[John R]

Here are this week's photos of the Omni Fort Worth Hotel construction progress:

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-sw.jpg

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-se.jpg

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-ne.jpg

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/omni-const-nw.jpg

[John R]

Now, here are a couple of Carnegie Building construction photos taken this week.

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/carnegie-const6.jpg

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/carnegie-const7.jpg

[KevinFromTexas]

Those are some fine buildings.

[sakyle04]

nice updates....nice buildings.

[Atomic Glee]

Here's a few shots of the Omni:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2699930491_f59636e9bc_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2700745858_faef313d8e_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2700745966_dee083153e_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2700746064_23d95cffec_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2700746190_e79d71c244_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3248/2700746306_a0a644ab34_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Recent photos of the Sawyer Grocery redevelopment - leasing is already underway for the older building at the corner and I hear that there are already residents signing up. Rents start in the high $700s/low $800s and go up over $1,000:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2699924551_8930559e1b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/2699924643_fbd54e295d_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Here's the old United Way Building which will be coming down to make way for the new downtown Hampton Inn:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/2699931365_2003541d3b_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

St. Patrick's Cathedral downtown is being given an exterior restoration, and they'll be building the twin steeples that were planned since the beginning but never built:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/2699931261_d44bc29b81_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

South Village Lofts has finished Phase One. These are new green loft townhomes being built on Bryan just off South Main. The adjacent lot is the location of the next phase, I believe. They are going for LEED certification, but I don't know what level.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2700740166_7258d90099_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Oleander Place has been making steady progress - the brick & stone facades are going up on Phase One:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3256/2699925115_7335205b1f_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Caceria's looking good:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/2700746736_42813f1922_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Recent shots of Trinity Terrace's City Tower:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2699929589_69c0ce16d6_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2700744950_2f34513459_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2699929783_f14ed660ed_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/2700745172_a4beb175e7_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Recent photos of West 7th:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2699928029_f44453eea8_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2699928117_986cdaae00_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2699928181_1546ef5089_o.jpg

The new Sovereign Bank is already going up.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2700743504_e3df9a8b86_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2700743586_ae86ede22c_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2699928397_d54abd4bb6_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2699928509_bf84197beb_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

A few shots of the Carnegie - they are adding the stone trim at the top as well as the ground floor:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3071/2699930033_3f6644fefd_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2699930145_b29486896e_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2700745632_19dee0b4cc_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Recent photos of SoSeven - looks like they'll be framing the third floor of these condos soon:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2699928747_403d7ba645_o.jpg

More townhomes being built:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2699928839_434cdf4cbc_o.jpg

Levee view:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/2699929229_2612dcbf92_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2699929327_402315246f_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2700744626_29f3a44187_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Took a walk through the Museum Place development - lots of progress:

One Museum Place is really coming together.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2699925185_3d1471d009_o.jpg

The Flatiron's already got a great presence.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2699925277_8e8d115e1b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2700740632_9bd00e7a7f_o.jpg

The Post Office and what will be its plaza. The tornado poles are back. They've made good progress on the rest of the Post Office - looks like they're saving the mural side for last.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/2699925469_7d39424baf_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/2699925599_40fff84060_o.jpg

Another angle on the Post Office.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2700741108_b368ce7e2f_o.jpg

The realignment of Arch Adams is well underway. On the left, you see the old alignment we’re all familiar with, which curved east and met up with Arch Adams on the other side of 7th directly. On the right, you see the new alignment, which will head more straight-on/slightly westward and meet up with 7th as a jog from the south portion of Arch Adams. Once this is complete, the old alignment of Arch Adams on the left will be demolished. Everything to the left of the new alignment will be demolished for a new mixed-use retail/apartment building, and the new alignment will be the entirety of Arch Adams through this area.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/2700741206_580ec1a30f_o.jpg

Looking down the new alignment of Arch Adams. You can see the new on-street parking on each side - parallel on the left, head-in on the right. Museum Place will add extensive street parking to this neighborhood.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3116/2700741314_abbb9288b8_o.jpg

Inside the forthcoming new 7-Eleven Corner Store in the development’s 3300 West 7th building.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2699926129_22075e13dc_o.jpg

7th Street frontage of 3300 West 7th. The sidewalks will be very wide. Head-in parking on the left.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2700741508_30656ef3a1_o.jpg

The former J & J’s Hideaway awaits demolition, to be replaced by a mixed-use retail/apartment building.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2700741626_5f75c637e6_o.jpg

The old Post Office, which will be demolished when the new Post Office opens and will be replaced by a mixed-use retail/apartment building.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/2700741734_e7f5e1b7a9_o.jpg

Details of 3300 West 7th.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/2700741852_3e9359725d_o.jpg

Overview of 3300 West 7th. The building will be ground-floor retail with condos above. The primary retail tenant will be a new gas pump-less, more upscale 7-Eleven Corner Store, a new type of store the company is testing.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2699926697_2c6a3b0c46_o.jpg

The big curb and slightly sinking roadway here mark the location of what will become the Museum Place central public plaza. This will be infilled with rougher paving stones/brick and made flush with the sidewalks, so that it can serve as a public space when closed for events. The sidewalks around it will also flare out and become a large public plaza.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2180/2700742034_6c9052cd10_o.jpg

Another view of the future plaza site.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/2699926951_7956f36350_o.jpg

Site prep underway for the development’s Aloft Hotel, which will also feature ground-level retail.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2699927065_7754124b9d_o.jpg

The old 7-Eleven, which will be demolished and replaced by a mixed-use retail/apartment building.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2700742392_c70b11c4a3_o.jpg

More of the development’s new street parking. This is diagonal head-in along 7th. 7th Street through the development is being narrowed from four lanes to two with on-street parking.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2699927249_61d450795f_o.jpg

Progress on the 7th Street facade of One Museum Place.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2700742640_6855baf27d_o.jpg

One Museum Place storefronts.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2700742794_5c4c388a3c_o.jpg

One Museum Place and the Flatiron together.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2699927649_25caf76fe1_o.jpg

The Flatiron.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2700742998_e7015a9962_o.jpg

One Museum Place facade and storefronts.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2700743114_0148687537_o.jpg

One Museum Place facade work.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/2699927955_6a8390ae26_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Posted lots of updates and photos today - scroll back up and have a look.

