OFFICIAL - Ambassador Hotel (1111 Grand)

[horizons82]

The aesthetics will only be a problem, IMO, if they use cheap windows and/or do EIFS instead of proper stone veneer.

But I'm with dave, that ground floor is pathetic. At the very least, they should swap out the front row of stalls and entry drive for a small 1,000 sf retail space like 1914 Main does.

[DaveKCMO]

But I'm with dave, that ground floor is pathetic. At the very least, they should swap out the front row of stalls and entry drive for a small 1,000 sf retail space like 1914 Main does.

or simply extend their dreadfully small lobby space...

[grovester]

Bingo. That place is horribly awkward at the entrance.

[pash]

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[horizons82]

This is another in a long line of projects in our city that boggles my mind.

They're running an up-scale hotel in a historic building with a handsome neoclassical facade, and they decide to plop down a thoughtless sack of shit next door, an addition that makes obvious that there was zero consideration given to designing something that would complement the character and scale of the existing hotel building rather than carelessly overwhelm it with a bland block of a neighbor.

If this upsets you, you're going to be livid when you see what's just south of the addition...

Neoclassical hasn't been in vogue for what now? 50 years? You're not going to get something like that ever built, especially for the middle of downtown, anytime soon. The closest style you'd get would be something like NSPJ's addition to P&L or the proposed Crossroads Hampton.

Again, I think people are making too much of the rendering without any materials specified. It's all too easy to make a shit rendering, which unfortunately leads people to believe the building will be shit. Materials and detailing make the difference.

The most tangible issue with the project is it's lack of a true first floor. That'll damage downtown more than whatever they skin it with.

[pash]

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[beautyfromashes]

Not a fan either, but how are you seeing what the first floor will look like? The picture just shows a bunch of trees in front. Does anyone have layout plans yet?

[pash]

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[beautyfromashes]

Thanks. Now I see it. Ouch!!

[JBmidtown]

Yeah I was definitely being a smart ass. This design is trash.

[KCPowercat]

I'm not. I like it.

[smh]

I just want an active ground floor and, in a perfect world, removal of the Grand curb cut.

[earthling]

The aesthetics will only be a problem, IMO, if they use cheap windows and/or do EIFS instead of proper stone veneer.

But I'm with dave, that ground floor is pathetic. At the very least, they should swap out the front row of stalls and entry drive for a small 1,000 sf retail space like 1914 Main does.

I can get nit picky with large scale major impact projects (Riverfront, Cordish Wall) and will continue to with large lots that target rows of cookie cutter anything, but with individual lot infill, streetfront integration and pedestrian experience are more important than aesthetics. But if there's a chance to influence design improvements, go for it. A lot of developers will target the simplest/low cost, isolated designs if they can get away with it, with no consideration for its surroundings or any concern for pedestrian experience.

The City needs to send motto and/or simple guideline messages to developers interested in city core development like, "Create a pedestrian sense of space, sense of place in context to surroundings", "Pedestrians/bikes first, cars second", "Create contiguous pedestrian flows", "Don't turn the city core into suburbia", "No more drivethroughs" yada yada.

[NorthOak]

It's very "Ambassadorial."
I like it, it's a nice modern juxtapose to the old building.

[pash]

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[wahoowa]

lolol

[joshmv]

https://cityscenekc.com/ambassador-hote ... egin-soon/

[beautyfromashes]

Slight amount of brick between the buildings in the first picture. Are the buildings offset or will there be space between the buildings, perhaps for a bit of sunlight for the first building windows?

[pash]

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[smh]

I remain baffled that a project can get incentives in this town and offer no ground floor transparency.