SkyscraperPage Forum

SkyscraperPage Forum (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/index.php)
-   City Compilations (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=87)
-   -   MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST | (Biloxi, Gulfport, and other MS Coastal Cities) (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132354)

Velastor Nov 20, 2007 6:03 AM

It looks as if Revelay increased the size of their waterpark like features in the front of the resort as they make the height and size of the building smaller. While it doesn't look as tall in the new rendering...it looks thicker on the sides, but that might have to do with it being slightly shorter looking.


I believe that if the Palace would go ahead and announce their expansion plans, it might provide even more motivation for the Isle to try and rush their new plans...Althought I don't want them to throw together a crappy big resort and hope that size will make them compete with everyone else. Isn't the Isle's gambling floor still split into two seperate parts...The one near the entrance by the lava bar and the other one upstairs past the buffet. I haven't been to the Isle since right after they opened up the new food court and lava bar area.

BnaBreaker Nov 20, 2007 6:09 AM

Thanks for this thread! It is so good to see this area finally being re-developed, and that is the most important point. I will say though that the design on most of these projects, both from an architectural standpoint and an urban design standpoint, are really really bad, in my opinion.

Like I said, that isn't what is important right now, but it's unfortunate that it appears to be developing back into another inefficient sprawled out beach resort.

Red UM Rebel Nov 20, 2007 2:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker (Post 3178848)
Thanks for this thread! It is so good to see this area finally being re-developed, and that is the most important point. I will say though that the design on most of these projects, both from an architectural standpoint and an urban design standpoint, are really really bad, in my opinion.

Like I said, that isn't what is important right now, but it's unfortunate that it appears to be developing back into another inefficient sprawled out beach resort.

There are some very nice architectural projects going in like the new Ohr-Okeefe museum which is a Frank Gerhy (sp) design. Also the new convention center is going to be nice. The limitation that most of these condos have is that they have to build very sturdy structures to even be allowed to build and not that you can not build something beautiful and it not be sturdy, but the cost of construction is just too high. I think though that several of the condos like South Beach, Vieux Crescente, and The Ocean Club have brought architectural styles to the coast that have not been their previously.

You should have seen what was down there before the storm :yuck: It really is a vast improvement

Red UM Rebel Nov 21, 2007 12:53 AM

Residents Sound Off At Biloxi Council Meeting
 
LINK


Annexation, a new hotel and a gas station were all hot topics at Monday's Biloxi City Council Meeting. But some residents were surprised at how things turned out.

The meeting started with council going into a 45 minute executive session. After that, Biloxi residents got their chance to speak.

Several residents expressed their opposition about Biloxi's fight with the city of D'Iberville over expanding the city's northern boundaries by more than 12 miles.

"I think you bit off more than you can chew by annexing what you have," one resident said.

Council was set to re-visit the issue after councilman Mike Fitzpatrick proposed an ordinance which would reverse the council's August vote to proceed with annexation, but ultimately council pulled it off the agenda. Now the city will continue its land battle with the city of D'Iberville.

Rebuilding a gas station along Highway 90 was another hot topic at the meeting.

"Within reason, we can't have too many of them but one is not too many. If we want people to show up as far as tourists and establishment, or to reestablish that market in which we were founded on, we've got to show up first," said councilman Charles Harrison, Jr.

However, some council members fear that the look of traditional gas stations will not work with the city's plan of revitalization. So leaders with Clark Oil presented new plans for their beach front property.

"We've changed the canopy, we've changed the building not to look like the conventional gas station," said Barry Rose with Clark Oil.

With Clark's revised plan, the city gave the go-ahead for the oil company to move forward with rebuilding. Now it's up to the planning commission whether or not the city of Biloxi will move one step closer to putting gas back on the beach.

The council also passed a resolution for the application of a new Hilton Garden Inn. The seven story hotel would be located on Beach Boulevard near Rodenberg. Developers are still working with the council on traffic and drainage issues. If that plan is approved, contractors would begin building as early as February 2008.

by Elise Roberts

Red UM Rebel Nov 21, 2007 5:12 AM

The Many Images of Revelay
 
There has actually been three different designs of Revelay put out there. I would bet the third is the most likely to be built.


