October 21, 200816 yr <A href="http://www.highballhalloween.com"><img src="http://www.highballhalloween.com/graphics/highball_info_home.gif"></a> The High Ball is a cross between Carnivale and Mardi Gras with a pinch of Halloween and a healthy splash of the Short North's artistic spirit. The evening’s festivities will include Outrageous Costume Contests (all entries are welcome!), a Couture Costume Fashion Showdown for fashion professionals, the Dogtober Howloween Procession for costume-crazed pet owners, live bands, the city's hottest DJs and $5,000 in prizes! More details here: http://www.highballhalloween.com <A href="http://www.highballhalloween.com"><img src="http://walker.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/sn-highball-flyer.jpg"></a> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvSH7hYLkLk
October 22, 200816 yr <A href="http://www.highballhalloween.com/volunteer.htm"><img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/archives/highballv.jpg"></a> <b>Calling Enthusiastic Volunteers</b> If you enjoy creating an awesome experience and sharing it with your city, then you've got the first ingredient to be a <A href="http://www.highballhalloween.com/volunteer.htm">volunteer</a> for HighBall Halloween on Friday, October 31st. If you have some hours to help behind the scenes by serving on committees or by setting up the day of the event, then you have the second ingredient. The HighBall is a cross between Carnivale and Mardi Gras with a pinch of Halloween and a healthy splash of the Short North's artistic spirit. The evening's festivities will include Outrageous Costume Contests (all entries are welcome!), a Couture Costume Fashion Showdown for fashion professionals, the Dogtober Howloween Procession for costume-crazed pet owners, live bands, the city's hottest DJs, and $5,000 in prizes! <A href="http://www.highballhalloween.com/volunteer.htm">Click here to sign up for a Volunteer Shift</a>
February 7, 200916 yr Ibiza on High Construction Update Posted by Paul Bonneville on Sunday, February 01, 2009 http://columbusretrometro.typepad.com/columbus_retrometro/2009/02/ibiza-on-high-construction-update.html This update comes from the Italian Village Society's meeting minutes for January 13, 2009: "Rajesh Lahoti joined us on behalf of the Ibiza on High construction update. They are waiting for the City of Columbus to pass an abatement for the parking garage construction, which is anticipated within the next several weeks." "Due to an issue with the level of the water table beneath the construction site, the architect was required to redesign the parking garage, and in order to not lose 50-60 public parking spaces, the structure had to be raised 7-8 feet. The project will bring between 200-250 public parking spaces, plus private housing/parking, retail, fitness and extraordinary views of the Village and the City (to name a few)." "Approximately 54% of the housing units have been pre-sold, and about one-half of the units are price at under $200,000. The estimated completion date of the project is the of Summer 2010." http://italianvillage.org/ http://ibizaonhigh.com/
February 8, 200916 yr excellent news. sounds like its going to happen. after living with the 'holes' along high street for so long i'm especially excited about this!
February 8, 200916 yr About time. I still don't get why we want to add 200+ cars on High. It's crowded enough on weekend nights, let alone gallery hop. We should instead have a scooter/motorcycle garage.
February 16, 200916 yr Columbusite posted a couple of photos of the Bollinger Tower makeover in the Short North on his very fine website at http://columbus-ite.com/. http://columbus-ite.com/2009/02/11/random-developments-1/
February 16, 200916 yr the Bollinger Tower makeover It's definitely an improvement. I wish that the ground floor retail that had been proposed would have been built as well, but I'll take it.
March 19, 200916 yr Was at a meeting across the street from it today. The frame is going up fast. Already a few stories high.
March 19, 200916 yr Columbusite posted a couple of photos of the Bollinger Tower makeover in the Short North on his very fine website at http://columbus-ite.com/. http://columbus-ite.com/2009/02/11/random-developments-1/ I love the overhangs at the top.. but I mean..... in the winter isn't that just an icicle factory only to fall and pierce an old person?
