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TCC coming to Downtown

Downtown Trinity River Vision Modern Architecture Construction Photographs Tarrant County

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#1201 cberen1

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Posted 18 September 2012 - 08:22 AM

I have grown to like the campus. It's definitely not what I would have thought up, but I stopped hating it a while back and now I'm starting to like it. Huge waste of money, but then again, lots of things are.

#1202 renamerusk

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Posted 18 September 2012 - 09:26 AM

Remind me again just what is the purpose of this campus. Is it administrative or teaching; and does anyone know what percentage is allocated to teaching?

Keep Fort Worth folksy

#1203 Doohickie

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Posted 18 September 2012 - 10:13 AM

It's the campus for health sciences- nursing, etc.
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#1204 Ron Payne

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Posted 18 September 2012 - 11:50 AM

John, I have to admit that your photos are changing my opinion of the German bunker college - you've presented it very well - I'd even venture to say that you've made it look great!
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#1205 John T Roberts

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Posted 18 September 2012 - 12:14 PM

Thanks, Ron. Once you are in the plaza, the complex actually photographs quite well. Others in the city have really made the place look very inviting by their photography.

#1206 Austin55

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 07:03 AM

Frustrated I couldnt get the river and waterfall in the same picture, I took this pano.

Posted Image

#1207 Jeriat

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Posted 03 October 2012 - 02:23 PM

I've never had a bad thing to say about this place. Nothing wrong with a little architectural diversity in this town.

But I guess I could understand why some wouldn't like it.

7fwPZnE.png

 

8643298391_d47584a085_b.jpg


#1208 Brian Luenser

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Posted 13 October 2012 - 05:03 PM

From across the river today. A bit of Fall color in the mix

Posted Image
www.fortworthview.com

#1209 RD Milhollin

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Posted 07 February 2013 - 12:01 PM

TCC Downtown Campus declared "Must-See" sight in Fort Worth:

 

http://blogs.star-te...t-see-list.html



#1210 Doohickie

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Posted 07 February 2013 - 01:16 PM

Nothing wrong with a little architectural diversity in this town.
 
 
TCC10-13-12.jpg
 
Actually, it's not that diverse compared to the towers south of the campus.  I might even say the new campus complements the architecture of the towers and vice-versa.
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#1211 Jeriat

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Posted 07 February 2013 - 01:23 PM

Nothing wrong with a little architectural diversity in this town.
 
 
TCC10-13-12.jpg
 
Actually, it's not that diverse compared to the towers south of the campus.  I might even say the new campus complements the architecture of the towers and vice-versa.

 

 

You're talkin' about the twin towers? 

Nah. 

 

One is a very modern, Vancouver-ish 21st Century style while the other is 2 very 80's skyscrapers that are funky enough to be different and likable, but still  too boxy to be anything special. You know? 


7fwPZnE.png

 

8643298391_d47584a085_b.jpg


#1212 djold1

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Posted 07 February 2013 - 05:05 PM

IMHO: It's an ugly set of buildings and shames the gorgeous location..  ...


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#1213 Austin55

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Posted 07 February 2013 - 08:22 PM

See I love it. I don't care for the sunken plaza on the city block but they way it looks on the bluff to to cool. 

In my opinion.



#1214 ramjet

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Posted 24 November 2013 - 04:23 PM

Love this place:

 

IMG_2003_zps56afe35b.jpg

 

IMG_2029_zps2346e69a.jpg

 

IMG_2025_zpsc3336249.jpg



#1215 John T Roberts

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Posted 24 November 2013 - 05:24 PM

Ramjet, your photos turned out very nice.



#1216 Jeriat

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Posted 24 November 2013 - 07:44 PM

I get the feeling that someday, a movie will be shot here, and this will be in at least one of the scenes... 


7fwPZnE.png

 

8643298391_d47584a085_b.jpg


#1217 RD Milhollin

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Posted 24 November 2013 - 11:08 PM

Maybe a remake of Logan's Run.



