First Ward Urban Village / North Tryon Vision Plan

[KJHburg]

The Hope and Despair of First Ward. 

 

1. The Despair: this unfinished garage still and where is Jason Stoogenke of Action 9 we need to an investigative report on why this garage is not open?  has the state paid Levine?  Does it need to be rebuilt or torn down due to construction defects or what???  I mean come on local media investigate this...

2. the old Barringer hotel to be hopefully restored to a great boutique hotel.  The Hope.

[j-man]

On 2/9/2019 at 7:15 PM, KJHburg said:

 

I know people may be against this, and I know that this building would be considered a historical structure for Charlotte, but I would love to see the brick on this painted white, and get maybe one or two retail spaces on the ground floor where the bottom tan detail is. 

Edited February 11, 2019 by j-man

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, j-man said:

I know people may be against this, and I know that this building would be considered a historical structure for Charlotte, but I would love to see the brick on this painted white, and get maybe one or two retail spaces on the ground floor where the bottom tan detail is. 

I swear, stop trying to paint historic brick structures white. What a matter with you. This will become a boutique hotel almost certainly with the 7th & Tryon redo.

Edited February 11, 2019 by Guest

[j-man]

1 minute ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

I swear, stop trying to paint historic brick structures white. What a matter with you. This will become a boutique hotel almost certainly with the 7th & Tryon redo.

I knew it. lol. It would still have it's history, but I just wish they had  a wee bit more life and color to the architecture back then so they all wouldn't be so identical and dark. I guess that  the facade at the bottom could be painted, just as an upgrade. And the windows could be replaced right? I'm not sure how certain structures are dealt with when it comes to historic preservation...

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, j-man said:

I knew it. lol. It would still have it's history, but I just wish they had  a wee bit more life and color to the architecture back then so they all wouldn't be so identical and dark. I guess that  the facade at the bottom could be painted, just as an upgrade. And the windows could be replaced right? I'm not sure how certain structures are dealt with when it comes to historic preservation...

I cannot imagine NOT loving brick. Its literally my favorite material.

[j-man]

5 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

I cannot imagine NOT loving brick. Its literally my favorite material.

noooo. I love brick. its my second favorite to stucco. lol But I prefer extremely light brick, or extremely dark. the brown/red brick to me is just too common. It doesn't stick out to me as much unless other features on the building bring the colors of the brick out. Hope this pic doesn't upset you but look at that beautiful transformation. I'm sure the interest in that house would go up.  

Edited February 11, 2019 by j-man

[southernnorthcarolina]

1 hour ago, j-man said:

I know people may be against this, and I know that this building would be considered a historical structure for Charlotte, but I would love to see the brick on this painted white, and get maybe one or two retail spaces on the ground floor where the bottom tan detail is. 

 

Painting a brown building white -- a great metaphor for gentrification, no?

But seriously, I think the old Barringer is expendible.  Built in 1940, and clumsily added onto in 1950, it gets no points for antiquity.  And it's ugly.  No detail other than the heavy-handed and incongruous stonework on the first two floors.

Take it down, and along with it, the small building fronting on 7th which serves, I think, as a police substation.  You have a beautiful block for the development of something spectacular, just a block removed from the concentration of office towers in the first two blocks of North Tryon, and a link between the cultural district (new library and associated development; Discovery Place; Spirit Square;  Carolina Theater; ImaginOn; Levine Museum; and more) and the coming First Ward Village.  Beautiful views of and from a new tower, over the midrise Transamerica Square, Discovery Place, and I'm guessing a relatively low-lying new library development.  

How about this block for a BB&T/SunTrust tower?  The Hal Marshall site some have suggested seems a bit too far removed from the mainstream, but a signature development on the Tryon/7th/College/8th block could be the catalyst for more growth up North Tryon. 

Edited February 11, 2019 by southernnorthcarolina

[j-man]

7 minutes ago, southernnorthcarolina said:

 

lol yeah what a metaphor that is lol, but I have seen many new developments brick their buildings with brown brick and paint them another color on top because the shape is nice but to have one solid color makes it even more beautiful to some.  I love preserving the building but can a few of them get a pop of color. Or maybe just paint the front. 

