Charlotte's Founders Hall

[monsoon]

[turlough]

WOW awsome pictures Marc they are wonderful looks like I have something to see still in uptown

[Raleigh-NC]

Pretty cool shots!!!, I liked the glass dome. I wish Nordstrom had actually moved to the Overstreet Mall; that would have created a major destination for shoppers, in the heart of Uptown.

[monsoon]

[Spartan]

I vistited the Overstreet Mall yesterday. I thought it was really cool. It was completely deserted though... I guess it was becuase it was saturday. Still, I thought it was an interesting concept.

[uptownliving]

If you go there during the business day it is quite active.

[BrandonTO416]

I do not believe i've ever seen this mall, and I've been in CLT 4 times in the past several years.

[MAJIKMAN]

It's throughout the buildings in uptown Charlotte. With a majority of it inter-connected with skybridges. Much the same way as Minneapolis.

[A2]

If you go there during the business day it is quite active.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I go often for lunch and the crowds are ridiculous. I think it was a huge mistake as it tends to pull pedestrian activity off of Tryon and College street.

A2

[Seabreeze]

are there any plans to remove that ridiculous tilework on the grand staircase thing they have there? that could be reworked to look much more elegant...

id rather hear about that announcement next before they announce any more highrises

[StevenRocks]

Nice space, tilework and all.

[MZT]

During a really hot spell like this upcoming week, it's nice to have the overstreet available. Think of it as the reverse need of Minneapolis...

[Miesian Corners]

Possibly Ernest.  However the Overstreet Mall itself is considered to be a big mistake in urban planning as its construction in the 70s led to the disapperance of most of the streel level retail, shops and restaurants in downtown Charlotte.  It has taken much effort to fix reverse the damage caused by Overstreet Mall and it is in fact smaller now than it was 20 years ago as some of the overhead walkways have been removed.

I was recently showing someone photos of DT Charlotte from around 1990 and they were shocked at the difference between then and now.  Especially apparent the the overhead walkways that have since disappeared.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as I know, only one skywalk was removed: Belk to Ivey's. All the rest are still there and we've added a new one from Two to Three Wachovia.

[monsoon]

There was one from Belk's to CityFair as well. Does that one still exist and connect the Herst Tower to the otherside of the street? I don't remember.

The loss of Iveys and CityFair was what I meant by the Overstreet being about 1/3 smaller now.

[dubone]

i don't know if it is the same one physically, but there is a skybridge from founders hall to hearst tower currently.

[Miesian Corners]

Kinda interesting. The overstreet walkway from the Omni to Founders Hall is the original one that went into Belk. The overstreet walkway from Founders Hall to Hearst is the original one that went to CityFair.

[dubone]

Kinda interesting.  The overstreet walkway from the Omni to Founders Hall is the original one that went into Belk.  The overstreet walkway from Founders Hall to Hearst is the original one that went to CityFair.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

and in the future, the overstreet walkway that goes from omni to epicenter will be the same one as used to go into the civic center/occ, as it is still there being held up by a scaffold. It looks really surreal right now, i should take a photo.

[monsoon]

Its a shame, after all the lessons they have learned about his, they are still adding to the overhead walkway system.

[dubone]

to be fair, i think what they are doing is not the same as what they used to do.... sure, they are continuing to connect skybridges into their new projects, (especially justifiable, i think, because they are just reusing the old ones)... but they seem to have roundly rejected the idea of hiding all retail into the ratrace corridors.

The hearst project located almost all of its retail on the street level and created a plaza to draw people there. Once you cross the skybridge, you basically have a hallway to hearst plaza, the elevators up the offices, and a staircase out to college street.

Epicenter is based on that same concept, where all retail will face an outdoor area (both to the street and the inward facing courtyard/plaza. Even the second story retail, which the skybridge will lead to, seems to face a large outdoor corridor that connects back to ground/street level with a series of large staircases.

So, while they are maintaining a connection to the existing overstreet mall, where, for better or worse, many of the pedestrians still are, they act as connection points to bring those people outside for the new retail.

[cosmoboy]

What kind of retail exists there at overstreet mall? is it kind of like Peachtree Center in Atlanta except above ground?

[NCMike1981]

I was wondering that myself. Are there any chain stores there, like the typical mall stores? Or is it pretty much deserted except for restaurants?

[monsoon]

I was wondering that myself. Are there any chain stores there, like the typical mall stores? Or is it pretty much deserted except for restaurants?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a mix. Mostly boutiques, fast food, a few sitdown restaurants, covenience type places. You can get your hair cut and your shoes polished. It mostly closes down at nights and on the weekends.

[A2]

I was wondering that myself. Are there any chain stores there, like the typical mall stores? Or is it pretty much deserted except for restaurants?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here is a list of the stores in JUST founders Hall.

http://www.foundershall.com/stores.html

For the rest I might need four pages of room. The Mall is almost the entire length of Tryon. It runs from WB corporate center to the Hearst tower !

It has probably somewhere between 30-50 restraunts and a glut of smaller retailers. Mainly Express stores. Like an Express Belk. They have a gazillion salons and nick-nack shops. The place is VERY convenient to the Uptown workforce and that is the problem. Too many choices in eateries and also too many convenient type shops that pulls from the downtown foot traffic. However, all of that being said Uptown Pedestrian activity has grown over 50% since just my six years in being here. I think a lot of that can be attributed to NEW street level amentities and new restraunts. Not to mention it is nice to walk outside in center city. Even the weekends are getting much better with strret life. I came down last saturday and was quite frankly shocked at all of the activity going on in the MIDDLE OF THE DAY. At night the place is so crowded it looks like the "strip" at Myrtle Beach. I don't necessarily mean that is a good thing, I just want to point out the fact that the once 9 to 5 crowd that inhibited the CLT streets, has evolved into the 24-7 crowd, which is only growing.

A2

[parkave231]

As far as I know, only one skywalk was removed:  Belk to Ivey's.  All the rest are still there and we've added a new one from Two to Three Wachovia.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Where did the one from Belk to Ivey's go? I suppose I'm trying to envision it within my limited knowledge of pre-Founder's Hall Charlotte. From what I can gather, Belk didn't occupy the entire Trade-Tryon-5th-College block, but only the eastern half of it. That would make for a loooooong bridge over to Ivey's. And where in the heck did it enter Ivey's? I've seen most of the sides of it, and I can't figure it out.

Please set me straight!

Matt

[cosmoboy]

Gosh..wouldn't it be nice to have these stores on street level. Like Jos A. Bank, Caribou Coffee, and others. Imagine the difference in streetlife that would have on Charlotte.