[KevinFromTexas]

A lot of interesting designs. I like that new post office.

What building is this?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2699928509_bf84197beb_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

A lot of interesting designs. I like that new post office.

What building is this?
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2699928509_bf84197beb_o.jpg

That's the same seven-story office/retail building seen in the second West 7th photo at the corner of 7th & Foch.

[Austin55]

You just made a post whore of yourself :) congrats

anyway,Ive been at the hospis near Trinity Terrace all week, 4 floors up,so I got to see a lot of downtwon from there. my aunt passed away yesterday though.

I noticed Cheasapekes lights werent on?

I may walk through downdown with my dad next week, but afterwards Im going to seattle and an Alaskan cruise for a week.

Im sorry for wasting your time,lol

[tjh1]

Great updates! When all the u/c projects in the cultural district are finished it will be literally an extension of downtown. I wish some large scale infill projects like So7, West 7th, and Museum Place would fill some of the gaps in the Upper West Side. That sector of DT(is that considered downtown?) would get some mnore quality projects with some retail components. That is all that is really missing from the UWS to effectively connect DT and the CD.

[Atomic Glee]

Yes, the Upper West Side is part of downtown - downtown is defined as the area between the river to the west and north, and the railroad tracks to the south and east.

I agree - the UWS needs some big infill. Hopefully the attention in the CD will bring some developments to the vacant land between the core of downtown (Sundance Square/SoDo/Burnett Park area) and the CD.

[Atomic Glee]

Was unable to get photos, but an exciting bit of news for those of us who have been waiting for some actual physical activity on the TRV: the Sims Motel on Henderson is coming down. The Sims is the first in what will be a series of demolitions of existing structures in the path of the new bypass channel. At long last, there’s visible activity - we are finally to the point of actually building this thing. I, for one, can’t wait to see more progress.

[John R]

Here's a new skyline view I photographed. It was taken from the Amon Carter Museum this week.

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/skyline-07-29-08.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

A little farther west down Camp Bowie, InCap Fund has purchased the Taj Mahal Apartments and has announced plans to demolish them to build a new mixed-use retail/condo/townhome development. The site is along Camp Bowie at Merrick & Birchman. They have already got the property rezoned mixed-use.

Across Birchman at the corner of Merrick & Camp Bowie, an old car wash has been demolished and Clifton Capital is building a new office building.

Speaking of InCap, back in the Cultural District they have continued to buy up land. In the Linwood neighborhood (a low-income neighborhood between Montgomery Plaza and University along 7th), they now have a total of about 8.85 acres between a 3.95 acre site along University and 4.9 acres in the neighborhood. They are undoubtedly assembling land for another mixed-use development (InCap bought the former Acme Brick site on 7th and its surrounding property and then flipped it to Cypress Equities, who is now building the West 7th development on it). In addition, immediately south of the West 7th development InCap has assembled another 5.22 acres between Morton and Lancaster.

[Austin55]

I I guess omni topped out today, it was on the news. Only the top floor though, don't they usually wait for the pinnacle? Oh well, cool anyhow. A landmark time for it.

[John R]

Yes, usually they wait until the building reaches its highest structural height. Even then, depending on the design of the buildings, construction continues up at the top. I thought this topping out was a little early, since there are supposed to be four mechanical levels on top of this building that haven't even been built yet.

[John R]

The official height is 447'-4" and the official number of occupied floors is 33. Kevin, you might want to correct this information on Emporis. This revised height knocks the building down to Fort Worth's sixth tallest.

[Austin55]

The official height is 447'-4" and the official number of occupied floors is 33. Kevin, you might want to correct this information on Emporis. This revised height knocks the building down to Fort Worth's sixth tallest.

John,Whered you find this? Ill switch it the diagrams,but I would like to see the official one.

[KevinFromTexas]

447 feet. Really? That's quite a drop in height. I thought it looked a little short on the skyline for the previous stated height. Wasn't it originally listed at 547 feet? Why the big drop?

[Atomic Glee]

I'm sure John will correct me on any of this if I'm mistaken, but here goes.

Omni didn’t actually drop 100 feet. The extra 100 feet was a misinterpretation - the way John put it, architects often set the elevation of a building’s first floor to 100 feet, so that they can easily measure above ground and below ground floors without having negative numbers duplicating positive numbers and causing confusion. The 547 foot number that was reported was apparently going off this 100 foot ground floor elevation, not the actual height of the building.

I’m a bit surprised that Omni never made that clear in any of their press relations. Still, 447 ain’t half bad (of course, I’ve never been one who’s particularly cared about making the skyline taller).

John - that pretty much sum it up?

[John R]

Atomic, you have summed it up well. First off, I would like to say that according to an Omni official, they never actually released the height of the building and had no plans to do so. I was even told they were not going to release the height of the building. Second, the information that I received was from early building designs and public meetings with the elevations dimensioned. The building was still in the design phase. The height that was given to me was from an unidentified source that told me that all he could tell me was that the top elevation of the building was 547'-4". This was not the height, but the elevation. As an architect, I was already thinking this was in relationship to a Ground Finish Floor Elevation of 100'-0", but I had no way to verify that.

KevinFromTexas, I think I would wait to make any revisions to the official height until they actually finish the construction on the structure of the building. The reason that I now make this request is that it will give us time to compare the height of the building in relationship to other downtown buildings that we have confirmed heights given. According to the design of the building, there are four more mechanical levels and possibly an elevator overrun to build, plus the sloped top curtain wall. I honestly think this will push the height to 447', but we will have to wait to see.

