mgh7676 wrote:Hord Coplan Macht has a couple new renderings of the "Light" towers. The W is noticeable on Four Light and a portion of 670 is capped...could it be happening?
I noticed on LoopNet that Calvert's Auto Express on the SE corner of Main and Truman is for sale, and being touted as a possible office building or hotel site.
looks nice. I wonder when they'll do their official announcement for three light and four light. considering that they aren't afraid to release this is a good sign that these will be built in the next few years.
it will be exciting to see an entirely different skyline by 2020!
Though hopefully using completely different building materials to breakup the monotony (yeah, am a broken record). It could look like 'the projects' in another 20 years with row of same look, and a wall in front of the Loop from Liberty Memorial view.
If Walnut closed and loop capped, at least put a bike path through park. Walnut seems to be best/safest street for N/S bike lane through downtown - Xroads to RM.
Main is limited auto zone now that it is streetcar conduit.
Grand closes often for Sprint/P&L district events.
This leaves Walnut, Baltimore and Oak to handle the core of north/south flow.
i know its been talked about time and again on multiple threads but seeing this latest image reminds me how much id like to see wider sidewalks along Truman at the base of 2,3,and 4 Light to allow for front of restaurant and cafe patio space to really activate that stretch. The restaurants along 14th st within power and light do a decent job of this, but most are either elevated or separated by fencing. Id like to see something similar to this image found in the south loop feasibility study where the seating spills out into the pedestrian zone
I know it's silly to take too from the details of conceptual drawings (and maybe this has been mentioned), in the most recent two drawings both Two Light and Three Light show south side, ground floor porticos with sidewalks extending from the building to Truman. Not exactly a welcoming row of retail uses but at least access for building inhabitants.
I vote no freeway cap/park for the south side of the Cordish buildings. These buildings are ugly and banal. No sense of any style or architecture. Maybe engineered but not architectural. Shame they would form a very soon to be dated cheap wall for the south loop. They deserve to be covered in freeway tire particles and obscured by carbon monoxide emissions. At least they are only high rise, not skyscrapers and better buildings will rise above them..Why cannot they be of a better quality like H&R Block or JE Dunn. I wish the MO employment building was still there for a more solid monumental building. I would rather cap the freeway with other structures with air rights directly over 670 that might mitigate the tackiness of the 4 Lights and W hotel.. Put the packet parks and piazza in front of more worthy good design. For all the criticism of Crown Center there is some good architecture with solid if not starchitect designers.----Edward Larabee Barnes,
