[Steely Dan]

Word is out that the new design for a major tower in Minneapolis will finally be unveiled in Mid-April (undoubtedly higher than 300 feet and sources are hinting at something much taller). It was expected over a month ago but the project went back to the architects for a re-design.


thanks for the update. i can't wait to hear more. this has got to be the most anticipated project in the whole midwest right now.

[Avian001]

^Really? I'm actually a little surprised (and pleasantly heartened) by that statement.

I dunno. I look at SSC and notice few seem to be interested in Minneapolis developments. It's a little better here at SSP, sometimes. I'd like to think that those of us in the Midwest are all here together, unified, rather than fight as petty rivals. That is what you seem to be implying. And that's great, really!, although I am a little jaded these days.

Maybe it's because I get the impression that unfriendly rivalries often win out over a pride in Midwestern regionalism. I'd be happy to see Milwaukee, Cleveland, St. Louis, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, or any other Midwestern city have a potential project like this one. I'd be more than a little jealous, of course! :) But I'd be mighty proud that the Midwest demonstrates that it is on the rebound! Hell, I still hope that St. Louis does build that 70+ story tower that made the rounds a few months ago!

Shallow as it may seem, I think it would spur a wonderful inter-city friendly rivalry that would help everyone in the midwest - people who have frequently experienced a bunker mentality in the recent past - realize that these fabulous cities still have something to say about life in the 21st Century.

The Midwest is not a sad relic of Late-19th-Early 20th century industrialism. These cities are an important voice for US urbanity in this century.

I realize, SteelyDan, that you are most likely not jaded, and I'm sorry that I launched a riff on your post. I just had a few nutty, idealistic thoughts that I felt needed to be put out there. I'll shut up now...:)

[Steely Dan]

I realize, SteelyDan, that you are most likely not jaded, and I'm sorry that I launched a riff on your post. I just had a few nutty, idealistic thoughts that I felt needed to be put out there. I'll shut up now...:)

i hear ya. i would love to see all of the midwest's cities get new exciting skyscraper proposals for a new tallest builing. chicgao has one, st. louis has one, cincy has one, milwaukee potentially has one, hopefully minneapolis will get one soon as well. being from the skyscraper mecca that is chicago probably does make me look at things a bit differently, but tall buildings are simply cool, no matter where they're built.

[vgmLiquid]

I dunno. I look at SSC and notice few seem to be interested in Minneapolis developments.

The biggest issue with that is Minneapolis/St Paul at one point had I believe three individual development sites dedicated to it. Now of course only one is left but it draws the majority of the Minneapolis crowd. There are around 300 members on minnescraper which is the site that is dedicated completely to the minneapolis area...so there is most definately an interest, just not so much on SSC or on here. If all those members were on SSC for example, I bet there would be an uprising if they couldn't have their own section to post sort of the way Chicago does since there have been near 22,000 posts in a one year period on Minnescraper......between 300 people (realistically fewer because a lot of people register and only post a small amount). Plus, new members there all the time say they read the forums constantly but don't register. I used to do that then finally registered.

[Xing]

Another one for STL. It'll be Downtown. And the date is wrong. It's suppose to say 2007, fall, not 2006.

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/76185080.jpg

[Avian001]

A construction update to the ultra-luxe IVY Hotel + Residences in downtown Minneapolis...

Photos by MidwestProduct at Minnescraper.com:

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3647/ivy01hg9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3153/ivy02yz9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)






Anyone up for a party in my 72-foot-long Great Room? :) My treat, if you all contribute at least $100,000 apiece...:haha:

http://www.ivympls.com/FloorplanPDF/Delano.pdf







This shot is by Timmyd at Minnescraper.com:

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6075/ivy03ez1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Exodus]

:previous: I like the building in the foreground better;)

[1ajs]

wow that project sure come along way since i was in downtown mini in early feb

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/375095532_5de1922567_o.jpg

[Steely Dan]

a potential new tallest for evanston, IL:




http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070426evanstower-story,1,4493562.story?coll=chi-news-hed

523-foot tower in Evanston?
Proposed 49-story condo building would nearly double the height of the town's current tallest

By Blair Kamin and Deborah Horan
Tribune staff reporters
Published April 26, 2007, 3:30 PM CDT

Forget the twisting, 2,000-foot-tall Chicago Spire that could rise along the city's lakefront.

Developers went public Thursday with their plan for another race to the sky, this one in downtown Evanston: A proposed condominium tower that would crack the 500-foot barrier and become the tallest building in Chicago's suburbs.

Sure to incite heated debate in a suburb already in the throes of a high-rise building boom, the plan calls for tearing down a two-story retail building on a triangular block bounded by Church Street, Orrington and Sherman Avenues, and replacing it with a sliver-thin, 49-story condominium tower sheathed in glass and metal.

At 523 feet, the height pegged in a filing to Evanston officials from developers James Klutznick and Tim Anderson, the skyscraper would soar nearly twice as high as two neighboring towers that now form the peaks of the Evanston skyline.

"It's the suburban Spire," quipped the project's architect, Laurence Booth of the Chicago firm Booth Hansen, referring to the plan by Dublin-based developer Garrett Kelleher to erect a 150-story tower designed by Zurich-based architect Santiago Calatrava on Chicago's lakefront.

Filed more than a week ago and shopped in closed sessions to city officials, the Evanston proposal underscores how developers around the country are shattering the once-distinct line between cities and suburbs. The trend is especially strong in landlocked suburbs that have nowhere to grow but up if they want to increase their tax base and hold down residential property tax bills.

Yet the shift has sparked passionate debates over traffic congestion, the displacement of local retailers by national chains and the loss of what opponents call their shady-street lifestyle. As city leaders reacted to the skyscraper plan, that tension was palpable.

"I don't know where we can go in Evanston but up because we don't have any land," said Ald. Delores Holmes (5th). "But it is pretty tall."

If built, the Evanston skyscraper would easily top the 418-foot-tall Oakbrook Terrace Tower, currently the title-holder in Chicago's suburbs, and could also lay claim to being the tallest building between Chicago and Milwaukee. That esoteric distinction is now held by Evanston's tallest building, the 277-foot-tall Chase Building, a modernist high-rise finished in 1969.

Klutznick, a partner at Klutznick Fisher Development Co., and Anderson, president of Focus Development Inc., are now completing the nearby Sherman Plaza condo tower, which is just a foot shorter at 276 feet.

But the block in question has a height limit of 125 feet, so the developers, who say they have a contract to purchase the two-story retail building, will need a zoning change.

As in other large-scale residential real estate developments, they also will need to generate enough pre-sales of condominiums to get bank financing. Most daunting of all, they will have to persuade Evanstonians to reshape their skyline--and, with it, the town's identity.

