New State Office Building at 8th and Broad St

[I miss RVA]

50 minutes ago, Hike said:

this classic meme answers this for me.

https://tenor.com/view/well-there-it-is-jeff-goldblum-gif-14058551

 

I love that meme. It says it all sometimes.

[ancientcarpenter]

19 hours ago, Icetera said:

It popped up about two weeks ago.  

 

Parking deck with some offices. I believe there may even be a tunnel underneath to connect to the new General Assembly building. 

Edited September 1, 2021 by ancientcarpenter

[Icetera]

23 minutes ago, ancientcarpenter said:

Parking deck with some offices. I believe there may even be a tunnel underneath to connect to the new General Assembly building. 

Tunnel was carved out during the GAB foundation work.

[ancientcarpenter]

1 hour ago, Icetera said:

Tunnel was carved out during the GAB foundation work.

I'm pretty sure there are new tunnels being built as well since Jan 6 proved to be a real scenario. Don't quote me on this as I thought I read about it on the powerpoint someone posted here about a month ago. 

[I miss RVA]

33 minutes ago, ancientcarpenter said:

I'm pretty sure there are new tunnels being built as well since Jan 6 proved to be a real scenario. Don't quote me on this as I thought I read about it on the powerpoint someone posted here about a month ago. 

Yes - there are tunnels. I only wish there was some kind of occupiable structure (like an office building or mixed use) being built on top of the parking deck as I believe there will be retail along the first-level side fronting Broad Street. (I may be mistaken - please correct me if I'm wrong here...)

[Icetera]

29 minutes ago, ancientcarpenter said:

I'm pretty sure there are new tunnels being built as well since Jan 6 proved to be a real scenario. Don't quote me on this as I thought I read about it on the powerpoint someone posted here about a month ago. 

Yup, those will be connecting the GAB to the Capitol building:

[Brent114]

The parking structure has topped out.  It fills the space nicely, will have more presence than I was expecting. A high rise would have been nicer, of course, but I’m happy to see this lot get developed.  It has been vacant for what 20 years? I like that the stone is a light grey and not the same sandstone colour of The GA and Federal courthouse too.  

 

 

[I miss RVA]

@Brent114-- thanks so much for taking and posting these! I fully agree with you - a high rise would have been much peferable - but this deck does have a larger presence than originally envisioned. 

The shot looking west along Broad Street from 10th (middle photo) really drives home the point that those high rise residential/mixed use buildings on Broad (one at 4th and Broad and the other on the old Thalhimer's department store footprint on Broad betwen 6th and 7th) that were part of the old Navy Hill proposal are SORELY needed, particularly from a streetscape perspective. Here's hoping that as City Center begins to unfold, we'll see those two, tall, residential/mixed used towers rise on those surface lots on E. Broad in the very near future.

Edited May 12, 2022 by I miss RVA

[Brent114]

Just a photo of what Broad Street is look g like these days 

 

[Shakman]

I found you pencils in case you misplaced them.

Broad Street is completely different when I was on the Federal Courthouse during construction.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Shakman

[eandslee]

30 minutes ago, Brent114 said:

Just a photo of what Broad Street is look g like these days 

 

I still think that parking deck is a waste of space without office or residential above it.  It's a shame that wasn't thought through a bit better.  Great pic though!  Thanks for posting!

[Icetera]

1 hour ago, eandslee said:

I still think that parking deck is a waste of space without office or residential above it.  It's a shame that wasn't thought through a bit better.  Great pic though!  Thanks for posting!

Unfortunately, I suspect government wants to create a separation of uses for security purposes.

[I miss RVA]

2 hours ago, Brent114 said:

Just a photo of what Broad Street is look g like these days 

 

Is it just me or are those trees just WAYYYYY too big, WAYYYY too numerous and very much out of place? I get wanting to have some green - but a "canopy" of green completely takes away from the 'urban' feel of Broad Street.

[DowntownCoruscant]

4 minutes ago, I miss RVA said:

Is it just me or are those trees just WAYYYYY too big, WAYYYY too numerous and very much out of place? I get wanting to have some green - but a "canopy" of green completely takes away from the 'urban' feel of Broad Street.

I work around here. For some reason the trees don’t feel as intrusive in person (at least to me).

[I miss RVA]

15 minutes ago, DowntownCoruscant said:

I work around here. For some reason the trees don’t feel as intrusive in person (at least to me).

I hear you. Mind you, I go back to remembering how Broad Street looked as far back as the late 1960s - and this oarge green canopy is NOT Broad Street, IMNSHO.

[blopp1234]

2 hours ago, I miss RVA said:

I hear you. Mind you, I go back to remembering how Broad Street looked as far back as the late 1960s - and this oarge green canopy is NOT Broad Street, IMNSHO.

Personally, I don’t think it’s enough green. 
 

Further down broad, closer to Monroe Ward is what I think we should strive for not just along Broad, but all the streets in our city.
 

Having greenery makes a city more enjoyable, and can actually play a part in peoples perception of the city. Portland Oregon does a very good job of this in their downtown and I think that’s something RVA needs to emulate. 

[I miss RVA]

8 minutes ago, blopp1234 said:

Personally, I don’t think it’s enough green. 
 

Further down broad, closer to Monroe Ward is what I think we should strive for not just along Broad, but all the streets in our city.
 

Having greenery makes a city more enjoyable, and can actually play a part in peoples perception of the city. Portland Oregon does a very good job of this in their downtown and I think that’s something RVA needs to emulate. 

I'm trying to picture what it would look like to have that level of greenery in, say, midtown Manhattan... holy moly! That would NOT be NYC!!! 

