Staunton - A Google SketchUp City

[Austin55]

did you look in the diagrams? You'd have to see pics though, I guess.

[Mocholate]

Gee i'd kill to get to that auto show !!
I wish you had turned the paving texture parralel with its surrounds,
though great shots

[FlyersFan118]

Pretty sure I've been to that place many times before...

Oh yeah, wasn't this guy there too like 30 years ago?



Hey, he even has a statue in front of it!




Great job though, in all seriousness.

[Patrick]

So its been a month since I actually updated. Well I have redone Galcorp Plaza and I'm currently improving Staunton's layout, many messed up roads, some ending abruptly and unrealistically.







1 Galcorp Plaza: completed 1976, 86 stories. Plans called for a 105 story tower which would have been the 4th tallest building in the world at the time, plans where later revised once more land was bought. Houses several important communications antennas atop the office penthouse of Alexander Galviston III. Tallest building in Staunton, 3rd in the country, headquarters for Staunton based Galviston Enterprises, 1169 feet high.
2 Galcorp Plaza: completed 1975, 56 stories. Originally planned as a twin tower but to save money during the massive urban renewal of Westly Avenue it was only constructed 2/3rds of the original height. Technically it was built to accommodate 28 more floors, so if needed the tower will expand (but thats far in the future, and Staunton is the land where time stands still! ) 779 feet.
3 Galcorp Plaza: completed 1979, 28 stories. Site was just a large parking lot for the city until underground parking space was finished for the complex. Site was just going to be a plaza but was built instead of completing 2 Galcorp Plaza, 389 feet, 1/3 of 1 Galcorp Plaza's height.
Marlon Galcorp Plaza North: completed 1985, 33 floors. Hotel component, 4 stars, first few floors parking garage, 436 feet.
Marlon Galcorp Plaza South: completed 1984, 20 floors. Hotel component, 4 stars, first few floors parking garage, 253 feet, constructed considerably shorter than its sibling due to air rights for Saint Nicholas' Church next door.

[drew11]

Patrick, how large is your city's file. Mine is coming close to 40mb.

[J.M.]

GalCorp.
Acctually, I like the whole GalCorp plaza now, It seems to be like the World Trade Center where you dont like it at first but you relize how big of a project it was and how much of a symbol it is to the City. Wanna know what would be suppa fly, a Skyscrapers.com World HQ

[Austin55]

Oh, I thought I had already
Commented. So great job, Ive always wondered what the whole thing looks like. Ofciurse it's Staunton so it's great.

[Aleks]

Great work Pat. Can't wait to see the 'new' Staunton. I really like Galcorp but for some reason I don't like the small buildings all around. It just looks very dense and repetitive. I get that that's kind of the point but something about it bothers me. I guess I really can't say what. It's just something. The main tower is fine though.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by drew11

Patrick, how large is your city's file. Mine is coming close to 40mb.

Staunton v5 was 37.4 MB
Staunton v4 was 52.4 MB

So guys I guess you've pretty much found out that I'm working on Staunton version 5. I hate to say it, I hate how I cant stay with one version, but as time goes on you can Imagine that I get more advanced, the older parts of the city become more and more crappy compared to the new ones.

BORING STUFF AHEAD!

So Staunton 5, I really hope I can stay with it, the future seems bright, in this version I made a semi-new plan, everything is totally clean, all the roads, crosswalks, and sidewalks are all measured the same, not like before. I went back to a grid style, but keeping some curves since this is a city founded in 1669 and needs some history. I'm taking more inspiration from Chicago and Boston, making it look less like a rip of New York City.

Midtown will still happen, a few blocks West of Downtown, when you look at the skyline from New Ganton there will be Downtown, a small dent for Callahan Village, the Train Station, New Ganton Bridge, then a second explosion of skyscrapers with Staunton Square.

Its not a total makeover, you'll still see much of the same, but the whole north side of Staunton (area torwards Jefferson) will be completly redone, as it now has a grid. The problem in Staunton 4 was that I just kept adding essential buildings like the Futures Exchange and Police Headquarters when I realized downtown had no room for them.

I mean, Staunton didnt even have a major Courthouse! We need a total neo-classical courthouse with pillars and steps. This is afterall, the city of justice.



SO thats the new map. Westly Center will remain virtually the same, just better. The Museum of History will be moved somewhere else as I just plopped it on the waterfront there in the last version. The Plaza District is a small cluster that contains Galcorp Plaza and the Garden State Building, this is the high end part of the skyline with the most prominent skyscrapers of the skyline. The Civic Center, or Farley Square. South of United American Avenue will consist of City Hall, One Police Plaza, Staunton County Courthouse, and the Staunton Supreme Courthouse. north of United American Avenue will be a line of large boxes from the 60's - 70's. The Financial District will be home to all the exchanges and major final institutions, several major skyscrapers and art deco towers like the UIG and Lloyd Towers. Fort Staunton will be a redone section of the waterfont, think Boston, here you will see many historical buildings and the docks.

So in conclusion...

I need your help. Before I proceed with going on, is there anything Staunton needs? Anything major that every major city has that you dont see on the map?

[Austin55]

A skyscraper? One would look great in Staunton.

Ughh Im such a sarcastic fag. Did Staunton ever have a big operahouse?

[Skyscraper100]

nice buildings patrick . nice museum too keep it up

[Aleks]

AHHH!!! Frank Lloyd Wright! That's what it needs! An Opera House would be nice. What about a local news station? Or some studios like the ones in Good Morning America or the Rockefeller Center. A HUGE store like the Bon Marche [sad that it was bought by stupid Macy's] or Nordstroms? A 5th Avenue NY. styled street where all the rich and famous shop? An 1800's hotel where some well liked president or mayor was killed and is now a city landmark?

[Austin55]

David m. Shwarz<use him as an opera house inspiration.

Aleks, don't forget the macfarlind or whatever center...

[Aleks]

What about a famous toy sore like FAO Schwartz?

[Wrightguy0]

Well, the historical district looks a bit squashed, some of the blooks in that area look to small, and the jefferson bridge aproach is to low to have a road go under it in that location. other than that it's a good map.

[FlyersFan118]

I love it. That's basically what I was trying to do with that Pittsburgh type city I had going for a while. Shame I have no time/attention span. I should really get crackin with sketchup again.

[Patrick]

City Hall!

Constructed in 1929 in demand for more space for civic office space for the rapidly expanding city. 675 feet to the gold leaf atop the building, 40 stories, the building houses Staunton City Hall, Mayor Green's 36th floor office, and is also the Staunton County Municipal Building. The beaux-arts building has been a city icon since its completion and is located right in the heart of downtown.

[Wrightguy0]

Oohh, it's purdy

[Dac150]

-Good call Patrick. When you feel your skill improves you should always do what you can to modify what you've made, otherwise like you said it'll look off.

-I like the grid, especially what you did with Galcorp Plaza. The new grid makes everything seem more practical and realistic.

-Hopefully we'll soon see Midtown though, I've been waiting for that since you first announced it.

[Austin55]

Honetly, I liked the old one better. It's more appealing to me.