Evanston officials previously forced developer and architect David Hovey to downsize a proposed 36-story tower at the north end of downtown and instead build a block-long, 16-story building that some have likened to an enormous wall.

Anticipating just such a debate, Klutznick said in an interview: "This is absolutely the center of town. People recognize that if there's going to be height, this is where to do it."

He added: "This is an icon that says this is the downtown of the north lakefront," said, referring to how downtown Evanston already draws people from nearby suburbs such as Wilmette and from the far north side of Chicago.

Michael Lembeck, the owner of a shoestore in the targeted two-story building along Church Streets, sees the proposal in far less positive light.

Saying that his business, "Williams Shoes--the Walking Spirit" had been at 708 Church St. for 54 years, he lamented that he had bought the space next door last year and turned it into a woman's boutique at a cost of $120,000.

"Now 10 months later, they're talking about tearing the whole building down," he said Thursday. "That would be kind of a waste to be shut down before we recoup our investment."

He also expressed concern that downtown Evanston already has too many vacant storefronts and that it won't be able to absorb the commercial space envisioned in the project.

The proposed skyscraper would have a roughly triangular, or flatiron, shape formed by the surrounding streets.

It would rise on a five-story podium that would contain two levels of shops and, above them, a three-level parking garage with 230 spaces. The glassy condominium tower, set back from the street, would contain anywhere from seven to two units on each of its floors. Prices would be $350 to $400 per square foot, the developers said.

The plan also envisions tearing down a 1940s mid-rise office building at the block's south end and replacing it with a low-rise restaurant building whose footprint would be half as large. The developers still have to purchase that property.

A classically decorated landmark building in the middle of the block, the three-story Hahn Building, would be left untouched.

The developers say that the added real estate taxes created by the project would allow the city to renovate the decrepit Fountain Square Plaza at the block's south end. The plaza's war memorial, which now consists of three brick pylons recognizing Evanston soldiers, would be shifted to another plaza just south of Davis Street.

The developers want to begin construction next year and complete their project by late 2010.

City zoning officials are now reviewing the plan, which is expected to take at least two weeks. The next steps would be a hearing by the Evanston Plan Commission and a vote by its City Council. The developers said they anticipate public meetings on the tower in June.

Asked if she thought Evanston residents would fight the tower, Ald. Cheryl Wollin (1st), in whose ward the project would be built said: "Nothing in Evanston is non-controversial. I expect it to be thoroughly debated."

Wollin declined to say whether the tower is too tall, saying: "I can't make that judgment now. If there's any place for height in the city, that's the block where it would be most compatible. Is it too tall? That will have to be determined by lots of discussion."

If built in downtown Chicago, the tower would fade into the woodwork. It would be the same height as a classic 1920s skyscraper along Wacker Drive--the eclectic, dome-topped 35 E. Wacker Drive (the former Jewelers Building).

Asked if Evanston planners would follow a national trend in urban planning which gives preference to tall and thin towers on the grounds that they create the density that makes cities hum while letting natural light reach streets below, Klutznick replied: "I would never say that Evanston is influenced by anybody other than Evanston."

While the Evanston tower would be the tallest in Chicago's suburbs, it would not be the tallest suburban building in the United States. That distinction is accorded to an office building in Sandy Springs, Ga., an Atlanta suburb. Completed in 1988 and part of the Concourse towers complex, it rises 570 feet, according to Emporis, the Darmstadt, Germany-based Web site that compiles data on buildings throughout the world.

And there are other tall buildings outside traditional downtowns. Outside Manhattan, for example, Jersey City, N.J., sports the 781-foot-tall Goldman Sachs Tower. In addition, Houston's Galleria district, several miles west of that city's downtown, boasts the 901-foot Williams Tower, which is often called the tallest building in America outside a central business district.

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/5306/fountainsquaretowermo6.jpg

[newstl2020]

Has any new information surfaced with regards to the MW tower in St. Louis? I had read in another forum that Mcgowan Walsh was supposedly going to reveal an extremely substantial project for the St. Louis area sometime this spring.

[LMich]

Greektown Casino Hotel (& Parking Garage) - April 29, 2007

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/5/100934.jpg

The hotel seems to be rising so slow.

[Avian001]

The hotel seems to be rising so slow.

That's because Vinnie is running out of spots to hide the bodies in the concrete...



J/K :)

[LMich]

Vinnie could always hide them in the massive, concrete garage behind the hotel. lol

[Michi]

The hotel appears to be working on level 3, from what I can tell. This is the level that will have the skywalk devouring the sightlines of Monroe and St. Antoine Streets over to the old schoolhouse.

[Hayward]

Skywalks....

Now we are better than Troy!

[Michi]

Nope. Troy has wider roads and more surface parking lots!

[newstl2020]

Posted this in the stl city thread, but I think it might be relevant here as well. Hopefully this really does get the "within the year" construction start they are advertising. If so, Stl is going to be seeing a lot of crane action in the coming years with Ballpark Village, Skyhouse, Roberts Mayfair, and Bottle district.

Fizz may be back in Bottle District
By Riddhi Trivedi-St. Clair
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/15/2007

Plans for the beleaguered $290 million Bottle District development north of downtown may be back on track with Clayco Inc. playing a prominent, but as yet undefined, role.

Officials from Clayco and the development arm of McGuire Moving & Storage, which has long sought to develop the site, said Monday that they are looking at a very "aggressive" development schedule, with work possibly beginning within a year.

A new group of local companies — in addition to Clayco and McGuire — is being formed to take on various development-related roles, said Matt Bernsen, spokesman for BDP LLC, the development group for the project. But he would not discuss details on the companies involved or what role each would play.

Plans for the development have changed since it was first announced in September 2004 by Dan McGuire, president of McGuire Moving. Advertisement

The last initiative, announced in September 2005, called for three high-rise condo buildings on the approximately 16-acre site — the tallest of which would be 630 feet. The city pledged a $51.3 million tax break. .

At the time, Ghazi Co., based in Charlotte, N.C., was named co-developer and Clayco was the general contractor.

Since then the project has stalled, and Ghazi dropped out about eight months ago, giving rise to speculation that the Bottle District may be dead.

"Speculation is speculation," Bernsen said. "Everyone has a right to their opinion about what's going on.

"(Afshin Ghazi) is doing a major project called the EpiCentre in Charlotte, and his timelines for that were established before he got involved with Bottle District. We required a more hands-on joint venture partner."

McGuire has been trying to form a new structure for the development team. Clayco worked to get the project back on track after it heard that Ghazi's contract had been terminated, said Larry Chapman, a partner in the company.

"We got re-engaged heavily in the last 30 to 60 days," Chapman said.