[Dale]

Nice addition to the skyline but still a major downer.

[Atomic Glee]

I'm curious - what would the extra 100' have given us? I don't consider it a "downer" at all - 447 is just fine. It's a fine looking building (if a bit modern for my tastes). I don't think it'd be any better with 100 more feet atop it.

(Full disclosure - I don't feel the need for the downtown skyline to get any taller any time soon. I'd rather work on filling out the vacant lots with low/midrises than get more skyscrapers.)

[Austin55]

I would like some decent old school skyscrapers. Omni kinda dissapointed me. still to glassy. Love the hotel though. I actually liked itbetter when the whole thing was lined up with the hotel.

[John R]

The extra 100 feet wouldn't really give us anything. I'm sure that all of us will appreciate the building when it is completed. I'm all for quality development in downtown, and I would like to see the surface parking lots built upon. If our market dictates low and mid-rise buildings in those locations, then that is fine with me. However, if there is a need for a skyscraper of a quality design, then I'm perfectly fine with its construction. I do want to say one thing. I would not like to see any of our nice, older skyscrapers fall victim of new development. There is always a chance for this, because most do not have any historic designation, and therefore, they are not protected against demolition.

[Dale]

I'm curious - what would the extra 100' have given us? I don't consider it a "downer" at all - 447 is just fine. It's a fine looking building (if a bit modern for my tastes). I don't think it'd be any better with 100 more feet atop it.

(Full disclosure - I don't feel the need for the downtown skyline to get any taller any time soon. I'd rather work on filling out the vacant lots with low/midrises than get more skyscrapers.)

Well, there you have it. On the other hand, some of us skyscraperpage.com forumers are, can you believe it ? skyscraper fans! :tup:

[Austin55]

Well, there you have it. On the other hand, some of us skyscraperpage.com forumers are, can you believe it ? skyscraper fans! :tup:

ummm, Atomic can express his feelings of skyscrapers. I have to agree with 95%. Skyscrapers arent always the top of the world. Ft Worth is just fine the way it is, we dont neccicarly need more,nor do we want more.

[KevinFromTexas]

KevinFromTexas, I think I would wait to make any revisions to the official height until they actually finish the construction on the structure of the building. The reason that I now make this request is that it will give us time to compare the height of the building in relationship to other downtown buildings that we have confirmed heights given. According to the design of the building, there are four more mechanical levels and possibly an elevator overrun to build, plus the sloped top curtain wall. I honestly think this will push the height to 447', but we will have to wait to see.

Ok, the explanation given above does make sense. I'll wait to change it. By the way, I like the design, and the height. If 447 feet was the originally intended height, that's fine. I was just curious.

[travelinmiles]

I agree, I think quality infill that will enhance street level vibrancy is more important than height. This is especially true when one considers the other skyscrapers we have and how they interact with the street.

[JJG]

ummm, Atomic can express his feelings of skyscrapers. I have to agree with 95%. Skyscrapers arent always the top of the world. Ft Worth is just fine the way it is, we dont neccicarly need more,nor do we want more.

Speak for yourself....:) Trust me, there are alot of fellow Fort Worthians I've talked to that hate the skyline for what it's not.
I say that, becuase I just have soooooooooooooo many ideas for more skyscrapers in downtown. That's why I hate that I don't have Google Sketch up. But as for the surface lots..... there are plenty around downtown, but there is TONS of potential, especially for the lots next to the ITC.

Ideas (and these are just fantasy ideas that I'm just throwing out....):
-that 900 ft. mixed use tower on Jones, Calhoun, 8th and 9th that was cancelled.
-an outdoor mall (NOT a strip mall, but something like what Southlake has), 3 story buildings with restaurants, shops, and some kind of entertainment place like Main Event or something......
-A downtown college for TCU
-another hotel
-another highrise 400-600 ft. tall
-a green area or some kind of "refreshment area" for those comming from long trips. Hey, it's right next to the ITC, so why not?

Obviously, I love skyscrapers. And like I've said before, we shouldn't try to compete with Dallas or Houston in the skyline department, but really, does it have to look like what it does now? I live in Sycamore School Rd. and Alta Mesa area and the skyline from this distance is just sad. There are 2 gaps bigger than Madonna's mouth and I hate it.

But I will say that we do need more ground level pedestrian projects, but there's so much potential in downtown, we could have a good mix of the tall skyscraper AND ground level projects. It could work.....

[Austin55]

The Cassidy Nearing Start of Construction?
Aug 30th, 2008 by Kevin.
I’m hearing that crews have installed a logo for the Cassidy, the long-rumored 22-story condo tower planned for the southeast corner of the intersection of 3rd & Throckmorton downtown. Could we be at long last nearing the start of the project?

Not much is known about the Cassidy, except that it’s a Bass family project, will be (at last word) 22 stories tall, and is likely to be designed by David M. Schwarz. If I hear more, I’ll let everybody know.

http://fortworthology.com/2008/08/30/the-cassidy-nearing-start-of-construction/

[JJG]

http://fortworthology.com/2008/08/30/the-cassidy-nearing-start-of-construction/

You asked where it was located on Fort Worthology, right next to this building:

http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/sundancewest.jpg

You see where the trees are, that's a little parking lot. That's where it's going. Can't wait for renderings.......

[Austin55]

awe crapers, I was working on a fantasy desighn there ;)


Hmm, illhavr togoogle the architect.

[Austin55]

JJG, What 900 foot mixed use tower are you talkin about?

[Atomic Glee]

Austin, this is the architect:

http://www.dmsas.com/

Bass family favorite David M. Schwarz (Bass Performance Hall, Chase Bank Building, The Carnegie, Sundance West, Palace Theater Block, etc. etc. etc.), who I am also quite fond of much to the chagrin of my more modern-leaning friends.

