Charlotte Photo of the Day

[New Name]

I think your videos need to replace that awful Charlotte's Got A Lot campaign from a couple years ago (not sure if that's still used though). I remember when the Got A Lot campaign was coming out, I always wished it was like this one for Montreal (you're approaching this): http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/MontrealTV

[rugger62]

It's been a while. Got the gimbal installed with landing gear, but still no fine tuning yet. This was my first time flying over water so my heartbeat almost shattered my ribcage. The Charlotte stuff starts at 30 seconds in.

 

 

Please keep embedding, my company blocks youtube, but embedded videos somehow sneak through the firewall most of the time. Great stuff!

[AuLukey]

I'm jealous, I've gotta get me one of those!

Edited August 13, 2013 by AuLukey

[ah59396]

Downtown Concord, in the house!

 

Wish we had street front retail in Uptown like this....

[nowensone]

Wow, embarrassed to say I've never seen or even thought of DT Concord, nice to know there is one.  Looks like Salisbury's.

[15895]

Downtown Gastonia is really big and really nice & urban

[ah59396]

Wow, embarrassed to say I've never seen or even thought of DT Concord, nice to know there is one.  Looks like Salisbury's.

 

 

It's actually quite a nice little downtown.  If you get a chance, google your way along Union Street north of Corban near Cabarrus Ave.  It's even home to the old Hotel Concord at a whopping SEVEN stories!

[dubone]

In Charlotte that would be spelled Boo'Tique.    I have had some experience with downtown Concord and it is actually a shame that most people think primarily about the Bruton Smith hellscape.  There are some pretty victorian homes and the downtown strip above are both quite nice.  Of course, it just serves as a reminder that we once had an entire downtown filled with this type of 19th Century buildings that were supportive of pedestrians.  We lost them to street widening and 1960s social upheaval and big city office towers to both positive and negative results.  

 

At least in the region we still have streets like that which can support small scale retail.

[NcSc74]

In Charlotte that would be spelled Boo'Tique.    I have had some experience with downtown Concord and it is actually a shame that most people think primarily about the Bruton Smith hellscape.  There are some pretty victorian homes and the downtown strip above are both quite nice.  Of course, it just serves as a reminder that we once had an entire downtown filled with this type of 19th Century buildings that were supportive of pedestrians.  We lost them to street widening and 1960s social upheaval and big city office towers to both positive and negative results.  

 

At least in the region we still have streets like that which can support small scale retail.

Why didn't whoever consider building a separate CBD adjacent to uptown. There examples of cities that outgrew or wanted to expand commercially so they just created a banking district or CBD complete with office towers. Hindsight is 20/20 but what could have been the limiting factors to the city leaders then for them not to consider this approach. Could it have been socio-economical motivators, geography or urban development shortsightedness. Can anyone take a crack at this question cause I am curios about the evens that led to URBAN RENEWAL.

[NcSc74]

I was just in Charlotte last weekend for the first time in about 25 years and I was impressed with some things and other things left me confused. I will post my thoughts on NC as a whole in my grand homecoming thread in a few days. Sorry to high jack this thread...

[Norm2]

Why didn't whoever consider building a separate CBD adjacent to uptown. There examples of cities that outgrew or wanted to expand commercially so they just created a banking district or CBD complete with office towers. Hindsight is 20/20 but what could have been the limiting factors to the city leaders then for them not to consider this approach. Could it have been socio-economical motivators, geography or urban development shortsightedness. Can anyone take a crack at this question cause I am curios about the evens that led to URBAN RENEWAL.

American cities want their CBD to be right smack in the middle of the city in downtown. Heck I remember reading somewhere that at one point Charlotte had removed all of the trees of of Tryon street to make the CBD look more like New York City (bad rationality I know). Downtown though for years was the heart of the city and where people and businesses wanted to be. Once urban renewal started and people were fleeing the center of cities for houses with bigger yards or fleeing because African-Americans were moving into their neighborhoods, then the businesses eventually followed. Charlotte, in its continued dream of trying to be a cosmopolitan world class city, has destroyed any glimpse of its past. Not to say the city isn't making some great strides now, but without that history and those old store fronts, it is REALLY hard to replicate a big city feel.

[Guest]

Why didn't whoever consider building a separate CBD adjacent to uptown. There examples of cities that outgrew or wanted to expand commercially so they just created a banking district or CBD complete with office towers. Hindsight is 20/20 but what could have been the limiting factors to the city leaders then for them not to consider this approach. Could it have been socio-economical motivators, geography or urban development shortsightedness. Can anyone take a crack at this question cause I am curios about the evens that led to URBAN RENEWAL.

