NASCAR Hall of Fame

[monsoon]

Indeed. All one has to do is search on "Design for Public Space" to see how public spaces can be designed properly to fit into the environment. (but most times they are not) All too often famous architects build monuments that are to be looked at but are very people unfriendly. (Aside from the BofA tower, Marshal park is an another example of this.)

[uptownliving]

So what is the difference between the Field Muesem in Chicago and the IM Pei designed Holocaust Muesem in Washington DC? What makes the Field house people friendly and integrate well with the neighborhood? What makes the National Holocaust muesem not people friendly? Why does it not integrate well with the neighborhood?

I have not been to the Field Muesem in Chicago...so thats why I am asking the question.

[dubone]

i think the architectural community has learned many of the lessons of the Q3-20th and will do a decent job of this. it won't just be IMPei himself, but a team, and they will likely incorporate many of the public space-oriented concepts that have improved dramatically in the last 25 years. i still want something dramatic and inspiring, but anything that must handle the crowds expected at a nascar HOF would CERTAINLY have to be people friendly on the ground level.

We NEED the name-brand/high dollar architect to be another notch in our favor for winning the competition.

i'm optimistic.

[Miesian Corners]

No offense, but please no neo-classic bull for a building to be deciated to automobiles built for speed. The Field Museum is a fine structure, but somehow don't think a Greek temple would be a good fit for NASCAR. Also, the Field is on a large park against a Great Lake. Much like the great public buildings on the Mall in Washington or the Met on Central Park in New York, they would not fit uptown. What fits is something more like MOMA.

[Neo]

So what is the difference between the Field Muesem in Chicago and the  IM Pei designed Holocaust Muesem in Washington DC? What makes the Field house people friendly and integrate well with the neighborhood? What makes the National Holocaust muesem not people friendly? Why does it not integrate well with the neighborhood?

The entire area surrounding the Field Museum has the same architecture. Most museums in the Chicago area use the same Greco-Roman type architecture as well as the Bear's stadium across the street from the Field Museum. When they rebuilt the stadium a couple of years ago they kept the historical architecture because it is part of the city.

During the World Columbian Exposition in the 1890's, energy from architecture was introduced and soon broke ground in Chicago by including the now commonplace architecture throughout downtown Chicago. There are countless buildings through DT that use this type of architecture so anything built using that image is said to be "built into the city" of sorts. The Field Museum just "fits" with the rest of Chicago, as does the stadium, planetarium, aquarium and countless other buildings in the area. It's the perfect design, it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb because it is too unique but instead blends in with the entire city but is bold enough that it doesn't go unnoticed.

[uptownliving]

The Holocaust Muesem blends right into the street scene in Washington...It uses the same matierals that are found in most of the downtown buildings there. Unless you are expressly looking for the Holocaust Muesem you would not notice it driving down the street.

[monsoon]

The Holocaust Museum is not an example of a design for a good public space. It was designed specifically as a moument to one of the worst tragedys in modern history.

My guess is a place meant as a memoral to the the execution of 6 million Jews is not a good example to follow for a facility devoted to race car driving.

[Neo]

No offense, but please no neo-classic bull for a building to be deciated to automobiles built for speed.  The Field Museum is a fine structure, but somehow don't think a Greek temple would be a good fit for NASCAR.

That was not my point. The question was:

"Could you give us an example of a muesem or hall of fame that you think is people friendly and well intergrated into the surrounding neighborhood?"

[Miesian Corners]

That was not my point.  The question was:

"Could you give us an example of a muesem or hall of fame that you think is people friendly and well intergrated into the surrounding neighborhood?"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But if you read further you see my point. They are grand structures with huge open spaces around them. NASCAR will take up a city block with nothing special around it (unless you really like that rediculous faux clock tower between the Hilton and Hampton Inn). One side will face a blank wall of the Convention Center, another will face a freeway on-ramp. It needs to be a good modern urban building.

Even in Chicago, Soldier Field has been radically changed with modern design. The Millineum Park project puts modern art and a Gehry designed band shell right up against the Buckingham Fountain (1927) and Adler and Sullivan's Auditorium Building (1887).

Sometimes sticking out like a sore thumb is a good thing. I would say that folks in Bilbao agree, as do those in Berlin and Prague.

[uptownliving]

Whats the building that sticks out like a sore thumb in Prague? I was there last year and don't remember anything sticking out in an ultra modern way.