March 19, 200916 yr Good point! But come on, isn't an occasional icicle impalement worth it in the name of architecture? :evil: Just kidding everyone! Actually, I believe that entrance canopies are also part of this renovation. Icicle danger or not, entrance canopies are nice amenities for residential buildings.
March 20, 200916 yr I know I will probably be ridiculed for this but to me the Bollinger remodel looks really dated and gimmicky. The top screams early 2000s. The open nonsense is a total waste of energy and looks like it is trying to hard. What is the old saying? You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Exactly the same. Also dislike the two tone approach, which makes the building look squat and dumpy. Other than that, it's just fine.
March 20, 200916 yr Well, I could ridicule you if you want SFSpike, but I actually tend to agree with some of your architectural criticism. If the Bollinger Tower were a new construction project in today's Short North, I'd ask for a redesign. But as a renovation of the existing tower it seems to be worthwhile. Remember that the Bollinger is a public housing tower built before Short North became the cool and trendy urban area it is today. Instead of upscale restaurants, art galleries and fashion boutiques there were boarded up storefronts, hookers and crack dealers. So the Bollinger was built as a budget building with stucco facades and very little detailing. Now that the Short North has gentrified around the Bollinger, CMHA (Columbus Metro Housing Authority) could have demo'd the building and sold the lot off to private developers. But the building's still relatively young and it's located on a major bus line. The location's still good for the seniors. And the neighborhood can benefit from a more diverse population. Now, if money were no object, you might try to remake the exterior to look similar to the Seneca Hotel in downtown (similar building sizes and similar residential uses). You could add the brick all the way to the roof at the Bollinger. You could add stone trim around every window and at every corner. You could build a traditional stone cornice at the roofline. However, since it is a CMHA public housing project, money is an object. So it looks like brick is being added to the third floor level. This would be roughly in scale with the neighboring three-story commercial buildings on High Street and is probably a budget move to put the brick where it will be most visible. Then the lower metal cornice would transition the new brick to the upper story stucco. And finally a larger rooftop metal cornice would cap off the new exterior. Perhaps not an ideal solution, but I'm willing to give CMHA an "A" for effort. I'm willing to give the oversized metal cornice a chance in particular because I like the concept. The oversized cornice could give the Bollinger a real visual presence that it current lacks due to its setback from High Street. Ideal - no. Significant improvement - yes. (I'll get off my soapbox now!) :wink:
March 20, 200916 yr well if the Cornice was lit up at night that may look better.... It would be awesome if High street one day would form a "buckhead" skyline from SN all the way to clintonville...... (sigh)
March 20, 200916 yr well if the Cornice was lit up at night that may look better.... I like that idea!
March 20, 200916 yr Somebody say something about a recession? Looks like the Short North didn't get the message... oh well!
March 20, 200916 yr I saw the building last night while driving down 4th/3rd street and they have those ugly orange street lights lighting up the building.... I hope they would replace those....
March 20, 200916 yr Looks like a really decent project. Should add a lot to that section of N. High St.
March 20, 200916 yr I'm just not a fan of that type of excessive non-sense. It reminds me of so many of the Atlanta and Dallas buildings that are over achievers. There is certainly nothing wrong with simple straight forward architecture, with clean lines and an honest approach. Perhaps it will look better in person..Just seems a colossal waste of money to me. The building was plain, but hardly offensive or ugly. Now it looks top heavy and a bit riducluous. Just my humble (well maybe not so humble) opinion. Like you say, maybe a nice light up at night.
March 20, 200916 yr I'm just glad it's still in the neighborhood. Bollinger Tower is a mighty bulwark against the complete phonification of the Short North. Nobody would ever want the pre-gentrification blight and crime back, but there's got to be a balance. For now, Bollinger Tower is it.
March 21, 200916 yr I would bet it won't look as bad in person, though the concept itself is kind of cheesy. The perspective on that rendering is exaggerating the size of the cornice.