[Atomic Glee]

Speak for yourself....:) Trust me, there are alot of fellow Fort Worthians I've talked to that hate the skyline for what it's not.

The skyline doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme. Our skyline is completely meaningless to me - because our street level is quite good (not perfect, but by far the best in this area and I'd venture in all of Texas). Maybe the skyline matters if you're 30 miles out in some gated subdivision atop a hill - me, I'm *in the city,* and I care about what's really important - what makes the streetscape work, what makes neighborhoods work.

I understand it is "Skyscraperpage," but to me, skyscrapers only make sense if there's context for them. I understand that a lot of people on here are only really interested in height, but to me the urban fabric is far more important than the skyscraper in and of itself. Density and street interaction before height. Always and forever.

I don't hate skyscrapers - I just don't think they are inherently a good thing.

(And I do question the sense in building very many of them from a sustainability standpoint, but that's another topic.)

[Atomic Glee]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2820506310_afa803b7b8.jpg

I reported yesterday on Fort Worthology that talk was running around of a sign of some sort reading “The Cassidy” being installed in Sundance Square, and sure enough, the talk was correct. This metal plaque has been installed between the two benches at the southeast corner of 3rd & Throckmorton, in front of a quarter block that has been a parking lot for quite some time.

If this doesn’t mean anything to you, let me fill you in. “The Cassidy” is the name of a building that has been planned by Sundance Square for quite some time (and I mean it - there is a reference to the project on the New York Times web site from 1996). There is very little information about the building - there have been a few details tossed around here and there. It’s supposed to be 22 stories tall, have 78 units, have ground-floor retail, and has been designed by David M. Schwarz. It has been hidden away for a long time, but speculation is that with the sales at Villa De Leon in Uptown and the Omni Hotel condos in the southern part of downtown, the Basses are finally about to start the project up.

One of the interesting things about the project that almost nobody out there knows is that some work on the building has already been done. That 1/4 block parking lot which currently occupies the site sits atop part of a two-story underground structure that runs from the historic Sanger building on 4th Street to the Sundance West apartment tower on Throckmorton. That underground parking garage currently serves the Sundance West apartments and the Sanger Lofts. There are a couple of things of note about it, though. First off, the garage has quite a few more spaces than there are units in the two buildings. Secondly, the section under the 1/4 block parking lot was built ready for the Cassidy - it already has the foundation of the long-planned tower.

I’m trying to find out if there’s some stirring on the project - as soon as I find something out, I’ll share it.

[Austin55]

This project is extremely interesting, lots of mystery involved.

[Atomic Glee]

There is some word that the "The Cassidy" plaque is simply a reference to the name of the parking lot used internally by Sundance Square and that it does not have anything to do with the long-planned tower.

I guess we'll see. I'd still like some more confirmation of that.

[Atomic Glee]

Another update: Fort Worthology reader jefffwd writes that the domain name "thecassidy.com" was registered on August 1st by the Enilon Group, a local web design and marketing company. One of Enilon's clients is none other than Sundance Square Management.

The plot thickens. More info as it becomes available.

[JJG]

JJG, What 900 foot mixed use tower are you talkin about?

Click here. Check the very bottom of the page (http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com/proposed.htm)

Rendering:http://www.alr6x6.com/pelligrini/Schaum/TU_1.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

I am SO GLAD that tower did not get built. It was HIDEOUS. Terrible parking structure, terrible massing, terrible design, terrible everything. We called it "Ionic Breeze Tower."

Be happy that thing's not blighting our downtown.

[JJG]

I am SO GLAD that tower did not get built. It was HIDEOUS. Terrible parking structure, terrible massing, terrible design, terrible everything. We called it "Ionic Breeze Tower."

Be happy that thing's not blighting our downtown.

Eventhough I don't agree with your stance on building skyscrapers, I WILL agree with you on one thing.... It's best that this tower WASN'T built. I mean, at least not with this design. That would have made the skyline even worse......

[KevinFromTexas]

I like the shaft and top, but yeah, the lower portion of that building is hideous. No human scale on the lower floors. The lower portion is parking and looks too blocky and lacks human scale. They should have buried the parking and had the nice tower portion go all the way to street level and wrap it with retail. I wonder what the color was supposed to be.

[Austin55]

good for NY maybe, not fort worth.

Atomic- are there any ways to check online to see if it (the cassidy)been approved or something? Like the city website, etc?

Ha, dunno but I bet one reason atomic doesn't want verticallity is cause what we have now are hideous monsters, andtheres a sense of parinoa (?) Thats my issue, I think.

[Atomic Glee]

Ha, dunno but I bet one reason atomic doesn't want verticallity is cause what we have now are hideous monsters, andtheres a sense of parinoa (?) Thats my issue, I think.

It's not paranoia - mostly. Though I do find terror in the idea of modern towers invading my city.

No, I just don't find skyscrapers as inherently attractive as most people. Great urban environments (which is what I care about) don't depend on skyscrapers. The best urban environments I've ever seen are rarely more than about eight stories tall.

[John R]

Austin55, yes there are City of Fort Worth web pages that lists city permits and city review board agendas. The project will have to go before the Downtown Design Review Board before a permit is granted, and the project has not been on that agenda yet. That doesn't mean that they won't file within the next few months to be reviewed by the board.

[Atomic Glee]

Fantastic news: Trinity River Vision is a go! Here's the story from WFAA-TV:

"You may not consider the City of Fort Worth a lake-front community but that's what's on tap 10 years from now.

Fort Worth's massive Trinity River project saw a milestone today - and it all came down to a stroke of the pen. This really has been a historic day in Fort Worth. The city is moving forward on a vision which is expected to double the size of the downtown and provide the city with a major economic boom. At the court house today, state, federal and city leaders signed up on an agreement allowing for real progress to begin.