First design:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1042/...f0c687d8_o.jpg



Second design:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1177/...75b8afe3_o.jpg



Third design:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2039/...b92065f1_o.jpg

With the third (and hopefully final) design, they look like they have added some stories back, added some height and better design to those smaller portions out on the front, made the round areas that are on the main face back into square areas, and taken the triangle roof off the main face.

BLX 101 Nov 21, 2007 6:32 PM

The Many Images of Revelay
 
My preference is the first design but honestly, I'm just ready for it to be built.

BLX 101 Nov 21, 2007 7:08 PM

Edgewater Shopping Complex
 
The redevelopment of Edgewater Mall and Village on Biloxi beach is coming together. At Edgewater Village, along with Anchors such as Ashley Furniture and Books-A-Million will be H&R Block, Sprint, Kirkland's, Sally's Beauty Supply, Staple's, an unnamed shoe store and several restaurants. Of the restaurants, one will be an Itallian bistro and another, a Mexi-Cali grill & sports bar. Other stores will be announced soon. Several new stores in Edgewater Mall have opened, remodeled and moved to new locations. Dillard's is on the fast track with an opening set for March. Hopefully, the mall will be announcing new outparcel restaurants soon. It is high time for restaurants to return to the beach front. I think a good mix would be Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday's on the south end (beach front) of the mall and TGI Friday's and Chili's on the northern end next to JCPenny. There is also a vacant restaurant in the mall between JCPenny and the food court that would be an excellent location for an Outback Steakhouse. Existing restaurants in Edgewater mall are the popular Bonefish & Grill and Piccadilly. I was going to attach a photo but I have not mastered that just yet. With Simon properties 250,000sf Shops at Margaritaville, Biloxi will have a nice mix of retail. A New York developer is proposing 2,000,000sf of retail in a huge mix-use development just north of I-10 along the new Hwy 67 corridor that Biloxi and D'Iberville are battling over in court. The new four lane highway isn't scheduled to be completely opened for another year but already there are more than a half dozen new residential and mix-use developments going up along and near the corridor with Tradition being the most significant (over 4,000 acres) with three residential communities--two being golf communities. This is also where the new St. Patrick High School is and where the future William Carey University Gulf Coast campus will open fall 2009. It was also recently announced that Gulf Coast Medical Center near Edgewater Mall will close its doors on the first of January and will soon start construction at a new site north of I-10. Biloxi Regional Medical Center has already announced a partnership with Tradition to build a medical office park to be called Tradition Regional Medical Complex. I'm betting that the new hospital will be in the Tradition community. The developer of Edgewater Village is Peyton Cottrell who is also developing Bayou Bridges, a retail center in D'Iberville at the southeast intersection of I-10 and I-110. The founder of Tradition is Joseph Canizaro. They are both commercial real estate moguls from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Cottrell, born in Gulfport, has his headquarters and made his fortune in Houston, Texas and Canizaro, born in Biloxi, made his fortune in New Orleans during the boom era, building huge commercial buildings. He has since moved back to Biloxi where he bought the massive property and for the last several years has been developing Tradition where he is building a new home.

http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite...lww2t006a00001

http://racanellidevelopment.com/

http://traditionms.com/home.htm

http://woodmont.com/index.cfm?FuseAc...PageID=1000000

http://www.gomdot.com/Home/news/proj...s/67south2.pdf

http://www.gomdot.com/Home/news/proj...ps/67north.pdf

BLX 101 Nov 22, 2007 12:55 AM

Coast Casinos Featured in Article
 
Coast Casinos Featured in article on Katrina Recovery Filed 11/21/07

A recent article in a nationally distributed amusement trades magazine by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) features what several Coast casinos have done to recover from hurricane Katrina. The article focuses on the Imperial Palace President and General Manager, Jon Lucas and highlights the IP's steps to recovery after Hurricane Katrina. To read the full article, click on the following link IAAPA Article.



http://www.iaapa.org/industry/funwor...ingKatrina.asp

Red UM Rebel Nov 22, 2007 4:34 AM

Thanks for the story BLX, I really enjoyed it. I clicked on a link within the story and got another story about casinos which might be of some interest:

