The PI truck is already advertising the downtown location...
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Driving or walking by, you can really tell how dramatic a change the remodeling is for the area. The new entrance for the office space must make it much more attractive than before. The new large retail spaces along Locust and Washington will be a nice addition once the density downtown is sufficient to attract large scale retail (right now that is not the case).
That said I don’t understand why the bulk of the remaining retail space faces onto 6th Street rather than 7th Street. 6th seems narrow, dark, lacking in retail, and does not go all the way through from Washington to Clark. 7th by contrast is a major downtown connector that links together Busch/the future BPV, the Gateway Mall, Macys, the Convention Center/Dome along with a number of other key downtown buildings; it holds greater potential to develop into a great downtown street, despite the glut of parking garages which line it. Placing the load areas along 7th seem like a wasted opportunity.
That said I don’t understand why the bulk of the remaining retail space faces onto 6th Street rather than 7th Street. 6th seems narrow, dark, lacking in retail, and does not go all the way through from Washington to Clark. 7th by contrast is a major downtown connector that links together Busch/the future BPV, the Gateway Mall, Macys, the Convention Center/Dome along with a number of other key downtown buildings; it holds greater potential to develop into a great downtown street, despite the glut of parking garages which line it. Placing the load areas along 7th seem like a wasted opportunity.
Robust Wine Bar will open a second location in the Laurel Building, on the corner of 7th and Washington, in the spring of 2012.
Wow! Now that's gonna look great at night! We need more signs like this throughout downtown and the central corridor. It just screams big city. I'm anxious for the day when Locust and Olive have the same ambiance of Washington.
Looks good.
Has this building already been power-washed? In all of the renderings they made the brick look so much lighter than it currently is. Makes me wonder if they're still planning on cleaning it (like the leather trades) or if they already did, and it just didn't get that much lighter and clean up very well (like city hall).
Has this building already been power-washed? In all of the renderings they made the brick look so much lighter than it currently is. Makes me wonder if they're still planning on cleaning it (like the leather trades) or if they already did, and it just didn't get that much lighter and clean up very well (like city hall).
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i thought i heard that, in the case of city hall, it was power washed with some sort of chemical that discolored the stone. am i making this up? anybody know the details?wabash wrote:Looks good.
Has this building already been power-washed? In all of the renderings they made the brick look so much lighter than it currently is. Makes me wonder if they're still planning on cleaning it (like the leather trades) or if they already did, and it just didn't get that much lighter and clean up very well (like city hall).
also, the sign looks great. i can't wait to come home in october and see this area in person.
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I'll try to get pics of the power washed area and the MX sign tomorrow
Downtown could use better signs on everything. I like the signs which identify Yonge Street in Toronto and we have some good examples locally. I also like how downtown Toronto has district names attached to their street signs. But I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.
Has anyone been inside the STL Centre garage yet? It is a very bizarre experience. For all of the effort put into the exterior, they could have made the inside more pleasant.
Has anyone been inside the STL Centre garage yet? It is a very bizarre experience. For all of the effort put into the exterior, they could have made the inside more pleasant.
- 11K
I like how Indianapolis divides downtown into quadrants at Monument Circle: http://indymotorspeedway.com/v1/cityguide/dtmaplrg.htm
- 11K
I drove down Washington Avenue the other day and have to say that I'm really underwhelmed by the sign. I think it looks somewhat small and dated.
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Agree. Looks cheap and recycled from when it was on the Landing. Hopefully it adds something to the streetscape at night.
- 11K
Oh, well that's different! Ha. It's not horrible, but I don't think it's great. The building lit up at night is pretty sweet.
It looks pretty horrible with the extra E. The colours are not compatible while the large E is repetitive.
Maybe they didn't want to pay extra to have a larger or perhaps neon sign? Was regulation an issue? As I recall Joe Edwards had to go before the BoA to get his Flamingo Sign approved.
Downtown has poor wayfinding and signage. Again, Toronto has district signs. I don't understand why in our downtown plans we identify districts yet do not physically for people who visit. Given this intersection was once dominated by the offensive bridge, one would think they would have made it a bit more flashy. But who knows as this project is not yet completed and we cannot distract drivers on their way out of downtown.
Maybe they didn't want to pay extra to have a larger or perhaps neon sign? Was regulation an issue? As I recall Joe Edwards had to go before the BoA to get his Flamingo Sign approved.
Downtown has poor wayfinding and signage. Again, Toronto has district signs. I don't understand why in our downtown plans we identify districts yet do not physically for people who visit. Given this intersection was once dominated by the offensive bridge, one would think they would have made it a bit more flashy. But who knows as this project is not yet completed and we cannot distract drivers on their way out of downtown.
I'm underwhelmed by the new sign too. Perhaps it's a standard format that all Embassy Suites have to follow.
If it comes to fruition, I hope the National Blues Museum has a big splashy neon sign reminiscent of Gas Light Square. Also, the movie theater that's going in could have a marquee, or some sort of lit up signage displaying what movies are playing. So while Embassy may not have knocked it out of the park, this could still end up being a pretty lit up, vibrant looking pocket of downtown.
Doug-
What do you know?
I'm on the project and the design came straight from Embassy.
What do you know?
I'm on the project and the design came straight from Embassy.- 11K
^ It's true. Just looked at signage on their hotels in Chicago, Indy, Cleveland... they're all pretty terrible. Actually having the sign on the corner is an improvement from most of what I saw. Here's the sign for Chicago: http://g.co/maps/bekd
OK, so the sign's only so important. This is a great project, the building looks great, etc. etc. etc.!
OK, so the sign's only so important. This is a great project, the building looks great, etc. etc. etc.!
Having been to that Embassy Suites in Chicago, I can't wait for this one to open. I always liked how the one in Chicago was connected to the AMC Theater and bowling alley. This STL location should be able to provide the same experience.
It looks pretty much like most of the urban Embassy Suites I've seen. Chicago-Lakefront and Chicago-Downtown have very similar signage (extra 'E' and all).doug wrote:It's not. They are a nice hotel too. It makes no sense.
Hotel, apartments about to open at Mercantile Exchange
BY TIM BRYANT • tbryant@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8206 STLtoday.com | Posted: Friday, September 16, 2011 5:55 pm
October, November and next June are important months in the development of Mercantile Exchange, the name hung on the mixed-use project incorporating the Dillard's and St. Louis Centre buildings in downtown St. Louis.
Three floors of apartments in the Dillard's building, now called the Laurel, are scheduled to open Oct. 1, developer Amos Harris said Friday. Four days later, a 212-room Embassy Suites hotel will open in the Laurel's lower five floors. More apartments will open in November on the three floors above the hotel, bringing the building's total to 205 residences.
link: http://www.stltoday.com/business/column ... f6878.html