Gallery on Fulton

[Veloise]

And another thing, not to get all emotional on you guys (and ladies), but each time I see the old courthouse and city hall I get all misty. I guess that's a true sign that I'm a Urban Planet freak.

Me too. I have trouble with the exhibit at the Public Museum...needs a Kleenex stand.

... Does anyone know if GRPD would be open to the possibility of a mural on that side? I've always thought that big empty wall was an eyesore, too.

The GRPD Mural Thread contains many ideas and tidbits. I'll bump it.

[ironyisadeadscene]

on what building was the old weather ball on? and dont tell me the name of it, cause i dont know the names of the buildings in this city yet.

[snoogit]

on what building was the old weather ball on? and dont tell me the name of it, cause i dont know the names of the buildings in this city yet.

77 Monroe Center

[nurfle!]

Ryerson is there. Just to the right of the Y.

D'oh! me with my non-seeing-through-trees eyes, I thought that was a different building!

Hard to tell. I'm guessing in the 40's?

My dad concurs--says it doesn't look that different from when his mom worked at the then-new Herpolsheimer's when he was a kid (early-late fifties). Saw someone already said that, too. Sorry about that.

Also, sorry to bring up something here that was discussed in an old thread. I just got the ability to search the forums for some reason and it's still spotty. Thanks for being so gracious, Veloise, and pointing the old thread out.

Edited December 14, 2008 by nurfle!

[GRDadof3]

D'oh! me with my non-seeing-through-trees eyes, I thought that was a different building!

My dad concurs--says it doesn't look that different from when his mom worked at the then-new Herpolsheimer's when he was a kid (early-late fifties). Saw someone already said that, too. Sorry about that.

Also, sorry to bring up something here that was discussed in an old thread. I just got the ability to search the forums for some reason and it's still spotty. Thanks for being so gracious, Veloise, and pointing the old thread out.

I always use the "Advanced Search" at the upper right, especially if you're looking for something specific. And I find the best thing to do, when you get in there, is choose "Show results as posts" under Result Type.

That saves you from then having to sort through each thread to find the specific entry you are looking for.

[destijl]

I remember it as the Morton House parking garage although I'm sure it was built as something else. Here's a story that Chris Knapp did on it awhile ago. Chris says it was a shoe factory:

http://blog.mlive.com/knapescorner/2008/05...a_the_mort.html

Chris Knapp's article threw me a bit by giving the address as 10 Ionia SW . I believe it would have been 10 Ionia NW . I'm still curious about the building in the background of the Cody Hotel photo..

[John E]

This thread is out of hand. Could we please get back to the topic.

Thank You,

~John

[Khorasaurus]

That was a pretty nice building in the "diamond" of Louis, Ionia, and Fulton.

It looks pretty cool in these aerials, but I think it was a shoe factory and then a parking garage, so if it still existed today it would have needed serious renovations to be a nice building.

The second aerial (from the 60s?) is pretty jarring. Was Calder Plaza empty like that for very long? The other thing is that Monroe Center was about to get a lot worse before it got better, with the "Dime Store" block falling for the Amphitheatre (although I think Rosa Parks Circle is an asset today) and, worse, the block where the Art Museum is now falling for a parking lot.

[walker]

Notice what appears to be a tall building in the background along the right edge of the picture. It looks like its near the present day Van Andel Arena. Any one know if it was a real building or an artistic license?

Chris Knapp's article threw me a bit by giving the address as 10 Ionia SW . I believe it would have been 10 Ionia NW . I'm still curious about the building in the background of the Cody Hotel photo..

Using the Polk directories at the library I took a walk around the block behind the Cody Hotel in 1940 to see if I could figure out what those tall buildings in the aerial and Cody photos had been. On the southeast corner of Fulton and Commerce was a six story building called the Kortland Building - Central Apartments. First floor was retail with the upper floors apartments. Sounds like new urbanism to me. Next to it at 12-14 Commerce were two businesses, Security Storage and Transfer, and U-Drive Garage. There is no indication of how tall that building was but I suspect it was not too tall since you can't see it in the aerial pic. Still, the building in the background of the Cody doesn't look like an apartment building.

The tall building across the street at what must have been 11-15 Commerce (parking lot behind San Chez,) was marked as vacant in 1940. The 1931 Polk directory shows this as the Herold-Bertsch Shoe Company, manufactures and jobbers of shoes. This is the same business that at one time was in the building on Pearl that was torn down for the JW Marriot. This isn't the same shoe company that was in the old Morton House garage. The one at 10 Ionia NW was Rindge, Kalmbach, Logie, & Co.