#1218 johnfwd

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 08:20 AM

Walking along Belknap past the TCC Trinity River Campus on this sunny spring morning, I was reminded once again what a beautiful downtown campus for a community college!   Critics may disagree but I believe TCC made a wise decision to take over after RadioShack left.  And, though TCC got a lot of flack for building that unusual looking campus for nurse trainees farther to the east, the more I observe it the more I conclude it's not that bad a fit in that location. 



#1219 Austin55

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Posted 29 May 2014 - 08:54 AM

Well considering I'm reading this sitting on the 4th floor watching some sort of ceremony going on at the Ripley Arnold site and watching people riding horses on thr levee, I'd tend to agree!

It's an incredible campus.

#1220 Austin55

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Posted 04 October 2016 - 09:13 PM

It's been reported that Bing Thom has passed away. He was the architect of the Nursing campus.

#1221 renamerusk

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Posted 28 August 2018 - 03:08 PM

"This is the largest parcel in downtown Fort Worth that can be acquired today for development," Burnette said. "We think the office building [Tarrant County College] will be torn down for something grander. We continue to be under-hoteled and under-residenced in downtown Fort Worth, and an office component would be based on a potential buyer."

http://product.costa...s/shared/194812

 

If there is one government entity that I would like to see removed completely out of Downtown, it is Tarrant County College.  TCC could save more money and infuse those savings into enhancing the college's academics. 



#1222 JBB

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Posted 28 August 2018 - 03:21 PM

I agree.  TCC's saga of blowing tax payer money on their downtown properties has been very costly.



#1223 renamerusk

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Posted 28 August 2018 - 04:04 PM

I agree.  TCC's saga of blowing tax payer money on their downtown properties has been very costly.

 

 There should be a policy limiting the percentage/ratio of money allocated for administrative expenses (office, salary, etc.) to money allocated for educational expenses (curriculum, instructor salary, class room facilities and equipment).



#1224 Urbndwlr

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Posted 11 January 2019 - 12:39 PM

TCC River Campus, which appears to include both River Campus (former Radio Shack) and River East Campus (Bing Thom designed buildings) had enrollment of 7,338 in Fall 2018, down from 8,774 in Fall 2014. 

 

Given that TCC's overall enrollment has grown slightly since then to about 52,000, I wonder why the downtown campus has dropped somewhat in enrollment.  The enrollment numbers do seesaw up and down each year a bit but also wondering how they determine what programs they place on which campus and how often they shift programs or classes between them. It seems to me that the footprints of the Downtown (Trinity River) campuses would allow them to really be ambitious about growing programs Downtown. 

 

Still this is higher than the 4,000 or so that was cited as enrollment back in 2008 when the TCC board was getting heat from people in the community for overspending on the campuses. 

 

I don't see IT, computer science, data science, analytics, etc showing up as frequently taken classes. 

I think would be a good area of focus for growth for them. 



#1225 renamerusk

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Posted 11 January 2019 - 02:21 PM

....It seems to me that the footprints of the Downtown (Trinity River) campuses would allow them to really be ambitious about growing programs Downtown. ....I don't see IT, computer science, data science, analytics, etc showing up as frequently taken classes. 

I think would be a good area of focus for growth for them. 

 

 Correct me if I am wrong, but the Trinity River Campus (TRC) has historically offered classes tailored to the medical profession with the idea that it is near to the Fort Worth [Medical District]; and I believe is the wrong direction.

 

TRC might emphasize the professions of hospitality, restaurant management, culinary skills; convention planning and retailing and marketing skills.  I have predicted that Downtown is transitioning into a center dominated by residential/hospitality/tourism.  A college located Downtown that emphasizes these professions would be a great resource of labor for hotels, restaurants,etc.



#1226 Austin55

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Posted 11 January 2019 - 03:14 PM

I used to attend this campus 2012-14. RadioShack still occupied the two westernmost towers. Does anyone know what that space is now? I'd heard it was going to be admin replacing the May Owen center but unsure if that's the result.