While Chapman didn't provide details, he said the Bottle District team would "look at all the great ideas accumulated over the last couple of years and pick and choose the best ones. … What we need is to look at what meets the needs of downtown right now."

The final project will be valued at or higher than the original $290 million estimate, Bernsen said.

The Bottle District is likely to remain a mixed-use project with residential, retail, office and even hotel and entertainment uses, Chapman said, adding that construction would have to start soon.

"It would have to be very quick. Clearly the renaissance in downtown is happening now, not five years from now," he said. "We would want to put something on the ground now. We want to make it fit with the things going on in the city so they don't cannibalize each other."

Bernsen and Chapman cited the ongoing Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. casino development and Ballpark Village as complementary downtown to the Bottle District.

The development team, along with several tenants, will be announced within the next month or two, he said.

"Right now it is more about making the district a viable project as opposed to just putting it up," Bernsen said.

[newstl2020]

More news - Bottle District finally coming online?!?!

Clayco withdraws contractor application for Ball Park Village
By Riddhi Trivedi-St. Clair and Jake Wagman
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/19/2007

Clayco has pulled its application to be general contractor on the Ballpark Village project, days after the Post-Dispatch reported that the company had taken an expanded role in another high-profile downtown development, the Bottle District.

"We just have our hands full. We had to pick one or the other," said Bob Clark, president and chief executive of the Clayton-based firm. "We have the chance to have an equity position in Bottle District and be a part of the development team."

Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. is the Ballpark Village developer.

Clark said the Ballpark Village and Bottle District projects would compete with each other for tenants. Advertisement

The Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday that Clayco assumed a more-prominent role in the Bottle District in recent weeks after the departure of a co-

developer, Charlotte, N.C.-based Ghazi Co. The lead developer is Dan McGuire, president of McGuire Moving & Storage Co. of St. Louis.

Clayco, which was the project manager on the construction of the new Busch Stadium, also is involved in a partnership to develop NorthPark, a 550-acre mixed-use office and industrial project under way near Lambert Field.

"We felt compelled to be very clear with Cordish that we didn't see ourselves as contenders for the (Ballpark Village) job anymore," Clark said.

Chase Martin, Cordish's director of development for Ballpark Village, said his company is interviewing several contractors for the project. He said Cordish is looking at hiring one firm to be general contractor or several companies that could share the responsibility.

He played down the significance of Clayco dropping out.

"When you have a project of this size and scale, it's typical to have contractors coming late in the process, or dropping out early," Martin said.

Martin also said Ballpark Village is on track to open on time.

"We have hit our goals and are moving forward accordingly," he said.

Cordish is seeking to build six blocks of signature restaurants, specialty stores, entertainment venues and offices on the crater of land that was the site of old Busch Stadium. Cordish, which has built similar projects around the country, is a partner with the Cardinals organization, which owns the land.

Though the team has yet to break ground — or even announce a date for groundbreaking — the Cardinals are hoping to have the project open by midsummer 2009, when Busch will play host to the

Major League All-Star Game.

In February, the city's Board of Aldermen backed providing up to $115 million in tax subsidies to the project. The state Department of Economic Development, which also must approve parts of the incentive package, is reviewing the proposal.

After the department reviews the incentives, the deal will go to the Missouri Development Finance Board for final approval. A spokesman for the Economic Development Department said this week that staff there are still looking at the project. He did not know when it would be submitted to the finance board, which is chaired by Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

Plans for the $290 million Bottle District call for a 16-acre mixed-use project that could include a high-rise condominium tower as well as retail and office space.

[i_am_hydrogen]

The Moderne - Milwaukee (I don't the exact height, but it's 30 stories, so it should be right around 300 ft)
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/1622/moderne01ef8.jpg

[Steely Dan]

^ thanks for the reminder on that one, hydro. it's now added to page 1.


in evanston news, a second tower is now being proposed for the fountain square block. it's proposed to stand 36 floors. i did some rough calcs off of a base elevation drawing and came to a rough figure of 382'. it's proposed to go on the southern half of the same block that the 529' proposal is also slated for. who knows if either or both will get built, but things are getting a little silly in little old evanston.

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/7663/fountainsquaretoweriipw5.jpg






below is a photoshop i made of the new proposal super-imposed onto the rendering of the first fountain square tower proposal

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/2945/fountainsquarecombinedxp3.jpg

[Xing]

The Roberts Tower in St Louis will be 320 ft, at 25 stories. Construction may begin in a few weeks.

http://www.imghut.net/images/50847.jpg

[the urban politician]

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/7663/fountainsquaretoweriipw5.jpg

^ I really like this one a lot. How cool would that be for Evanson? Sigh, lets just hope the NIMBY'S don't stomp it out of existence..

[Avian001]

[QUOTE=Steely Dan;2856557]
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/7663/fountainsquaretoweriipw5.jpg


Evanston's own Flatiron!

[Steely Dan]

^ while the flatrion shape is neat, the vast majority of forumers seem to prefer the competing proposal on the north end of the block. click the link below to vote for your preference between the two fountain sqaure proposals in evanston.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=132292

[newstl2020]

Not much going on here lately. Perhaps we should consider letting in Chicago projects so that us midwesterners have something tall to discuss in here!:rolleyes:

[J-MAN]

the Twin Cities are taking up most of this list!

impressive:cool:




check out my site for info on winnipeg
(north of the twin cities)

[Cincinnatis]

Here are a few pics of 'The Overlook's' progress (bonus view pics too), courtesy of Riverviewer from UO (Cincinnati, OH):

http://www.keidel.com/gallery/p/pix/the_overlook-150x218.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/reh/image/82407987.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/reh/image/82408009.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/reh/image/82408024.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/reh/image/82408037.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/reh/image/82407962.jpg

[Cincinnatis]

Also, here is the Ascent in Covington (south shore of the OH river - opposite of Cincinnati). It appears as thought they do not have much to go ...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/inkaelin/100_0268.jpg

[Cincinnatis]

Also, ground was broken the other day for 'One River Plaza' in downtown Cincinnati:

http://www.comey.com/propimgs/mls_cincy/full/10328/1032817l.jpg

I need to check on whether this is 300' though, however from the renderings it looks like it might qualify. CDM, do you know if this breaks the 300' barrier?

[ColDayMan]

Probably not.

[Sirus]

We haven't had an IVY update in a few months on here.

Taken by Midwest Product on July 7th

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Ivy070707B.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/Midwest_Product/Ivy070707A.jpg

[LMich]

Well, since I don't believe that the poster specified these had to be new constructions, here is an update of the reconstruction of the 349-foot Westin Book-Cadillac in downtown Detroit.