So it looks like eighty or ninety years ago you could live downtown above a store and you could buy shoes that weren't made on the other side of the world but were made either across the street to the west or across the street to the north. How was that for buying local?

Edited December 16, 2008 by walker

[GRDadof3]

Using the Polk directories at the library I took a walk around the block behind the Cody Hotel in 1940 to see if I could figure out what those tall buildings in the aerial and Cody photos had been. On the southeast corner of Fulton and Commerce was a six story building called the Kortland Building - Central Apartments. First floor was retail with the upper floors apartments. Sounds like new urbanism to me. Next to it at 12-14 Commerce were two businesses, Security Storage and Transfer, and U-Drive Garage. There is no indication of how tall that building was but I suspect it was not too tall since you can't see it in the aerial pic. Still, the building in the background of the Cody doesn't look like an apartment building.

The tall building across the street at what must have been 11-15 Commerce (parking lot behind San Chez,) was marked as vacant in 1940. The 1931 Polk directory shows this as the Herold-Bertsch Shoe Company, manufactures and jobbers of shoes. This is the same business that at one time was in the building on Pearl that was torn down for the JW Marriot. This isn't the same shoe company that was in the old Morton House garage. The one at 10 Ionia NW was Rindge, Kalmbach, Logie, & Co.

So it looks like eighty or ninety years ago you could live downtown above a store and you could buy shoes that weren't made on the other side of the world but were made either across the street to the west or across the street to the north. How was that for buying local?

Nice work walker!

[GRDadof3]

Looks like they're drilling some of the piles already (?):

[John E]

They have been doing a lot of drilling lately. They were even doing some work yesterday during the snow storm.

~John

[tamias6]

The drilling is probably for concrete piers. The same type of drilling rig was used when workers dug the foundation for Riverhouse which has a pier foundation.

[GRDadof3]

Any photo updates JohnE? It's hard to get any good shots around the perimeter, but they are going to town with excavation. And I saw cement trucks there yesterday, probably pouring the footings/piles (?)

[John E]

Not much new. They were welding on the drill and doing some drilling yesterday.

I'll try to remember to take my camera to work on Friday as I'll have a key to a vacant apartment in the back of the building.

~John

[GRDadof3]

New image I haven't seen yet. Nice!

[ArsEcclesiae]

New image I haven't seen yet. Nice!

Yes, Nice rendering...very pretty. I am a bit skeptical of the design however...I hope it ages nicely, but all that white I can't help but think it will look grungy in about 10-20 years. Still, brand spanking new I think it will look cool!

[John E]

Okay here are a few pictures from the roof of 21 Weston today:

http://flickr.com/photos/johne777/31605363...57608753185622/

http://flickr.com/photos/johne777/31605409...57608753185622/

http://flickr.com/photos/johne777/31605444...57608753185622/

~John

[GRDadof3]

Okay here are a few pictures from the roof of 21 Weston today:

~John

Awesome, thanks!

It will be interesting to see how that apartment tower facade wears. It sorta looks like the tower is wearing a hoodie. From the West elevation though, it is at least broken up with some different colors. It's hard to believe it will twice as tall as the current Weston Apartment building next door (and WAY taller than San Chez).

[John E]

Those are cool renditions. Where did you get them from?

I don't like the looks of the apartment building section. Looks like they need balconies or something. Just doesn't look nice to me.

~John

[numstead]

Those are cool renditions. Where did you get them from?

I don't like the looks of the apartment building section. Looks like they need balconies or something. Just doesn't look nice to me.

~John

It looks like they've tried to be contextual to the neighborhood with the treatment of that west facing portion of the apartments with those vertical gestures of lighter color. They look out of place to me because the don't introduce a second material onto any of the other massing elements. Balconies aren't part of the neighborhood context either.

[John E]

They will be with the 38 Commerce building going up with balconies.

~John

[GRDadof3]

They will be with the 38 Commerce building going up with balconies.

~John

You'll notice the balconies are recessed on 38, probably to minimize their impact (as golscorer mentioned). It may have even been suggested by the HPC. I REALLY like the residential portion of 38. It looks like a historical building with a modern two-story addition on the top.

They probably skipped balconies on Gallery to keep the costs down to what the market can absorb.

[Veloise]

...It's hard to get any good shots around the perimeter...

All the decorative panels have been removed, so perhaps this would be easier now. (Try the "hail Mary" photo technique.)

[GRDadof3]

All the decorative panels have been removed, so perhaps this would be easier now. (Try the "hail Mary" photo technique.)

Set the timer and throw my camera up in the air? Even still, with all the below grade work going on, John E's rooftop shots are perfect for this stage of construction.