Tumbling Dice

Some points of interest:
  • In one of the stories it says the IP's master plan for the next couple of years is to add another hotel tower with 500-700 rooms. Although I am disappointed because that means the second tower will be smaller than the first, I would not be surprised if they started releasing designs for that building within the next couple of months to six months. I would bet they are waiting till Bacaran breaks ground so they can take some steam out of that engine. They also said they plan on adding some retail area, onshore gaming, and another huge entertainment venue. I have to hand it to Jon Lucas at the IP, that is the most incredible turn-around of a casino ever. I remember the days before Katrina when I would go in there for movies and thought it was one of the most shabby places. A friend and I were stunned by what we saw when we went in there recently. I can only hope that others on the Coast step up their game like the IP :tup:
  • At the end of Tumbling Dice (written about the Hard Rock finally opening) they talked about the Palace Casino Expansion. That is the first place that I have seen where the Palace has clearly leaked their plans for what they would like to build. It says about a 650 room second hotel tower. I am very interested to see where they put this on their land. If they put it adjoining there original tower, than I believ same room to bee that it will be a twenty to thirty story tower. For perspective on what 650 rooms is the size of: the hotel would have a few less rooms than the Isle, but could not be nearly as long as the Isle due to land restrictions. (how many floors is the Isle btw)
  • I hope we will also see permanent design plans for the two D'Iberville casinos and the Bayview Resort soon. They have been talked about now for upwards of two to three years, so normally when they are talked about that long they will sooner or later proliferate into a real casino. I just hope it is sooner!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I found an article from 2003 talking about how the latest casino to open was in 1999 (Beau Rivage) and how six new projects were on the table then. The author of the article said she doubted most of any of the projects were to develop. I will post link, but I will pull out the part I am talking about:

Article

Quote:
"If all the projects that have been announced went forward at the same time, the skyline would once again be dotted with
numerous construction cranes. But that is a big "if."

The project considered most likely to go forward in the near future is the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Biloxi just cast of Beau Rivage in Biloxi. The $225million project would, include 50,000 square feet of gambling space, a 306-room hotel, four restaurants, a parking garage, a pool and a Hard Rock Live nightclub for national and local performers. The project is being developed by partners Greg Giuffria, a former rock star who is a native of Pascagoula now living in Las Vegas, Florida developer David Ross and Roy Anderson III with Roy Anderson Construction.

Other casino projects proposed on the Coast include the Rock-N-Roll casino on Back Bay Biloxi, the Royal D'Iberville Casino in D'Iberville just west of the I110 bridge, a casino on Caillevet St. in Biloxi proposed by Sen. Tommy Gollott and other investors, a project next to Diamondhead in Hancock County, and a casino at the site of the former Bayou Caddy in Waveland. The Coast currently has 12 casinos.

While there may be some room for growth, no one believes all six casino projects will be built."


Well Ms. Becky Gillette,
  • Hard Rock has opened (finally)
  • Rock-N-Roll Casino is the Bayview Casino Resort Group and it still is in the works. I have begged Dale-Morris to give me renderings but they are undergoing changes at the moment and cannot release them. Undergoing changes is pretty positive I would say.
  • Royal D'Iberville will have all permits and approvals by the end of the year and will be a go
  • Bacaran Bay on Caillevet is a go, and I am waiting anxiously for the ground breaking
  • Diamondhead is still in works, much like Broadwater, it will be a long time, but something will get built there.
  • Bayou Caddy is the Silver Slipper Casino
  • Oh yea, the Vieux and Margaritaville did not seem to make your list, thats a shame

Red UM Rebel Nov 22, 2007 6:16 AM

Map of East Biloxi
 
(other places coming)

The Map is from www.mapquest.com, and I used Paint to add in the other info. It is the location of the current and proposed casinos in East Biloxi

http://lh4.google.com/RedUMRebel/R0U...%20EBiloxi.bmp

BLX 101 Nov 22, 2007 4:49 PM

Tumbling Dice
 
To my knowledge, the Palace still has yet to reveal specific plans for their expansion. I read the article also and I'm convinced that they have it wrong. Those descriptions are of the Bacaran Bay Casino that precedes it. Compare the description to Bacaran's website.