Photos courtesy of the Detroit News:

Base
http://info.detnews.com/pix/news/2007/bookcadillachotel07262007/15.jpg
Brandy Baker / The Detroit News

An entire new penthouse level added after the deconstruction of the mechanical tower.
http://info.detnews.com/pix/news/2007/bookcadillachotel07262007/14.jpg
Brandy Baker / The Detroit News

Reconstruction of the copper ziggurats
http://info.detnews.com/pix/news/2007/bookcadillachotel07262007/10.jpg
Brandy Baker / The Detroit News

http://info.detnews.com/pix/news/2007/bookcadillachotel07262007/1.jpg
Brandy Baker / The Detroit News

[Exodus]

Actually the BCH is 397 feet tall on the back side.

[LMich]

Actually, I got the height directly from the renovation architects.

[the urban politician]

I couldn't let the entire month of August go by without a post :D

[Steely Dan]

i did a little clean up on the page 1 list. the biggest move was the removal of several projects that appear to be dead or that just weren't all that real to begin with, including the 70 story MW tower in st. louis.

if you see any mistakes or omissions in the page 1 list, or if you have new or better or more up to date images for any of the projects listed, please let me know so that i can get the list updated.


and to any minneapolis forumers: is there any news what-so-ever on that long rumored big office tower for minneapolis?

[Exodus]

Actually, I got the height directly from the renovation architects.I looked it up, and it seems they actually lowered the height during reconstruction. They dismantled a section that was on the north side of the building, which brought its total height down. But I was wrong about one thing, the Hudsons Bldg. was 397, and the Cadillac was 410, according to an almanac I had back in the 70's. It seems like the height on buildings have been changed over the years:shrug:

[Sirus]

The Nicollet is being re-worked.

Hunt-Opus Favors $200M MXD Plan Over Condos

By Robert Carr
http://www.globest.com/news/984_984/minneapolis/163704-1.html

MINNEAPOLIS-After scrapping plans for the tallest condominium tower in the city, Hunt Associates LLC now plans to create a mixed-use building on the site at 1001 Nicollet Mall. The company had planned on building a 56-story, 350-unit condo tower called the Nicollet, but as the market died down, the plans have been changed, with an Opus partnership, to a 50-story building that will have offices, a hotel and 100 condos, for a cost north of $200 million.

Dan Hunt, president of the self-named company, tells GlobeSt.com that the high-rise residential building, which was to offer 24-hour, white-glove entry attendant service, terraced homes and a heated, multi-story garage, was thought up in late 2005. “However, the condo market has cooled significantly,” he says. “We had purchase agreements for 70 of the condos [including three of the $3.6 million penthouse units], but we never got above 70.”

Now, his firm has partnered with Opus Corp. to build a tower with roughly 50 floors. The complex will have 500,000 sf of office space, a 200-room hotel and 100 condos, with four floors of underground parking, Hunt says. The Nicollet name remains, but it could change, he says. “The schematics of the building have been done, and the office brokers are now out talking to prospective tenants about the space. The next step is to get letters of intent, and finalize the drawings.”

He says he’s not worried about finding office users, that the market is substantially better than it was a couple years ago, and the fact that the property is right across from the Target Corp. headquarters. “There’s no other plans on the drawing board for this much space in the area, and people will want to be close to Target, or in a newer building,” Hunt says.

Hotel companies are also being talked to, though that stage is still in its infancy. “It’s a great site for a hotel,” he says. “There’s some newer hotels now, and new condo buildings out there, but when we go to open the sales center for our condos in March, we should be in much better shape due to absorption.” Hunt’s company specializes in urban infill projects in the Twin Cities and the first-ring suburbs, having developed more than 1,000 condominium units and 55,000 sf of commercial space, with projects such as the $100-million Village at St. Anthony Falls and the 348-unit condo building RiverStation, both in Minneapolis.

[Steely Dan]

The Nicollet name remains, but it could change, he says. “The schematics of the building have been done, and the office brokers are now out talking to prospective tenants about the space. The next step is to get letters of intent, and finalize the drawings.”


very interesting. from the quote above it sounds like they're working on a different design for this tower. has any other info been made available as to the extent of the changes? are we looking at a potentially brand new design altogether? or perhaps just a tweaking of the existing scheme to accommodate the new office and hotel components?

[Dream'n]

Guess we'll just have to wait and see and hope for something better and taller. No offense to anyone who has worked on the previous proposal.

[newstl2020]

Allright time to add 3 new ones for downtown St. Louis. Centene Corp. announced today their plans to move their World Headquarters to downtown. Plans call for two towers both taller than 300 ft. In addition to this, a third tower is shown in the models for Ballpark Village which looks to be as tall if not taller than Centene Center, and likely contains the 250 condo units of phase 1 of Ballpark Village. Centene Center is set to start construction in spring, 2008. From models it looks as though this building will be anywhere in the 350-550 foot range, containing 700,000+ sq. ft. of office space. The second Centene Tower will be built in Phase 2 of their project. The second tower will contain 2 levels of retail, 1750 parking spaces, and up to an additional 550,000+ sq. ft. of additional office space as needed.

[Steely Dan]

^ do you have any images or solid height info for this new centene headquarters building? right now, the project still sounds too undefined to add to the list. when the plan becomes a bit more concrete, perhaps with an official rendering release, then we can add it.

[Avian001]

Latest news on The Nicollet in downtown Minneapolis, from a document by Opus (the developers):

"It will be 45 stories high, with underground parking for 300 cars, 22,000 sf of retail space, 16,500 sf of banquet space, a 20,000 sf health club and spa, 437,000 sf of office space, a 260 room hotel and 177,000 sf of condos...."

No design has been leaked yet... Still, certainly above 300 feet. Probably in the 500-600 foot range.

Damn the condo market! :)

[Steely Dan]

No design has been leaked yet... Still, certainly above 300 feet. Probably in the 500-600 foot range.


do you expect that this will entail a complete redesign of the whole project? or do you think it's more of a tweaking and height lowering of the existing scheme to fit with the new program?

[newstl2020]

^ do you have any images or solid height info for this new centene headquarters building? right now, the project still sounds too undefined to add to the list. when the plan becomes a bit more concrete, perhaps with an official rendering release, then we can add it.

1 Centene Center has been stated to be 27 stories tall.
2 Centene Center Is yet to be released.
Ball-Park Village tower does not have any firmer Information yet.

Robert's Tower in STL also officially began construction of caissons yesterday, 10/01/07.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/MattnSTL/Roberts%20Tower/101_0563.jpg
Photo by MattnSTL at urbanstl.com

[newstl2020]

New Ballpark Village/Centene site plans...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/MattnSTL/Ballpark%20Village/BPV_Centene.jpg

Models...
http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/86163720.jpg

The middle image of the left column allows the best perspective towards the height of the tower, as the tower in the far left of the model is the Bank of America Tower which is 384 feet tall. That places tower 1 at 400+, and tower 2 at ~400 feet.