March 21, 200916 yr well if the Cornice was lit up at night that may look better.... It would be awesome if High street one day would form a "buckhead" skyline from SN all the way to clintonville...... (sigh) I can't imagine there ever being that kind of market demand. Toronto is like that but then again the subway is the main reason for their T shaped skyline that seems to run north endlessly.
March 23, 200916 yr well if the Cornice was lit up at night that may look better.... It would be awesome if High street one day would form a "buckhead" skyline from SN all the way to clintonville...... (sigh) I can't imagine there ever being that kind of market demand. Toronto is like that but then again the subway is the main reason for their T shaped skyline that seems to run north endlessly. Maybe if we had light rail on High Street :(
March 24, 200916 yr <b>Ibiza Update: An Interview with Rajesh Lahoti</b> By Walker | March 23, 2009 <img src="http://www.columbusunderground.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ibiza1.png"> The Ibiza condo development was first announced around October 2006, so it’s no surprise that some locals have grown frustrated with the fact that after two-and-a-half years of waiting, construction hasn’t started yet. With a project of this size and significance in the neighborhood, the rumors are bound to fly. Over the past few months many people have raised questions about the current status of the project. Instead of pondering though, we decided to go straight to the source and sit down with Rajesh Lahoti for an interview and an update on Ibiza. READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/ibiza-update-an-interview-with-rajesh-lahoti
March 24, 200916 yr Thanks for the update.. I had a few people ask me the status of Ibiza and the only info I had to give was the water table issue.
March 27, 200916 yr I was at Skully's last night and was out on the patio with friends and began to wonder.... once Jackson gets built do you think residents will begin complaining about the noise? It's pretty noisy out there....
March 27, 200916 yr Let them complain. And then point and laugh at them when their complaints are summarily and justifiably ignored.
March 27, 200916 yr I was at Skully's last night and was out on the patio with friends and began to wonder.... once Jackson gets built do you think residents will begin complaining about the noise? It's pretty noisy out there.... I would hope people realize what they're getting into when they move to High St. or just off of it. If they think thats bad, wait until Comfest.
March 29, 200916 yr I was at Skully's last night and was out on the patio with friends and began to wonder.... once Jackson gets built do you think residents will begin complaining about the noise? It's pretty noisy out there.... I used to live right across the street from Skully's, above an antique shop next to the goody boy... It wasn't very good at keeping sound out, but except for a shootout (after the music shop next door got robbed), I was pretty much never disturbed. Oh yeah and the ghetto bird shining its spotlight in my window because they were chasing some guy through the parking lot and I guess thought I might have been that guy... lol, so yeah except for the police, not bad noise wise.
March 30, 200916 yr It's concerning in the sense that this same situation started in Atlanta years ago. Condo's built in entertainment districts and next to venues only to have the residents grow tired of the nosie and eventually run the venue's out.
March 30, 200916 yr A standard element of an urban condo covenant should be a No Crybabies Clause. Seriously people, if you're nightlife and noise averse, why would you choose city living?
March 30, 200916 yr This is actually why condos in entertainment are a bad idea. What sounds like a great idea when you move in at age 28 becomes very annoying five years later when you've gotten married and thinking about having your first kid or actually become responsible at work and need to up early and the like. Apartments work much better and are unlikely to get residents who want to change the neighborhood a few years later when their stage of life changes.
March 30, 200916 yr This is actually why condos in entertainment are a bad idea. What sounds like a great idea when you move in at age 28 becomes very annoying five years later when you've gotten married and thinking about having your first kid or actually become responsible at work and need to up early and the like. Apartments work much better and are unlikely to get residents who want to change the neighborhood a few years later when their stage of life changes. I couldn't agree more!
March 30, 200916 yr Mixed use is mixed use, people. Granted, music venues should do everything within their power to be good neighbors, but beyond that I think forcing one type of business or residence over here and another over there creates dead zones. Neighborhoods adjacent to main thoroughfares will be quieter, so folks with low noise tolerances should live there. Otherwise, they should stay away from the flashy condo high rise in the main drag and enjoy what city living is actually all about: a manageable amount of randomness and the distinct possibility you're going to encounter something unexpected and wonderful 24/7.