PROPOSED

Bacaran Bay Casino Resort —A $500 million project owned and operated by Torguson Gaming Group, this [Palace Casino Resort] 638-room all-suite facility is scheduled to open fall 2008. It will also include 432 one- and two-bedroom condominiums, an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, a 40-lane bowling alley, and a six-screen movie theater.


http://bacaranbay.com/

BLX 101 Nov 22, 2007 5:13 PM

Isle Number of Floors
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Red UM Rebel (Post 3182751)
Thanks for the story BLX, (how many floors is the Isle btw)


The Isle has fourteen floors which includes two Lower Floors (Atrium Casino, Human Resources, Employee areas; Hotel Lobby/Main Casino Floor) and Floor One (Spa, Fitness and Pool Deck) thru Floor Twelve (Rooms and Suites).

Red UM Rebel Nov 26, 2007 2:16 PM

A favorite bar finally finds a new home
 
LINK

One of the first pictures I saw of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was taken at Edgewater Village in Biloxi.

It caught my eye because I saw the wreckage that was the Village Sports Pub, my favorite hangout before the storm.

There were people that I met there who are still good friends today. I watched the Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918 there. I watched a couple of Stanley Cups and some Super Bowls there.

Word from the owners right after the storm was that they were going to be back.

"This just didn't work out there," said Larry McGwire, one of the original owners.

Well, it's not at Edgewater Village and it's not an exact replica, but as of two weeks ago, the Village Sports Pub returned as part of the Island Strikz Entertainment Complex on Pass Road just west of DeBuys Road.

Larry McGwire, and John Bell, along with their two partners in the Island Strikz, made the decision to rename the sports bar at the complex the Village Sports Pub.

"Naturally, we'd love to trade off the old name a little and bring that type of atmosphere here," McGwire said. "But we also want people to know there is somewhere to go and have some fun."

And for those who are old-time Sports Pubbers, there even is one of the original tables with the old logo on it known as the "manager's table."

"It's the only original table left," McGwire said with a smile. "It was out being repaired (when the storm hit.) That's why it survived."

There are a couple of pool tables and some dart boards set up, along with Packers, Steelers and Saints paraphernalia on the walls below the flat-screen TVs.

"We have one dart league this year and hope to have two next season," McGwire said. "This is the same, friendly atmosphere."

McGwire said in addition to the Sports Pub sign and the darts and pool, some menu changes are being made to add some Sports Pub favorites.

McGwire said T-shirts and collared shirts for the Pub will be back and he hopes some of the old patrons will return as well.

"We had a lot of years to build up a good reputation. We want to try to do something with it."


:cheers:

Red UM Rebel Nov 28, 2007 1:27 AM

BLX or anyone else down there...

What is the status of the Bacaran Bay. They still not have "official" broke ground, but I know construction work was going on at the site. Do you have any idea?

Red UM Rebel Nov 28, 2007 2:19 AM

Jackson County supervisors take stand against casino
 
Motion reflects voter opposition
By KAREN NELSON
klnelson@sunherald.com

LINK

PASCAGOULA --The Jackson County Board of Supervisors, after a quick spat, voted 3-1 to take a stand against a casino proposed for the county by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

More than 60 percent of voters in the general election earlier this month came out against the casino. The referendum was taken to gauge voter opinion on the issue, but is not legally binding.

So supervisors Monday took a stand that reflects the vote.

Supervisor John McKay simply made a motion stating that the Jackson County Board of Supervisors is opposed to the casino. He said it was needed to "reaffirm the vote of the people" in case the issue ever goes before the governor. He said the county needs to show that the local government as well as the people oppose it.

BLX 101 Nov 29, 2007 1:06 AM

Bacaran Bay Casino
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Red UM Rebel (Post 3191903)
BLX or anyone else down there...

What is the status of the Bacaran Bay. They still not have "official" broke ground, but I know construction work was going on at the site. Do you have any idea?