[Xing]

Dan, it's best you just wait for something official. We'll post a rendering, when there is one.

[newstl2020]

Agreed. Just showing what we've got.

[LivingIn622]

the Greektown Casino Hotel is going up in Downtown Detroit, the tower will feature a thirteen story parking garage and a 30 story hotel.

[i_am_hydrogen]

JW Marriott - Indianapolis (317'/29 fl/App):
http://64.255.242.152/portals/6/plines/marriott2_big.jpg

[Steely Dan]

emporis is now listing milwaukee's university club tower as "completed" so i have removed it from the page 1 list, which means that the tallest building currently under construction in the midwest outside of chicago is grand rapids' 391' tall river house condos. surprising, no?

[Markitect]

Proposed:



Milwaukee - 401 West Wisconsin - 32 floors
http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_milwaukee.jpg



That's an old old rendering from 2006. There have been two re-designs since then. Here is the latest, which has been given an official name now, too:

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/4369/catalystoverviewxe4.jpg

Milwaukee - Proposed - The Catalyst - 31 floors

[Steely Dan]

^ thanks for the update mark. it looks like a very good urban project, with lot's of activity generation at street level.

[Arch City]

This project is for downtown Clayton. Downtown Clayton is about 10 miles west of Downtown St. Louis. It is served by the new MetroLink Cross County (Shrewsbury) line.

**The Central Maryland Hotel Plans** (http://www.rjyork.com/50.htm)

-22-stories
-34-40 residential condominiums
-175-200 room hotel (upscale guest rooms)

http://www.rjyork.com/images/hotel/main_drawing.jpg

[LMich]

Nice tower; though, I'm not sure if it will top the 300-foot minimum we've set for this thread.

[Cincinnatis]

Miller-Valentine Group has decided to add 2 more floors, making 'One River Plaza' 15 stories...

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3314.0;attach=3679;image

Condo tower rises to meet demand for unique views
BY LAURA BAVERMAN | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER
November 9, 2007

DOWNTOWN - Downtown condo project One River Plaza still has nine units left to sell before it can begin construction, but recent activity is giving the developers confidence.

Responding to potential buyers' requests for more uniquely positioned corner penthouse units, Miller-Valentine Group and the Gregory family cut the size of the top two floors and added two more floors on top of them, making the building 15 stories high. That kept the 12 penthouse units, but gave the three units on each of the top four floors both riverbend and city views.

The change added $3 million to the $140 million project cost, but those changes helped the developers sell $5 million in volume over the past three weeks, inching closer to the 33-unit required sales marker.

"People who want to pay that premium wanted corner units," said Doug Hine, president of Miller-Valentine's urban lifestyles division. His team also added a swimming pool between the two buildings to meet potential buyers' demands.

The project, announced just over a year ago, includes two condo towers totaling 150 units, two restaurants, a private club and guest suites for residents. They range in price from $400,000 to several million dollars, with prices expected to creep up once all pre-construction units are sold.

Hine declined to share specific price increases, but said that some units at Miller-Valentine's nearby Park Place at Lytle project, completed in 2005, sold for 40 percent more than the original asking price.

Nick Lingenfelter, assistant vice president of commercial real estate at LaSalle Bank, doesn't expect that to happen at One River Plaza. At least not now.

"I don't think in this market you're going to see an immediate jump," Lingenfelter said. "There are definitely buyers out there, but they still have to worry about selling their homes."

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/11/12/story11.html

[Sirus]

This is still in planning, but is a tantalizing prospect for not only St. Paul, but the Twin Cities in general.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_7627919
photo and diagram available at link above

About the architect:
http://www.adjaye.com/docs/work.html

Mystery man developer sets sights on St. Paul
But city officials wary as he pitches ambitious skyscraper plans for downtown corner
BY LAURA YUEN
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 12/04/2007 12:31:16 AM CST


The skyway to nowhere - a remnant of Wabasha Court - crosses Wabasha Street from then Marshall Field's in 2003. (Craig Borck, Pioneer Press) One of St. Paul's native sons is vying to build the next sky-scraping darling of the modern architecture world.

Dean D. Johnson is one of the most enigmatic developers aiming to make his mark in St. Paul. Now a developer in Belgium, Johnson has set his sights on at least four downtown properties, including the site of the now-razed Wabasha Court complex.

Johnson's proposed tower would stretch about 40 stories and combine a five-star hotel with condominiums, an arts venue and offices - all on a parking lot where past development dreams have crumbled.

Now, people want to know: Is he for real?

"What I say is, 'Why don't you get one project going and then start talking about the others?' " said City Council member Dave Thune.

"Frankly, people get nervous when it looks like they're biting off an awful lot before their dishes are served."
City Hall and development sources have described Johnson as both elusive and ubiquitous. He regularly flies into town to meet with local officials and arts leaders to talk about his plans but bides his time before he submits proposals.

In August, he and business partner Henk Habers quietly bought the Minnesota Thunder and pledged their commitment to build a soccer stadium. Johnson also has been eyeing the old Diamond Products plant in Lowertown and said he has site control of the parking lot at Minnesota and East Fourth streets.

For the past couple of years, however, Johnson has been focusing most of his energy on a $200 million-plus opus at 415 Wabasha St. He has hired David Adjaye, a London-based "starchitect" who has modern-design experts in the Twin Cities salivating.

St. Paul powers-that-be are still sniffing out Johnson's track record. While his firm has begun work on projects around the world - including Chicago, Brussels, Frankfurt and a luxury resort in Mallorca, Spain - none has been completed.

Immediate applause will be hard to come by in St. Paul, a town still recovering from the divisive, and now-defunct, Bridges of St. Paul proposal. Having made his luck overseas, the Hamline University alum acknowledges he lacks the local connections a developer would typically enjoy in his hometown.

"I've always worked in environments where nobody knew who I was," Johnson said.

The surface lot on Wabasha Street stands for all that is wrong with downtown St. Paul. It's on a pivotal corner that has housed cars, not commerce, for years. Overhead, a rusted walkway from Macy's abruptly ends, earning its unofficial designation as "the skyway to nowhere."

That will change, Johnson asserts. He said an internationally known hotel operator has signed a letter of intent for the development. He would not name the hotel, saying they were fine-tuning details of their contract.

Ideally, construction would start by fall 2008 with the hotel to open in spring 2011. Johnson's behind-the-scenes approach to getting things done stands in contrast to other developers' styles. But he's taken one key step: His company owns the Wabasha Street parcel.

