I live in the area and drive by frequently, I have a really bad feeling about this project... It's three separate three-story apartment buildings with a grass courtyard in the middle.  It seems to have no sign of being some sort of an urban landmark.  I would have much preferred something similar to Michigan Terrace:

 

http://urbanqueer.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/michigan-terrace.jpg

 

but instead I'm fairly certain it's going to be more like:

http://propimages.apartments.com/114838/001/BL010132.JPG

 

Yes, I totally understand that certain structures, as significant as they may be, must be taken down as they are no longer usable in a profitable way.  But the city should have pushed the developer to save at least one wall and perhaps, as mentioned above, send it to the art museum or even the Museum Center- and the city should demand a high quality replacement product that fits into the overall urban plan for the neighborhood.  Just by looking at the construction site I'm fairly certain this is going to look like a bland typical little apartment complex.  I REALLY hope I'm wrong. 

Another reason for my hesitation... no renderings have been made public (to my knowledge, and I've searched and searched) which is often a sign of mediocrity.  Anything exciting has its renderings plastered all over the place...

Quick photo update from the gas station across the street

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/5140527886_0bac3a2eba_b.jpg

^I give up on trying to get the picture in the thread.  Quick tips?

Actually a bit better than I was expecting.

I wonder what they will do with the corner of the lot- I like to see something that had a bit more frontage for urban feel purposes.

 

It was kind of nice to see Carew and QCS from that intersection, after they regraded the site this summer... is any view of the towers still present?

didnt notice them

Darn, my walk home and view out of my back windows will certainly be different. Better than I expected though.

 

In terms of the corner, I know the foundation had a rounded bit at the corner for what I'm presuming will be the entrance to either the building or possible to the courtyard that they're going to surroud (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong). Regardless, something rounded is going in that corner.

http://www.65westapartments.com/

 

I saw some concern voiced that the building should be something like michigan terrace not a basic building like shown in another link so i was interested to see if there were any models or preliminary pictures available and i came across that link. After seeing this link the building seems like its going to be unique and modern and something that will bring good to this area of clifton.

 

Interesting porch & common house along the corner in that link... thanks for the heads up Big Max!

There was a lot of negative things said about this project on this site from its inception.  It looks like it will end up being a pretty good addition to the neighborhood. 

Considering what it replaced...

^An abandoned/severely underused fortress of a building? I'm all or preservation when a building adds to the neighborhood, but all that building did was discourage people from going down that street off McMillan (Ohio?). I think this project will be a win for the neighborhood, although I do wish they could have saved the murals.

^An abandoned/severely underused fortress of a building? I'm all or preservation when a building adds to the neighborhood, but all that building did was discourage people from going down that street off McMillan (Ohio?). I think this project will be a win for the neighborhood, although I do wish they could have saved the murals.

 

agreed

The biggest concern wasn't the demolition of the old club but instead the uncertainty of not really knowing what the development looked like.

^ And the revelation that it would be "gated".

The 65 West project is really starting to look really sharp. I think this is really going to be a great addition to the area. BTW did you see they recycled all of the friars club concrete and steel from the entire structure. The concrete stayed onsite as ground fill.

Anyone have pics of the site?

I took some pictures with my phone on the way back home from DAAP today but my computer's bluetooth isn't cooperating right now. But the site is looking quite nice actually. The building already has a street presence the Friar's Club never had. The Ohio Street side does get a little repetitive but it has a decent amount of variation and once the variety of exterior cladding materials are put up it should look fine. It is definitely weird coming back home and seeing this building from pretty much everywhere in the back of my house. The amount of construction is pretty vast. This, on top of the construction of U Square @ The Loop (which now has 'NOW LEASING' signs on the site) will result in a very different feel for the area.

I have seen the rendering and the variations in brick color and siding will really dress up the structure. The windows look really cool. I think it being a LEED project is great as well.

I think it being a LEED project is great as well.

 

Except that they tore down a perfectly serviceable building, throwing away a huge amount of embodied energy and filling up precious landfill space.  Not particularly sustainable and a major shortcoming of LEED.

^ One of the reasons I can't stand LEED.  They could salvage and reuse 80% of the building, or invest in bike racks, and achieve just as many points. 

