New Entertainment District

[twstdndmntd]

Thanks twstd

Here is an "opinion" article for downtown from the "Our Views" section of the Advocate.

Yet downtown Baton Rouge is rapidly becoming a lively meeting place after work hours, much more so than anyone would have predicted a dozen years ago.

The design district

[byrde]

3rd Street really needs to be blocked off to help spread the crowd out. Fights down there will keep mature and responsible adults away from 3rd.

Downtown brawl leads to push for more security

By Penny Brown

Friday, April 4, 2008

City officials and nightclub owners are negotiating heightened safety measures for Baton Rouge

[richyb83]

What a shame; it shouldn't really be that big a suprise because some people just can't handle their alcohol.

Agreed Bryde Third Street should be blocked off on Friday/Saturday Nights & special events.

This map shows Third Street(center of inner circle) with the vertical "purple" strip; those five blocks along Third Street between North Blvd. & North Street. That section should be "blocked off."

[richyb83]

An online POLL from BR's "225" Entertainment Magazine My reply.....How about all the above????

>>With the establishment of a new Arts & Entertainment District centered on Third Street, 225 wants to hear from you!

What would you like to see next in downtown Baton Rouge?

*A supermarket/pharmacy

*Trendy clothing stores

*A 24-hour diner

*A sports bar and grill

*A funky art gallery

*Affordable artist studios

*A movie theater for commercial and independent films

*A large music hall to attract today

[richyb83]

More activity continues for Third Street

Police substation, art gallery could be coming to Third Street

City officials are negotiating with the state to take over retail space in the Third Street Parking Garage. The plans are to build out the garage, turning part of it into a downtown police substation and the rest into a gallery for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, says Walter Monsour, chief administrative officer. The parking garage is located in the middle of the downtown arts and entertainment district.

Derek Gordon, CEO of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, says the substation would take up about 600 to 700 square feet, with the gallery occupying the remaining 1,300 square feet. "This would be a way of getting passers-by to interact with the arts," Gordon says. Plans would be to display works from local artists. The Arts Council is slated to move into the nearby One Eleven building so the gallery would tie in to that location and provide exhibition space. Says Gordon: "This would be another big step into getting more of the arts into the district." -- Timothy Boone

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[Gauge]

I haven't seen this website posted yet:

http://www.kressthirdmain.com/

The bottom of the "Features" page has some good general info on a potential theater and restaurant.

[richyb83]

Some of the historic fascade has been completed and it looks fantastic! The renovated Kress should do wonders for that side(block) of Third Street. LA PRO Space is expected to move there.

The BR Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is in the process of moving into a building at the next block.

It's encouraging to see Third Street continue to grow in stature again!

[richyb83]

More Live Music for Downtown!

Louisiana Saturday Night

[drew6974]

New sports bar/music venue for 3rd Street.

Punchers.

The bar will be decked out in classic sports-bar regalia with TVs aplenty and photos of LSU's boxing days of yore. But owner Mike Labat doesn't plan to pigeonhole Punchers-he wants to pump up Baton Rouge's music scene, too, with large-scale bands on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, complete with a 14-by-14-foot boxing ring as a stage. Punchers will open mid-December at Third and Laurel.

http://www.225batonrouge.com/news/2008/nov...downtown-alive/

[richyb83]

The activity on Third Street just continues to increase! The music scene is really begining to take hold too.

Dalton's on Lafayette Street is now in the old building in the above Post#47; across from the Hilton Capitol Center.

[dan326]

Here's a pic I took of th eftuture Puncher's that I posted in the photo fo the day thread.

[richyb83]

Thanks Dan! What a name for a sports bar; hopefully they won't have too many fights They can just have boxing matches or tough man competitions??

Some more progress...

Downtown district gains arts designation by state

The downtown Arts & Entertainment District has been selected by the state as a cultural district, a designation that makes original works of art sold there exempt from sales taxes and offers tax breaks on the renovation of historic buildings. Created last year with the help of the Downtown Development District and the blessing of the city-parish, was one of 10 Louisiana cultural districts named by the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

The benefits go into effect March 1.

Friday's announcement means that original works of art created in the area bounded by North Boulevard (including Galvez Plaza), Main Street, the west edge of River Road (plus the Louisiana Art & Science Museum) and the western-most right-of-way line of Fourth Street are exempt from state sales taxes.

That district, approved by the Metro Council in March, also has design standards geared toward creating a unified look and feel for new development downtown. Later, the committee that drafted it will look at recommending to the council potential policy changes, including altering street closure or open-container rules.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/39599787.html

[richyb83]

Phase II of Plan BR will push forward with the Arts & Entertainment District; with Third Street the spine.