Brussels-based WingField Corp. N.V. also has brought on Sherry Hastings, a vice president at Bloomington-based Frauenshuh Cos., to head the company's real estate division in the U.S. Frauenshuh had wanted to build a $55 million mixed-use tower on the site but sold the property to Johnson about a year ago.

When Adjaye, the architect, spoke as a guest lecturer last month at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, he unveiled renderings of the St. Paul project. Each component of the tower was shifted slightly out of place, like three building blocks askew in a vertical stack.

"If you took a regular rectangular building and put two slices into it and jogged out the middle section - it's kind of a feat," said Andrew Blauvelt, the Walker's design director. "I don't know if we've seen that in a building."

If the Wabasha project succeeds, it would raise the architectural prestige of the entire Twin Cities, much like the Guthrie, the Walker and the Weisman, Blauvelt said.

The limelight soon will shine on Johnson, but for a different St. Paul project. He is bidding for the rights to redevelop the old Ramsey County jail and adjoining riverfront properties, considered one of the most lucrative real estate opportunities in the city. On Dec. 18, WingField and Minnetonka-based Opus Corp. will go before the county board to pitch their dueling plans for new condos, offices and hotel rooms.

For that project, Johnson tapped another big-name architect, Toshiko Mori, chairwoman of Harvard University's architecture department.

Johnson has proven that even East Siders can go to Europe and discover an inner fashion sense. At 50, he sports tastefully coordinated suits and cufflinks, shorn gray hair and a slight European accent.

The latter, he claims he always had. The grandson of Swedish immigrants, he was born in Dayton's Bluff and raised in Payne-Phalen.

"I grew up speaking English with a heavy Swedish accent," he said. "At Hamline, people would ask me, 'Where are you from?' "

After college, he went to Germany to pursue graduate studies in history. In 1980s Europe, as the London financial markets were being deregulated, Johnson became interested in finance. His banking career began with Commerzbank in Germany.

He moved to Belgium in 1994. As state-owned banks were being privatized, Johnson formed a company specializing in treasury advisory and structured finance. His WingField partner, Habers, has 26 years of experience in the hotel and tourism industry, according to the company's Web site.

Johnson can argue passionately the merits of St. Paul's downtown and why it deserves cutting-edge architecture. He believes in the city's narrow 19th century streets as well as its dense mix of parks, traffic, restaurants and condos.

"It feels more like TriBeCa and SoHo than anything in Minneapolis," he said.

Some local officials find Johnson's story compelling. Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, who has met with him to discuss his plans, describes him as "a hometown boy who wants to come back and invest in his city."

He has not submitted his Wabasha proposal to the city yet. The WingField team plans to spend the next several months on the design before it seeks a site plan review at City Hall.

John Mannillo, a real estate broker and member of downtown's CapitolRiver Council, said, "He's going around buying (land) and nobody knows the guy, and he hasn't done anything yet."

If St. Paul seems cautious, it's because it has been burned before.

In 1993, a con man posing as an Italian investment broker promised to arrange $45 million in financing for a horse arena on the West Side riverfront. Michael DePassquallo wore a topcoat draped over his shoulders and sometimes spoke with an accent.

As it turned out, he was not Italian but a Twin Cities native raised in Fargo, N.D. He conned hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors and pleaded guilty to fraud in an Arizona court.

Thus, many city officials are reserving their most rapturous praise for when Johnson's first shovel hits the dirt.

Said Thune: "Everything is potentially wonderful, but everything is potentially potential. Nothing is real until someone writes a check."

Johnson said he does not intend to ask for public subsidies, saying his firm has worked with major European investment funds, such as those operated by Germany-based Deka Immobilien, to help finance its projects.

And about that "elusive" label: Johnson doesn't care for it. He figures he'll ease suspicion over time, doing things his way.

"We're not promoting anything to anyone, and we haven't been asking for anything," he said. "In this market, with other developers, a lot has been talked about, but not a lot has materialized."

Laura Yuen can be reached at lyuen@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5498.

DEAN JOHNSON

Age: 50

Birthplace: St. Paul; grew up near Larpenteur and Payne avenues.

Education: Johnson High School and Hamline University, where he majored in German and history.

Background: Became interested in business while a graduate student in Germany; banking career began there with Commerzbank; moved to Belgium in 1994 and formed a company that grew into WingField Corp., a Brussels-based real estate development and investment company.

In the works: One of WingField's current projects is a luxury resort on the coastal cliffs of Mallorca, Spain, scheduled to open in 2010.

On the sidelines: Bought Minnesota Thunder soccer team this summer with partner Henk Habers.

[Sirus]

Guess people need some photos huh?

From his presentation at the Walker recently:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d190/SRieder/adjaye_stpaul.jpg

[Steely Dan]

^ woah, THAT'S what he's proposing to build in st. paul!?!

damn, that's a pretty intriguing project, and at 40 stories this would be a MAJOR statement in the st. paul skyline, and possibly a new tallest building for the city. we'll have to follow this one closely.

[Sirus]

Yeah I'm a little irriated that a lot of the forumers at Twincityscape are already badmouthing this. This would really raise the bar for non-cultural projects in the Twin Cities. Plus it's a 40 story mixed-use tower being proposed without TIF during a time when projects are dropping like flies in the region.

Oh and hey, they're thinking solar panles along the entire south fascade.

[MNMike]

Well heres the thing...there is no market for a new building in downtown St Paul. Office or residential. As a matter of fact there is already another 30+ story hotel/redidential tower that is having trouble getting off the ground downtown, so I would be very surprised if the developer can make this happen somehow. If he can, great, I would love to see it. I just don't see how he is going to finance/build it, and if he does, I don't see how it won't be mostly vacant and at a huge loss.

[Sirus]

That #11 project for Minneapolis on the first page can be taken down btw. The developers are having financial trouble and I believe they sold off the land.

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

edit

[metzgda]

This seems to be an official rendering of the new 27-story Centene Headquarters building in downtown St. Louis. Notice that you can see the Arch reflected in the building's glass. In the background to the left would be either the new hotel or more likely ballpark village condos.

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/90109625.jpg

[newstl2020]

The tower itself is 27 stories. However, the podium (If I'm looking correctly) takes the total floor count in the tower to 33.

[Sirus]

What the hell is going on in St. Paul.

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site569/2007/1218/20071218__071219wingrender.jpg

A proposal for the St. Paul riverfront by the WingField corporation includes three spectacular glass towers, designed by renowned architect Tashiko Mori, a one-time winner of the Medal of Honor from the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Developer Dean Johnson said the design would attract worldwide attention to St. Paul. Image from WingField corporation.