^ One of the reasons I can't stand LEED. They could salvage and reuse 80% of the building, or invest in bike racks, and achieve just as many points.

 

Actually, one of the reasons to IMPROVE LEED. While far from perfect, it has a multitude of benefits, most importantly raising green awareness and accessibility.  Think of it like 3C passenger rail serice.  It had to start at 79MPH speed before it gets to high speed rail.  Future iterations planned for LEED will be more stringent, and more environmentally friendly. (Except for all the green paper required to file)

While far from perfect, it has a multitude of benefits, most importantly raising green awareness and accessibility.

 

To be honest, I think that the "raising of green awareness" is starting to have the opposite effect because of flawed processes like LEED.  I know a lot of people who are quickly becoming turned off by the current "green" labeling on seemingly everything, particularly when it's so easy to point out how wasteful some of the things actually are.  It makes the whole thing look like pure marketing.  We're getting sort of off topic, though.

It is, and it is a reason why Xavier University chose not to receive certification for LEED for its new campus buildings. Although they are built to the "silver" LEED standard, it would have cost a lot of money (think, hundreds of thousands) to have it certified for nothing more than a plaque and some text. It's a scam at best.

Although it has been made clear by many on this site that they are opposed to the destruction of the Friar's Club building, speaking as someone who had to walk by that massive hulk of a fortress everyday I can tell you that unless someone was going to move in and operate it in exactly the same way there was absolutely no way it was going to stay there. It wasn't a particularly good looking building and had zero street presence, something 65 West actually does have. The Friar's Club was built up on top of a hill and was surrounded either by a brick wall or a massive retaining wall. Not exactly an urban building or at all beneficial to the fabric of this part of town.

 

Also out of pure curiosity, does anyone have any information as to if the debris from the Friar's Club was actually sent to a landfill. The way they reused the old foundation as the backfill for 65 West leads me to believe that it is possible they recycled other parts of the building in some way where possible.

Although it has been made clear by many on this site that they are opposed to the destruction of the Friar's Club building, speaking as someone who had to walk by that massive hulk of a fortress everyday I can tell you that unless someone was going to move in and operate it in exactly the same way there was absolutely no way it was going to stay there. It wasn't a particularly good looking building and had zero street presence, something 65 West actually does have. The Friar's Club was built up on top of a hill and was surrounded either by a brick wall or a massive retaining wall. Not exactly an urban building or at all beneficial to the fabric of this part of town.

 

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with that sentiment, just that the claim that the project is sustainable/environmentally responsible is disingenuous.

 

Also out of pure curiosity, does anyone have any information as to if the debris from the Friar's Club was actually sent to a landfill. The way they reused the old foundation as the backfill for 65 West leads me to believe that it is possible they recycled other parts of the building in some way where possible.

 

I know multiple people who had volunteered to remove or receive different parts of the building for reuse, and they were put off until the last second and had no time to remove anything before the building was torn down.

^That's quite unfortunate to hear actually. The Friar's Club had quite the supply of potentially recycled materials and hearing that nothing was done with any of these other than the foundation reuse on the site itself is disappointing.

FACTUAL LEED and recycled material information from 65 West........ 100% of the concrete, steel and brick was recycled. The concrete was recycled on site and reused as fill. All of the waste from the project is being sorted by wood, steel and paper and being recycled. excess insulation, top of the line windows, sustainable materials, water saving fixtures are being used. Additionally, recycled materials are being used in the the new foundations, All native drought resistant plants are being installed. Lastly, most of the materials and products for the building are local (with in 500 miles) to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction. Very little has gone to a landfill.

^That's good to hear then. Not that I don't believe you, but do you have a source from where this information is coming from?

You would be surprised how little goes into landfills these days, there is money to be made on recycling everything.  Just because someone doesn't take it out on site doesn't mean it doesn't get recycled.

"LEED" standards aside (IMO, a joke), 95% of steel is recycled and ultimately re-used because of their value. About 90% of concrete is reused as fill, along with bricks if they are not salvaged for reuse in other projects (typically given to a wholesaler or salvage shop). There are a handful of companies that will strip windows and doors for reuse, but for the most part, they are not worth taking apart and reselling. This is for all projects, not just those that are "LEED."

