Belk Place: Carolina Theater and Hotel Intercontinental

[michaelef]

Carolina should work with ARK to get the theatre project underway 

[Boricua]

HEY HEY BOA! http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/01/28/4647027/bank-of-america-gives-5-million.html#.UuhQJhAo600

[Spartan]

That's the first time I think I've seen that rendering. I'm impressed that they appear to be looking at installing something that doesn't involve contemporary/modern BS architecture. It's a nice change of pace for uptown.

[Boricua]

That's the first time I think I've seen that rendering. I'm impressed that they appear to be looking at installing something that doesn't involve contemporary/modern BS architecture. It's a nice change of pace for uptown.

Its not bad. Does anyone know if those renderings are final? I would have a preferred a vertical marquee like at The Chicago Theater or Fox Theater in ATL  

[Guest]

They are recycling the original marquee and partially the facade, so vertical isn't an option unfortunately.

[Urbanity]

It looks like they are replicating the Foundation of for the Carolinas facade next door which I honestly don't mind. 

 

 

Edit - After really looking at it, I think that with the low rise buildings and Dunhill accross the street will actually be really nice on the pedestrian scale/feel.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Urbanity

[dubone]

I think the designs are really respectable.  It matches scale and materials with the current building (the old Montaldos/ Mint Craft + Design) but still includes the design of the saved facade and marquis.  

 

I am hoping they move toward an opening coinciding with the 90th anniversary in 2017, as that seems both doable and symbolically cool for building buzz when it reopens. 

 

This does imply the original designs they showed for the tower may not be happening, unless there is some sort of phased approach with them strengthening it for a tower in the future.   

 

[dubone]

I must say, though, that if it is purely at the same scale as their current building, with just the lowrise/midrise 3-4 stories, it ends up being a much lower intensity development, but that is probably always all that really was reasonable on that the small plot.  There are so many other developable properties for vertical, so this doesn't disappoint me as much I might have originally thought.

 

It does feel like a bit of a bait and switch from this original tower idea, but I think the value to the city is still there with the midrise and the renovated theater.

[Urbanity]

 

It does feel like a bit of a bait and switch from this original tower idea, but I think the value to the city is still there with the midrise and the renovated theater.

 

Agreed about the feelings of bait and switch.   As far as the renovated theater - let's remember FFTC promoted their plan for the theatre more as a civic/community use than arts and I fear the potential will be loss.   

 

it's all moot I know as it's now a done deal, but it does cement my misgivings about the city granting FFTC the development rights over the Ark group.

 

That said - I do like the facade plan and will certainly not grumble once that plot is built.

[Guest]

Agreed about the feelings of bait and switch.   As far as the renovated theater - let's remember FFTC promoted their plan for the theatre more as a civic/community use than arts and I fear the potential will be loss.   

 

it's all moot I know as it's now a done deal, but it does cement my misgivings about the city granting FFTC the development rights over the Ark group.

 

That said - I do like the facade plan and will certainly not grumble once that plot is built.

I don't know how a tower would have ever worked there. In all honesty we are not at the point as a city that we can develop buildings without enough parking.

[Miesian Corners]

I don't know how a tower would have ever worked there. In all honesty we are not at the point as a city that we can develop buildings without enough parking.

Sure we are.  We have several high rise buildings with no parking: One Tryon Square, 112 Tryon Plaza, Johnston Building, 200 S Tryon, and the Peace Building.  Besides, Hearst has a huge 1,000 space garage immediately behind the theater.  

[dubone]

I do think that the designs we are seeing are consistent with the base portion of their original tower designs.  It seems totally plausible that they will reinforce the lowrise building to build up later.  They can then comply with their directives to build and renovate the theater, but then have the ability to grow later.  It is in their best interest to think in the long term, so hopefully they are doing just that.

[Guest]

Lets Keep in mind the tower is supposed to be Foundation of the Carolinas' (a company with a billion dollars in assets) new headquarters. They are redoing the theatre at great expense in order to get the land for $1 in order to expand their downtown offices. With this in mind, I would think the tower is a must.

[dubone]

Right, but you could see where they won't need that level of expansion this decade, so they would do what they need to fulfill the terms on the Carolina Theater and certainly expand with the lowrise portion, which is probably a 40-50% expansion on their current building, and as long as they put the right infrastructure in the lowrise building, could build a midrise tower above in a decade when space needs and economics support it, and get new $5m challenge grant from Bank of Panamerica.

[nonillogical]

Lets Keep in mind the tower is supposed to be Foundation of the Carolinas' (a company with a billion dollars in assets) new headquarters. They are redoing the theatre at great expense in order to get the land for $1 in order to expand their downtown offices. With this in mind, I would think the tower is a must.

They just moved into their current space (old Mint Craft Museum) from their old spot on S. Tryon next to Emerson Joseph. It's probably 6x the square footage of where they were 2 years ago. I don't think they'll need new space for quite some time, but I thought they were always planning on leasing space in the tower. 

[tozmervo]

They're actually expanding their space in the old Mint museum, too (you can see construction up there now). I think the idea was that the tower would serve to provide space to non-profits and other interests of the Foundation.

[dubone]

Right, that is concerning me as an angle that they would scrapped the tower because they didn't need it, and the economics are not there yet.  But hopefully they are thinking in the long run that they would want the option to build, so that they would make all the necessary plans in the initial part.  That is perfectly reasonable to me if that's what happens, but I would hate for them to scrap it and just build lowrise with no hopes of expansion.

[Guest]

Right, that is concerning me as an angle that they would scrapped the tower because they didn't need it, and the economics are not there yet.  But hopefully they are thinking in the long run that they would want the option to build, so that they would make all the necessary plans in the initial part.  That is perfectly reasonable to me if that's what happens, but I would hate for them to scrap it and just build lowrise with no hopes of expansion.

See my thoughts are that the economics are not right for them to NOT develop the building. They purchased the theatre and land in order to have the room for expansion, and to develop a small tower. If anything they will make it suitable for a 12-20 floor building and sell the air rights.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Guest

[Missmylab4]

Yes, this is quite a different plan now without the tower. They definitely did the old bait-and-switch.

[ah59396]

See my post from about a year ago, I specifically cited a potential kick in the crotch.  Here it is!

[Guest]

Yes, this is quite a different plan now without the tower. They definitely did the old bait-and-switch.

Hold your horses, no one ever said the tower was scrapped.

[Norm2]

Hold your horses, no one ever said the tower was scrapped.

That is what I am thinking. the new rendering only showed the front entrance of the theater, so there could still be a tower above it.

[dubone]

Right, the new rendering is the exact same as the tower rendering, only with out the tower.   It is totally possible, but unconfirmed that the tower will be phase 2, but we don't know yet.   But it does seem to not be in the immediate plans.

[dubone]

http://files.charlottecentercity.org/2014-Center-City-Development-Report.pdf

 

The CCCP development report has a rendering I have not seen before.   It shows that they still seem to be drawing up plans for a future tower, above the low-rise extension of their current building.  

 

 

I am totally down for that concept of building the low-rise now with a high quality building and get the Theater renovated and in use, and then when the economics are right, add a tower above.

[CLTProductions]

Just to confirm location, this would be at the intersection of Tyron and 6th right?? And it would take over that weird green area in front of the abandoned building?