Jump to content

New Home For Opera Grand Rapids

mgreven

By mgreven
in Grand Rapids

Recommended Posts

GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

Posted
Posted

The Civic Opera House in Chicago is, in my opinion, only so so on the outside. I have yet to go inside. I think a stuffy ornate building might continue the belief that operas are for stuffy, rich people and that it's boring. I like the two toned look for the new performance hall that will hopefully come not too many years away.

Right now the opera practices all around town, even in some abandoned building that I can't remember the name of...my friend's in the chorus and he keeps trying to get me to join. So I should know more but I'm thrilled to hear people still like opera.

You've seen plans for a new performance hall?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 122
  • Created
  • Last Reply
jeang Whistle-Stop

jeang

Posted
Posted

You've seen plans for a new performance hall?

I was just replying to RegalTDP. I haven't actually talked to my friend about Opera Grand Rapids because with one friend on the board and one friend in the chorus. Anytime I mention it, they want me to buy tickets or join the chorus and I'm terrified. Seriously.

If they have a new performance hall, that would be awesome. But like I said, tried to not ask people involved with the Opera what's going on. And if anything happens in the next decade I would be happy. Some brochure said we have the best opera in the state. When Renee Fleming comes to perform, then I'll be happy. I don't know the number of opera fans that are not part of the OAP group, and it makes me wonder if the fans will start dying out that an opera house will never be necessary. Just a performance hall for all shows will continue to do...

I'm just happy to hear that staging for the operas doesn't have to happen in some empty, sorry, not abandoned, empty building near the Beltline...name of the building escapes me right now...ugh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
numstead Hamlet

numstead

Posted
Posted

So in the rendering, as for that red building on the left, what's that all about? Is that some kind of imagined possible future development? Is there a vision to make this part of a plaza alongside some retail?

The adjacent building in that rendering was purely speculative, based on the Gilmores' interest in developing that whole corner property. The plaza area where the Opera Center steps back from the street was envisioned to be used as outdoor seating for a small restaurant. I worked for BETA Design years ago and put together multiple schemes for Opera GR for multiple sites. I left BETA to go back to school just after the conceptual design phase for this project, and frankly am very disapointed with the way they took the design from there.

Below are the original conceptual renderings I created. I figure we're far enough out that I can post these images just for the fun of it.

view that was manipulated for the current published rendering

4179549701_5d2668d432.jpg

original size

view from across Fulton

4180311814_a376994c64.jpg

original size

view from West on Fulton

4179549367_7dfe22747e.jpg

original size

Link to comment
Share on other sites
andrew.w Hamlet

andrew.w

Posted
Posted

Probably the most "disapointing" part is where the built structure most differs from either rendering - i.e. the entrance wall. The window and door placement now looks like it just "happened" versus being designed and proportioned. Not really suitable for one of the primary building faces.

...And why the heck doesn't the adjacent canopy extend over the entire entrance door? It looks like it stops 6 inches short.

I really wouldn't mind a building that looks like the most recent rendering, but I can see where some of the clarity was lost from the original conceptual design.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
numstead Hamlet

numstead

Posted
Posted

Probably the most "disapointing" part is where the built structure most differs from either rendering - i.e. the entrance wall. The window and door placement now looks like it just "happened" versus being designed and proportioned. Not really suitable for one of the primary building faces.

...And why the heck doesn't the adjacent canopy extend over the entire entrance door? It looks like it stops 6 inches short.

amen brother!

The canopies really trouble me, well, canopies in general for that matter. So often canopies are just stuck on as decoration without regard for what they should be designed for, that is protection from the elements, and end up being too high or sloping so they spill onto people. I love it when I'm walking down a street in the rain and there is a building canopy or awning that where I can seek shelter even for a moment. On Opera Center, they placed the front canopy over the planter bed and not the sidewalk... does that make any sense? One, you don't provide shelter for pedestrians, and two, you prevent the shrubs from getting any rain or light. Not only is that canopy a tremendous waste of building materials but it's addition also required larger structural members on the interior, more waste. For that money, they could have actually built the windows at the entrance wall to the original designed sizes.

Oh, and I just can't wait until the finish cladding those currently plastic wrapped vertical elements with EIFS. :sick:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Veloise City

Veloise

Posted
Posted

Open house tomorrow!

A free, community open house will be at 4-7 p.m. at the $2.5 million building, 1320 E. Fulton St., to show off such amenities as a costume shop, prop storage, rehearsal rooms, meeting rooms, a library, offices and a permanent box office.