It's called the Trinity River Vision.

It's seeking to create a large lake downtown, eliminating the river levees and freeing up some 800 acres for high-density urban development along the river. It will create a new area called Trinity Uptown. Also on the plan - new parks and trails nearby.

The initial goal is flood control. And after this weekend's hurricane, improving flood control should be done as soon as possible, say planners.

"Mother nature can be pretty devastating," said Senator John Cornyn of Texas. "This important project is conceived primarily as a flood control project but we know it will have tremendous economic benefits for this city, as well."

"Regardless of where you live, it is going to change a lot of lives," said Fort Worth mayor Mike Moncrief.

The $576 million project will be funded by federal, city and county governments, Tarrant Regional Water District and a special taxing district. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been given the green light to begin spending money, which means they will be able to begin construction on this project. "

And the Star-Telegram:

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officially opened the funding floodgates for Trinity Uptown on Friday by signing a formal agreement that allows the federal agency to actually begin building the $576-million flood control and economic development project.

John Woodley, assistant secretary of the U.S. Army, flew in from Washington to sign the agreement and to praise Trinity Uptown as a project that successfully balances the Army Corps of Engineers' mission of flood control with the community’s vision of rebuilding the inner-city.

He said the corps, by working closely with its local partners like the city of Fort Worth and the Tarrant Regional Water District, were able to rapidly devise an ambitious, multi-faceted project that balances what are often competing and conflicting interests. Woodley said the rest of the country is closely watching the Trinity Uptown project

"This project is unique, but I think we are going to see the day when this project is not unique," Woodley said. "We are improving flood control in a way that exists and meshes with the vision of this community for development of some of its most precious resources."

Trinity Uptown is an 1,800-acre flood control and economic development project that stretches from a mostly industrial no-man’s land on the city’s near north side to the green spaces in Gateway Park on the east side.

It includes construction of a bypass channel and a Town Lake just north of downtown to help control flooding, as well as restoration of damaged Trinity River ecosystems and expansion of Gateway Park amenities.

Typically, it takes much longer to get Washington headquarters to approve moving from design to construction, particularly on projects of this scale. But Trinity Uptown won approval in about three years.

"It is a difficult process to get projects going in the United States anywhere," said Col. Christopher Martin, commander of the Fort Worth division. "The process and the time that this has been completed is light speed for projects. Very few district commanders get the opportunity to see an actual agreement signed."

In 2004, Congress approved spending $220 million on the project. The Army Corps portion is authorized to spend $110 million, and it already has spent about $6.6 million on design."

[Austin55]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes!!

[Austin55]

---

[Atomic Glee]

Trinity Uptown drawing national interest
Sandra Baker, Star-Telegram

Development opportunities in Trinity Uptown are popping up on the radars of nationally based developers, and some may be focusing on an important tract where Tarrant County College once planned a campus on the north side of the Trinity River.

J.D. Granger, executive director of the Trinity River Vision Authority, which is overseeing construction of Trinity Uptown, said in an interview that his office has received at least four serious inquiries in recent weeks, the Star-Telegram’s Sandra Baker reports.

Granger declined to name the developers, but said they are "people who do big water projects" and developers who would bring to Fort Worth the "type of money we haven’t seen here."

Likewise, the Tarrant County College District, which controls about 47 acres in the project area, is getting calls from local and national developers interested in the land.

"It’s indicative of how valuable all that property is," said Louise Appleman, president of the TCC board of trustees. "It gives me hope that we can sell it and return our investment to the coffers."

Trinity Uptown is a 1,800-acre flood control and economic development project that covers the mostly industrial area on the city’s near north side to Gateway Park on the east side. The Army Corps of Engineers said this month that construction could begin on the $576 million project, which will take more than a decade to complete.

Granger and James Toal of the Gideon Toal engineering firm, chief urban planner for Trinity Uptown, met this week with TCC trustees, who requested an update on Trinity Uptown’s progress. The trustees are mulling options for the land that was bought originally for its new downtown campus.

But TCC trustees instead spent $238 million this summer to buy RadioShack’s corporate campus. The property has been renamed the Trinity River Campus and, after some remodeling, will open for classes in fall 2009. RadioShack will lease some office space from TCC for the next couple of years.

The college district paid TXU $27 million for 29 acres on the north side of the Trinity River and has an option on an additional 18 acres. The college district also spent $13.5 million for property on the bluff, where it began construction on classroom buildings. So far, the college has spent more than $100 million on the campus.

The trustees will meet next week to possibly decide whether to hold or sell the buildings under construction. Several officials, including Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and Tarrant County Administrator G.K. Maenius, have toured the construction site in recent weeks.

Toal told trustees that in the next couple of weeks, he will redraw the Trinity Uptown plans to remove the college campus. In its place, he said, he will add access roads to the riverfront and several pedestrian bridges, including near where TCC had planned to build a bridge to connect the south and north sides of the campus. The access roads would come from Northeast Fourth Street, north of the river.

The Town Lake will also likely be moved slightly and made smaller, not only to accommodate the loss of the campus but also the shifting of the bypass channel north of Fourth Street, he said. The bypass channel and the lake are part of the project’s flood-control measures.

"What we want to do is help you maximize the value of what you acquired and make your land developable and usable," Toal told the trustees.

[Atomic Glee]

A couple of more notes of things I've heard:

The Bass family is in some sort of planning stages for a grocery market for the block between 1st, Pecan, Weatherford, and Grove. This block is on the fuzzy border between Downtown and Uptown. It's right next to the Pecan Place condo/townhome developments, a couple of blocks south of Trinity Bluff, and northeast of Sundance Square.

Where the famed "Fried hicken" store once stood along Belknap in the Trinity Bluff area, a Marriott brand hotel is planned.