 

Down at Xavier, where we built to LEED standards but did not apply for it, 90% of all materials from the houses that were demolished were recycled. This involved using the existing building foundations and bricks as fill, and the salvaging of the interior materials, mantles and trim. We hyped it up as being "green," but it's common place for any major project.

They have begun putting the brick onto various portions of the building. There are currently two colors being used that I see, a dark one similar to the base of McMillan Manor (or whatever stupid name it's currently being called) and then a much lighter, more tan one. I wish the plastic wrap wasn't blocking it all so I could get some useful pictures but alas, it is. I'm curious as to what the various other materials are going to be. There is some sort of bright red then tealish color in the rendering on the website and on the side of the building. Should be interesting to see how it articulates the repetitive massing.

Are you able to see the skyline between those buildings?

TIF Money to fund improvements around 65 West

 

Tax increment financing (TIF) funding will be used to make improvements to the corner of W McMillan Street and Ohio Avenue in Clifton Heights, site of the 129-unit, $16.7 million 65 West apartments project.

 

Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday passed an emergency ordinance transferring $160,000 from the CUF/Heights TIF district to fund new sidewalks, underground utilities, brick pavers, lighting, and other pedestrian improvements.

 

Developers Uptown Rental Properties and North American Properties will provide a matching amount.

 

Currently under construction, the 126,000-square-foot, four-building gated complex will house one-, two-, and four-bedroom apartment units in three-story buildings. A clubhouse and fitness room will also be included.

 

Completion is expected later this spring.

That area needed some help in terms of sidewalk improvements and the like. I know at the end of last quarter they were replacing the old street lights with newer ones. The new sidewalks/light poles/planters/etc. they put in between Calhoun and McMillan on Ohio look nice and should help improve the corner.

Yup, they've got the new streetlights up and the sidewalks are ripped to shreds.  Does anyone know if this includes the sidewalks on the North side of McMillan?  Also, I'm assuming they're going to replace the sidewalks as part of U Square construction.  Can we assume that all of these segments will match the new "Old Town" streetscape?

^I remember talking to several professors in DAAP about some of the changes around the University and if I am remembering correctly the goal is to replace all of the sidewalks around the campus in this manner or in a similar manner with new light poles, traffic lights, underground utilities, pavers for major crossings, new concrete, and in most places planters for trees. The newly redone sidewalks along McMillan over by Hughes look really good and dramatically improve the feel of that street over the worn out, cracked and abused sidewalks that used to be there.

Dear lord-- This development went from decently attractive to god awful ugly in just a few weeks-  They're painting the balcony's dark blue and brown and the exterior walls light green.  :(

The color scheme is definitely an odd one. I don't mind the brown and dark blue together along with the tan brick, but throw in the darker brick and the light teal/green and it just looks like such a hodge podge of colors that it's hard to view it as attractive.

I know. I walked by this last night and had to do a double take on the color scheme. And people said that the Friars' Club was "hideous"... They haven't seen this yet!

Wait until the nearly identical one goes up on Euclid  :(

Would love it if someone could snap a cell phone shot as they are passing next time!

I didn't get a chance to snap a shot on my way to class today but its a very disappointing view looking west on Calhoun. The brown vinyl siding and trim is something right out of the 1970's/80's. It looks cheaply done. Very unfortunate.

Typical uptown properties schlock.

I can't believe people expected something better from this sham of a company.

It looks like apartments in Gahanna.

Unreal.

 

Thanks, Sherman.

I don't get it.  Didn't we all pick up a color wheel in 3rd grade?  It almost take extra work to come up with such an ugly combination.  And WHY use vinyl siding!?!  It's ugly and sin, far from cool, and costs more than EIFS. 

 

I'm kind of pissed that I have to look at this thing every morning on my walk to Bellevue Hill.

I think I remember someone commenting about the hulking mass feeling that The Friars presented to that sidewalk and corner.  This is certainly a HUGE step backward. 

Listen up developers.......  STOP TEARING DOWN MY FU*KING CITY FOR THIS TOTAL CRAP.