Trade and Tryon has been the Crossroads of the city for over 250 years. They just wanted it to stay that way.

[DMann]

It would seem to me that many of the older buildings, 50+ years, would probably need significant upgrading to meet any of the current needs for office space.  Buildings are not made to last forever, just a projected period of time.  Certainly reuse is an attractive option but when the dirt cost escalates to a number that is unsustainable for many retail operations, reuse goes the way of dial phones, telegraphs, etc.  Large retailers have models they use for opening new stores.  Unique and boutique type spaced usually do not fit their models.

If'n you owned a 6 story 50 year old building and the city was telling you that you had to provide X amount of parking spaces, and need to upgrade your elevators / sprinklers / electrical etc on the one hand and a developer telling you that he will take the responsibility for the building off your hands at a tidy profit, what would you do?

[tozmervo]

As found on mint street

[Jones_]

Why didn't whoever consider building a separate CBD adjacent to uptown. There examples of cities that outgrew or wanted to expand commercially so they just created a banking district or CBD complete with office towers. Hindsight is 20/20 but what could have been the limiting factors to the city leaders then for them not to consider this approach. Could it have been socio-economical motivators, geography or urban development shortsightedness. Can anyone take a crack at this question cause I am curios about the evens that led to URBAN RENEWAL.

This what I keep saying to people of all walks of life who can't seem to think past the demolish-and-rebuild mind set. Alexandria VA is the perfect example of keeping the old core downtown intact and building your modern office buildings adjacent to it as well things like rail infrastructure being just at the edge of downtown. 

[southslider]

No other area of Charlotte has as many 400' blocks.

[Guest]

This what I keep saying to people of all walks of life who can't seem to think past the demolish-and-rebuild mind set. Alexandria VA is the perfect example of keeping the old core downtown intact and building your modern office buildings adjacent to it as well things like rail infrastructure being just at the edge of downtown. 

I think I can fix it... Has anyone seen my time machine? I seem to have misplaced it.

[ah59396]

I think I can fix it... Has anyone seen my time machine? I seem to have misplaced it.

Haha, I agree with this. Coulda shoulda is all well and good, but we've got what we've got in Charlotte. From here we need to focus on conserving what historic pieces we have left and continue to develop our shiny, new, CBD.

[ScottCLT]

As found on mint street

Interesting! Where is this on Mint?

[tozmervo]

Interesting! Where is this on Mint?

 

In font of the middle door.

[Jones_]

Nice comment on the time machine. I look forward to you firing up the flux capacitor and getting on it Ricky. In the meantime I will try to impress that my first comment pertains to lessons learned that can still be applied moving forward. First of all, yes, for pete's sake preserve what is left if you have any love of old buildings and the character they provide. Second, emulate the strategies that have worked in the past when it comes to mixed use buildings and blocks. These historic development patterns were out of necessity.  Within choked, dense urban centers I believe that necessity has certainly arisen again. 

[Guest]

Nice comment on the time machine. I look forward to you firing up the flux capacitor and getting on it Ricky. In the meantime I will try to impress that my first comment pertains to lessons learned that can still be applied moving forward. First of all, yes, for pete's sake preserve what is left if you have any love of old buildings and the character they provide. Second, emulate the strategies that have worked in the past when it comes to mixed use buildings and blocks. These historic development patterns were out of necessity.  Within choked, dense urban centers I believe that necessity has certainly arisen again. 

Just Pokin fun :-)

[15895]

Nice comment on the time machine. I look forward to you firing up the flux capacitor and getting on it Ricky. In the meantime I will try to impress that my first comment pertains to lessons learned that can still be applied moving forward. First of all, yes, for pete's sake preserve what is left if you have any love of old buildings and the character they provide. Second, emulate the strategies that have worked in the past when it comes to mixed use buildings and blocks. These historic development patterns were out of necessity. Within choked, dense urban centers I believe that necessity has certainly arisen again.

What historic buildings? Like McDonalds built in the 70's?

There's really nothing to save. We're obviously preserving the historical character of the urban neighborhoods, but. There's really nothing left to tear down.

I'm perfectly fine with the way history turned out; tall, glassy, clean & cosmopolitan. It set a progressive culture in the city. Were Charlotte like Memphis, Tulsa, Birmingham, etc. I've probably would've went to another city I viewed as glassy, progressive, tall and cosmopolitan.

[MazzoMedia]

I tried to make a day to night transition timelapse of the sunset this evening.  The long exposure frames at the end take forever, and I wish I had let it run a bit longer.

http://youtu.be/o-KfL5zIOjM

[nowensone]

^Shoulda let it go longer, that was pretty cool.