@gbinlansing I think you're talking about the 7 Block area, bounded by Butler, MLK, Kalamazoo and Allegan? Last I knew this was still owned by Eyde. I'm not sure what the land was initially cleared for, there was a proposal maybe 15ish years ago for a 3 floor suburban looking office building and later on for a small mixed use building that would have kicked off a larger project. I don't remember gearing anything specific about it since then.
Later mixed use building:
Earlier proposal for office building:
Saw the big hole in the ground, yesterday, for Heritage Hall in the northwest quadrant of the Capitol grounds. Anyway, looks like the Capitol's website last update for this one was last month:
I noticed it while driving down Ottawa last week, it's quite a hole they have dug. Did they never release any floor plans or site plans for the downsized version or did I miss that? I was able to find more renderings on the architects page: https://www.quinnevans.com/work/heritage-hall
The building’s master plan calls for planting an alley of two rows of trees around Capitol square. In 2021, trees will be planted along Allegan and Ottawa streets as part of landscaping for Heritage Hall, which is under construction.
Soon there will be only one tree left, the one with the fence around it! I am hoping that the new trees will be mature large trees that actually shape the sidewalks and lawns, not like the little stick trees the BWL planted around the substation.
The Lansing City Pulse has a fascinating piece about the Capitol renovations, and most notably mentions that Heritage Hall will be two-stories, which is a change from what we'd heard about the downsized project:
The project is all the more complex because of a two-story underground building that will cover some of those wells. The first wall for the Heritage Center, which will contain legislative meeting rooms, exhibit space and a welcome center, was poured Sept. 25.
Most of the article, however, is about the renovation of the HVAC system. Here's the new Central Utility Plant:
And the old boiler room which say below the southern steps so that if they ever blew up, it wouldn't take out the whole building. It's now used as a passageway for the new Central Utility Plant:
I read that and wondered whether I should pay attention to their passing statement. With the hole they have dug there I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it actually ends up being two floors. Now I wonder how close it will be to those renderings on the architects website because I really like the look of those.
I drove by this site yesterday and noticed that the steel-girder frame for the Hall has begun to be erected in that big hole. I was surprised to see the banks on Walnut Street have been excavated. Is that a part of the Heritage Hall project or the geothermal project? The geothermal project seems to have been going on for a long time now, it will be nice to see the green space they are planning for behind the Capitol, and all those temporary buildings are gone.
Comments
Later mixed use building:
Earlier proposal for office building:
Most of the article, however, is about the renovation of the HVAC system. Here's the new Central Utility Plant:
And the old boiler room which say below the southern steps so that if they ever blew up, it wouldn't take out the whole building. It's now used as a passageway for the new Central Utility Plant: