says Downtown

[AuLukey]

When you are away from the thread for three days and see a notification that says “105 new posts...in 509 S Tryon” and you get all excited. Then you find a thread almost entirely about skyline comparisons...

 

I love the first mock-up of the tower. Almost wish I hadn’t seen it. I would love for uptown to have a prominent rounded building. Honestly, and I know this won’t happen because of the address, I hope that the office tower goes along College instead of Tryon. Kind of like how Hearst is on College away from BOACC. Duke will lose some of its grandeur if it is basically smack up against DEC, only to be blocked from 25-50% of skyline angles.

 

 

[Guest]

When you are away from the thread for three days and see a notification that says “105 new posts...in 509 S Tryon” and you get all excited. Then you find a thread almost entirely about skyline comparisons...
 
I love the first mock-up of the tower. Almost wish I hadn’t seen it. I would love for uptown to have a prominent rounded building. Honestly, and I know this won’t happen because of the address, I hope that the office tower goes along Church instead of Tryon. Kind of like how Hearst is on College away from BOACC. Duke will lose some of its grandeur if it is basically smack up against DEC, only to be blocked from 25-50% of skyline angles.
 

Its actually just like Hearst. Set back to Church, a tight intimate plaza snaking through 2-3 floor retail buildings, with a slatted canopy over head.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Skyybutter]

On 1/16/2019 at 1:29 PM, JacksonH said:

.

By the way, I also lived in Phoenix years ago.  That was a pure suburban hell.  And hell in more ways than one in the summer.

I will agree that Phoenix is an absolute nightmare all around. My guess is that it was created for people priced out of LAX and SD that still (for whatever reason) want to stay west. Its hot, it stinks, its frumpy, and the people are overall rude.

[AuLukey]

Its actually just like Hearst. Set back to Church, a tight intimate plaza snaking through 2-3 floor retail buildings, with a slatted canopy over head.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You just made my night. I’m pleasantly shocked. That is, unless you meant to write that with blue colored font.

[TheOneRJ]

2 hours ago, nakers2 said:

That was the original reason, it was said that farmers would go "up to town" to sell their goods, and eventually it was shortened to Uptown. In the 70's or 80's, when there was actually some notable retail Uptown, by then called Downtown like most cities, they were having trouble getting people to come in from the suburbs for anything other than work, it had a gritty feel that many white collar people would have prefered to avoid. I don't feel like doing the research at the moment, but a prominent businessman here in Charlotte promoted "Uptown" Charlotte as a hub for dining and entertainment that still sticks today. So yes, in a way, the MODERN meaning is a bit pretentious, and frankly confusing, many signs around the city contradict each other. I think one sign at the airport says Uptown and another says Downtown, unless it's since been changed.

The Charlotte CBD has historically always been referred to as Uptown since the late 1800s. “Downtown” was only used for about 20 years until the early 70s when a businessman and eventually the local government decided to officially use the name “Uptown” to embrace the historic term and revamp the image of the CBD. 

[JacksonH]

3 hours ago, TheOneRJ said:

Uptown has it’s name strictly because of it’s terrain elevation being higher than the surrounding area, I’m not really sure how that equates to being pretentious. 

Because I remember reading in the Charlotte Observer some 30 years ago that city leaders wanted to designate it Uptown because they thought that sounded more upscale (and I'll say pretentious) than downtown.   According to this FAE broadcast, it sounds like we're both right:  The man who was behind officially naming it "Uptown" in the '70s was motivated by a desire to sound upscale but supported his cause with some historical reasoning.  https://www.wfae.org/post/faq-city-why-downtown-charlotte-called-uptown#stream/0

[JacksonH]

2 hours ago, Skyybutter said:

I will agree that Phoenix is an absolute nightmare all around. My guess is that it was created for people priced out of LAX and SD that still (for whatever reason) want to stay west. Its hot, it stinks, its frumpy, and the people are overall rude.

Ah, you noticed that!  Within a couple weeks after I first moved there in the late '80s I went to a shopping mall.  Something happened in the parking lot that upset a woman there.  I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was something I had very innocently done that she didn't like.  It  was one of those situations where nobody was at fault and it was something rather innocuous that would not faze most people.  And she was screaming and swearing at me, something I had never experienced before.  And she was doing this in front of her teenage daughter!  I don't even remember responding to her because I was so shocked by her behavior and thinking what a horrible example she was teaching her daughter. 

We get loads of vacationing Arizona/Phoenix people here in San Diego, so many of them that it seems they would rather live here but are stuck in Arizona.  We call them Zonies.

[Crucial_Infra]

8 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Its actually just like Hearst. Set back to Church, a tight intimate plaza snaking through 2-3 floor retail buildings, with a slatted canopy over head.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you all mean College instead of Church? 

[jednc]

14 hours ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

was a hint, not an honest to god suggestion

Sometimes it just hurts doesn't it...

[AuLukey]

Do you all mean College instead of Church? 

Yup. I got my C’s crossed in my previous post. Good catch.

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

11 hours ago, AuLukey said:

I love the first mock-up of the tower. Almost wish I hadn’t seen it. I would love for uptown to have a prominent rounded building. 

I really like the first one too!  It does remind me of the Salesforce tower in SF (at least the body of the tower).  That tower is the talk of the city when I visited...every Uber driver was like "have you seen the Salesforce tower?" lol.  It has some kind of awesome video projection system on the crown that can project 360 videos...pretty damn cool.  I really hope they're creative with this one....enough box-y stuff in that area.

Just thought of this too...I think companies underestimate the value of word of mouth marketing.  I understand that ppl want to build what's cost effective and whatnot, but building a tower that not only your employees can be proud of, but the city as well.  It's hard to quantify it's tangible value, but when you build something iconic and everyone talks about it...that's worth something. 

Edited January 18, 2019 by CharlotteWkndBuzz