No news since my previous post regarding Bacaran Bay Casino on page six. The work that was going on previously, was pre-construction work to address drainage, relocating a lift station and the removal of old debris from the site. They have a pre-construction site work video posted on their web page. I suspect that actual construction will begin no later than the first quarter of 2008. This project will definitely go forward.


http://bacaranbay.com/

BLX 101 Nov 29, 2007 1:40 AM

Biloxi/Gulfport Retail Scene
 
Posted on Wed, Nov. 28, 2007
Target has eye on D'Iberville; maybe Olive Garden, too
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


D’IBERVILLE -- Target has drawn its big red bull’s-eye on D’Iberville, and Olive Garden could also be among the dozens of national restaurants and retailers opening in the city in 2009.
The word the Coast has been waiting years to hear —plans for a Target — were announced at Tuesday night’s D’Iberville Planning Commission meeting. Developers asked for a sign variance and zero lot-line setbacks at D’Iberville Market Place shopping center near the intersection of interstates 10 and 110.

The board unanimously gave its approval for both variances; the requests will go before the City Council on Dec. 18.

For years, rumors have circulated about a Target in Gulfport, and Mayor Brent Warr said Tuesday night the city is talking to the company, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

“We have communicated with the individuals who represent (Target), and we would be happy to have them in Gulfport,” Warr said.

Todd Blowers, vice president of Forum Development Group of Atlanta, asked for the sign variance in D’Iberville and said Target has requested two signs with its trademark red bull’s-eye.

“We have not closed with Target,” Todd Bond, director of planning and retail development with Colonial Properties Trust in Atlanta, said outside the meeting. The developers also still have to close on some of the property off Sangani Blvd.

Bond said they plan to build an approximately 700,000-square-foot shopping center, with nine anchors, three major tenants and 12 other businesses on the perimeter of the shopping center. About 50,000 square feet will be shops, and 10 restaurants are planned.

Asked if Olive Garden was one of the restaurants, Bond said, “We’re hoping. We like them.”

“It’s going to be a great project,” said Blowers. “We’re hoping to start the first quarter of 2008.”

Bond said the shopping center could open in two phases, with the first section ready in March 2009 and the second phase complete in July that same year.

“We’re going fast,” said Bond. “We have leases signed,” but he couldn’t reveal which shops and restaurants are coming at this point because they are national, public companies. He did say “all major categories will be represented.”

The developers are forming a public/private partnership with the city of D’Iberville to build the infrastructure for the shopping center, which will include a four-lane boulevard with turning lanes and connections with Mississippi 67 and Interstate 110.


http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=7422233


One of the developers is the Forum Group out of Atlanta which was previously slated to develop the retail portion of the initial Broadwater project that once included the 38-story Portofino condominiums south of the marina.


http://www.forumdevgroup.com/homepage.html


http://colonialprop.com/


Hopefully other stores such as Macy's, Kohls, Burlington Coat Factory, and Marshalls will be coming to this area. With the planned reopening of Dillard's, Edgewater Village and the Shops at Margaritaville, the Biloxi/Gulport retail scene looks promising. Especially along the new Hwy 67 corridor in North Biloxi.

BLX 101 Nov 29, 2007 2:00 AM

Beau View Towers
 
Beau View to start second of four planned towers. Penthouses already reserved.





Posted on Wed, Nov. 28, 2007
Biloxi council OKs restaurant, two condos
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- The American Casserole Restaurant and two condo projects won the unanimous approval of Biloxi City Council on Tuesday.
With three council members absent because of illness, the board moved quickly through the agenda and praised developers for working with the city to get their projects passed.

Desporte and Sons Inc. will build the American Casserole Restaurant at 1067 Division Street, the former site of Hugo's Restaurant.

Briarfield Beach Cottages Condominiums at 157 Briarfield Ave. cleared the council after owners Michael and Deborah Lerner eliminated one unit and the proposed stacked parking, and removed all variances. The council had sent the original plans back to the Planning Commission after the first review, objecting to too many units and variances on an acre of land.

Councilman George Lawrence said the council is trying to see that projects have the least impact on the city and said the Briarfield developers did the right thing by redesigning the project.

The council rezoned nearly 11 acres on Beach Boulevard from B-2 community business to B-3 hospitality business for Beau View Towers, which corresponds with neighboring properties and approved a conditional use to allow owners to rent their units.

