I do like the new artwork, I am sure the after 5 part was added at the businesses below request. I have seen people stopping at the new REO Clubhouse mural posing in front and snapping photo's. So theses types of projects really do create "places" where people will gather. How about repainting the all of the murals along the river trail, I noticed some of the older murals which are cool and speak of the time they were painted need some help.
An other area downtown that could be an art space are the news stand kiosks at several corners on Michigan and Washington SQ. They no longer serve their propose as new stands as there are no longer any newspapers for sale just ugly empty boxes. They look and are dated. Replace them electric signage like the small one at the BWL on S Washington in REO town that could provide ads and information about that block, and downtown. The kiosks themselves could be art or a venue for art,and could also be wifi hotspots .The electric signs could light up the area a bit on gray days and at night. If it is true that Lansing is leaving the rust belt and going global our streets themselves can say that to the world.
CBRE is marketing a 19k sq ft office building for Washington & St Joe, there's a sign with the rendering up at the corner: 616 S Washington. It's not an ugly building, but It's disappointing compared to what was proposed. I'm really curious about the building to the left in the rendering than looks like it incorporates the facade from the old rowhouse-looking apartments, I don't like that idea.
This is a small two floor, likely single user office building taking up only a fraction of the site that would fit well along any suburban corridor. What was proposed before was a four floor mixed use building that took up most of the site, it had a rather nice design on the upper three floors and a poorly thought out ground floor. To me this new proposal is a downgrade, if the first proposal had a better ground floor this would be a massive downgrade. I'd rather this thing not get built at all.
They both have some good and not so good aspects. I like that the new one uses the whole block. I could see the "row house" part use the architectural points from the old building they have incorporated. The new is all squares and rectangles and does not relate to the old building's pitched window bays and roof line. It looks like a new school built around an old one. The older plan has much more style and looks more like a high end office building, except for the ground floor which in this drawing looks like they forgot to finish the plan. I am not a fan of corrugated metal as part of a facade design if that is what those two garage door looking areas are. Which ever it will be nice to have the new building in my neighborhood.
It would be great if building at this spot would spur building a long S. Washington filling in all the gaps down to the Knapp's building, and maybe jump 496 the other way. The REOTOWN sign lot would be so perfect for a high rise hotel or office building, I think it may near the highest point on the north bank of the Grand River and any building there would stand out and add to the skyline.
As far as I know, the larger building to the left in the new rendering is at best conceptual, or even something just thrown in the background by Studio Intrigue. If they do build on the lots around the rowhouse style buildings I hope that they rehabilitate the existing buildings and construct the new building(s) around them. There's no reason to blend it all together like that.
Regarding Washington Square and the Stadium District, I also don't necessarily see them competing nor do I see the closing of some restaurants a bad sign. My biggest issue with downtown currently is the lack of variety downtown. It seems Washington had plenty of restaurants, all offering pretty similar menus. I'm please to see there is at least some variation with the types of restaurants now, but I also would like to see more retail as Eyde even suggested. Overall I think there needs to be more variety downtown and if that means restaurants are spreading out, I don't think that's a bad thing. I actually see it more as a positive.
The two designs for Washington and St Joe do both have their positives and negatives. I almost lean to the townhomes because of the fact it incorporates the existing row house, although I wish it were executed better and perhaps will be as it becomes less conceptual. I actually had a course taught by Dave years ago and that's something I feel he wouldn't leave as an after thought. When it comes to non-Gillespie projects I like what Studio Intrigue produces.
My gripe about the more modern facade is that it's just too suburban and at this point we have far too much "modern" suburban office buildings downtown. I'd like to see some more traditional materials and styles pushed tight against the road to help with the density and downtown feel.
On the more modern of the two, I was reading it as only having 2 garage doors at each corner which I interpreted as glass. I would hope everything else between would be retail storefronts. Either way I think both project can definitely help close the gap between REO Town and Downtown.
@gblansing: I had the same thought about a REO sign atop a high-rise at that location. It is a high point geographically as it is. When I looked at the site I even found the idea of incorporating a water tower reminiscent of the factories as a sort of place making aspect to the site (as cheesy as that sounds). That site has a lot of potential.
I was away for a long time so it all pretty amazing to see change in the central city of Lansing. I have to agree that I really don't see a downtown vs.stadium district thing. The businesses that left may have had many reasons all different for leaving. How many sub shops can be in one block anyway? The oldest shop on the street The Peanut Shop always has people in there until they close at 5. They offer a unique product [the way they roast the nuts] in unique 90 year old shop. I think if downtown were ever to be a retail shopping area you would have to have shops like The Peanut Shop, that are a reason for people other than the 9 to 5ers to come down there. Lansing folks long age decided they do not want to go downtown to buy a new pair of shoes, so the row of lunch places is what wanted to be there. I think it is great, but of course it is going to difficult to expand on that. More people living downtown is important, having shops that serve their needs would mean people could stay downtown and not get into a car to spend money elsewhere. A cool and easy to use local bus route that looped often through downtown REOtown Old Town and Stadium District to the areas that have people like Sparrow, LCC, the western Capital Complex, bringing people to our restaurant and center city business districts. It is also free to park after 5 I don't think people know how easy it is to go downtown.