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one, my friend. I like trees as much as the next guy and have no problem with some green downtown. But at some point, it gets to be gratuitous - too much of a good thing - and it actually takes away from the urban fabric of the city. We have plenty of green canopies in RVA's many stately old neighborhoods from the Fan to Ginter Park to Westover Hills just to name a few. I don't what THAT level of green downtown. Trees, yes. Wall-to-wall green canopies over every street? No way! When I'm standing downtown, I want to be able to look up and actually see skyscrapers - and not to have to peer through the German Black Forest to actually see the buildings.

Edited June 14, 2022 by I miss RVA

[Brent114]

I was annoyed by the trees because it was hard to get a photo of the two blocks, thought about how I have to wait until winter to get a good photo lol. 
 

I like trees but Richmond seems to plant terrible varieties.   The crepe myrtles get too bushy and the pin oaks are wayyyyyyy too big for city sidewalks.   I’ve been thinking that everything seems a bit extra right now (overly succulent leave).  It has been a wet spring I guess? Branches are weighted down and my neck is tired from dodging all of the low hanging  branches all over town.   Richmond (well Broad Street) looks a lot bigger, prettier and more urban in the winter when you can actually see all of the handsome buildings lining the streets.   The buildings look so small compared to the towering trees when they leaf out.

I wish a Parisian would come replant the entire city.  Then I wish for a team of Parisians to come take care of/prune them  

Edited June 14, 2022 by Brent114

[I miss RVA]

1 hour ago, Brent114 said:

I was annoyed by the trees because it was hard to get a photo of the two blocks, thought about how I have to wait until winter to get a good photo lol. 
 

I like trees but Richmond seems to plant terrible varieties.   The crepe myrtles get too bushy and the pin oaks are wayyyyyyy too big for city sidewalks.   I’ve been thinking that everything seems a bit extra right now (overly succulent leave).  It has been a wet spring I guess? Branches are weighted down and my neck is tired from dodging all of the low hanging  branches all over town.   Richmond (well Broad Street) looks a lot bigger, prettier and more urban in the winter when you can actually see all of the handsome buildings lining the streets.   The buildings look so small compared to the towering trees when they leaf out.

I wish a Parisian would come replant the entire city.  Then I wish for a team of Parisians to come take care of/prune them  

EXACTLY, @Brent114!! Agreed 100% on ALL POINTS. I was wondering myself about the crepe myrtles - OMG - IN THE MIDDLE OF BROAD STREET?? My mother LOVED crepe myrtles and we had a TON of them around our property when I was growing up. OMG - gorgous - but like you said - they get SO bushy.

And 100% spot-on - Broad Street looks WAYYYYYY bigger and more urban (it looks more like the "old" Broad Street that I remember from decades ago) - it looks more "big city" - in the wintertime when the foliage is long-gone. The big, leafed-out trees make Broad look VERY small town (IMNSHO) in the summertime - and it's frankly not a good look.

[wrldcoupe4]

One of my biggest complaints in Scott’s addition is that it is so void of trees and green canopy. It gets SO hot in the summer. 

[I miss RVA]

11 minutes ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

One of my biggest complaints in Scott’s addition is that it is so void of trees and green canopy. It gets SO hot in the summer. 

Oh dear Lord - does it EVER get hot in Scott's in the summer. I recall all those summers I spent when I was a kid hanging out where my dad worked because my mother worked for the company when school was out. I loved the neighborhood and I always enjoyed hanging out where my dad worked - but OMG - leaving at 5 p.m. on a hot-humid summer afternoon - and NO TREES AT ALL - it felt like walking right into a smelter or a kiln. OMG! I could sweat away 10 pounds just walking 30 feet to where the car was parked!

[Hike]

Was looking back at the webcam on this project and decided to watch the video from start to current and was shocked and reminded this demo started in September 2017 .
Now that’s a long wait and it’s still not done, though that tunnel they’re working on has been slow.

[Hike]

On 6/14/2022 at 8:14 PM, wrldcoupe4 said:

One of my biggest complaints in Scott’s addition is that it is so void of trees and green canopy. It gets SO hot in the summer. 

The RTD agrees with you, timely topic as they just ran this story, perhaps they look here for topics.

https://richmond.com/news/local/richmonds-urban-heat-islands----scotts-addition-jackson-ward-manchester---/article_9b712c7f-5395-512c-a485-9a4ba92a292e.html

Edited July 6, 2022 by Hike

[Downtowner]

1 hour ago, Hike said:

Was looking back at the webcam on this project and decided to watch the video from start to current and was shocked and reminded this demo started in September 2017 .
Now that’s a long wait and it’s still not done, though that tunnel they’re working on has been slow.

The electrical company I work for is doing the parking deck, the foreman on that job is an absolute turd. They moved me to another project I told them I can’t work with this guy. He degrades and belittles everyone. I had a talk with my project manager today about how they need to start finding new foreman because they are absolutely awful at managing projects. I can’t even finish on working on anything without someone telling me to go do something else. Plus supply chain for materials is a nightmare. That thing will take forever as long as this material shortage is still going on.

[Hike]

12 minutes ago, Downtowner said:

The electrical company I work for is doing the parking deck, the foreman on that job is an absolute turd. They moved me to another project I told them I can’t work with this guy. He degrades and belittles everyone. I had a talk with my project manager today about how they need to start finding new foreman because they are absolutely awful at managing projects. I can’t even finish on working on anything without someone telling me to go do something else. Plus supply chain for materials is a nightmare. That thing will take forever as long as this material shortage is still going on.

Sorry you had to deal with that. I’ve been in the construction industry most of my life, there are bad projects and there are good projects, hope your next one makes up for this. As for completion, won’t there be penalties if not completed by a certain date or did Covid change that?