Kevin Bzoch, acquisition and development manager for Florida-based Davis Companies, the developer of Beau View, said about a third of the owners would like to rent their condos on a short-term basis; the others will live there full time.

"People are looking for more permanent residential homes," he said, without the maintenance and responsibility that comes with single-family-home ownership. The units range from a 1,400-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath condo to a 3,700-square-foot unit. Both penthouses in the first tower are sold and Bzoch said they already are reserved in the second tower, which he expects to be under construction next year.

A myth in the marketplace is waterfront properties can't be insured, said Bzoch. "We had over 40 insurance companies bidding on our insurance." Developers can get insurance, he said. "You have to design for it."

Red UM Rebel Nov 30, 2007 5:40 PM

Ohr's phoenix rising again with museum
 
Mad Potter survived fire, museum outlived storm
By KAT BERGERON
kbergeron@sunherald.com

Fire and storm swirl in an unlikely tale of the rebirth of a 19th-century Biloxi art potter and his 21st-century museum. This rare international story captures the imagination of all who treasure art and architecture - or survival.

When George E. Ohr lost his life's work and his pottery complex in an 1894 blaze that destroyed much of downtown Biloxi, he was undefeated. The clay wizard peddled $1 tickets, redeemable for wares once the self-styled Mud Dauber was back in business.

Ohr raised $800, or $17,300 in today's dollars, to build a pottery complex that turned Mississippi clays into both utilitarian and magical shapes that awe the modern art world. Before clearing the fire debris, he salvaged hundreds of scorched clay pots, set them on shelves that rimmed his fence and affectionately called them his "burned babies."

Ohr's phoenix-like rebirth inspires the rejuvenation of a museum dedicated to him. It was designed by a 21st-century architectural wizard whose work is as sensual and zany as Ohr's ceramics. Frank Gehry's head-turning design was beginning to take shape on the Biloxi beachfront when Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005.

The future of the ravaged Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art was uncertain. The scarred, leafless ancient oaks, integral to Gehry's "Dance with the Trees" design, were pitiful. Although Gehry's innovative techniques allowed for hurricanes, the structures were not far enough along in construction to withstand Katrina's fury.

Two nearly completed "pods" of the four that would comprise the George E. Ohr Gallery opened like flower petals. The Center for Ceramics stood, but needs repairs and completion. The Gallery of African-American Art was hit by a barge; the Pleasant Reed House, built by a freed slave and moved to the museum's campus as part of the its more encompassing cultural mission, simply disappeared.

Like Ohr in 1894, the museum staff, trustees and supporters, indeed the art world itself, stood on a precipice. Rebuild? Walk away? The costs to reconstruct and finish would be astronomical and money was uncertain in the wake of Katrina.

Like Ohr in 1894, no one threw in the proverbial towel. First announced plans were to build back with just a part of Gehry's original design. Now, with a $15 million insurance payment and other help from government and private grants and a small but continuous flow of donations, rebuilding plans have expanded and work is again under way.

"Since the storm, the museum has used the theme 'Ohr Rising' because we are inspired by Ohr's not only coming back after the fire but creating the best work of his life," said Marjie Gowdy, the museum's director.

When finished, the pods will be encased in angelhair-brushed stainless steel and topped with a glass atrium that will make the pods and tree limbs seem to dance as one. Saturday's pod party is the museum's message that it has accepted a vital role in the rebirth and economic redevelopment of the Katrina-ravaged Mississippi Coast. The grand opening for at least three of the main buildings, including the Ohr Gallery, may come as early as December 2009. Construction contracts will be awarded in January.

"I believe the mission of the museum has changed since Katrina," said Larry Clark, trustee president and co-owner of Butch Oustalet Autoplex in Gulfport. "We now have greater responsibility to promote historical and cultural preservation than before the storm. We have the opportunity to develop a quality of life that will make people want to live here."

When Ohr rebuilt his pottery in 1894, the region was in the midst of an economic boom from the rising seafood industry. Now, the expected boom emanates from resort casinos and repackaging of coastal amenities that have long made this a desirable place to live and visit.

