Urbanophile

A part of me is sad that the building will be demolished, but I still think this was the best (and most viable) option. The entry arch is probably the most beautiful feature of the church, and at least that will remain.

I think you all are placing too much stock in the exterior. I think Marriott, Hilton and Kimpton would think the opposite--Westin is a formidable competitor located outside the doors of the Convention Center and will attract lots of guests who will probably never consider the St Clair Ave facade in their booking choice. Well, yeah, Westin is a good brand and it's in an ideal location. It will surely be very competitive against the Marriott, Hilton, etc, but that doesn't mean it's not ugly. As it stands, the building looks unfinished. Sure, it's an improvement over the monstrosity it used to be, but it's still quite ugly. The exposed garage, those ugly guardrails, and the small portion of glass facade - it looks shoddy and unfinished. It's an improvement, but that doesn't mean it's good.

It's pretty pathetic that this project was allowed to move forward.

I've gotta say, the new county building is growing on me. I still don't like it, but I don't hate it.

Some of the best buildings have taken inspiration from past architectural movements. ie: Gothic revival architecture. As long as the materials are of good quality, I am very much on board with the Brickhaus proposal.

^ It's done snowing. We had a huge storm Saturday night and it's been slowly melting since. And there's no more snow in the forecast for the foreseeable future! Woo! But anyway, back to the Flats East Bank.

I think the weird blue area in the middle of the south section should be a fountain surrounded by benches and gardens. Otherwise, I'm okay with the design. But if we want Public Square to be successful, then we need more people living near it. Office buildings don't produce enough foot traffic. The May Co. Building conversion will help some, but we need more than that. We need an apartment/condo tower built on the Public Square parking lot, and maybe even a residential component to Tower City (at the intersection of W. Prospect and Superior).

Why would you want a street grid that close to the water. Bringing cars all the way down there wastes valuable real estate on parking, whether it's surface or structures. I just really hate cul de sacs. Maybe it's irrational, but I just HATE seeing them in urban areas. I could agree with that. Maybe a one-way street encircling the development, with the main north/south and east/west paths down the middle two-way. I 100% agree that I hate seeing cul-de-sacs in urban areas...but this doesn't bother me. The cul-de-sacs limit the amount of infrastructure that this development will require, lowering costs. And I don't really care to have a street along the lake. Why not make it manicured and pedestrian-only? Cul-de-sacs are terrible because they limit connectivity of various neighborhoods. But adding a street grid all the way around won't add any connectivity to this development. It borders the lake. How about something like this? Basically the same idea as what Mendo made, but with the street along the lake being pedestrian-only. A grid plan would at least make it easier to connect this neighborhood with potential expansion to the west (if the port ever moves). Also, where is the Mather Steamship in this plan?

Why would you want a street grid that close to the water. Bringing cars all the way down there wastes valuable real estate on parking, whether it's surface or structures. I just really hate cul de sacs. Maybe it's irrational, but I just HATE seeing them in urban areas.

Honestly, of all the lakefront plans, this one is probably my least favorite. At least previous plans had something resembling a street grid north of the stadium.

Awesome pics. But I still hate seeing that building (can't remember its name) with the cloth-material draped over the top of it. When are they ever going to remove it?

Actually, correct me if I am wrong, but that is one thing, under city ordinances for that area, that they cannot do (tear it down for parking). I wonder what the stanley block will become. Horseshoe initially wanted to put a 24-hour diner in the welcome center. Maybe they'll use the Stanley Block space for something like that.

It's a really bad area for a Times Square-esque billboard. The buildings are too close together and there is no plaza for people to gather to actually look at the billboards. And it would be very annoying for any residents living nearby. Ultimately, just a terrible idea. If they have to tear down the Herold Building, fine. But It needs to be replaced with something at least just as tall, and with apartments. Also, in my opinion, they shouldn't go for such a modern design. I'd like to see a design that's more consistent with the surrounding buildings.

How old is that master plan? It has the Columbia and Stanley buildings still in it.

I think I've heard somewhere that the northeastern tip of Burke is very unstable. That might make it difficult to build a port there.

Yeah that design has definitely been changed. It looks a lot better than the old design, but that useless front yard on Euclid Ave. still makes me angry.

^ Okay, you got me there. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to that. The port location is much better for waterfront development than Burke.

It doesn't seem realistic at all. Burke is HUGE. Don't we have enough empty lots to build on in downtown alone?

^ Exactly. I'd much rather see some more rehabs downtown... or a tower on top of the 515 Euclid garage.

It's a truly ugly building. I'd rather it be a totally plain international-style building like the Penton Media building. Oh well, at least it will add some life to that intersection.

That's one building I will NOT miss.

^ Oh no! :( Say it ain't so...

Is Corner Alley moving there, or is it going to be an additional location?

I think it's a good building design, but I really don't like the big "Flats East Bank" sign.

^ That is so exciting. Looks like another visit to the CMA is in order.