I like the idea of an industrial aspect to a building at the REOtown sign site, there was a water tower in the Diamond REO plant the had the logo painted on it and could be seen while driving up Cedar or Washington. I was in Detroit recently and they have a water tower refurbished and all lit up on top of one of the many redeveloped buildings. It looked great and I am sure it serves as a landmark there. There are still lots of industry in REOtown being proud to point that out would be a good thing. I also agree what ever goes in there should be of high quality design that embraces the neighborhood perhaps by having retail/restaurant space on S Washington Ave like you said right up to the sidewalk. If it were a hotel entrance should be on the Malcolm X side. That way it would be nice to walk by on Washington not having to cross any drives.
Speaking of that area I was wondering about the burned out print shop that burned down last spring. How long can they just leave a pile of debris sit there? The city must have some regulations about cleaning up after a fire. I think the folks who live next door might appreciate the site being cleaned up. If the site is abandoned maybe the city could make it a little park [it is very wooded and next to the river] with a bridge over to the river trail. It would be nice to walk or ride downtown via Malcolm X under 496 through the Cherry Hill Neighborhood.
Thanks for such an interesting report. I do like those houses, and what is left of what was one of Lansing's oldest neighborhoods. Most of the Capital Complex seems to be built in a defensive way, all on top of or behind huge walls. There is really no point that says welcome take a stroll here this is part of your neighborhood, it's way more like this not your's Lansing it belongs to the State and is for State business. The surface parking lots in the middle of the whole thing create a barrier between the neighborhoods and prove that they were never going to build out all that land and at the time they took it had no regard for the city of Lansing. The Supreme Court building in no way is open or relates to the surrounding neighborhood.Why? Were they building such a defensive fortresses to defend against civil unrest or the people who live there? It all looks OK when you drive by because the trees have grown in nicely. Walking by is not so great.
Building something there will be a good thing, it would be nice to include a retail spaces along MLK that had maybe a grocery store and stores that would serve the new residents and the West side. Maybe they could re-purpose the big houses move them all together to create shop fronts with apartments upstairs. The make fake facades that look like that all the time why not us real buildings?
Comments
An other area downtown that could be an art space are the news stand kiosks at several corners on Michigan and Washington SQ. They no longer serve their propose as new stands as there are no longer any newspapers for sale just ugly empty boxes. They look and are dated. Replace them electric signage like the small one at the BWL on S Washington in REO town that could provide ads and information about that block, and downtown. The kiosks themselves could be art or a venue for art,and could also be wifi hotspots .The electric signs could light up the area a bit on gray days and at night. If it is true that Lansing is leaving the rust belt and going global our streets themselves can say that to the world.
For reference the old proposal:
It would be great if building at this spot would spur building a long S. Washington filling in all the gaps down to the Knapp's building, and maybe jump 496 the other way. The REOTOWN sign lot would be so perfect for a high rise hotel or office building, I think it may near the highest point on the north bank of the Grand River and any building there would stand out and add to the skyline.
The two designs for Washington and St Joe do both have their positives and negatives. I almost lean to the townhomes because of the fact it incorporates the existing row house, although I wish it were executed better and perhaps will be as it becomes less conceptual. I actually had a course taught by Dave years ago and that's something I feel he wouldn't leave as an after thought. When it comes to non-Gillespie projects I like what Studio Intrigue produces.
My gripe about the more modern facade is that it's just too suburban and at this point we have far too much "modern" suburban office buildings downtown. I'd like to see some more traditional materials and styles pushed tight against the road to help with the density and downtown feel.
On the more modern of the two, I was reading it as only having 2 garage doors at each corner which I interpreted as glass. I would hope everything else between would be retail storefronts. Either way I think both project can definitely help close the gap between REO Town and Downtown.
@gblansing: I had the same thought about a REO sign atop a high-rise at that location. It is a high point geographically as it is. When I looked at the site I even found the idea of incorporating a water tower reminiscent of the factories as a sort of place making aspect to the site (as cheesy as that sounds). That site has a lot of potential.
Speaking of that area I was wondering about the burned out print shop that burned down last spring. How long can they just leave a pile of debris sit there? The city must have some regulations about cleaning up after a fire. I think the folks who live next door might appreciate the site being cleaned up. If the site is abandoned maybe the city could make it a little park [it is very wooded and next to the river] with a bridge over to the river trail. It would be nice to walk or ride downtown via Malcolm X under 496 through the Cherry Hill Neighborhood.
Building something there will be a good thing, it would be nice to include a retail spaces along MLK that had maybe a grocery store and stores that would serve the new residents and the West side. Maybe they could re-purpose the big houses move them all together to create shop fronts with apartments upstairs. The make fake facades that look like that all the time why not us real buildings?