Ritz-Carlton Hotel & 1 Bank of America Center

[Raintree21]

Was talking to a foreman today at the Ritz/BOA site and he said that they will be adding about 4 stories of height to the top of the parking deck. It will be all mechanical/workspace for A/C units, etc. He said they have reached the point where they can no longer truck out debris/dirt/rock from the hole (due to the depth) and now have to raise it up using the cranes and that they have been removing about 30 truck loads a day, mostly bed rock, and having been blasting about 3 times a day.

[tozmervo]

I finally checked the model out today during an intermission at Blumenthal, and I agree, its far more impressive in person. It also appeared to me that there's some really interesting street level stuff going on along fifth street with the "urban garden" rendering that was posted (sorry, I don't have access to that one). Between the models and the renderings, it looks like it was just Trade St that got the short straw with the Ritz Carlton loading/unloading curb cuts.

[DjStedali]

For anyone that hasn't been keeping a close eye on the 210 Trade webcam, it looks as the Ritz Carlton portion of this project is moving along quite nicely. At their current pace it looks to be about a floor per week and in a couple weeks should put the Bank of America site out of view.

http://oxblue.com/client/flahertycollins/twotentrade/ -- In case no one has it saved.

[NcSc74]

I can't quite place this buildings impact as far skyline view. Surely another 30 something tower in Uptown will not stand out. Being that it is so compact the most it will do is give more depth at street level. Anyone have a recent pic that show where the tower will rise.

[Guest]

From the 7th Floor of Presbyterian Hospital 3/14/08

The tower will fill the gap between Hearst and Bank of AMerica Corp Center. It will make quite the impact on the skyline actually. No offense to my hometown but its hard not to make much of an impact :-)

[Appetite for Construction]

Was strolling through Founder's Hall this afternoon and the rebar from the Ritz construction is just starting to get high enough to be seen from inside Founder's Hall. For now the only view is from the 2nd level near the book store, but as time goes on this will be a neat spot to see construction progress on the Ritz as well as the BofA office tower.

[HopHead]

It appears that the Ritz-Carlton has adapted the Catalyst approach for going vertical. It appears to be flying. I did see on their web site that they anticipate a fall 2009 opening. Given the current pace, I'd have to venture and guess that it'll be done before that. Just a hunch...

[cltheel.sdl]

^ I noticed that too. It was moving so slowly for so long...and now, bam! It's flying. Hopefully the BofA tower can speed it up as well.

[abttown]

I like how quickly the Ritz is shooting up now! The only problem is that I can't see the rest of the site from the 210 Trade webcam. Can someone fill me in on if the office tower has begun construction? I hope by now they're done with the excavation. Thanks ahead of time!

[AuLukey]

Taken today:

There was unfortunately a little too much activity for me to go sneak a peek at the office building side foundation work. So, I still have no idea how far along they are there. Maybe I'll get a better chance tomorrow.

[Andyc545]

Thanks for all the photos today, Aussie. Looks like you've been busy...

[cltheel.sdl]

^ If I were you I'd upload them to photobucket or imageshack and then post them on here. To post an image you use the IMG brackets.

I also think you can attach photos to your UP account, although I think that may only be for Members+.

[AuLukey]

One more from today:

Still too much activity to get close to the hole to take a picture

I still say that those white panels are a wasted advertising opportunity

[roningreensboro]

I still say that those white panels are a wasted advertising opportunity

The question is, does the contractors want to take the time posting billboard like advertisments to scappling? Seem like it would slow down the construction progress.

[AuLukey]

The question is, does the contractors want to take the time posting billboard like advertisments to scappling? Seem like it would slow down the construction progress.

Well, those same white boards are reused every floor, so it's not like they'd have to do it more than once.

[atlrvr]

It's against zoning code.....even if they wanted to, they couldn't

[Andyc545]

Since building materials seems to be such a sensitive subject on these immediate blocks, does anyone know what type of building materials have been set for the exterior construction of the Ritz?

[cltheel.sdl]

^ Glass I think, but I could be wrong.

[Andyc545]

I came across this neat little PDF in today's internet travels...

http://www.lincolnharris.com/Properties/docs/doc1_178.pdf

The file describes the retail spaces that will be made available, the largest being a second floor space at 7365 sq ft.

BTW- looks like the tower will be called 1 Bank of America Center

[AuLukey]

That's fairly large space for an uptown retail spot. Looks like a decent sized bookstore or smaller department store could be part of the Wintergarden. Too bad it's not at street level.

I really like that massive overhang mixed with the outdoor seating area under the office tower. I don't think I've really noticed that before.

[tiblerbrit]

Looks like there is street level retail fronting both college and 5th street, so they haven't ignored ground level completely.

[Andyc545]

Looks like there is street level retail fronting both college and 5th street, so they haven't ignored ground level completely.

It looks like all 3 of the 1st floor parcels have accessibility from the outside pedestrian scape. It looks like the two large parcels on the second floor will have connectivity through steps and escalators.

[dubone]

I like the concept of opening up what would have been an oversized lobby to a covered plaza. The amount of street retail is pretty reasonable once you see the siteplan. That large 2nd floor retail will also be a decent space considering how they made the stairs and escalators to the winter garden and the overstreet complex. Given how little space is available on the ground level due to the smallish footprint, it does seem like a good thing to have that extra retail with easy accessibility. Hopefully it will be a retailer that can draw people into it despite being a level up.

I'm glad to finally see what the 5th street side looks like in a rendering.

Is BofA requesting a mid-block crossing or is this just a renderer going nuts with the pedestrian icons? There are an awful lot of people on College in that rendering under the bridges.

[Charlotteman]

The more it's been mentioned on this thread, the more I agree that Uptown is fertile ground for a major book shoppe. The Ritz/Founders Hall area seems like such an obvious location. A million dollar idea for sure.

[Andyc545]

Not positive, but it looks like they have put up the pedestrian scaffolding over the sidewalk along Founders Hall. You can see it in the 210 Webcam if that is in fact what that is.