Third Street mixed-use district

Needs a northern anchor to pair with the Shaw Center for the Arts on the southern end, which could be a theater, a jazz club or a culinary school; whatever it is, it must be something that would attract visitors during the day. The consultants believe the Art and Entertainment District area could sustain between 450 and 550 new housing units. More than half of downtown

[southeastBR]

I say bring it!!! I want to see 3rd street beefed back up to it's former glory like it was in the 50's! I love that first pic with the

entertainment establishment in front of One American Place, that looks like something that would really spice up the CBD!

I wish they would put a top with some red neon strip lighting going up One American Place, red ,to represent "Red Stick". Maybe something like the pyramid top on the rendering of the old proposed Fidelity Bank Building.

And if they could sustain 450-550 housing units,there you go, get up a striking tower "vertical neighborhood"! Go for height not width!!!!

[SUSAstudent]

I say bring it!!! I want to see 3rd street beefed back up to it's former glory like it was in the 50's! I love that first pic with the

entertainment establishment in front of One American Place, that looks like something that would really spice up the CBD!

I wish they would put a top with some red neon strip lighting going up One American Place, red ,to represent "Red Stick". Maybe something like the pyramid top on the rendering of the old proposed Fidelity Bank Building.

And if they could sustain 450-550 housing units,there you go, get up a striking tower "vertical neighborhood"! Go for height not width!!!!

^^^I second that thought !! Lol

[byrde]

I like the scene in that first pictures.

As far as parking downtown, we need to make better use of the state garages for events downtown. During the night parades this year, the garages along Main and north street were not open.

[dan326]

That first picture would be a neat addition to downtown! As soon as this recession is over I'm sure Baton Rouge will explode with development again

[richyb83]

I say bring it!!! I want to see 3rd street beefed back up to it's former glory like it was in the 50's! I love that first pic with the

entertainment establishment in front of One American Place, that looks like something that would really spice up the CBD!

I wish they would put a top with some red neon strip lighting going up One American Place, red ,to represent "Red Stick". Maybe something like the pyramid top on the rendering of the old proposed Fidelity Bank Building.

And if they could sustain 450-550 housing units,there you go, get up a striking tower "vertical neighborhood"! Go for height not width!!!!

Nice ideas southeastBR! One American Place is virtually invisible at night due to the poor exterior lighting. As BR's 2nd Tallest building something sure needs to be done! Some vertical "Red Stick" neon-strip lights might work really well! Also like the idea for the addition to the top!

I know that's exactly what the RiverPlace developer is going for! Small tract of land + need for dense residential = vertical!! + the land is too $$$ expensive not to go "vertical"! A "Vertical neighborhood" is a hard concept to swallow for some of the ole' backwards BR people.

I'm diggin that top pic too! Something other than another bar would be great!

Here is that old pic of Third Street from back in it's hey-day when my parents were youngsters and would stroll up & down Third w/ my grandparents. To this day...My Dad to this day still can't understand WHY they demolished the Paramount theatre??

[dan326]

I'd kind of wonder that too, when they had some many other dull buildings they could have demolished. Well, at least we didn't end up like Charlotte, who demolised all their old buildings, then we would have really been in trouble because we wouldn't have any new tall buildings add back to our downtown.

[richyb83]

Your right Dan, glad BR did not go down Charlotte's path of destruction; and did save some of our historic buildings!

*a few recent pics from Third Street;

*wish they would mount a Lamar "digital" billboard on side of the parking gargage(left); on Third Street side or Convention Street side

[tombarnes]

I'm impressed with the renderings shown in this thread. Any hope that the Palms on Third or something like it will be built? The drawings look great. I would also imagine that the entertainment district would prove popular with LSU students not far away.

[richyb83]

^Especially after LSU football games!!

My brother took this pic the other day...wonder what finally could be going here??

Prime location in the heart of the Entertainment District at Third Street & Florida Street where the retro Coca-Cola sign is...

[richyb83]

^Guess this answers my question....

New Third Street bar to open in fall

A popular club in downtown Lafayette is set to open a Third Street location this fall. The Office will be a two-story club aimed at young professionals. Brandt Broussard, one of the owners, says the 7,770-square-foot club will have an upstairs bar with dance floor and a deck facing the Mississippi River. The downstairs will have a kitchen. "We feel like we're a little different," Broussard says. "You can get a cocktail, sit in a booth and network. Then, later on, you can go on the dance floor." The Office will feature a mix of entertainment, including live music and DJs. "We feel like downtown Baton Rouge is on an upswing," he says. "We like where it's going." The Office is the second new club to announce plans for Third Street. Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar and Restaurant also is scheduled to open in the old D'Agostino's/Caf

[nquint1]

I really hope this works out. It's just such a great location and downtown needs a successful tennant there. Good idea to open up the roof.

[buckett5425]

One of my Professor's has a design for that building on his firms page. It has been up there for at least over a year. Whether or not it will look anything like this, or if they are working with Ritter Maher on the project, I'm not sure. I do hope the final design looks cool!

http://www.plus1dc.com/plusone.htm

-go to the website and click on project 16, it will say "Downtown Nightclub"