PhattyNati

there is heavy equipment back on site a boring machine which im assuming is to be used to dig for foundation piers. they were working last week but were not out there today. probably nothing more will happen until after thanksgiving but things are back in action

i would have thought a crane would have popped up by now.

nice...finally some action down there. i agree the improvements to the area have been nice. i wish some of the properties on the north side of columbia see this as an opportunity to do a little developing of their own. on another note...if this development is as crappy as the gateway condos i will forever despise the folks at neyer. looking at their renderings a little closer it seems this will be right on par.

Haha...the fact that you are using this building as an example only strengthens my point. while knoxville's newer courthouse is attractive, it becomes lost in the mediocrity of that portion of downtown. that building is the reflection of a city so bogged down with its backward thinking it wouldnt know what good design was if it hit it in the face. in an attempt to compliment the architecture of the original courthouse it was imediately overwhelmed by the scale and similarity of the newer building. to my point, not only would a more forward thinking design have distinguished the two buildings from one another but it also would have signaled to the public that the city is ready to start thinking on its own again. why confuse whats truely sacred...Music Hall and Memorial Hall...with whats not...a parking garage. Build something that will distinguish these two magnificent structures with the prominance they deserve while and the same time showing to the rest of the country and world that cincinnati is ready to move beyond its past. over the rhine is a treasure chest and i believe that every building that can should be preserved. staying in touch with our past is absolutely important and thats why locals take great pride in our numerous historic masterpieces...but that doesnt mean we cant connect to the present as well. i believe where possible, over the rhine should be a showcase of fantastic architecture...historic and new

^ you can tell that by looking at a rendering view from a mile away? your eyes must be a lot better than mine. they only thing that matters at this point is that the scale doesnt overwealm (which it does) and that it integrates well with the existing city fabric (which there is no use in talking about until its finished). my point was not that these conceptual buildings are attractive, because that is impossible to tell and the finished product will be far from what is represented, but rather that corporex has sensibly moved away from a concept was overwealmingly boring.

already the renderings show an evolution of what it "could look like" much much better than the original "entirely cheese grater" scheme.

so someone actually does like in the gateway condos! i agree...this article seemed way too positive.

^ i agree that these sketches leave quite a bit to the imagination...but what im imagining is something quite beautiful. anyone that says contemporary and traditional dont mix just isnt willing to accept that times have changed. we arent living in 1880...its 2006. Just imagine a seemless glass wall glowing with light securing the gab between these two historic structures. it would create the same quality as is done every day (and approved by most members on this discussion) with conversion of historic buildings into contemporary living spaces. the gleam of contemporary butted right next to treasure of historic. i can imagine numerous instances where this has been successfull in places like new york, any european city...but only if done properly. so stop saying glass and steal do not belong in over the rhine.

^ heard that. but at the same time it would be a sign of progress...something a lot of people are yearning for around here. i agree in that i would rather see other projects succeed, such as the banks, than worry about phase two being built. the banks would be a much greater sign of progress.

i agree and i think this project if fully completed could possibly do good things for that area. however, what i am curious about with all of these office projects along 71 is where are the new tenants coming from? i do hope they are not coming from downtown.

finally some official explanation

i dont care what anybody says...i think that the changes...no matter how subtle they may be...have already gone a long way. one more than anything as i think i might has said one hundred times was taking down the skywalk over 5th street connecting to the Westin. it will be neat to have that unimpeded vista down fith street toward the more substantial towers as well as creating some cohesion between the revovations at government square and fountain square. i think the pavilion building will look pretty sharp if the elevator lobbies are any indication. and the place will have an entirely different feel once 5th third and the threes are in place. cool shots too...i really like the one with the lady and the carew

moving a long quick...nice to see it taking shape.

I was always very curious how the planned on dealing with that wedge. it would be a very awkard transition to the underground garages if this land was left out of the development...whether it been green space or parking or whatever.

yeah that second one is amazing...i especially like the reflection in the water...looks like a painting. what happened to the color of queen city square in that last one?

the crown plaza was going to be converted into condos at one point but nothing ever came of that. dont know about the maisonette/ bella site

"Any decision on the bridge's paint color won't be made until the bid package for that project is put together, Hans said. Bids are expected to be let next year, and the painting would be finished in 2007 or 2008, depending on how early in the year a contract is awarded." possibly 2008??? garbage!

i guess this is a good and a bad thing for cincy

yes there were tiles exposed when the skywalk was torn down...certainly they were rookwood. however, they had been drilled through and broken beyond repair. sort of a shame i guess. they would have been an interesting addition to the streetscape. that kind of makes me sick how often building owners drill through pristine masonry to hang signs...heck ive even seen this done with temporary leasing signs.

"Too much glass! OTR and glass don't mix." Wrong. There isnt any more glass in these than any other building in over the rhine. And to say that OTR and glass dont mix is crazy too. I think the are just ugly plain and simple. I am 100% for architectural diversity in OTR but the design has to be quality...this is not quality. Those cantilever portions look ridiculous. Almost as if they glued a port-a-let on the front of these things simply to gain access to the balcony. Somebody actually looked at that and thought it was "cool".... ha!

^ only second street is concrete because its essentially bridge decking. they do need to so something about the western portion of 3rd street. cars get up to 50 mph as they approach the highway onramp and it gets very very dangerous. i really dont think traffic noise is that big a deal. i eat lunch almost every day on the concrete benches on third and rarely have any trouble enjoying it...including hearing what other people are saying. i do think that covering the highway with a green space would kickstart redevelopment and infill along 3rd. i dont think there is a single storefront on third street and that is obviously because of the previous FWW arangement.

wow...thats amazing. like stepping back into time

^always a possibility but i would doubt they'll have any trouble finding people to fill it all. >I'd imagine in anticipatation of skateboarders and other miscreants there will be a private shared patio or at least some seperation between public and private space in this development. i agree that detering this type of public traffic is important. however, it seems they want this plaza space to be as public as newport on the levy is, obviously scaled down. if this is going to be the cincinnati anchor to the purple people bridge it needs to be open and welcoming. if its going to be a successfull public space then it should have a very strong connecting with the existing and immediate public spaces. i am sure it is being addressed....it just hasnt been conveyed as an objective at this point.

i drove by today and saw columns of rebar beginning to rise

^i think a build out of at least 10 years has been expected all along right?