WEST PALM BEACH | 1500ft tower | VISION

[UrbanImpact]

1,500-foot-high glass tower is in running to alter West Palm's skyline




By Sally Apgar
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

June 13, 2007



West Palm Beach · A shimmering glass needle reaching 1,500 feet into the sky and housing a hotel, observatory, dance club and office space could one day tower at the entrance to the city on Okeechobee Boulevard.

The West Palm Beach Observatory is one of three skyline-altering proposals the city will consider for the "tent site," a prominent city-owned piece of land on Okeechobee Boulevard at Quadrille Boulevard in a median stretch just southeast of CityPlace and within several blocks of the Palm Beach County Convention Center to the west.

In a recent planning document, the city said it wanted a landmark building on the site, now a vacant parking area, that would "create a new icon for the city" and would "contribute to the overall character of the area."

The city put out a project request for the site and received three proposals by the May 17 deadline. The Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency will form an advisory group to review the proposals and meet in about two weeks. Selecting a project is likely to take many months.

Fort Lauderdale-based High Point Group proposed the observatory, evoking Seattle's 605-foot-tall Space Needle, and offered $12 million for the city site. In its proposal, High Point said that it planned a 400-room hotel to help attract more visitors to the convention center, 100,000 square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of retail space and 1,000 parking spaces.

The proposal said that above the 20th floor of the project "will rise a steel/aluminum structure that makes the form of a sail." It said the mast for the sail will be "the vertical shaft that supports the observatory at 1,250 feet above ground." Elevators are envisioned running up and down the tower. Above the observatory level will be a restaurant for fine dining, a "world-class gymnasium and a nightclub at the very top that will allow patrons to dance to the stars."

At 1,500 feet, the structure would be taller than New York's Empire State Building, Chicago's Sears Tower and Malaysia's Petronas Towers.

A New York group has proposed the Palm Beach Financial Center, a 27-level tower of curving glass with a 220-room Intercontinental Hotel, an estimated 80,000 square feet of office space, additional retail space and five levels of parking.

In its proposal, Palm Beach Financial Center LLC said the hotel is "an element much needed by the city to attract usage of the convention center." The group, which offered $8.35 million for the site, said the hulking 645,000-square-foot project would be built as "a true central business district."

A third proposal, from Boca Raton-based Crocker Partners LLC, describes a mixed-use, more traditional building that would house a 200-room hotel, 300,000 square feet of luxury office space, 100 condominiums, a theater and parking for 880 cars. Crocker offered the most for the site: $13 million.

Sally Apgar may be reached at sapgar@sun-sentinel.com or at 561-228-5506.


Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[SJPhillyBoy]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

In a recent planning document, the city said it wanted a landmark building on the site, now a vacant parking area, that would "create a new icon for the city"

That's an understatement.
Maybe someday while I am partying on Clematis Street, I will look up and see this thing.

[PHX602]

1,500? Shit a 600 foot tower would look ridiculous in the WPB skyline.

[UrbanImpact]

I hope the tall proposal is picked. There are currently no observatories in South Florida (Florida?) and no skyscrapers that reach 1000 feet. Which is sad for the 4th (3rd?) most populous state and a metro of more than 5 million people.

[UrbanImpact]

Downtown WPB may get one of world's tallest buildings

Monday, June 11, 2007

The three visions for a prominent piece of undeveloped land downtown include a 1,500-foot-tall tower with an observation deck - unmistakably resembling Seattle's Space Needle - that would be one of the tallest buildings in the world, according to a developer's proposal.

The others are an asymmetrical glass structure, also with a needle-like piece piercing the sky, and a more conventional building much like those already being built downtown.

The buildings would be built on the city's "tent site," across from CityPlace at Okeechobee and Quadrille boulevards. They would include retail, office and hotel space.

An evaluation committee is being formed to make a recommendation to city commissioners, who will have the final say.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localne...2downtown.html

[Kngkyle]

Hmm. I don't really like any of them.
The last one is just horrible, the 2nd one has potential but we need to see a better render. The 1500' one could use a redesign. Why make it look the same as so many observation towers? Make it unique.

[Pandemonious]

I am originally from WPB, sadly I have a feeling the 3rd one will be picked. It looks just like a bunch of the cheesy pomo towers that have been going up there. The tower proposal integrates terribly with that base, and I also agree that it looks far too much like many existing observation towers.

The second proposal looks to undeveloped for me to decide much about it. Whatever is built there, they better damn well make sure it is a new tallest. I think a 600-700 ft tower would do wonders for creating a landmark tower in the ~30 story max skyline of WPB. The second two proposals won't even create a new tallest for the area, especially if you count Singer Island.

[FrancoRey]

Vomit!!! That tower is hideous! Why don't we just go back to the Commie communication towers of the Cold War for cryin' out loud! I would move away if that thing was buit in my city. I'd rather have a giant hole in the ground than this thing.

