From a future resident

The garage door looks very tight, I was pleased with how it came out and to be honest, surprised.  Actually saw Jay Voss up there when I was there today.  Bad news for us, instead of starting on floors 2-3 for drywall, they are going to start in units 00-04 all the way up before moving to the southern part of the building.  he said it is because of the penthouse and the roof hole they are unable to work on that side of the building.

 

 

 

i love those garage-style doors. how are the seals on them? pretty weather tight?

Dear buyers,

This Parker Flats update contains a wealth of new information.  As many of you have noticed, the windows are being installed.  Currently, the subcontractor has framed out the 4th floor with glass being installed on most of the 3rd floor.  All windows are expected to be complete by the beginning of May.  In addition, the garage doors have been ordered and are in transport.  A prototype door has been erected in Unit 201 and provides a clue of the door’s operation and appearance. 

In addition, preparations are being made to begin drywalling within two weeks.  The subcontractors are stating that they will begin stocking drywall on site beginning on April 7th and, by April 14th, they intend to commence drywalling in the northernmost units of the second floor.  Once the second floor is complete, the drywallers will move to the third floor while the various subcontractors will begin their finish work on the second floor units.  This process will continue upward on the northern units.  At this point, the southern units are still retaining enough water to make drywalling risky in these areas.  However, we anticipate drywalling beginning in these units even before the northern units are complete.

The penthouse units have undergone a slight design change.  Despite earlier representations, the city’s Urban Design Review Board rejected the initial slanted roof design and required a flat roof reveal.  This change is reflected in the attached elevation drawing.  In the meantime, the steel beams required for constructing the penthouses are ordered and are expected to arrive in a few weeks.  The subcontractors anticipate spending approximately ten days to erect the steel. 

 

In other news:

The brick layers are wrapping up their masonry work on the northern and western sides of the building.  The final item they are addressing is the parapet wall along the northern roofline.  They intend to finish their work on the 4th Street façade within the next week.

The loft stairs are being constructed. The first sets of stairs are expected to be installed around April 7th.  Stair case platforms are also being built in those units that require them.

The exterior first floor parking deck is complete.  Long term leases are still available to buyers who may be interested.

Bathtubs and shower surrounds are being installed.

Monthly construction tours are available by appointment.  Please contact Karen or Bryan if you are interested.  In addition, if you owe money for upgrades that are not due at closing, please make these payments promptly.

 

Sincerely,

Middle Earth Developers, Inc.

 

 

This sucks, I really liked how the slanted roof looked.

me too

 

-what were the UDRB's reasons for rejecting the slanted roof??

I don't get it either...probably something to do with the Historic W. 4th Street area.  I'm sure some were already crawling on the insides for the simple fact that there was a contemporary building going up in a historic area.  ugh

personally i like the mix of historic and contemporary stuff on the same block, adds some life to the area. the slanted roof was also a much better look, had a nice flow and worked well with the convention center and stadium skyline.

 

you'd think a slanted roof would be viewed as more sound than a flat one in terms of drainage, etc.

 

I like it better with the flat roof, but I don't really see why it would have been rejected with the contemporary side elevation permitted.

They are beginning to raise the steel for the penthouse units today.

They've released pictures of units 200 and 201.

Looking good.

These aren't my pictures, I would have scaled them down.

Looks like we'll have to keep the tops of the cupboards clean, never thought of that before.

 

 

 

This thing looks impressive from Second St. too!

They have apparently done a good enough job with blending in the building, on 4th Street, to fit in with the historic context.  I pointed out the building to a friend who hadn't seen it before and he thought it looked like a renovation project and had no idea it was new construction (until I told him of course).

I don't like those cabinets.  I can't put my finger on it, but for some reason I don't like them.  Love the Garage door though.

I think those upper cabinets are 36", whent the openness and height of the loft calls easily for 42".

Well MyTwoSense I could help you out some, could it be they are the cheapest cabinets available?

I think down the road money permitting, our kitchen will be redone.

