Novare Duke Power Redevelopment

[Mobuchu]

Since this doesn't have its own thread I thought I would start one.

The rumor is for Novare to build 3 condo highrises on the site

Here's the link to the Observer article:

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/14198046.htm

And former talks about it on the condo rumor thread. pg.12:

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...pic=3866&st=220

I started this because Duke is now completely out of this building. They were told to remove anything they still needed out (ie. refrigerators, furniture or anything of value), does that mean they are going to demo it soon? I dont know, but I do know that the Charlotte Swat teams are going to be doing drills inside in the near future, maybe after that they will start demo preps. But I still had some equipment in the building too so I got a last chance to see inside the facility and take pics.

These are from 5-18 and 5-19-06

Front entrance, only spot on the building with any type of arcitectural detail that I can see.

The rest of the building is basically a brick wall all the way around, not a loss if you ask me...

Interior

The original board room complete with wood panel walls, green carpet, and candle holders on the wall.

MC, Metro, or one of you other history guru's help me out with this. The guy showing me around the place said this used to be for a coal train that would dump at this spot, but not for the Duke building. Apparently they built the building around/over these raised tracks and actually used them for their own support beams. Anyone know if this is true, it was really low in the building, like below the basement.

Anyway, the pics are not much, but it might be the last we ever get to see of this building.

Go Novare!!!

[redjeep77]

great shots!

[turbocraig]

Gee, it seems more could be salvaged from that building in terms of fixtures, but I guess no one does that, do they? While it's not much, it would be nice if they could incorporate that nice stone facade back into the new building, but they probably won't. Novare's stuff seems to be all mod.

Thanks for the inside peek.

[dubone]

That building has a lot of history. Charlotte was a small town in the 1920s when it was built.

I hope Novare incorporates some of this building into their project. But if not, at least the site will get three residential towers.

[DigitalSky]

That building has a lot of history. Charlotte was a small town in the 1920s when it was built.

Interesting!

Awesome pics, btw. I love the elevator numbers

[cltheel.sdl]

I hope they can save the interesting part of the facade.

[rooster8]

I hope they can save the interesting part of the facade.

It would nice if they could do that a la the Hearst Tower in NYC. I don't see it happening though. Duke really ruined that building with all the non-conforming additions over the years.

[Dale]

I can see why they'd want to demolish it.

It has architectural merit.

[appatone]

I think the detailing around the door should definitely be dismantled and either saved for a future project in Charlotte or reused for one of Novare's new entrances. Dismantling that and storing would be SIMPLE and only take a couple of hours. It is idiotic if it is just bulldozed over. If Novare doesn't save it some other Charlotte developer or salvage co. should ask Novare if they can go and remove it from the building prior to demolition. That front entrance detailing would look beautiful on Liz. Ave, somebody call Grubb!

Aside from that entrance the rest of the building is pretty junky and can go. Thanks for the great pictures Mo.

[A2]

Did anyone notice that the Old Duke Bldg now has a fence all the away around it and that RJ Griffin's signage is up everywhere? It looks like Novare might be starting their project ahead of schedule. Any ideas what is going on?

A2

[dubone]

Oh no! Or they are just trying to get their surface parking revenue like everyone else downtown. Argh. I really wish they could have incorporated just the oldest part of this building into their plans. What is with developers these days, why does everybody need an entire block?

[Mobuchu]

Are there really any great parts to that building? There are some nice touches around the front entrance, but not much. I got some pictures in a thread somewhere around here.

[A2]

Oh no! Or they are just trying to get their surface parking revenue like everyone else downtown. Argh. I really wish they could have incorporated just the oldest part of this building into their plans. What is with developers these days, why does everybody need an entire block?

[atlrvr]

My thought is that they are demolishing it to save on taxes and insurance....plus they figure some parking revenue can't hurt.

I would assume that they will be at least 1 year into construction of TWELVE before they break ground here.

EDIT. Building Permit records indicate that they are seeking a FULL Demolition permit.

[Mobuchu]

Edited...

[rockhilljames]

Dammit.

I was hoping that the older part of the building would be saved. It's going to look crappy if it sits there as a surface lot for a few years.

[uptownliving]

Has anyone contacted Novare asking them to preserve part of this building?

[dubone]

I thought Charlotte had rules to prevent this! This is the story of Charlotte's modern history, that buildings originally built 80+ years ago are just torn down for parking lots because of some plans for a new project. But not all projects come to fruition, and we end up with yet another surface parking lot downtown, where there used to be a 80 year old office building.