The Gehry-designed museum is expected to give art an even bigger post-Katrina role.

"We feel another part of our mission is economic development," Clark said. "The museum can bring a caliber of tourists to the Coast that will be attracted no other way."

When George Ohr rebuilt after the fire, he constructed an unusual pagoda tower that brought the curious and was featured in post cards.

There are other analogies to the 1894 fire. The museum is peddling fundraising clay bricks that could be Ohr's long-ago tickets, and as for the burned babies, those could easily be the survivor oaks so integral to the Gehry design.

Amazingly, only one oak was lost to the storm. Remaining trees have been trimmed of hurt limbs, fertilized and their soil aerated. They still hurt, but those who understand trees see the new-growth leaves as miraculous.

"The oaks make the Frank Gehry experience here unlike anywhere else - Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Bilbao, Spain," said Clark.

Because of Gehry's first impressions in 2000, the Ohr oaks will forever be in a protected dance that includes an upside-down water-fertilizing system under the terrace and buildings.

"Because of the trees, we were given the 3-inch rule by Gehry," said Joey Crain, of Guild Hardy Architects, the Mississippi firm hired by Gehry. "We could move a surface up to three inches, but if we move it more, we have to get permission."

As local project architect ,Crain must see that all structural skeletons, mechanical systems such as air conditioning, and piers for the buildings and terrace co-exist in tight spaces without compromising Gehry's aesthetics. Modern technology made that possible.

"Arborists exposed every root, which gave us GPS points," Crain said. "We reconstructed the root network on a computer and then we knew where we couldn't put our 600 piles."

Once the trees and major limbs were mapped and a scale model constructed, Gehry took snub-nosed pliers, tape and poster board and designed the buildings among the model trees.

Computer fabrications and other scale models led to Gehry's final design. Groundbreaking came in 2003, and Gehry's intriguing shapes began appearing.

Twenty-seven months after Katrina, 10 trucks arrived with giant pod sections - some replacements, others made before the storm but never installed. Now the dance begins again, and soon nine more oaks will be planted as future dance partners, as Gehry had planned even before the storm losses.

"George Ohr had so many tragedies in his life, from the loss of children to the 1894 fire. But in his writings, Ohr told us, 'Some day, they will build a temple in my honor.' This Frank Gehry museum is the temple."

- Brian Nettles, Pass Christian and Ohr-O'Keefe Museums of Art potter

"The trees will be bigger and better dance partners than before the storm."

--Larry Clark, president, Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art trustee board president

If you go

What: A free public rebuilding celebration, The Dance Begins, on the construction site of the new Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art.

Time: 10 a.m. until noon Saturday.

The event: Local foods (Slavonian pusharatas and pastries from the Vietnamese-American La Bakery); music, including the Gulf Coast Symphony Youth Orchestra and the National Anthem by Keesler 81st Training Wing; tours of the Ohr pods under construction; pottery demonstrations; special guests such as Brian Zamora of Gehry Partners, Harold Closter of Smithsonian Affiliations, Dance Begins chair Judy Steckler and U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor.

Where: 386 East Beach Blvd., Biloxi, about a mile east of the newly open Biloxi Bay Bridge. (Park at old Lady Luck and Biloxi Yacht Club parking lots, both on U.S. 90; drop-off for the handicapped is from Howard Avenue by turning south on either Kuhn or Sophie streets, to Meaut Street. Wheelchair access at the two open gates on the north side of the museum campus.)

Event lagniappe: Video for YouTube produced by Anne Kotleba, an original Katrina volunteer at the museum, who produced this in honor of the rebuilding ceremony, youtube.com


LINK


Images from Sun Herald:

http://media.sunherald.com/smedia/20...filiate.77.jpg



http://media.sunherald.com/smedia/20...filiate.77.jpg


http://media.sunherald.com/smedia/20...filiate.77.jpg

Red UM Rebel Dec 3, 2007 5:39 PM

In search of theme for Coast theme attraction
 
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com

LINK

He went to Orlando with the idea of luring a major amusement park to the Coast. But Larry Barnett came home with another idea.

The executive director of the Harrison County Development Commission, after talking to experts in the amusement field, said he realized the Coast may not have the population or visitors for a Six Flags-type amusement park.