When: 4-7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: 1320 E. Fulton St.

Admission: Free, but reservations requested

More info: 451-2741, operagr.com

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/03/opera_grand_rapids_to_show_off.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 5 weeks later...
fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

Posted
Posted

Definitely have a decent amount of foot traffic added to the neighborhood by this building. I wonder if the nearby businesses are seeing any boost in traffic? I tried to get a photo of a string bass being rolled up the sidewalk, but the delay on my cameraphone ruined that idea.

4477137877_fef6f6bae9_o.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 years later...
GR_Urbanist Burg

GR_Urbanist

Posted
Posted

Good grief, it took forever to find this topic, but it's the closest relevant location.

http://www.eastown.org/proposed-development-eastown/

 

Proposed development in eastown

 

SpartanNash- the developer of Family Fare- wants to add a gas station at the corner of Carlton & Fulton across the street from the Fulton St Family Fare. The developer is applying for a Special Land Use which will go before the Planning Dept. on Oct 23rd. We are looking for feedback from our residents on whether or not you support this development.

 

 

 

famfaregasstation-760x380.jpg

 

Fulton-Heights-Fuel-Center-Concept-CONCE

 

gas-station1-760x493.png

 

Spartan-Fuel-Center-Render-2-760x406.jpg

 

Dont know if I want to laugh or cry....or upchuck.

 

This so doesn't fit with the vision for this area, it's almost absurd.

4180311814_a376994c64.jpg

 

 

But no one has proposed a thing for this lot in the 5 years since the building next door went up.

 

But This? This is the best we can do? The home for Opera Grand Rapids, next to a gas station.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jippy Whistle-Stop

Jippy

Posted
Posted

At least they are honest and show that the windows are fake and completely blocked out in the rendering. The lack of pedestrian-oriented door is truly inspiring. This is the same architecture and materials you would see in some rural outpost along a highway.  

 

Cute try Family Fare. DENY! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Veloise City

Veloise

Posted
Posted

Good grief, it took forever to find this topic, but it's the closest relevant location.

http://www.eastown.org/proposed-development-eastown/

 

famfaregasstation-760x380.jpg

 

Spartan-Fuel-Center-Render-2-760x406.jpg

 

Dont know if I want to laugh or cry....or upchuck.

 

This so doesn't fit with the vision for this area, it's almost absurd.

4180311814_a376994c64.jpg

 

 

But no one has proposed a thing for this lot in the 5 years since the building next door went up.

 

But This? This is the best we can do? The home for Opera Grand Rapids, next to a gas station.

 

Thanks for placing this here. The topic is blowing up all over FB, and it's helpful to have an archive that can be researched.

Oh good, another chance to play my "when I worked at the city of Detroit" card. That municipality requires new gas stations to be sited on two arterials, not a major street and a smaller roadway. Carlton is not designed for the turning radius required by a gas delivery truck.

Further, it would be a disservice to attract more customers who would need to drive the 50' across the street to shop both sites.

The area is already served by two gas stations not even a mile away. This is a bad concept.

 

In the cell tower/EPA business, there is no such thing as an underground storage tank (aka "UST"). They are known as leaking underground storage tanks (LUSTs).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
x99 Burg

x99

Posted
Posted

Well with the fifties ambiance of the neighborhood and Opera Grand Rapids next door maybe a good compromise would be to allow an old fashion full service gas station as long as it had singing station attendants like this:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5iypuYl4E0

 

Now that would be interesting, if for no reason other than to see if anyone would still pay for full service gas.  Still, I have to wonder why they can't just put the gas station in the parking lot of the Family Fare.  Then they would not need such a large building to sell cigarettes, lotto tickets, and giant bags of ice.  It seems a building no larger than a lemonade stand should suffice, were it not for the soda machine capable of dispensing 20 varieties of soda with infinite flavor possibilities, and the Unisex bathroom roughly the size of a Manhattan apartment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

Posted
Posted

Now that would be interesting, if for no reason other than to see if anyone would still pay for full service gas.  Still, I have to wonder why they can't just put the gas station in the parking lot of the Family Fare.  Then they would not need such a large building to sell cigarettes, lotto tickets, and giant bags of ice.  It seems a building no larger than a lemonade stand should suffice, were it not for the soda machine capable of dispensing 20 varieties of soda with infinite flavor possibilities, and the Unisex bathroom roughly the size of a Manhattan apartment.

 

That's where gas stations make most of their margins these days. It's not on the gas itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.