#1227 bclaridge

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Posted 11 January 2019 - 08:51 PM

I used to attend this campus 2012-14. RadioShack still occupied the two westernmost towers. Does anyone know what that space is now? I'd heard it was going to be admin replacing the May Owen center but unsure if that's the result.

 

I also attended this campus at the same time that you did.  I will say that I recently visited the Trinity River Campus and I believe that the former RadioShack space is administration, along with something the college district calls the "TCC Connect Campus."  Apparently TCC Connect provides office space to support online learning.


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#1228 RD Milhollin

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Posted 11 January 2019 - 10:29 PM

 

....It seems to me that the footprints of the Downtown (Trinity River) campuses would allow them to really be ambitious about growing programs Downtown. ....I don't see IT, computer science, data science, analytics, etc showing up as frequently taken classes. 

I think would be a good area of focus for growth for them. 

 

 Correct me if I am wrong, but the Trinity River Campus (TRC) has historically offered classes tailored to the medical profession with the idea that it is near to the Fort Worth [Medical District]; and I believe is the wrong direction.

 

 

At the risk of repeating myself I firmly feel the TCC Campus next to the Courthouse should be marketed to the TAMU Law School, freeing up the A&M Water Gardens site for Transit Oriented Development (with space allotted for future HSR facilities). The TCC Medical Program/Nursing School is an excellent program but should be housed in the growing campus of JPS Hospital (with Main Street left open for southern access to the medical complex and the Magnolia Area. If this sort of facility was built between JPS and Magnolia the southern end could be primarily medical-related and the north hospitality/business as Rename suggested. Medium-rise student priced housing in the same are would be a plus.



#1229 johnfwd

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Posted 16 January 2019 - 03:42 PM

Discussing the relocation of TCC's downtown campus is fascinating but--alas!--pointless. The big news in the Costar Group Inc. article (Post #1221) is the proposed sale of the May Owen Center and merger of the college's administrative functions to the downtown campus.  The point Burnette is making is that the sale of the May Owen Center buildings might free up space for a much-need hotel.  But the idea of relocating the campus is fun to talk about, anyway.



#1230 Austin55

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Posted 17 January 2019 - 10:42 PM

Tarleton taking some space


https://www.star-tel...S0Q8JELtRvY4D40

#1231 Austin55

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Posted 09 April 2019 - 11:52 AM

Looks like there's also an FWISD biomed school going in here,

 

https://www.dfwi.org...-march-2019.pdf



#1232 bclaridge

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Posted 17 April 2019 - 05:59 AM

Looks like there's also an FWISD biomed school going in here,

 

https://www.dfwi.org...-march-2019.pdf

I know your post is a week old, but TABS is already present on the Trinity River campus.


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#1233 Austin55

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Posted 18 October 2019 - 09:34 AM

TCC approved moving offices from May Owen center into the old radio-shack building,

 

 

The Board viewed the District Relocation presentation in February 2018, demonstrating inefficient use of space and outdated design not aligned to the Goals and Principles of the College. Following the Board Retreat, direction was given to move forward with the sale of the May Owen Center property and the District Staff Relocation Project. Programming and Design Development has been completed to consolidate District staff from May Owen Center, Trinity River East Fork and the Water Gardens building to the available space in the Trinity River Campus Clear Fork and West Fork Towers.

https://tccd.granicu...5&meta_id=28598



#1234 renamerusk

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Posted 12 December 2019 - 03:24 PM

More exciting news for Downtown: Tarleton State and Tarrant County College

 

Fort Worth Business Presshttp://www.fortworth...10099eef3e.html



#1235 hannerhan

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 07:44 AM

Am I the only one that missed the TCC Northwest Campus expansion plans?

 

https://www.bizjourn...nstruction.html

 

$308 million and designed by Gensler.  TCC continues its sterling record of spending our money as lavishly as possible.



#1236 John T Roberts

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 08:32 AM

There's no direct thread on the TCC Northwest Campus, but the demolition and expansion was brought up in the "TCC Buildings & Mold" thread.



#1237 youngalum

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 12:08 PM

Am I the only one that missed the TCC Northwest Campus expansion plans?

