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New Construction and Renovations in the Heartside District


MJLO

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7 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Oh, that's another dining hall for one of the homeless missions. 

That would be super convient right next to Heartside park.......

 

(Please tell me you're joking)

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1 hour ago, Floyd_Z said:

That would be super convient right next to Heartside park.......

 

(Please tell me you're joking)

Total joke, but at this point...would it be a surprise? 

GRBJ calls the Degage' expansion "non-profit expanding":

https://www.grbj.com/articles/92815-nonprofit-plans-6m-construction-project-downtown

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

Susan and Loren Hansen (married couple maybe?) are looking to open a wedding/event venue at 120 Ionia SW (the HH Cutler building ground floor). Great spot right across the street from the new Canopy Hotel/Studio Park.

https://goo.gl/maps/JpxNea21ury

 

1568545316_120Ionia-TheRutledge.thumb.JPG.2dc5170db3405e3732c80be40fc1572c.JPG

The only thing I hate about these venue spaces is that it becomes another somewhat non-activated street-front use. For the average pedestrian, this will not enhance the downtown experience/offer anything new. It doesn't seem like anything better than when offices use storefront spaces. 

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1 minute ago, GVSUChris said:

The only thing I hate about these venue spaces is that it becomes another somewhat non-activated street-front use. For the average pedestrian, this will not enhance the downtown experience/offer anything new. It doesn't seem like anything better than when offices use storefront spaces. 

Agreed. These venues seem to do well, but it seems like a wasted opportunity with all of the new development in the area. And like you said, it becomes a very infrequently used space. Similar to a church. 

Joe

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19 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

Because this space is raised up off the ground though, does it really matter? I don't think you'd be able to see activity inside one way or the other. 

I see your point and somewhat agree, though I would point out that if you've ever seen N. Broadway Street in Milwaukee's Third Ward you can see that some of their coolest retail/restaurants are raised up just like that. 

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3 minutes ago, GVSUChris said:

I see your point and somewhat agree, though I would point out that if you've ever seen N. Broadway Street in Milwaukee's Third Ward you can see that some of their coolest retail/restaurants are raised up just like that. 

Well even the building where Sovengard and Denym are/were is like that. I will challenge you that I bet no one here can guess what is in this HH Cutler space now. :) Or recently in this space. 

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My point is not what’s there now, I’m saying it’s a missed opportunity as the neighborhood expands south. It seems like it would be an ideal spot for something that serves the neighborhood/people coming down to see a movie. 

I think the same about Waldron House. They seem to have more of the traffic pattern of a church (high traffic for minimal hours). 

It wont really matter, I’m just generally not a fan of event centers in spaces that could be more active. (Warehouses, etc seem like a good use).

Joe

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There are three places on Monroe, between Leonard and  Ann St. that are event spaces like this. During the spring, and through the warm months, there is almost a continuous series of proms and receptions at these places, at least all of the times I driven by them. They do seem to get a lot of business. I actually miss the Richard App Gallery because it doubled as an event space. Walking by and seeing the activity inside through the big windows in the evening was always fun.

Maybe the new owners will open up that bottom space, and put the windows back in like next door. Maybe that can become a separate space to rent out so it doesn't look dead when they dont have anything booked?

I'll have to see if my mom recalls what it was like inside there before it was renovated. She worked for Cutler (near Michigan and Fuller) back in the 80s and 90s, and she had to occasionally come down to this building when she had to pick up her paycheck or pick up extra hours. The earliest memories I have of it was that you had to walk up stairs as soon as you went through the front door, which just seemed so weird to me.

Edited by GR_Urbanist
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8 hours ago, arcturus said:

Think how many events could take place concurrently at the Keeler building!

Keeler Building? 

 

9 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

My point is not what’s there now, I’m saying it’s a missed opportunity as the neighborhood expands south. It seems like it would be an ideal spot for something that serves the neighborhood/people coming down to see a movie. 

I think the same about Waldron House. They seem to have more of the traffic pattern of a church (high traffic for minimal hours). 

It wont really matter, I’m just generally not a fan of event centers in spaces that could be more active. (Warehouses, etc seem like a good use).

Joe

It will help solidify Ionia as an evening/weekend entertainment destination. But 280 people 3 or 4 nights a week vs 20 people going through a retail store during the day..  #thegreatdebate

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1 hour ago, GRDadof3 said:

Keeler Building? 

 

It will help solidify Ionia as an evening/weekend entertainment destination. But 280 people 3 or 4 nights a week vs 20 people going through a retail store during the day..  #thegreatdebate

Nah, I wasn’t thinking retail. I’m sure it’ll do well (event places seem to do a brisk business.

This may just be a case of me being “angry man shouting at cloud”.  :) LOL

Joe

 

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  • 5 weeks later...
5 hours ago, wingbert said:

Oh yeah, scatter some porta potties around Heartside.  That’s a great look.  Feature it on the cover of the next visitors guide.

My first thought was this being a place for cheap drug use :/

I imagine even the nearby shelters have a challenging time maintaining their bathrooms on site.

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This is going to go about as poorly as one will expect.

 

I had friends that worked for the downtown library that have entertained me with numerous stories of what the homeless population did in their public restrooms. Obviously using it as a place to wash themselves. Drug use, and drinking alcohol to the point where they have to call police, medical, and the fire department to extract them. Not to mention prostitution, even in the bathroom meant for kids! Needless to say, I dont ever go to the library with the expectation of using their restrooms.

If he city wants a special restroom in Heartside just for more of this nonsense, then charge a fee to all of the homeless services for its maintenance, supply, and security.

 

And yes it had better have security, unless the people advocating for this seriously are so naive that they think it's all going to just run smoothly on its own.

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