[uptownliving]

So how should this NASCAR HOF be designed so that its a good public space?

Where should the front door be?

Where should the parking be?

What matirials should it be made out of?

Where is the service entrance?

How should it interact with the streetscape?

These are all questions the architects are trying to answer. I'm curious to know ya'lls thoughts.

[Larryfla]

When will a final decision be made as to where the museum will actually be?

[eastsider]

When will a final decision be made as to where the museum will actually be?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The proposals for each city are due at the end of May and nascar is expected to make its choice by the end of the year.

[dubone]

The proposals for each city are due at the end of May and nascar is expected to make its choice by the end of the year.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

nascar is all about bending the rules... do you know we are rounding up funding for a slushfund for the frances?

[Miesian Corners]

Whats the building that sticks out like a sore thumb in Prague? I was there last year and don't remember anything sticking out in an ultra modern way.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fred and Ginger building right on the Vlatva River. Designed by Frank Gehry.

[uptownliving]

kewl...missed that one.

[Neo]

It doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, it actually blends in with its surroundings...else I'm blind.

[uptownliving]

yeah it seems to be more an evolutionary design than a revolutionary design.

[atlrvr]

Well, I've let my feelings be known on here before, so I don't want to stir this up again, but I'm so enraged right now that I at least feeled compelled to say "told you so"........

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/spo...ts/11399439.htm

It's council-member writing time.

[dubone]

It's council-member writing time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

translate.

The auto racing has long been a part of the asc wish list, so i guess now that it is urgent in order to be THE hall of fame for the sport, it will certainly eclipse the other projects. but frankly, if TIF is used (as implied) for the mint + Bechtler (BofA) and the theatre and Wake Forest (Wachovia), and the carolina theather (that random condo proposal), then most of the major arts projects are taken care of.

who knows, maybe the nascar museum will become cornerstone of a new funding source that helps to accomplish all and more arts and sciences projects in the long run.

there is just no denying that the nascar museum will potentially bring more tourism to downtown than almost anything else. that funds hotel tax, which might return the investment on the museum fairly quickly, as well as fund the others.

I'm guessing, though, that if this was a possibility in 2001, there would be no such thing as Charlotte Bobcats.

[atlrvr]

The message to them is if you abandoned the arts (YET AGAIN) then it's time for my votes to go elsewhere......of course my district rep has no chance anyways. Kinsey lives is a democrat who lives in Elizabeth and doesn't believe in cultural projects or Uptown in general.

I don't want to really reopen this whole debate that was much earlier in this posting, but a HOF does little to improve the local quality of like in the short term, though I agree the possibility to long term hotel revenues could be used to supplement future funding requests. But who is going to go to this thing several times a year. What Fortune 500 corp. is going to say "Wow, Charlotte has a NASCAR museum, let's relocate". Tourism is great from a pride standpoint and should be pursued to some degree, but there is a reason that I have never considered living in Orlando or Las Vegas. I care much more about my personal quality of life and that of my family, than I care if some family thinks that Charlotte might be good place to spend a weekend.

[atlrvr]

And I suppose even more infuriating is the fact that the CRVA has hired one of the most recognized architects in the world to design the NASCAR HOF, and the Betchler Museum hired David Wagner AND the city council still said his design was too expensive......NASCAR may or may not even exist 30 years from now, but I don't see a time when cultural ammenities would not be desired.

[dubone]

ok, i see what you are saying. and don't want to open the debate either.

i guess i'm just optimistic that our community can afford both. most of the arts projects are almost definite because they are baked into the tower projects, so you'll still have your qol. and if we build NHOF, the Burneckers will finally have a reason to visit downtown charlotte and spend money at hotels, possibly transit or trolley, restaurants, and dramatically increase pedestrian traffic in 2nd ward.

which arts projects are you worried will not get funded?

[uptownliving]

When I read that article in the Observer this morning I knew that atlrvr was going to get pissed off reading it.

Although the article just states the obvious...its not really anything new.

[atlrvr]

Burneckers

Well the TIF revenue and private contributions only account for about half of the funding needs for both the arts museum and the theatre, so I'm still leary of those, though I do agree they are the most likely to be funded. I'm most concerned about the Discovery Place renovation. When it opened it was ranked the best science museum in the country.....definetly not so anymore.