While the blending might seem successful, i think the craftsmanship and design on that facade leave much to be desired.  For starters the proportioning seems to be off.  Not that all buildings have to align, it would have been nice if some attempt was made to relate the pedestrian "storefront" proportion to that of the other buildings.  The first horizontal band on masonry is too low and really mucks everything up.  On top of that, if you look closely at some of the window sills, the coarsing immediate to these components was not very well thought out.  Some of the masonry units right below these sills have been cut down to what appears to be only an inch.  A near miss that just looks bad.  Also, it looks like there are a number of tiny little white vents in no particular pattern. 

 

I like this building a lot but i think the efforts on the fourth street elevation came up short.  I wish that hadn't felt compelled to make it "fit in" on that side.

 

They have apparently done a good enough job with blending in the building, on 4th Street, to fit in with the historic context.  I pointed out the building to a friend who hadn't seen it before and he thought it looked like a renovation project and had no idea it was new construction (until I told him of course).

For starters the proportioning seems to be off.  Not that all buildings have to align, it would have been nice if some attempt was made to relate the pedestrian "storefront" proportion to that of the other buildings.  The first horizontal band on masonry is too low and really mucks everything up.

 

Agreed...every time I go by I wonder why they didn't at least visually match things up.  I understand that the structural issues might have had to be different, but they could have made it look as though it wasn't.

Well MyTwoSense I could help you out some, could it be they are the cheapest cabinets available?

I think down the road money permitting, our kitchen will be redone.

Mystery Solved.

That is beginning to look like one odd building.  I assumed by the original renderings that it would be more modern on the side but it doesn't appear so in reality.  I guess final judgement should be reserved for the finished project.

I don't know, I think from the Central Ave and McFarland sides its starting to look really good. The 4th St facade is growing on me also. But them I'm looking at it a couple times a week so its not shocking to me as it would be to someone who sees it infrequently.

Property owners complained about the height of the building so the parking level was lowered throwing the proportions off.

 

I'm not a fan of the silver siding they've used.

 

I really like this angle.

What are they going to use to clad the Central Ave pillars?

Thats it, WYSIWYG.

Once the railings are finished they are adding some red architectural features and the exterior is finished.

Interesting that that was an issue knowing that they have added height to the building anyway with the penthouse units.  The 1/3 cornice treatment does make an attempt to rectify the goofy proportions...but i just can take my eyes off of that first band.  This building might end up being quite brutal at street level, especially on fourth if they dont spend some money making the garage entrances look nice.  The garage entrance on the McAlpin looks terrible.

 

What are they going to use to clad the Central Ave pillars?

 

I have often thought the exact same thing.  The concrete has actually been detailed quite nicely but it looks really REALLY bad when it gets wet.  I hope at least they give it some kind of skim treatment to create a more consistant texture and color without losing the detail.

I'm not a fan of the silver siding they've used.

 

Agree wholeheartedly.  I saw them working on that from the alleyway one day...I had originally hoped it was a temporary fix of some sort.  A little baffling.  The fact that it is silver makes it stand out even worse.  The siding brings back bad memories of the Walnut Hills High School (Schoolhouse Lofts) abomination.  I guess the fact that it is on the least exposed side can bring solace to some.

 

That said, however, there's an awful lot of nit-picking going on re this building.  For the most part, all valid points.  The streetscape elevation and facade is indeed a bit off, but this building is a hybrid design of sorts, and obviously was not intended to mesh seamlessly with the surrounding structures.  That said, I think everyone can rejoice in the fact that they maintained consistency in the setback from the street, which new structures tend not to do.  I was never a huge fan of this concept to begin with (close up views of I-75?), but I have driven down Central just about every day since ground was broken, and am cautiously impressed with what they have pulled off.  I can only hope that they finish it appropriately and don't cheapen out at the finish line. 

^ Agreed.  I know i have been nit-picking but im am a big fan of the building and the project overall.

so are all of the windows fixed? the only windows you can open are the garage doors?

 

one of the things i liked when i lived on 4th @ kinsey was being able to open the huge windows and let a breeze in and take in all the crazy sounds of downtown. you'd think they'd have some openable windows on the 4th street side of the building

You'd think they'd have some openable windows on the 4th street side of the building.

 

Or how about some balconies.  I know it may not have fit very well with the neighboring buildings, but I would like to see more balconies on new urban projects.  That is one of the must-haves when I look for an apartment...gotta have a balcony (or rooftop deck).

Every unit has a balcony and a huge opening window.