[ardecila]

Ummm.... I like it? Seriously. It looks futuristic.

*ducks the tomatoes*

[UrbanImpact]

Obviously it's not the final rendering.......it would look much nicer if picked.

[mcfinley]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

The three visions for a prominent piece of undeveloped land downtown include a 1,500-foot-tall tower with an observation deck - unmistakably resembling Seattle's Space Needle - that would be one of the tallest buildings in the world, according to a developer's proposal.

This pushes my opinion of the proposal from a probably don't like it to a definitely don't like. The idea of a super-tall observatory in WPB already seethes of poorly executed tourist trap to me. But, to mimic a design that is over 50 years old and in a city that is architecturally on the opposite spectrum of WPB is a total cop-out. Please, if you propose something as audacious as a 1500 footer, make it unique, make it inspiring, at least make it fit in with its surroundings. (don't mean to rant, really)

...I kind of like the second proposal by the Palm Beach Financial Center though.

[Pandemonious]

^Pretty much no matter what the design would look like, a 1500 foot tall building in a downtown where the two tallest buildings are barely taller than 330' will NEVER fit in with its surroundings. I still think it could be built, but it shouldn't be about making it "fit in," since that really isn't possible.. all that can be done is to at least make the most unique/beautiful design possible. They spoke of the building resembling a sail boat, which would at least try to reference the context of the waterfront city, but their proposal doesn't even come close to that IMO. The structure is nothing out of the ordinary, and the top is nothing unique, and there really is nothing sailboat-like about it... at least nothing different than pretty much what all observation towers have.

[VA_Gentleman]

Those are hideous. I thought the whole space needle/ Eiffel tower thing ended with the World Fairs losing popularity. I think this would be terribly tacky.

[TheOldMan]

wow. its like sticking Mt. Everest in the middle of Kansas. of all the proposals shown, i like the 2nd one showing the glass building with the spire. interesting....

[Alliance]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

I'd go with this one. Its more inspiring...and i've never been a fan of "observatory towers."

[NYC2ATX]

I don't really know. I am definitely gung ho for WPB getting a new tallest that makes a few headlines. But a 1,500 ft. observation tower? That's just too much, it doesn't fit. I mean it would take we a little while to wrap my mind around this needle going up in NYC, L.A., Chicago etc. I hate to be a pessimist, but I doubt it will go through.

I say trash all three, and start over. Don't give up though WPB! Try again please!

[museumparktom]

Hey guys. I just moved down from Chicago this weekend and am encouraged by the prospect of a super tall coming to WPB. From a design POV I have to agree with Staten Island. A building of this tall in South FL is way to important to settle for any of the current proposals.

The only one that looks any where near 1500 feet is the first and why duplicates the Sky Needle. If this is a serious proposals. Bring in a world-class architect and give us something that makes history.

I look forward to joining the West Palm threads.

[LHWildcat]

Did someone somehow overlook the proximity of this site to Palm Beach International? I suspect the FAA is going to take a very dim view of any 1500 ft. tall proposals virtually at the edge of West Palm's east runway. For that matter, I'd imagine that anything even approaching 30 stories might well be considered way too much of an intrusion into their sunny airspace!

[giotto_dreamsz]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

Downtown WPB may get one of world's tallest buildings

Monday, June 11, 2007

The three visions for a prominent piece of undeveloped land downtown include a 1,500-foot-tall tower with an observation deck - unmistakably resembling Seattle's Space Needle - that would be one of the tallest buildings in the world, according to a developer's proposal.

The others are an asymmetrical glass structure, also with a needle-like piece piercing the sky, and a more conventional building much like those already being built downtown.

The buildings would be built on the city's "tent site," across from CityPlace at Okeechobee and Quadrille boulevards. They would include retail, office and hotel space.

An evaluation committee is being formed to make a recommendation to city commissioners, who will have the final say.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localne...2downtown.html

is it anal-probe!?
?por favor? ?puede preguntarle...?

Hmm..I go with you on the symetrical versus the recent horrid trend in asymetrical wonky futuristic sloppy-pisa-like -syndrome of structures..i don't like 'em! if god wanted asymetrical he would not have invented the golden rectangle!hm.tha's right.
but for the area?palm beach..coconut avenues,orange groves,magnolia blossomed bays..tropical gulf stream,southern blue skies,aquamarine sea..i'm seeing either an aquatic chrysler building with conch shells in stainless steel glistening in the tropical marine night sky ;or a moorish belltower clad with exotic colourful spanish tiles and big brass bell clanging out like a lighthouse into the gentle lulling waves rising and falling onto golden golfo de mexico sands..just some daydreams soy arquitecto pero no no soy trabajo...
muchas gracias para "spec drawings" senor,
!hasta luego!

[SJPhillyBoy]

Originally Posted by giotto_dreamsz

the gentle lulling waves rising and falling onto golden golfo de mexico sands

West Palm Beach is on the Atlantic Ocean side of sunny F.L.A.