[Atomic Glee]

A few photos of the progress on One Museum Place and the Flatiron:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2877020513_9d6d9fce4b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3077/2877020279_4653f0d612_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2877853814_2a4f376413_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Here's a West 7th update:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2877852782_475346b15f_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2877852960_b4fb8a0b08_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2877853164_3193f27e86_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

On a personal note, I'd like to mention that my blog, Fort Worthology, has won the Fort Worth Weekly's Best Blog of 2008, Readers' Choice award. Sister site West and Clear won the Best Web Forum of 2008, Readers' Choice, and the Fort Worth Architecture Forum, on which I post frequently, won Best Web Forum of 2008, Staff Choice.

[Atomic Glee]

Not to interrupt the Austin/San Antonio Forum here :) but time for some more updates:

XTO Energy is planning a new office & parking building on their vacant lot at 7th & Calhoun. The block is across the street from the historic Binyon O'Keefe Warehouse that XTO has been restoring. The building will feature a ground floor of office space, several floors of parking, and more office space up top. It will be 9 stories tall.

The new building is being designed by local architectural firm Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford.

[Atomic Glee]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2327/2899888216_ceaa3dc392_o.jpg

The mysterious new building rising near University Park Village that didn't seem to have any buzz around it? Turns out it's another Lincoln development, called Gallery 1701. They say the leasing office is now open. Building isn't quite finished, but getting close. I'll have to get a photo shortly. The above rendering shows the view from the corner of Rogers and Riverfront.

Glad that the area around University Park Village is finally starting to densify (this is very near another large development called West Bend).

[Atomic Glee]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2901187725_fb2c165955.jpg

The TownSite Co. acquired this building at South Main & Pennsylvania as part of the former Motheral Printing site, an 11-acre assemblage of buildings and vacant lots centered around this intersection in the Near Southside. You might not recognize it - until very recently it was covered in rough concrete & gold metal grates, the results of another terrible '60s or '70s renovation.

Well, TownSite's started pulling the modernization off and revealing what lay underneath - a cool little classic red brick loft-style building that was once a Coca-Cola bottling plant.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2902030552_6283db0270.jpg

TownSite's Phillip Poole revealed to me that they're pulling the new facade off as they study redevelopment options for this block as part of their Motheral Printing site development. They're planning a big mixed-use development on the property and restoring & redeveloping the former Coca-Cola plant will be part of it.

He also sent me these photos he acquired of the building during the Coca-Cola years.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/2902044092_655c9cf54c.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/2901202363_25fb6e8290.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Some scenes from the (mostly) now completed TCU campus commons and the new Brown-Lupton University Union:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/2902031378_4c29386548_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2902031680_79f1f0481a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/2902032050_b3ee2e3218_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2081/2901189689_78f9c0efb9_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2386/2901190379_efaa7d014d_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2381/2901191387_36e519d41a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/2901191899_b80d2568d6_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3124/2902035540_68307a96ba_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2901193653_a63405b935_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2902036544_546fc405f9_o.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

An update on the Omni:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2918676786_56c5287f11_o.jpg

They're adding the steel framing for the building's crown now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2917827103_62a75631d7_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/2918676176_7ab888eb1b_o.jpg

Around the base, the sidewalks are being widened.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/2918676304_2ded1db2d5_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/2918676394_92128755a2_o.jpg

The city parking garage is starting to get some facade material. The part in the middle where there is no material yet is where the large black Art Deco-inspired columns on the Houston Street side will go.

[KevinFromTexas]

Yes! Very nice building, and I'm all for something stealing the old AT&T Building's thunder.

[JJG]

Yes! Very nice building, and I'm all for something stealing the old AT&T Building's thunder.

And I'm all for thunder and lightning knocking down the old AT&T Building. God that building is ugly........

Anyway, the Omni is a gem.

[Atomic Glee]

An update on The Carnegie - this one's just about finished. The first tenant (EOG Resources) has already started moving in I believe. I love the detail work on this one. Another great Schwarz design that all the modernists will hate. :) I love that our city has become such a hotbed of new traditional architecture.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/2918675748_ee5c1e44b8_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/2925352349_c591838692_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2925352419_6729f617bd_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3238/2925352607_50e05897d3_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2925352509_d7b9b7a07c_o.jpg

[Austin55]

Stunning!

[Austin55]

Can someone ID this building for me?(the short one with the dome,its verry pretty) Im working on a fantasy tower for the lot behind it.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x111/austin5555/Untitledbldg.png

Im also working on a fantasy redo for those ugly lots in the middle of sundance square. A building there would be a terrible idea, so im working on a plaza sort of thing for it.

[Atomic Glee]

Can someone ID this building for me?(the short one with the dome,its verry pretty) Im working on a fantasy tower for the lot behind it.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x111/austin5555/Untitledbldg.png

Im also working on a fantasy redo for those ugly lots in the middle of sundance square. A building there would be a terrible idea, so im working on a plaza sort of thing for it.

Austin, the building with the dome is the First Christian Church, built in 1914.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/179262132_ed61c8db8c.jpg

The parking lot behind it was originally an associated church structure. It was purchased with the intent of building an office building many years back - the company tore down the church building but then decided they didn't need a building there, so they just paved it. Kind of irritating. There have been attempts to redevelop it (most recently, the developer behind The Tower was going to build a six-story loft building there), but all the proposals have fallen through because of a dispute over an agreement with the old owner and the church about allowing church parking. The lot was purchased a year or so ago by a developer who has some sort of plan for an office building on the site, but nothing has really come about yet.

The parking lots in the middle of Sundance Square actually are intended as the home of a plaza. When the Sundance Square master plan was created, architect David M. Schwarz (of Bass Hall fame and designer of the Carnegie seen above) designed a central plaza on half of those parking lots - the halves facing Main Street. The other halves, facing Houston and Commerce, would be home to new 3-4 story mixed-use buildings. The Jett Building (Chisolm Trail mural building) and the Land Title Block (the Flying Saucer) would remain as well.

