urbanSTL

Adaptive reuse at its best:

"A car-sized elevator that is among the structure's original features will be used to move theater sets and props between first-floor theater, the second-floor scene shop and the storage area in the basement."

Amazing what the Kranzberg's are doing for the arts around town - but especially in Midtown.

^The Kranzbergs are amazing. I'd hate to think what the local arts scene would be like without them.

framer wrote:^OK, here's a link to Forum Studio's page for this project. Looks really cool:

http://www.forumstudio.com/page/project ... chitecture

Looks great! Much better spot for the rabbit sculpture.

STLEnginerd wrote:We need more Rabbit sculptures though.

Agreed. You can never have too many.

I'd really love it if they would have weekend sidewalk art sales around the park, like Jackson Square in New Orleans (and a lot of other cities too).

Looks like they have big plans for the parking lot behind Powell Hall as well: Grand Center Performance Green

^ Nice features, will be nicer when Grand Center announces a parking structure and some new mixed use/residential infill

the plans look nice, but is it really necessary to have 3 parks in such close proximity? i like the idea of Circus Flora having a nice space to erect their tent, but given Strauss and the plans for the Grandel corner, I feel like the neighborhood would be better served if the parking lot becomes residential and/or commercial.

^What has ended up happening with the Grandel? They booted out the Black Rep a while ago.

^ good question. i haven't heard anything since.

NextSTL's write-up on the new park:

https://nextstl.com/2016/05/verge-somet ... 2656647970

It's worth noting that James Turrell is a major, internationally known artist. I'm surprised that the removal of his work hasn't created more of a stir.

framer wrote:It's worth noting that James Turrell is a major, internationally known artist. I'm surprised that the removal of his work hasn't created more of a stir.

That's a good point, curious to see if it gets any more defenders than Serra's Twain downtown. Won't be the first time we've bulldozed sculptural earthenwork mounds in the city, I guess.

I wonder if the lack of controversy so far is because the sculpture is hard to appreciate, the signage isn't great, and Grand Center hasn't really done much to highlight its presence or publicize it. Most passerbys probably think it's just a vacant lot with well-trimmed grass. Anyone know if it was always intended to be temporary, or if it was originally intended to be permanent? Personally, I'd rather have on of his Skyspace installations like the one at Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas. It's a cool experience to be inside, where the outside world is suddenly cut off except for a single circle in the ceiling. Might have even more impact in an urban environment.

rbeedee wrote:

framer wrote:It's worth noting that James Turrell is a major, internationally known artist. I'm surprised that the removal of his work hasn't created more of a stir.

That's a good point, curious to see if it gets any more defenders than Serra's Twain downtown. Won't be the first time we've bulldozed sculptural earthenwork mounds in the city, I guess.

I wonder if the lack of controversy so far is because the sculpture is hard to appreciate, the signage isn't great, and Grand Center hasn't really done much to highlight its presence or publicize it. Most passerbys probably think it's just a vacant lot with well-trimmed grass. Anyone know if it was always intended to be temporary, or if it was originally intended to be permanent? Personally, I'd rather have on of his Skyspace installations like the one at Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas. It's a cool experience to be inside, where the outside world is suddenly cut off except for a single circle in the ceiling. Might have even more impact in an urban environment.

No one realizes it is an installation, 2 years ago I was with a group of people after a show at the Fox who mentioned that something should be done with the empty lot - I explained its an art installation, everyone thought I was telling a dumb joke

Clearly this installation gets no love. Even the local arts community has very little to say about the piece. Here's a short blurb by the Regional Arts Commission:

http://racstl.org/public-art/tilted-plane/

And this is all I can find on Grand Center's website (scroll down about half way):

http://64.207.157.61/directory/public-art/

A long long time ago I spent about a year working for Grand Center as a stagehand, carpenter, fixer upper, and roustabout of sorts. I seem to recall the thing was suffering even then. There'd been oddball additions to it and alterations. Someone had installed rope lights that failed in the weather. I think there had been proposals for others. There was a lightshow for a little while projected out of the tower at the Grandell that used the sculpture. But it needed maintenance. There were cracks from settling in the retaining walls and I think the concrete was generally wearing and somewhat weathered. It was a neat piece. I actually kind of liked it. But it needed love and wasn't really getting any when I was there in the late 90s.

No timeline yet, but here's some info on the planned Performance Green, which will become home to Circus Flora as well as other events:

https://nextstl.com/2016/05/grand-cente ... nce-green/

Biz Journals reporting that Fox Theater submitted building permit application for garage. Don't have much else to add as not a subscriber to Biz Journals.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news ... enter.html

The owner of the Fox Theatre wants to begin construction on a $9.1 million parking garage at 3637 Washington Blvd. in Grand Center, according to a building permit application submitted May 24 to the city of St. Louis.

5 stories

First floor retail?

^oh I so hope so. That would make grand center such an incredible place to hang out, a destination to stay like wash ave as opposed to visit like bpv


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Not much more detail but PD's building block article on the garage. No talk of any ground floor retail. Trying to picture the location. Does anyone believe or understand that their might some other development tied to it as the article notes another lot owned by Fox Theater.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/column ... 82777.html

Fox Associates, owner of the Fox Theatre, applied last Tuesday for a building permit to erect the $9.1 million garage in the 3600 block of Washington Boulevard. The site owned by Fox Associates is a parking lot across Washington from the Fox and just west of the University Plaza Apartments at 607 North Grand Boulevard.

To be built is a five-level garage with a capacity of 627 vehicles, according to public records. The owner is seeking 10 years of tax abatement for the privately financed project.

dredger wrote:Not much more detail but PD's building block article on the garage. No talk of any ground floor retail. Trying to picture the location. Does anyone believe or understand that their might some other development tied to it as the article notes another lot owned by Fox Theater.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/column ... 82777.html

Fox Associates, owner of the Fox Theatre, applied last Tuesday for a building permit to erect the $9.1 million garage in the 3600 block of Washington Boulevard. The site owned by Fox Associates is a parking lot across Washington from the Fox and just west of the University Plaza Apartments at 607 North Grand Boulevard.

To be built is a five-level garage with a capacity of 627 vehicles, according to public records. The owner is seeking 10 years of tax abatement for the privately financed project.

Tax abatement.. For a garage? Uh yes there better be retail.


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