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Gateway Building in Greenville


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From what I understand the Gateway site is a forerunner for the Federal Building. Either way I'm glad to hear those other buildings are going to be torn down. If not the federal building it better be something tall built there or I, along with countless others, will be highly dissapointed.

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If the fed court does occupy that site, will other tenants be able to occupy the building, or is there a law that mandates that the Feds be the only tenant for security reasons?

Even if the Feds are the only tenant, I would assume that the developer would build out at least an extra 20% for the inevitable growth of Leviathan. So wouldn't you say that 300,000+ sf is a more realistic size? Or is that expansion factor already built into the 260,000 sf?

Cheers.

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If the fed court does occupy that site, will other tenants be able to occupy the building, or is there a law that mandates that the Feds be the only tenant for security reasons?

Even if the Feds are the only tenant, I would assume that the developer would build out at least an extra 20% for the inevitable growth of Leviathan. So wouldn't you say that 300,000+ sf is a more realistic size? Or is that expansion factor already built into the 260,000 sf?

Cheers.

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Without a doubt the building would NOT share space with other tenants. OK City assures that.

The Courthouse now in use doesn't look very big, so 277,000 probably includes growth. They may design the building for expansion in some respect however.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've had reservations all along about a "federal building" (even if privately owned) going up on the gateway site. My reservations were strengthened last week when I was in Memphis. I was staying at the Marriott next to the convention center, which on the north end of downtown. As you move south along Main St. you first encounter a slew of ugly buildings that are all occupied by government agencies, and which have govt vans shuttling all kinds of people in and out of the buildings. Only after you pass all this ugliness do you get to the real downtown of Memphis, which is surprisingly large and has a bunch of beautiful old skyscrapers built between, say, 1900 and 1930. Several of these are empty, but some of the buildings are already being reclaimed as condos and the Memphis board indicates that more renovations are on the way.

Do we really want the fed. courts occupying what is undoubtedly the prime potential office location in downtown? I'm not energized by it, even if they do absorb 277,000 sf. Too bad Lockheed couldn't be lured downtown. Might it not be better to wait on a real marquee tenant?

Opinions?

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I've had reservations all along about a "federal building" (even if privately owned) going up on the gateway site. My reservations were strengthened last week when I was in Memphis. I was staying at the Marriott next to the convention center, which on the north end of downtown. As you move south along Main St. you first encounter a slew of ugly buildings that are all occupied by government agencies, and which have govt vans shuttling all kinds of people in and out of the buildings. Only after you pass all this ugliness do you get to the real downtown of Memphis, which is surprisingly large and has a bunch of beautiful old skyscrapers built between, say, 1900 and 1930. Several of these are empty, but some of the buildings are already being reclaimed as condos and the Memphis board indicates that more renovations are on the way.

Do we really want the fed. courts occupying what is undoubtedly the prime potential office location in downtown? I'm not energized by it, even if they do absorb 277,000 sf. Too bad Lockheed couldn't be lured downtown. Might it not be better to wait on a real marquee tenant?

Opinions?

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Good thoughts, Exile. I agree with you that the chances of the Gateway site being a unique and welcoming building decrease with it being a government building. Knowing the government, they would skimp on the pizzazz and go instead for "practicality." They would probably come up with something like the Landmark building. :rofl:

My only hope is that it would be different because it is Greenville's government. I prefer to think of our city government as relatively progressive and forward-thinking. Surely they wouldn't put something ugly and plain there, but it certainly seems like more of a risk if the federal government builds there.

It's too bad Lockheed didn't want to build downtown. I am hoping that another big corporation would be interested in having their headquarters downtown in a big building on the Gateway site. That would be perfect, but who? A bank? A firm related to ICAR?

Regardless, I want it to be tall - at least 15 stories. It would be a shame to have a little 8-floor building there after all these years of waiting.

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I has to be at least 8 stories tall, since it must be 257,000+ square feet. If you read the requirements for design proposals, they seemed to indicate that it will maintain very high standards in architechtural and structural design. I can see the City's position on that site being used for the courthouse based on the lack of access and distance from Main Street. However, I would also like to see something extravagant go there, something for people to use for everyday pleasure instead of serious business. I'm speaking of a mixed-use structure which weighs heavier on the residential and hotel side of the equation. :)

BTW, there's a nice article on the courthouse decision in this week's GSABusiness Journal (front cover).

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Indeed, you are right. :) I just checked out the WYFF website. Says it will be around 250,000 sf, as we had earlier heard. Of course this was only the very first step in the process of actually getting the thing built, but it was a great step in the right direction. :thumbsup: I still hope the design will include a gold or copper dome on the rooftop. :)

Courthouse location story from WYFF News 4

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<sigh>

The chances of a government building with really eye-catching architecture (which our skyline desperately needs) are slim to none, yes? Although if it's only going to be 8 stories or so, it might not really affect our skyline anyway. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Still, we have all waited so long for something to go there and even witnessed several plans fall through. That site deserves to have something unique on it, especially since it truly is the "gateway" to Greenville.

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<sigh>

The chances of a government building with really eye-catching architecture (which our skyline desperately needs) are slim to none, yes?  Although if it's only going to be 8 stories or so, it might not really affect our skyline anyway.  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Still, we have all waited so long for something to go there and even witnessed several plans fall through.  That site deserves to have something unique on it, especially since it truly is the "gateway" to Greenville.

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Keep in mind that the height of this building could still be pretty substantial. The Fed. courthouse in Jacksonville has about 20' per floor. If this were to turn into a ten story building, that would be about 200' feet. Not a new tallest, but still pretty tall.

I wonder if the Palmetto Bank building would be leveled to build a new office building. With the Federal and County courthouses so close together, the lawyers in town might be very willing to lease space in such a building. Even so, it would help fill up vacancies in the two Liberty buildings.

I see this as a positive because 1) a decision is finally made and other projects can proceed with that knowledge, 2) this site has been vacant for many years and it will finally be developed, 3) the site did have some challenges, such as being surrounded by one-way streets and a 'turn-unfriendly' block of Church St., it might have stayed empty for some time otherwise, 4) the city will receive higher usage/revenues of the parking garage, which can be channeled into other city projects, 5) if it were put on a different site, it would probably be even fewer stories, 6) the aforementioned snergy with the county courthouse.

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<sigh>

The chances of a government building with really eye-catching architecture (which our skyline desperately needs) are slim to none, yes?  Although if it's only going to be 8 stories or so, it might not really affect our skyline anyway.  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Still, we have all waited so long for something to go there and even witnessed several plans fall through.  That site deserves to have something unique on it, especially since it truly is the "gateway" to Greenville.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

actually its considered good architecture for goverment building to have prominent design compared to those surrounding them...so you never know.

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<sigh>

The chances of a government building with really eye-catching architecture (which our skyline desperately needs) are slim to none, yes?  Although if it's only going to be 8 stories or so, it might not really affect our skyline anyway.  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Still, we have all waited so long for something to go there and even witnessed several plans fall through.  That site deserves to have something unique on it, especially since it truly is the "gateway" to Greenville.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did you know...Michael Graves (well known for much, but commonly known for his funky items at Target stores) has designed a few of the new Federal Courthouses, so one never knows. It will no doubt be something quite impressive; however, don't expect a lot of windows/glass. :whistling:

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I can live with 10 stories for the federal courthouse if the floors are high and the architecture is unique!  We shall see what they come up with!  This is a great opportunity for the planners to think outside the box!

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I totally agree. I certainly hope that the architects take advantage of this opportunity and come up with a great, breath-taking design.

Something with a spire could be neat ^_^ ..., or a dome would be awesome if it was done right :thumbsup: ..., ahh, i think we need to locate the architects and others involved and introduce them to this site...

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FYI the architectural team for the Greenville Fed Courthouse has been selected....pending successful negotiations.

Description

Architect-Engineering Services - Design Excellence for the New United States Courthouse in Greenville, SC. The GSA National A/E Evaluation Board has selected the following firms, listed in order of preference, for negotiation: Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge Architects, Schwartz/Silver Architects, Goody Clancey & Associates; Spillis Candela MMJM, Hartman-Cox Architects, Kallmann Mckinnell & Wood Architects. This publication is for information purposes only. No response required. This is not a Request For Proposal.

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That one in Cleveland looks very nice.  I wonder if the other firms have any examples of their work.

I will be pleased with whatever goes up if it is tall enough (12+ levels), has a unique design element, spacious, and works for its intended purposes.

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I googled each company and they all had sites with exampls of their work.

Oh yea.  That's what we're talking about.

I love that Kallmann Mckinnell & Wood designed building in Cleveland.  A similar building would be great for the Greenville site!

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That one is like 700,000+ sf though, bit bigger than ours will be.

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Just wondering... Don't they have to incoporate parking on the site aswell? And I was wondering if the parking was allowed to be below the building (considering the world we live in today)? If not, then maybe the actual footprint would be smaller and push height a little bit taller? Do y'all know or have any insight?

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