Still he is encouraged. "I came away with the sense that we can establish some type of larger attraction. How large? I'm not sure about that yet." Local planners really need to stand back and look at what they want on the Coast, he said, and what fits this market.

Barnett and Marsha Crawford from the HCDC were among the 27,000 professionals at the Nov. 12-16 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo 2007 in Orlando. They went to learn all they could about the attractions business.

Since Hurricane Katrina washed away Fun Time USA on the beach in Gulfport and Biloxi Beach Amusement Park and Slippery Sam's in Biloxi, the market is wide open. Golden Nugget Casino had proposed building an amusement park on Point Cadet in Biloxi, but sold the property to the Isle of Capri.

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, said one thing he's learned in his 45 years in the industry and overseeing more than 450 projects is the adage " 'If you build it they will come' does not apply anymore."

The developers of Jazzland in New Orleans learned that, when they disregarded the market studies that said visitors go to New Orleans to party and eat, not for roller coasters. "They didn't want to believe it," Speigel said, and Hurricane Katrina was the final blow that closed the park.

Speigel said the first step in deciding what attractions should be built and where is the feasibility study. "It's really the road map for the project. We tell clients it's the most important step."

That's where a company like Jack Rouse & Associates of Cincinnati would step in. The firm designs theme parks as opposed to amusement parks and retrofits or creates rides to tell a story, said Shawn McCoy, VP Marketing and Business Development.

"Let the economic-feasibility study tell you what the idea is," he said. "We always try to find something that's unique to the geography." On the Coast that could be a tie-in to NASA's Infinity Visitor Center planned for Hancock County, the seafood industry or even the casinos. "That's critical mass," he said, that will make the Coast a destination. "That's key."

Barnett said the Coast casinos draw lots of tourists and the convention market draws business travelers. "The people that come to attractions may even be a different crowd," and he said understanding the attractions market is the same as working to bring restaurants, manufacturing and retail to the Coast.

Amusement parks generate $11.5 billion each year and are expected to reach $14 billion by 2011. Speigel said there really isn't a trend in amusement parks in the country because the only parks being built now are international.

Instead, resorts and casinos are incorporating attractions into their lodging, and in the northern states indoor waterparks within a resort are very popular.

McCoy said think beyond the norm. "Branson (Missouri) is a destination and it's not a theme park."

"It is a symphony of attractions," such as miniature golf courses and museums, that will create the critical mass that will help make the Coast a Tier 1 destination, said Sun Herald Publisher Ricky Mathews, who co-chairs the tourism committee of the Gulf Coast Business Council.

"We tend to forget that some of our most significant assets are right in front of our eyes," including the beach, the golf, fishing and even Beach Boulevard, he said.

Speigel recommends the Coast introduce attractions in phases. "Start properly and then build on demand. Study your market conditions very carefully and undertake a feasibility study. Based on what the study tells," he said, "don't exceed the parameters."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top 10 amusement parks outside Orlando

These are based on popularity among the Web site TripAdvisor.com's users and editors.

Hersheypark: Hershey, Pa. Amusement park and adjacent Hershey's Chocolate World.

Busch Gardens: Tampa, Fla. African-themed rides and zoo with 2,700 animals.

Cedar Point Amusement Park: Sandusky, Ohio. Known as the "roller coaster capital of the world."

Six Flags Fiesta Texas: San Antonio. Known for its shows and extreme rides.

Family Kingdom Amusement Park: Myrtle Beach, S.C. Oceanfront amusement park/waterpark.

Six Flags Great Adventure: Jackson, N.J. Known for thrill rides, tiger exhibit and kiddie attractions.

Paramount's Kings Island: Kings Island, Ohio. Home to The Beast, the world's longest wooden roller coaster.

Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park: Gatlinburg, Tenn. Indoor skating, alpine slide, fun house and a black bear habitat.

Coney Island, Brooklyn: N.Y. This park recently closed.

Paramount's Carowinds: Charlotte, N.C. Roller coasters, a wave pool and a three-story water jungle gym.

- TRIPADVISOR.COM


All times are GMT. The time now is 8:02 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.