Jump to content

Biggest Disappointment

tringr

By tringr
in Grand Rapids

Recommended Posts

tringr Whistle-Stop

tringr

Posted
Posted

UP is a Great forum with a lot of positive ideas and people. I'm now hooked. However, while reading about all of the great things that are and may be happening I have one big disappointment in Metro GR. The new Zoo proposal a few years ago that failed. Meijer was going to GIVE a golf course sized piece of land near Meijer Gardesn and $20 million if voters approved a millage. Didn't happen. Major disappointment. You have to figure that national companies look at such amenities when deciding whether or not to move to Kent County.

Any other projects that fell through or became disappointments?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 73
  • Created
  • Last Reply
AlexPKeaton Burg

AlexPKeaton

Posted
Posted

Lyon and Ottawa Tower

Totally agree. When I first heard about that building--long before I knew UP existed--I was really excited. I thought the rendering looked great. And when they started building that awful courthouse building accross the street I thought it was the cool tower going up. As they built it I wondered what happened to the cool building I saw before I realized they weren't the same.

Actually, the courthouse being built is probably about as much of a dissappointment as the Lyand and Ottawa Tower not being built to me. That thing is fugly. I guess they wanted it to blend in with the existing streetscape there. :(

-nb

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GR_Urbanist Burg

GR_Urbanist

Posted
Posted

I also have to agree on the L&O tower. I was in high school when it was proposed and I loved to take my bike downtown just to stare at the rendering on a sign on the corner of the lot. When the sign vanished, I thought construction was about to start. BOY WAS I WRONG!

Another letdown was the original twin towers proposed by the Moch boys. I still cant believe that didnt happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rizzo City

Rizzo

Posted
Posted

For me it would be the Furniture Exhibition building. I was p'd, I mean p'd when I grabed my Grand Rapids Herald and read the bold type, "Grand Rapids looses Exhibition Building!" I ran out of my house right onto Godfrey and ran down to Center City and screamed at passerbys, I cried for Grand Rapids. Everyone cried for Grand Rapids.

The original plans for Moch's Towers, the buildings kicked.

A very distant choice is L&O because it was my spire. I would call it, Spire *In an echoing voice. The "other" renderings were not so flattering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GRCentro Hamlet

GRCentro

Posted
Posted

Blue Bridge hotel on Calder Plaza for sure. After all the whinning about the parking ramp, historical preservation of the giant SOM air conditioners, and "saving" the Calder, I still don't understand how this couldn't have gone through somehow. -_- It just seemed like a win-win-win. Pretty lookin' too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ericdriver Crossroads

ericdriver

Posted
Posted

How about Midtown over on michigan just east of College. That project started in 2002 and the only thing they have done is excavate the land. I read that tore down 30-40 homes in that couple blocks to start this project and its been slow as hell. I wonder if it will ever get going.

Here is its website for your enjoyment.

http://www.midtownevillage.com/index.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GRFuture Unincorporated Area

GRFuture

Posted
Posted

good call, we haven't heard anything on that in a while, why is that?

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker and first time poster. I have some info on the first project that is going into the ground at the Midtowne Village. The Womens Health Center building along I-196 will be hopefully breaking ground within the next few months, they closed on the land a few weeks ago from what I hear.

They are basing the concentration on womens health from a number of other ventures that are taking place around the nation including Philly, Vegas, Minneapolis and a few others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Time Whistle-Stop

Time

Posted
Posted

Lyon and Ottawa, definately. It might have inspired more construction like it instead of the mediocre, low-rise "stuff" we are getting. $.02

I wonder if the capital furnature building would have inspired more construction of taller buildings over the past 70 years. It would have been nice to have seen a 400 plus foot building in the skyline since 1930. I think we may have taller building today if it would have happened.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
andrew.w Hamlet

andrew.w

Posted
Posted

For me it would be the Furniture Exhibition building. I was p'd, I mean p'd when I grabed my Grand Rapids Herald and read the bold type, "Grand Rapids looses Exhibition Building!" I ran out of my house right onto Godfrey and ran down to Center City and screamed at passerbys, I cried for Grand Rapids. Everyone cried for Grand Rapids.

The original plans for Moch's Towers, the buildings kicked.

A very distant choice is L&O because it was my spire. I would call it, Spire *In an echoing voice. The "other" renderings were not so flattering.

Furniture Exhibition Building? When and what was this project?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tringr Whistle-Stop

tringr

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Lyon & Ottawa!..WOW... thanks for clarifying the ol' switcherooo. I worked in the Old Kent bank bldg. on 111 Lyon at the time. I was watching the courthouse go up all the while thinking it was a different project.

I was very confused when I found out it was the courthouse. :wacko: Was the original project slated to go on the exact NE corner of Lyon & Ottawa or at the SE corner where parking is now? Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.