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site569/2007/1218/20071218__071219opusrender.jpg

This rendering shows the Opus Corporation's initial proposal for the St. Paul riverfront, although the drawings may not reflect the final design. The plan includes an office tower to the left, a hotel and condo tower at center and residential development, possibly town homes, on the east end of the parcel where the empty Adult Detention Center now sits. Photo provided by Opus.


Source says Opus has edge on developing old West Publishing property
BY DAVE ORRICK and TIM NELSON
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 12/19/2007 12:17:44 AM CST

Ramsey County wants to sell a prime swath of riverfront land in downtown St. Paul for at least $10 million as part of a deal with Minnetonka-based Opus Corp., the Pioneer Press has learned.

On Tuesday, the company pitched a $200 million mixed-use project with two towers, 19 and 23 stories high, on the site of the former headquarters of West Publishing.

County Board Chairman Tony Bennett declined to confirm the board's decision, made during a closed session after a two-hour presentation by Opus and a rival developer with its own vision for the site.

"We don't have a deal, and the property is not sold," Bennett said.

Opus Executive Vice President Tim Murnane said he hopes his project can fill the gap left by West Publishing when it relocated to Eagan in 1992 and abandoned its Kellogg Boulevard headquarters - an economic blow from which the city still is struggling to recover.

"That's what we're trying to do, and I think that the Opus experience, combined with our track record, has the best chance to make that happen," Murnane said.

He told the County Board he thought the project's office element might lure a major company and said in a later interview that Opus is in discussions with companies, at least one of them local, looking for new corporate headquarters.

Murnane declined to name any of them.

"It's the next Lawson that may or may not be out there," he said. "It's people that may be looking to St. Paul or looking to upgrade their building."

He cited Cargill's decision to occupy his company's Excelsior Crossings development in Hopkins as an example of what could happen on the St. Paul riverfront.

According to a source close to the negotiation, the county decided to open negotiations with Opus in earnest, after hearing from the company and Belgium-based rival WingField Corp., headed by St. Paul native Dean Johnson. The source did not want to be identified because the talks are legally secret.

WingField pitched a $600 million project that called for three blade-like high-rises of transparent glass next to a low-lying new home for the Minnesota Museum of American Art. But in the end, commissioners seemed drawn to Opus' résumé.

Opus is a national developer with completed projects that include Medtronic's headquarters in Mounds View, Best Buy's corporate campus in Richfield and Grant Park in downtown Minneapolis.

Murnane, whose family roots go back a century in St. Paul, outlined three buildings:

A 23-story, 504,000-square-foot office building with river-level parking for 252 cars.

A 19-story building with nine floors of hotel space topped by 10 floors of condos.

"Cliff Dwellers," an Anasazi Indian-inspired, six-story high-end condo building that stands no taller than the bluff, which opens a view of the river and allows Kellogg to enjoy more boulevard-style park space.

Murnane pegged the price "in excess of $200 million" and said he would seek government-backed tax subsidies to make it happen.

"At this point, it's too early to say how much," he said.

Murnane said Opus' idea is based on economics.

"Our plan is an exciting plan," he told commissioners. "It may not be as aggressive as some others ... but we have to make sure the market is there."

Minutes later, Johnson made his pitch for a mixed-use project, also an aesthetic effort to climb the limestone bluff separating downtown St. Paul from the Mississippi River.

Johnson, who also plans an architecturally striking high-rise hotel at Sixth and Wabasha streets, was joined by architect Toshiko Mori, chairwoman of Harvard University's architecture department, and offered a list of his projects spanning the globe, from Qatar to Mallorca, Spain.

Johnson said he was asking for no tax breaks and outlined a trans-Atlantic financing plan anchored by German equity firms.

But neither he nor his 13-year-old company could boast a finished project, a fact Bennett seized upon.

"Is there anything that I can see, concrete, that you have done?" Bennett asked. Johnson responded that WingField had secured funds, tenancy commitments and even sold buildings.

"You're the dreamer," Bennett responded. "Where are those projects that I can see?"

While several of Johnson's projects are under construction, none is finished, he acknowledged.

The riverfront site is a slice of land across the street from the City Hall-Courthouse that runs between Kellogg Boulevard and Shepard Road from the Wabasha Street bridge to District Energy's downtown plant.

Ramsey County owns the land, an awkward assemblage of buildings extending about eight stories below Kellogg. Much of the 550,000 square feet of space is vacant. It includes the former county jail and sheriff's office, county records division and other administrative offices.

The county wants to unload it all and have private developers demolish the existing buildings and transform the area into a mix of hotel, luxury residential and office space, all with some of the choicest views in the Twin Cities.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Another rendering of Milwaukee's "Moderne":
http://www.themoderne.net/images/Moderne_112607RGBlarge.jpg

[Sirus]

Very sleek. I like it!

[Cincinnatis]

i_am_hydrogen, are those condos?

[Markitect]

i_am_hydrogen, are those condos?

The Moderne is a mixed-use proposal: retail/restaurant, spa, hotel, condos, and parking.

[Exodus]

No details on the actual height of this yet, but I thought I would toss it in.

http://www.modeldmedia.com/developmentnews/default.aspx
scroll down halfway.

http://www.modeldmedia.com/galleries/Default/Dev%20News/Issue%20125/skylofts-300.jpg

[Avian001]

Since 300+ foot construction of buildings in the Midwest has unfortunately, ahem, tapered off, to say the least (even in Minneapolis), here is an update to the Ivy. :)

Here's a night shot of the new Ivy Hotel + Residences (http://www.ivympls.com/index_fl.html) in Minneapolis, taken by forumer MidwestProduct from the forum Minnescraper (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1). The building is still under construction but this shot shows the new crown lighting. This is the 10th North American location for the Luxury Collection (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/search/hotel_directory.html?regionName=north_america&brandCode=LC)brand of Starwood, and only the 3rd urban location.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9835/ivymplsnight01nx5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[HomeInMyShoes]

Okay, so what's happened in St. Louis? Things were looking so positive and now almost everything that was proposed at one point has become an evil orange (never built) box on Emporis? Ballpark Village, Renaissance and Lindell Condominiums in the CWE. What's happened?

[Steely Dan]

^ ballpark village is not listed as "never built" on emprois. to the best of my knowledge, that project is still an active proposal.

as for rennaisance on euclid and lindell condos, those have been changed to "never built" status on emporis, and i have thus removed them from the proposal list on page 1 of this thread.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Whoops, I meant the Bottle District which seems to have died for about the third time now.

[djvandrake]

This seems to be an official rendering of the new 27-story Centene Headquarters building in downtown St. Louis. Notice that you can see the Arch reflected in the building's glass. In the background to the left would be either the new hotel or more likely ballpark village condos.