The original facade of the building would at least have been worth saving.

[rooster8]

I think the tax argument makes sense. Property taxes are assessed based on what is standing there January 1. They probably figure there's no point in paying taxes on a large structure that won't be used again.

[Charlotte_native]

Oh no! Or they are just trying to get their surface parking revenue like everyone else downtown. Argh. I really wish they could have incorporated just the oldest part of this building into their plans. What is with developers these days, why does everybody need an entire block?

[dublin1]

I'm pretty sure code in Charlotte prevents tearing down a building and replacing it with surface parking. Most big cities won't let this happen any more, and it makes complete sense. I very much doubt Novare would try to pull that stunt.

[rockhilljames]

Well...that's not really true. Charlotte has an illustrious history of tearing down buildings and making surface lots. That's why we had such a problem until recently with a sea of lots around downtown.

For a time, the city tax structure made it advantageous for businesses to tear down empty structures, pave them over and wait for Doug Smith's Next Big Thing.

The Film Row building on Tryon was our most recent casualty. I think.

[dubone]

Thanks, Dublin, and welcome. I have heard a number of times that this is now illegal to do in Charlotte. It is how so much of the old buildings downtown have been leveled, and how so much of downtown is a dead zone of surface parking. If it is not illegal, then we need to figure out who to call to make it so.

I understand that Novare is trying to save property tax money while it waits, but so many times projects fall through, and we end up with a surface parking lot for ages simply because a single land owner wanted to save some property tax money. It is shortsighted. Either build a new building, or leave the old one there, or don't buy the land.

[A2]

I absolutely agree Dubone. I see this as a simple restructuring of the way the city taxes. This is a HUGE problem, since Charlotte is one of the few cities I know that would actually incent developers to tear down history.

It seems like the city would have learned a HUGE lesson, by the scars that Uptown has been left with from this backward thinking on taxing.

I have a VERY uneasy feeling about Novare just tearing down this bldg. I am in the camp that the economy is getting ready to slow. If this proves to be true, Novare will postpone any construction of future condos, and just be content owning yet another peice of Real Estate that generates a small stream of income.

This exact same thing happed with the 3rd street and Tryon site. What a pity. The continuity of the Tryon Street streetscape is disrupted solely because one developer was "planning" on a development, but eventually shelved the idea as the market could not support what they unltimately wanted to put there.

But guess what, it was too late. The damage had been done and we have been left with this lot for nearly a decade!!!

I call this one piece of undeveloped land the "missing tooth" in Charlotte's smile.

And now we are about to get kicked in the teeth again!!!

A2

[A2]

I also want to add that if these laws are not changed soon, then Charlotte can forget about building up within 277 anytime soon, perhaps in our lifetime. I have, and will always be an advocate for first developing the surface lots of uptown, before one tears down yet another building. It is a tough situation since all we are doing is recycling already developed land!

That old Duke Bldg would be a great retro-fiited space for old loft style offices. They could offer this type of space to architects and design firms, plus coutless other industries that go for that type of space. It just takes a little money, and perhaps a little incentive to get this kind of development back into the heart of Uptown.

Those black tops are going to take decades to be erased with the tax laws favoring the way development works in Charlotte.

Charlotte is the only Downtown that I have ever been to that has mangaed to erase almost ALL of its Historic Past. It is this one element of Charlotte that almost makes me want to leave! I have been to and lived in countless cities. In each and everyone, they all had a mix of old and new. This included large cities like NYC, Philly, Boston etc. , to mid size cities such as Birmingham, Nashville, and New Orleans.

Even Atlanta after it was burned to the ground has more History than we do.

I have never been to a place that is so cold and vanilla as Charlotte's uptown. I am ranting now, because I see this demolition (if it happens) as yet another sign of money being the ultimate driver of this cities future development. There should be laws to protect the people and the history of a city, versus just incenting Mr. Developer in their quest to destroy a city.

Charlotte has NO soul*, and this tear down, is simply unacceptable if it happens.

* I am referring to Uptown only in all of my ranting. Charlotte has definately done many things right, they just have not been in Uptown. (And as for soul, that could not be further from the truth in certain areas throughout the city such as Thomas Street, Central, Plaza Mid-wood, and even parts of NoDa and Southend.)

A2