 

https://www.bizjourn...nstruction.html

 

$308 million and designed by Gensler.  TCC continues its sterling record of spending our money as lavishly as possible.

So you are opposed to educational buildings being built? We need an educated workforce to actual grow the tax base over warehouse workers being the dominate available Tarrant County workforce.

 

You start that by making higher education available. I applaud TCC for making it possible.



#1238 roverone

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 12:47 PM

I think the key word there was "lavishly" -- are the budgets available properly balancing the architecture costs with the educational return?

 

For example, might a simpler building with great lab facilities result in a better educated workforce.



#1239 gdvanc

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 01:46 PM

Education is critical, but that shouldn't imply every dollar spent on it is sensible.



#1240 eastfwther

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 02:52 PM

After the costly debacle that was the downtown TCC campus, every taxpayer dollar spent by TCC should be scrutinized.



#1241 txbornviking

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 03:03 PM

$308M for 445k sqft... $700/sqft, while I'll admit I'm uneducated to costs in todays environment, as someone who used to work in the architectural profession, that price does seem steep



#1242 Nitixope

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Posted 14 October 2021 - 08:05 PM

$308M for 445k sqft... $700/sqft, while I'll admit I'm uneducated to costs in todays environment, as someone who used to work in the architectural profession, that price does seem steep

You appear to be correct. See page 10 for current Higher Ed square footage cost estimates.

https://www.beckgrou..._Summer2021.pdf

Depending on what type of facility use, it ranges from $178 to $560 per SQFT in DFW. Labs are the highest cost due to more intense MEP and equipment costs for technical programs can be really expensive.

If you have time to research it, check out the total cost of construction (not including real estate) for Collin College Technical Campus in Allen divided by its total SQFT. I posted some of my photos this summer of that facility and it would be a good comparison facility. Im not on my computer otherwise I would look it up in my database. I recall a lot of their equipment was generously donated by companies in those industries.

https://www.fortwort...=1

#1243 roverone

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Posted 15 October 2021 - 07:43 AM

For sure concerns of the Northwest campus are in the context of the downtown campus.  It gives the overall impression that the folks in charge of the facilities architecture are out of balance with the best use of funds.

 

Don't get me wrong, I know education is very important -- but it might appear as poor stewardship if too much of the budget isn't purpose driven.

 

Also, don't get me wrong, I think the downtown campus is a very interesting piece of architecture leading down to the river.  One of the more disappointing things to me is that a way to draw the general public in was not incorporated into the design, so at least taxpayers could more broadly enjoy the lavish architecture.  Long ago in pre-COVID days when I was needing a break from work from my downtown office, I would take walks to that campus and down that central plaza to the river and not only would I not see another human walking outside, but not even another human through the glass in the buildings.  It was eerie (I remember way back having that feeling walking around parts of Los Colinas).  In this case my tax dollars helped pay for that place, and I'd rather see it as a vibrant accessible public space than a piece of very expensive hidden sculpture.   Maybe that is all different these days, it has been a while since I've done that.

 

I want tax money to be spent wisely.  Things don't have to be utilitarian, everyone deserves to be around inspiring architecture, but at the same time, not every building needs to be museum quality -- particularly if they don't include reasons for the full taxpayer population to visit and enjoy that architectural investment.



#1244 txbornviking

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Posted 15 October 2021 - 08:03 AM

 

$308M for 445k sqft... $700/sqft, while I'll admit I'm uneducated to costs in todays environment, as someone who used to work in the architectural profession, that price does seem steep

You appear to be correct. See page 10 for current Higher Ed square footage cost estimates.

https://www.beckgrou..._Summer2021.pdf

Depending on what type of facility use, it ranges from $178 to $560 per SQFT in DFW. Labs are the highest cost due to more intense MEP and equipment costs for technical programs can be really expensive.