Sundance Square intends to build the plaza and mixed-use buildings but there has been a long-running dispute over the site of the easternmost mixed-use building, the parking lot fronting Commerce. It is owned by a different family and they have not wanted to sell to the Bass family. This land dispute has kept the plaza from being constructed for a long while now.

[Austin55]

ahh ok. I had plans for a parking garage to replace the current. If I were a real architect I'd incluqde space for the church but since I'm not it doesn't matter. I realize that there are already plans for the lots but I wanted to make my own. But I do have a question, is the totaly empty lot infront of the tower being planned?

[Atomic Glee]

But I do have a question, is the totaly empty lot infront of the tower being planned?

The full block parking lot bordered by The Tower, the Sanger Lofts, the Pour House, the Petroleum Building, the STS Building, and the Woolworth Building is owned by Sundance Square and is marked as "future development." In the master plan, the lot is shown with a 12-15 story building on the half-block facing the tower, with 3-4 story buildings on the other half.

[Austin55]

Well that's very nice to know. It was kinda misplaced from the rest of the square and infill would, IMO, fit well. But, where willthey put the chritmas tree?! Haha, I think I saw something somewhere that they were gonna put itfront of the courthouse. Saw the XTO planned building on fortworthology to. Very good, yet another classical desighn.

[The Model]

That new Omni Hotel, has a strong resemblence to the W in Dallas, is it the same architect?
I saw that Ionic building rendering that you posted on page 12. Your all glad it wasn't built, well feel bad for us in SA, we have to look at the Grand Hyatt everyday.:slob:

[Austin55]

really? I hardly see it, but it's there.The Omni was designed by HOK and the W was designed by HKS, both of Dallas. I can see how you would get the names confused.

Your grand Hyatt is at the very least interesting, but who looks at a green glass box and goes 'wow!'?

[Austin55]

Fort Worth magazine's cover and main article is "Fort Worth's Changing Skyline". Be sure to check it out.

[Austin55]

I felt the need to express this here to,first refer here and listen in:http://fortworthology.com/2008/10/14/the-fort-worthology-show-episode-2-the-tarrant-county-college-buildings/#comment-15633

heres what I said:
Also-Im very concerned that Bingy here is also in charge of the Trinity River Vision. thats just a scary prospect to me. hopefully itll keep a classical urban style, and give our own Riverwalk, like SA. hopefully itll end up looking like this:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=2980276&postcount=20

[Austin55]

Fort Worth's newest proposal, designed by my "hobby" architecture firm Micro Architecture :)
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x111/austin5555/DWew32.jpg

If only, just my lil fantasy. You like?

Edit-heres my vision for the sundance square surface lot with the jett building (chisolm trail mural). just a quickie but you get the idea. Honestly I dont really care for it much myself.
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x111/austin5555/p2.jpg
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x111/austin5555/P1.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

Here's a streetcar update:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/3024470144_946d2f4315_o.jpg

I've put together this map of the starter system based on the more firmly decided routes, my own logic on the more vague routes, and word of mouth from a variety of sources. Downtown has been identified as using Lancaster on the south end, Commerce or Calhoun on the east end, Belknap, Weatherford, 1st, or 2nd on the north end, and Throckmorton or Houston on the west end, so I just drew that following what seemed logical. I added a jog over to the ITC. The actual downtown route will be decided after engineering but I figure this at least gives a good idea. I've heard from a few people of an extension to the Trinity Bluffs on Samuels Avenue as part of the downtown core, so I drew up one but it may have no basis in reality. I have no idea how that will be done, but this route seemed logical. The Cultural District route is pretty well established. Same for the Near Southside line - I show a simpler "hook" line up 7th Avenue to Terrell from Magnolia (to link up Plaza, Cook Children's, and Harris Methodist) instead of the earlier loop designs based on recent conversations I've had.

Note that this is just for the starter system - future extensions that have been discussed, such as Berry Street/TCU, Stockyards, and Texas Wesleyan University, are not shown as they will not be built as part of the initial phase.

This isn't gospel at all, but ought to give a good visual for discussion.

[Austin55]

what are the possible TCU connections?

[Atomic Glee]

what are the possible TCU connections?

The easy route would be that which was shown in the whitepaper - extending from Magnolia down 8th Avenue to Berry, then down Berry to University, then down University to Bluebonnet Circle and back up the same route. What will actually get built, though, might wind up being different. There are other routes I can think of but 8th-Berry-University-Bluebonnet makes good sense.

[Atomic Glee]

Newly updated West 7th tenant diagram:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/3059266984_cedacf5977_b.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

I got the chance over the weekend to look at another historic building redevelopment that is quietly underway in South Main Village, the urban village centered around South Main in the Near Southside. South Main needs a lot of help, and slowly but surely and with little fanfare, redevelopment is picking up over there, lot by lot, block by block.

Previously, I've shown pictures of the Sawyer Grocery buildings at South Main and Daggett, now open as apartments over retail spaces after a redevelopment by developer Eddie Vanston. I've also shown Eddie's next project, 311 Bryan, aka the Miller Manufacturing Building, near the Sawyer buildings. 311 Bryan is now being redeveloped into 15 lofts.

A block away from 311 Bryan, at Bryan & Broadway, yet another historic building collection is now under redevelopment by another local developer. I'm speaking of the B of L F and E building, a former union hall, and the old machine shop adjacent to it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/3072329079_57b0c3cd70.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/3072328335_b3c262b2ee.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/3073166304_b9692ea337.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/3073166040_56491e6b5f.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/3072327449_dc80bbd9d2.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/3073165320_5b24243d84.jpg

The collection of buildings is under redevelopment right now into a mixed-use project. The B of L F and E building will feature a second floor residence over a first-floor flex space which can be used for retail, office, creative/artistic space, residential, or some combination of all the above. The machine shop building will be cleared out and will house residential units, artistic space, a courtyard, a gym facility, and a large space which could be several things - open air market, beer garden, restaurant, or what have you. Eventually, it will also have a rooftop deck for use of the second floor B of L F and E residence.