Edited February 11, 2019 by j-man

[Dale]

Joanna Gaines says it just needs a little shiplap.

[Matthew.Brendan]

New windows alone would make a world of difference for that building. 

[tozmervo]

5 hours ago, j-man said:

I knew it. lol. It would still have it's history, but I just wish they had  a wee bit more life and color to the architecture back then so they all wouldn't be so identical and dark. I guess that  the facade at the bottom could be painted, just as an upgrade. And the windows could be replaced right? I'm not sure how certain structures are dealt with when it comes to historic preservation...

Those windows are certainly not original. It is not a designated landmark so the owner could do whatever they want, but more appropriate windows would certainly help. 

[JacksonH]

7 hours ago, j-man said:

I know people may be against this, and I know that this building would be considered a historical structure for Charlotte, but I would love to see the brick on this painted white, and get maybe one or two retail spaces on the ground floor where the bottom tan detail is. 

No, no, NOOOOO!  Please, for the sake of history AND architectural beauty, put your paint cans away!  A dear Australian friend of mine (may she rest her soul in peace) once asked me, "Why do Americans paint brick?"  It was the most absurd idea to her and she couldn't comprehend it.  Did this brick-painting idea in this country start with the White House?  (We worked together in an office a block away from the White House so she was frequently confronted with that concept.)  Brick is natural.  It reflects the beautiful colors of the elements of the earth from which it is derived.  And that old hotel is stunningly gorgeous to me.  The worst travesty that I can imagine, other than tearing it down, would be to paint it.  Come live in California for awhile, where you don't see much brick at all, and maybe your perspective will change.  When I lived in the East I loved stucco.  Now that I'm here, where almost everything is stucco, I fall in love with the brick buildings when I'm back East.

[KJHburg]

Yes no paint and yes I am sure they will be new windows for a hotel.   Please name another red brick building of any size in uptown Charlotte?  None that is why despite it is not be spectacular it still needs to be saved.  Red brick symbolizes NC and our red dirt.  

[navigator319]

To be honest IDK even how to have an opinion on the options.  Either way though happy things moving forward.  Option B is the option I guess staff is going with for a recommendation.

https://mecklenburg.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=7045286&GUID=AE8746A5-52E4-4F76-B5F2-DA0906EB95D1

[QCxpat]

^^  @navigator319  wrote:  "To be honest IDK even how to have an opinion on the options.  Either way though happy things moving forward.  Option B is the option I guess staff is going with for a recommendation."

https://mecklenburg.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=7045286&GUID=AE8746A5-52E4-4F76-B5F2-DA0906EB95D1

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Here's another Update on Spirit Square  from a CBJ  story by Ashley Fahey, "Mecklenburg County Weighs Options for Spirit Square Redevelopment," 02/20/2019.  Subscriber Article -  Excerpts:

"Mark Hahn, director of asset and facility management at the county, presented four Spirit Square redevelopment proposals to commissioners at the board's meeting Tuesday night. The options have estimated costs between $22.7 million and $34.9 million and each have a range of demolition, construction and open space at Seventh and Tryon streets."  ...  "County staff is recommending a plan that would keep both Duke Energy Theater (a black-box theater) and McGlohon Theater but demolish most of the rest of Spirit Square, including community meeting space and the Knight Gallery.   In its place, a pedestrian connection between Tryon Street and a planned plaza would be created, and a connection would be established between the theaters and a proposed new Main Library."  "New entrances and service locations would be built for the theaters and nearby Duckworth's Grill & Taphouse (which remains in all proposals, along with McGlohon Theater).  Ticketing, concessions and restrooms for the theaters would be relocated to the shared space between Spirit Square and the library."  ...  "That option has an estimated price tag of $29.3 million, with money to come from the county's fund balance, PayGo (a county capital reserve fund) and proceeds from land sales, Hahn said."  "(This option) provides optimum space for plazas and redevelopment, retains both theaters and provides an opportunity to connect the Main Library and the theaters," he said.