If you have time to research it, check out the total cost of construction (not including real estate) for Collin College Technical Campus in Allen divided by its total SQFT. I posted some of my photos this summer of that facility and it would be a good comparison facility. Im not on my computer otherwise I would look it up in my database. I recall a lot of their equipment was generously donated by companies in those industries.

https://www.fortwort...=1

 

 

- Collin College officials are set to break ground on the new Collin College Technical Center in Allen on Sept. 7. The new campus, valued at $141 million

- The new Allen campus will be 340,519 square feet for 5,000 students set to provide state-of-the-art training programs for industrial jobs like construction, information technology, automotive service and repair, and healthcare.

sooooo $141M for 340k sqft = approx $415/sqft

 

https://starlocalmed...cials are set,7.



#1245 Nitixope

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Posted 15 October 2021 - 08:27 AM


 

$308M for 445k sqft... $700/sqft, while I'll admit I'm uneducated to costs in todays environment, as someone who used to work in the architectural profession, that price does seem steep

You appear to be correct. See page 10 for current Higher Ed square footage cost estimates.

https://www.beckgrou..._Summer2021.pdf

Depending on what type of facility use, it ranges from $178 to $560 per SQFT in DFW. Labs are the highest cost due to more intense MEP and equipment costs for technical programs can be really expensive.

If you have time to research it, check out the total cost of construction (not including real estate) for Collin College Technical Campus in Allen divided by its total SQFT. I posted some of my photos this summer of that facility and it would be a good comparison facility. Im not on my computer otherwise I would look it up in my database. I recall a lot of their equipment was generously donated by companies in those industries.

https://www.fortwort...=1
 
 
- Collin College officials are set to break ground on the new Collin College Technical Center in Allen on Sept. 7. The new campus, valued at $141 million

- The new Allen campus will be 340,519 square feet for 5,000 students set to provide state-of-the-art training programs for industrial jobs like construction, information technology, automotive service and repair, and healthcare.

sooooo $141M for 340k sqft = approx $415/sqft
 
https://starlocalmed...cials are set,7.

Perfect. Great research finding that.

Here is a more extreme example from UT EERC which is their new engineering school. It is more significant architecturally so you can see what $720/SQFT got you in Austin a few years ago:

At a total cost of $310 million, the EERC will replace an obsolete building with 430,000 square feet of open and flexible space for interdisciplinary teaching, research, and hands-on project learning.

https://www.ennead.com/work/eerc

#1246 Nitixope

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Posted 15 October 2021 - 08:35 AM

For sure concerns of the Northwest campus are in the context of the downtown campus.  It gives the overall impression that the folks in charge of the facilities architecture are out of balance with the best use of funds.
 
Don't get me wrong, I know education is very important -- but it might appear as poor stewardship if too much of the budget isn't purpose driven.
 
Also, don't get me wrong, I think the downtown campus is a very interesting piece of architecture leading down to the river.  One of the more disappointing things to me is that a way to draw the general public in was not incorporated into the design, so at least taxpayers could more broadly enjoy the lavish architecture.  Long ago in in pre-COVID days when I was needing a break from work from my downtown office, I would take a walk to that campus and down that central plaza to the river and not only would I not see another human walking outside, but not even another human through the glass in the buildings.  It was eerie (I remember way back having that feeling walking around parts of Los Colinas).  In this case my tax dollars helped pay for that place, and I'd rather see it as a vibrant accessible public space than a piece of very expensive hidden sculpture.   Maybe that is all different these days, it has been a while since I've done that.
 
I want tax money to be spent wisely.  Things don't have to be utilitarian, everyone deserves to be around inspiring architecture, but at the same time, not every building needs to be museum quality -- particularly if they don't include reasons for the full taxpayer population to visit and enjoy that architectural investment.


And as you recall, what was built was only part of the overall de la Garza vision before he got the boot.

https://www.fwweekly...the-chancellor/

#1247 roverone

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Posted 15 October 2021 - 10:33 AM

There is an image of the model of the original Trinity-spanning campus in this story:

 

http://archive.fwwee...sp?article=6659







Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: Downtown, Trinity River Vision, Modern Architecture, Construction Photographs, Tarrant County

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