I do wish they had a few more windows that opened for cross ventilation.

The place is going to blow your minds when you see it.

 

 

Every unit has a balcony and a huge opening window.

I do wish they had a few more windows that opened for cross ventilation.

The place is going to blow your minds when you see it.

 

 

 

We like pictures!

Remember I'm on the second floor, so the other units will have even better views.

This is the view from my living room, you might not get the scale here, but the ceiing here is 16' high.

 

 

And from the bedroom,

 

 

 

Every unit has a balcony and a huge opening window.

 

Yes, all on the western elevation though...and they're set into the building if I remember correctly.

 

The place is going to blow your minds when you see it.

 

I don't doubt that for a second.  I'm ready for a party invitation.  :-D

Not so, the units facing East have balconies also.

 

Not so, the units facing East have balconies also.

 

 

Stop teasing us and post some exterior shots man! :wink:

MyTwoSense, I forgot not everyone lives in downtown Cincinnati  :-D

 

 

The lowest corner unit in this picture is mine.

 

I generally do not like "modern" buildings, but I am really feelin' those garage doors!

Anybody interested in Seeing Parker Flats or a number of other properties, theres the Ultimate? Tour of Living this weekend.

 

If you go don't miss Blake and my condo stuffed to the ceiling with supplies.

 

 

All the orange construction fence is gone from the decks.

Looks really good now with the black railing that disappears.

 

Im going to complian about the design just one more time.  Even with the lower floor to floor height with the first level garage, there is no reason why they couldnt have made an attempt to pull more glass into the street level proportion.  Would have been a lot better.

Today Channel 12 had a nice story about Parker Flats opening.  Some good views of the outside and inside and the ceremonial opening of a garage door to a patio.  Very positive.

 

Channel 5 would have pointed out that someone was mugged a 1/2 block away five years ago just to please their trailer park following.

Drove by it tonight, it's really quite impressive (and bigger than I thought).

My wife and I were real excited about Parker Flats. While we wait for our house to sell (ha!) we've looked at a number of downtown condos including Parket Flats three times. The last time we went they had a couple units drywalled. Even though we LOVE the location, there are a few things that are giving us major doubts:

 

1. There is only one window (the garage door actually) per unit which opens. This means our bedroom will not have a window that can be opened and we really enjoy that on a cool night.

 

2. We wanted a south or southwest facing unit since those are the largest. But man the traffic from the highway is LOUD. You cannot have a quiet conversation at all. It's relentless traffic noise. I think the higher floors might be better (5,6), but on 2 and 3 you are right there.

 

3. No rooftop deck due to the greediness of putting in two penthouses. This will take away the community aspect of the building.

 

I'm a bit disappointed as we really liked the building and the location. The windows are the biggest issue though I think.

 

 

See where you can live

BY JEFF MCKINNEY | [email protected]

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080621/BIZ01/806210334/1076/BIZ

 

 

We hit Parker Flats after the shindigs.

 

i was worried about what the deck dividers would look like, they look much better than what I was imagining.

 

We were standing on our deck for awhile, There was a good breeze blowing through the man door and out the garage door, I think theres going to be a good wind tunnel effect there. But we're on a corner so I'm not sure how the other units will make out.

NICE!

This is a minor quibble, but given how "hip and trendy" the whole place is, those toilets are pretty weak.  I would have expected something more eye catching, more in line with the shower and sinks.

I wonder when they are going to install the ornamental x-bracing...or have they cut that from the project?  The concrete work looks pretty good in that balcony shot.

We need more quality infill projects like this.  While it's not perfect it is a heck of a lot better than the surface lot that was previously there.

^ Agreed.

This is a minor quibble, but given how "hip and trendy" the whole place is, those toilets are pretty weak. I would have expected something more eye catching, more in line with the shower and sinks.

 

Oh come on, a toilet's a toilet!

^Clearly, you haven't been toilet shopping recently.  :-D  I'm just saying, those low-end, traditional toilets look totally out of place in condos that otherwise are ultra-modern. 

 

In all seriousness, this is a great project.  We need more like this, and soon.

Parker Flats should have used the same toilets that the Mt. Adams, Alta Vista townhouses used in their bathrooms.  More appropriate match for a modern bathroom upgrade.