This is the view currently inside the B of L F and E ground floor. The storefront facade will be restored to its original appearance. The ground floor will feature a full bathroom and the rest will be open flex space which can be configured into a variety of residential and/or commercial/artistic/retail uses.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/3072318251_c3bc7945ee.jpg

Inside the machine shop building. Most of the machinery will be leaving, but some of the older and more interesting pieces will be retained and integrated into the redevelopment. Several of the tables and workbenches are going to be reworked into a variety of pieces in the new project - one large work table I saw was going to be converted into a fire pit for food cooking, another solid steel slab table was going to be polished and used as a kitchen counter, and another was going to be cleaned up and mated with a marble countertop in another unit.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/3073157390_a01df5cda9.jpg

This large space is planned for a use like a market, restaurant, beer garden, or the like.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/3073158232_78ff24084d.jpg

Most of the machinery is 1940s/1950s vintage, with some pieces dating back to the 1800s.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/3073158578_85c203b738.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/3073158760_7520bb27f8.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/3073158894_e9ecb03901.jpg

This chain link fenced area will be a gym space for residents. A large open area which it faces will become a courtyard.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/3072321155_b6e23beb2a.jpg

Upstairs in the B of L F and E building. The formerly covered windows have been opened and new windows are downstairs ready to be installed.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/3072321493_20eb7c965f.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3186/3072321677_7cdda18ac5.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/3072321821_c06425669a.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/3073160170_cc207f68b5.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3043/3073160472_8ca5cc0271.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/3072322573_bac0bc3e60.jpg

The large open space, the former union hall, will be the main living/dining area. A kitchen will be created at the back by the row of closets.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/3073161036_12d8b9c927.jpg

That doorway leads to another room, where the bedroom and bathroom will be located.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/3072323167_0f82a51ec9.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/3072323809_988199c45b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/3073162186_e9cc759e98.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/3072324151_bc97a8cf47.jpg

Inside what will be the bedroom. The covered over windows will be restored to let light back in. The window at the rear (not shown here) will be opened into a doorway to the rooftop deck on part of the machine shop building.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/3072324449_b0744c7d0e.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/3073162836_24e7b4c730.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/3072324885_1d0d9408e3.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/3073163356_3d3dedaf95.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/3072325347_7ba6d1be5d.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/3073163672_4667e9f497.jpg

Back down in another part of the machine shop building. This will be residential and artistic space. The large machine in the middle is planned to become part of the kitchen in this unit, with a marble countertop added.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3201/3073163848_c81fe7251a.jpg

The various knobs, dials, and wheels from the machinery are also going to be saved and incorporated.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/3073164084_fb5eb72145.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/3072326149_090174464b.jpg

Inside more residential/artistic space.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/3072326417_eeb2291e90.jpg

This drill press, which I was told is from the 1800s, will be saved and incorporated into the development as an art piece.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/3073164770_de3b4ecd31.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/3073165116_6850dd4ca0.jpg

[Atomic Glee]

New pics of the Omni and the new city parking garage next door (the Omni's own parking is underground):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/3117620402_21e8bc1a1a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/3117621482_6352142ca4_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/3116793691_f75945e95c_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/3117621022_5497707c48_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3117621202_41a89295d1_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/3117620732_1347432bc8_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/3117620582_35bb76b206_o.jpg

[tjh1]

The Omni is a very attractive building. By far the nicest skyscraper in FW.

[Atomic Glee]

I figure the Sinclair Building is, and always will be, the best skyscraper in Fort Worth. :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3106/3121480434_8a1805bf93_o.jpg

[tjh1]

I should have been more specific. I was referring to buildings over 30 stories. But yes, the Sinclair is a very attractive building. I also very much like the Woolworth building (XTO headquarters) and 714 Main.

[Austin55]

No no NO! itd have to be the corrections center!!!

Sinclair is FW's best, better than the courthouse IMO. My favorite skyscraper is Peir 1(NKA cheasapeake). Sinclair is probably better than almost any other skyscraper in the world, for thart matter.

[Atomic Glee]

The Woolworth Building is a three-story office building with a Jos. A. Bank, jazz lounge, and fondue place. XTO's headquarters is the W. T. Waggoner Building. /details :)

Buildings over 30 stories are overrated. None of the new stuff can hold a candle to Sinclair, Burk Burnett, the T&P, etc.

[Atomic Glee]

Trinity Terrace (retirement condos) has announced their third tower, to be called River Tower. River Tower will be a 20 story, 238 foot tall tower on Downtown's Upper West Side overlooking the Trinity River. It joins the City Tower, the shorter tower built last year. River Tower will be Trinity Terrace's tallest tower. It was designed by the Portland architecture firm Ankrom Moisan.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/3136086052_35f1e4f118_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/3136086116_8524c1bce0_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/3135265319_3d5828c670_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/3135265411_47b7c46ffb_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/3135265247_995e2ce9f2_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3136086272_cdb57b6cbf_o.jpg

[tjh1]

The Woolworth Building is a three-story office building with a Jos. A. Bank, jazz lounge, and fondue place. XTO's headquarters is the W. T. Waggoner Building. /details :)


Waggoner! That's what i meant. I knew it was W something.

[KevinFromTexas]

The W.T. Waggoner and the Flatiron are my favorites in Fort Worth. They are so classy.

[Austin55]

Can we get rid of the old Trinity Terrace? I like this new one though, the skybridge is kinda weird but probaly has alot of safety benifits.