March 30, 200916 yr But that's my point, making a purchase in that kind of neighborhood is very present-oriented. If the current changes in the economy continue, making a 'fun' condo purchase is going to be a thing of the past. I guess if you wanted buy when you like to hit the hook-up scene and then rent when you've got a permanent hook-up, then that would work. If I was planning a housing project in that kind of neighborhood, I think I'd rather push rental over purchase.
March 31, 200916 yr There are plenty of apartments for rent above the shops along High Street. The only reason, quaint as it may seem, for owning a condo is the investment angle--hopefully these whippersnappers can manage a profit when their wild oats are sown. Until then I have a total of zero sympathy for a person who chooses to live along the most popular stretch of High Street and can't handle the noisy side effects.
March 31, 200916 yr If you don't want to live right next to a music venue you can always live a block off or two off of High or in a quieter stretch of the same road. You're pretty much spoiled for choices, so if you buy a unit in the Jackson and complain about the noise you're an idiot, plain and simple.
March 31, 200916 yr I'm with you guys in hoping that people who buy a condo in the city understand IT'S THE CITY..... not a quiet burb. Let's jsut see how long it the two can carry on in harmony...
March 31, 200916 yr I'm with you guys in hoping that people who buy a condo in the city understand IT'S THE CITY..... not a quiet burb. Let's jsut see how long it the two can carry on in harmony... Besides, there are plenty of other innr city options. German Village and Old Towne East are pretty quiet (despite German Village being a magnificant clusterf-k of random mixed uses and Old Town East having occasional shootouts and whatnot. Hell, Downtown is more quiet! Move to the Gay St. Condos for peace and tranquility!
April 1, 200916 yr I'll go over this one last time. The original comment was that a neighborhood that gets gentrified and goes through its club period eventually gets neighbors who get tired of the noise - there is a difference between city noise and entertainment district noise. My point was that this is a problem not of location but of the fact that we forget that time changes people. The same person who was completely tolerant one year may become increasingly intolerant three or four years later and start to complain and do things to tamp down noise, especially when they have bought a home - if they are renting then they can just move. In the going forward world, I think that the notion that you can 'just move' when you own a property will seem increasingly archaic and luxurious.
April 1, 200916 yr Ah, yes. But if people 'out-grow' the neighborhood and want a more quiet atmosphere - wouldn't they just rent out their property? I mean...people do it all the time. It's a good long term investment. I lived next door to the dean of the School of Education at UC, down on Warner St. There were non-stop parties. He chose to live in a really loud neighborhood and he never complained. We would be loud and obnoxious, drinking beer on the front porch 5 feet from his lot and he never cared. In fact he was really friendly towards us. He knew that sort of thing comes with the territory. Besides, Skully's was there first. That place is incredibly unique. The majority of the SN would side with Skully's. It's a landmark and an asset to the neighborhood. It's not a college neighborhood but they have zombie parades that reinact Night of the Living Dead in the streets for heaven's sake. I wouldn't be surprised if those zombies don't even have a permit for their shinannigans. Would you want a parade of zombies with torches crowding around your property for getting Skully's in trouble for a noise violation? Not likely.
April 1, 200916 yr I agree that if you decide to live on a main drag in a nightlife area then you should have ZERO right to complain about noise. I should know as I rent south of the South Campus Gateway area right on High St. (just a few blocks north of the Short North.) I have a bar in my backyard and never complain. The bar is only very loud on weekends or when there is a holiday or special event. They do play music outdoor on their patio but I have little problem falling asleep even though the bar sits next to my bedroom.
April 1, 200916 yr ^Is that coming up again? Me and the kids are TOTALLY doing it this year. By the way, my five year-old's definition of a zombie: "Like a person with scratches who's really really tired."
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