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/90109625.jpg

Sadly, this is a dead deal.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/E6E473C7DCEDC85F862574180051FE62?OpenDocument

I can't imagine why this fell apart, the city was practically giving them the building with almost half the cost covered by tax credits. This really sucks, but I'm almost not surprised. :shrug:

[Steely Dan]

^ that sucks. not just for the lost building, but also for the lost opportunity to get a suburban company to move downtown. boooooooooo..........


in other disappointing midwest sksyscraper news, it sounds like the proposed 49 story fountain square tower in evanston is going to be downsized. how much it will be downsized is unknown at this point, but here's the article:



source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-evanston-towermar26,0,6940293.story

Evanston tower developer may scale back plans
By Emily S. Achenbaum | Tribune reporter
11:24 PM CDT, March 25, 2008

Developers plan to shorten the controversial Evanston tower and offer a modified proposal for the skyscraper in two weeks.

The proposed condominium tower, 49 stories of glass and steel in the heart of downtown, would be nearly twice as tall as any building in Evanston and the tallest in Chicago's suburbs. While some have lauded the idea as a forward-thinking and energizing piece of architecture, many have rallied against the plan, in part because of its height.

[LMich]

Greektown Hotel Detroit in February:

http://bp2.blogger.com/_2uL9b4oOkoY/R8CJ7qWWmKI/AAAAAAAACOI/u8hWG7WCjls/s1600/Detroit_022308_0065%2Bcopy.jpg

[Dralcoffin]

In the Hotel Ivy photo, is that the lunar eclipse occuring above it?

[Avian001]

Also, in the Hotel Ivy photo, is that the lunar eclipse occuring above it?

Yes.

[Avian001]

While WAY too soon to get excited, forumer "minneapolitan" at Minnescraper (http://www.minnescraper.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=1) posted this tidbit:

Target seeks options for employees at City Center
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/04/07/story2.html

Target's lease in 33 South Sixth expires in November 2012 and according to Target spokeswoman Lissa Reitz, "we're assessing how we're going to accommodate our space needs beyond that date."

Target has plenty of options, from staying put to moving out of downtown. At least one major developer has held talks with the company about building a new tower for the retailer.

Target's HQ is located on Nicollet Mall at 10th Street. Across the street was the site of the proposed Nicollet Condo tower, which is now dead. But there has been speculation that Opus, which owns the Nicollet site, is the developer in question. The amount of space Target currently leases in the 52-story 33 South Sixth (aka City Center) is 800,000 square feet.

[Steely Dan]

the fountain square tower proposal in evanston has now been officially reduced in height. in the hopes of winning community support from the anti-skyscraper crowd, the developer decided to chop 11 floors off of the tower reducing it to 38 stories/ 421'. the number of condo units remained the same though resulting in a squatter, stubbier building, with more bulk on the lower floors.


http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2788/p1110714sq0.jpg
pic courtesy of Bvictor

[LMich]

A photo taken by forumer Jodelli, recently of Greektown Hotel:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2348/2400933526_c7ba587cf8_b.jpg

[robk1982]

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/r_kratz/PICT1772.jpg?t=1208694218

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/r_kratz/PICT1773.jpg?t=1208694369

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b134/r_kratz/PICT1784.jpg?t=1208694384

[Zblackerby]

It's nice to see progress on the River House condos. Last time I was in GR it looked like this..
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c198/DowntownZack/Grand%20Rapids/118_4211.jpg

Reminds me how much I need to get back to GR.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Wall Street Tower in Omaha is in the demo phase w/ construction to begin soon:

So close...
From Wednesday 4/23:
http://i28.tinypic.com/10ifjv4.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/24w8oyb.jpg

From Thursday 4/24:
http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd24/joeshawphotos/image1.jpg

[LMich]

Some more photos of River House (Grand Rapids) from occasional poster Eridony:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2467332097_ac45efc561_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/2454950477_9c21295acb_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eridony/

[detmi7mile]

Some more photos of River House (Grand Rapids) from occasional poster Eridony:


i like

[jodelli]

Greektown Casino Hotel May 23
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3274/2516891568_b628d524e9_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2516891484_2ce99fbc90_o.jpg

[i_am_hydrogen]

Queen City Tower has been approved.

City's tallest building OK'd
BY JANE PRENDERGAST | JPRENDERGAST@ENQUIRER.COM

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/Decker9999/QueenTower.jpg

Work should start in July on Cincinnati's tallest building, the $322 million tower with a top that will look like Princess Diana's tiara.

Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday gave final approval to the financial package for the Western & Southern Financial Group's 41-story building at Queen City Square. Great American Insurance Co. will occupy more than half of the tower, with other tenants yet to be announced.

See full story at this link: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS01/806120329

[Cincinnatis]

^ Ground breaking was today.

[jodelli]

Greektown Casino Hotel, July 10. Looks like they're at the top floor, but not topped out.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2655789081_640a74c573.jpg

[LMich]

A few views of Greektown from the 7th from interpolactic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9774087@N07/

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2647575949_8247512bd5_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2647576345_bee314e638_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3264/2647575045_83f85ca554_o.jpg

[Cincinnatis]

^ I'm loving the color of the glass.

[Cincinnatis]

Cincinnati: Demolition started yesterday to make way for Queen City Square.

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3170.0;attach=5053;image

[the urban politician]

So has the real estate bust killed this thread yet or do some of you have updates?

[Exodus]

I have a question and a statement.

Why has it taken Riverhouse so long to get constructed ?

While I think things should blend into the fabric of the rest of the city to some degree, Greektown should have been a little more unique and daring.

[Exodus]

Queen City Tower has been approved.I'm glad Cincy is finally getting it's tower. At one time I gave up on it ever getting built. I also love the design, because it blends in while standing out also. It will be an improvement to the skyline for sure.:tup:

[Cincinnatis]

I'm glad Cincy is finally getting it's tower. At one time I gave up on it ever getting built. I also love the design, because it blends in while standing out also. It will be an improvement to the skyline for sure.:tup:

Garage is completely demolished and land has been cleared of debris. Holes are starting to be dug for the structure's supported base.

[Exodus]

Garage is completely demolished and land has been cleared of debris. Holes are starting to be dug for the structure's supported base.I hope it doesn't take too long, I can't wait to go up there to take a bunch of pics. The skyline really hasn't changed much from the tv show WKRP, but now it will finally show the age of the show from the opening at closing credits. Again, the design really fits, but is modern at the same time. That's pretty much what post modern buildings do, which is borrow from the older surroundings like art deco for example, but modernizes it. It will be breathtaking to see that popping up over the skyline from the river.