"The future of Spirit Square is a critical piece of the larger Seventh & Tryon plan, a public-private initiative to redevelop two uptown blocks bordered by East Sixth, North Tryon, East Eighth and North College streets.  Design work on the new Main Library will depend on whether it's physically connected to Spirit Square, and much of the private development also hinges on the Spirit Square configuration, Hahn said."  "Most of the plans, with the exception of one, include a connection to the future Main Library, an ongoing project that calls for demolition of the existing uptown library and construction of a taller building in its place.  The new Main Library is envisioned as the anchor project for Seventh & Tryon."

"The recommended option by the county estimates $20.9 million in construction costs, $1.9 million in theater upgrades and $6.4 million in 'soft costs,' which includes things like design fees, furniture and equipment."   "No vote was made by the board on Tuesday (02/19/2019) but, should the board later select one of three options that connects the Main Library to the theaters, staff is recommending the county take over maintenance of the McGlohon and Duke Energy theaters (both are currently maintained by Blumenthal Performing Arts) because the library and the theaters would share many of the same services and equipment."

 

 

Link to C BJ  story (subscriber):  https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2019/02/20/ommissioners-weigh-options-for-spirit-square.html

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by QCxpat

[videtur quam contuor]

One shame of the Spirit Square main space, formerly First Baptist Church, is that the Tryon Street entrance is an afterthought. It is closed except for performance nights. Parking and light rail is to the rear of the property and most come through the College entrance which is a zig-zag to the theatre/sanctuary (deconsecrated). The interior is glorious and the exterior was so wonderful as to be preserved in the 70's, so think how awestruck were our forebears by the architecture. Yet it was compromised in function.

[KJHburg]

I can't wait until this lot at 7th and Tryon is gone and replaced with a high rise.  And the Hall House welcomes guests again as a hotel as it was built as the Barringer Hotel. 

I think this vacant lot should be turned into community farms for locally grown produce and I am not writing this in blue to be funny because I really this wasteland placeholder land owned by Mr Levine should do this.  Think of the good will for the community Mr Levine?  Have volunteers grow food for our homeless missions and other people in need.  

[j-man]

So when is construction set to begin?

[Guest]

So when is construction set to begin?

Nobody will know til a developer is chosen.


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[j-man]

6 minutes ago, ricky_davis_fan_21 said:

Nobody will know til a developer is chosen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

oh ok. I havent been keeping up with this one as much. Figured one developer submitted multiple options. 

[KJHburg]

I will be glad when this parking lot at 7th and N Tryon is gone (last photo) and the Hall House is checking in guests as an upscale boutique hotel.  (Keep it red!) From up and around and then there is a parking garage in the distance. 

[Nick2]

5 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I will be glad when this parking lot at 7th and N Tryon is gone (last photo) and the Hall House is checking in guests as an upscale boutique hotel.  (Keep it red!) From up and around and then there is a parking garage in the distance. 

 

This photo looks like Greensboro's whole skyline when it's an often overlooked small part of Charlotte's.

[SgtCampsalot]

46 minutes ago, Nick2 said:

This photo looks like Greensboro's whole skyline when it's an often overlooked small part of Charlotte's.

I love that you said that, I think that all the time. It's fun seeing Charlotte through the lens of smaller cities, or through a hypothetical reality where it had grown in a different way.

[KJHburg]

Just now, SgtCampsalot said:

I love that you said that, I think that all the time. It's fun seeing Charlotte through the lens of smaller cities, or through a hypothetical reality where it had grown in a different way.

I thought the same thing when I saw it too.  People don't realize how big our skyline is until you start doing comparisons.  Here are a couple of downtown Gboro I took in December.  If you have not been up there lately they really have a lively downtown due to lots of smaller historic buildings especially along S Elm. 

[Nick2]

My friend is in am apartment built in 1906. All original wood and brick. Awesome alleys and shops all throughout downtown. It feels intimate and organic. Something Charlotte mostly lacks except a few pockets. 

Downtown Greensboro and Winston actually have a lot of development going on all over the place too just not on the massive scale of CLT.