CONSTRUCTION THREAD: 98 East McBee

[greenvilleguy]

Our opinion better matter a great deal to these developers. They are fools if they think their business will solely draw from non-Greenvillians. Those of us who are from the area will have the option of recommending it to friends, family, and business acquaintances on a regular basis. We ourselves might choose to stay there for a change of pace. And the local economy will certainly play a big role in supporting their spa and restaurant.

[gs3]

Was in Dallas over the weekend and walking into Neiman-Marcus at Shops at Willow Bend, it struck me.....this store is The Peacock. I fired off one shot before my battery died. Neiman's store at Willow bend is a contrasting mix of textures and colors.....very similar to what the Peacock rendering shows. White stone, red brick, green glass, silver metal accents, bronze marble......all the textures and elements that "shouldn't" work together but somehow do. I think there is hope for The Peacock.

[RestedTraveler]

I love that Austin Stone...you see it everywhere in Texas, but I just can't see it on the Peacock/98 E. McBee, as much as I'd love to see it here.

[gs3]

Several workers on site here the last few days and activity going on. I'm confused though, I thought the city had to approve

the revised plan, and I thought that was happening in August?

Oh well, good to see activity on the site.

[DowntownCityGirl]

Several workers on site here the last few days and activity going on. I'm confused though, I thought the city had to approve

the revised plan, and I thought that was happening in August?

Oh well, good to see activity on the site.

I go by there several times a day, and while there IS activity, it's not exactly hopping. It seems to be mostly clean-up -- honestly, it looks like an archaeological dig. A couple of guys will spend a few hours out there every day, and so far they've dug a hole that's (I'm guessing) about 3 feet deep and around 1/3 of the site's footprint. They've been excavating old hoses and pipes and various unidentifiable objects and hauling them away (along with a lot of dirt). Could it be that they can get this job out of the way now since it's not technically "building" anything, and be in a better position to really get moving once they clear the DPC hurdle in August?

[erm1981]

^^^Thats my guess.

[Mr. Downtown]

The hole on the site (10-15 ft deep) is about halfway full of water. Looks like somebody found one of the many fabled springs in Spring Street.

[btoy]

The hole on the site (10-15 ft deep) is about halfway full of water. Looks like somebody found one of the many fabled springs in Spring Street.

Or it is collecting all this rain we have been getting.

[DowntownCityGirl]

Or it is collecting all this rain we have been getting.

I don't think so. It was pretty dry this morning, in spite of yesterday's rain. What's there now is a serious lake. Plus, there's a lot of sudden activity on the site, like they're dealing with something unexpected. Would be interesting to know what's up. Anyone hearing anything?

[goodbye]

Or it is collecting all this rain we have been getting.

That's a joke, right? Unless I've been asleep all year, we've had very little rain so far, which is very uncommon for our area.

[Mr. Downtown]

That's a joke, right? Unless I've been asleep all year, we've had very little rain so far, which is very uncommon for our area.

Actually, I heard that they hit a pipe while they were digging this morning. Sorry to cause so much excitement, but there was serious water in the hole!

[jfl25]

Thats very typical for construction seems like everytime a piece of equipment sticks its teeth in the ground a waterline or powerline or something gets hit.No matter how good of locates you have alot of things are in the ground that people did not know were there.

[TREY]

On the first day of a new job we rip the phone and cable lines up and piss the homeowner off. It just seem to be the way a job has to start!

[krazeeboi]

So is this the final design?

[GvilleSC]

So is this the final design?

As far as we know, until August comes around and The Design And Preservation Commission votes on the building's design, etc. We'll find out for sure then, but for now this is what we have.

And actually, thanks for posting this again Krazee. It's growing on me, actually guys. Slowly but surely, I think it might be gaining some approval from me. Anyone else swaying a bit? Just a little? Try not to think what might have been...

[goodbye]

It is a midrise building in the heart of downtown, so yes, it is going to grow on all of us to a certain extent over time. I still see this new design as a complete waste of a grand opportunity for the truly unique structure Greenville is awaiting.

[gvegascple]

I still see this new design as a complete waste of a grand opportunity for the truly unique structure Greenville is awaiting.

^ That about sums it up for me too

[krazeeboi]

The "tower" portion isn't too bad, but the base has GOT to go. Either way, it's a far cry from the original proposal in terms of architecture and aesthetics.

[distortedlogic]

I guess I am one who the rendering hasn't grown on at all! No one part of the building goes with the other parts. The roof looks like it was hacked off clean with axe or something (except for the spire thingy), and the spire thingy looks very out of place, sort of like an afterthought. Again, maybe some other renderings will help, and maybe it will look better in real life, but this looks pretty bad. Even if we hadn't seen the original, this looks pretty sorry, IMO. Not sure why they couldn't have done something more like a scaled down version of the original.

[distortedlogic]

So is this the final design?

Just for comparison:

Original

[krazeeboi]

I'd like to see a direct front side rendering.

[GvilleSC]

I'd like to see a direct front side rendering.

that and a street level rendering. It looks like a nice little patio at the intersection of Spring and McBee.

[gs3]

As far as we know, until August comes around and The Design And Preservation Commission votes on the building's design, etc. We'll find out for sure then, but for now this is what we have.

And actually, thanks for posting this again Krazee. It's growing on me, actually guys. Slowly but surely, I think it might be gaining some approval from me. Anyone else swaying a bit? Just a little?

Agreed. It's grown on me greatly. Love the chunky base, it should give it great sidewalk appeal. The inside is still going to be pure luxury, one of Greenville's finest.

It could have been much worse.....it could have been a bland 8 story red brick hotel like many of the new cookie cutter Hiltons that are being built.

[RestedTraveler]

Ah, but for now we have this lovely hole in the ground to look at (at least it's no longer grass growing)...

[erm1981]

I wish they could have made it no less than 10 stories. Will this be dead level height wise with the bookends? I guess the current design is alright but i hate to see things start grand and turn out to be less than grand. Im sure it will still be a nice hotel that many people will enjoy staying at even though it will not be what it started out to be.