#51 David Love
Posted 16 July 2004 - 12:47 PM
#52
Posted 16 July 2004 - 01:42 PM
#53
Posted 11 August 2004 - 01:23 PM
#54
Posted 11 August 2004 - 02:32 PM
I noticed a construction trailer set up where the masonry building used to be at the intersection of Bluff and Elm. Looks like we'll be seeing construction start soon.
#55
Posted 12 August 2004 - 12:22 AM
I was in downtown this evening and drove by to take a look. Gee - you are right: it is an ugly building and that is a very apt description.Please don't mourn its loss as I cannot say there was anything of architectural significance worth saving. In fact, it appears to have been built with surplus concrete overpass beams. Just an FYI for those of you who like to stay informed...
Question: I ended up getting semi-lost for a brief bit on some of the streets back in there and suddenly came across what appeared to have once been an interesting looking wall (although it was dark at the time). It was located on the corner edges of a lot on the south side of Gounah Street one block east of Grant Avenue. Do you know anything about the history of that wall, how old it is and what sort of house once occupied the lot? I will have to drive by again and see if it looks as nice in the daylight.
#56
Posted 12 August 2004 - 07:42 AM
Andy Nold
#57
Posted 12 August 2004 - 10:01 AM
That or perhaps relocating it somewhere else would be very neat if practical.I don't know if it would be practical to incorporate the wall into the development, but it is a neat wall dating from the late 1800s.
By the way - did NTHT ever find a place to call home? I seem to vaguely recall that you had either found a place or were looking at a place - or maybe I am confusing it with something else.
#58
Posted 12 August 2004 - 12:20 PM
#59
Posted 12 August 2004 - 03:12 PM
If you're driving around the area, note the cut granite curb pieces on Bluff near Cummins and north on Cummins into the cul-de-sac. Also to the west on Bluff, between the Brooks Baker (no hyphen!) building and Cummins is the last remaining "carriage step" on the north side of the road. I have been told it will be removed during construction with the intention of returning it at a later date. Unfortunately the rest of these are long gone. It was for the ladies to stand on to step into their horse drawn carriages.
But alas, the construction trailer is for the school gym project across the street. The Trinity Bluff project is not yet finalized by the city but I have heard that all of that should be finalized by the end of this month and then you should start seeing some action.
#60
Posted 12 August 2004 - 04:13 PM
#61
Posted 13 August 2004 - 02:49 PM
#62
Posted 16 August 2004 - 04:35 PM
#63
Posted 16 August 2004 - 04:41 PM
#64
Posted 16 August 2004 - 04:55 PM
#65
Posted 16 August 2004 - 09:57 PM
As for the original stone curbs from McKinney Avenue, I helped salvage them when the street was rebuilt. They are all stockpiled until someone figures out what to do with them. Like an iceberg, they are substantially larger beneath the ground than the +/-6 inches that you see.
Andy Nold
#66
Posted 17 August 2004 - 12:38 AM
It would not serve Fort Worth to have a part of town with the same name as a part of Dallas, especially in such a prominent location. It would be just too confusing, especially to visitors. I would suggest a name that features the location close to the Trinity River prominently.
#67
Posted 17 August 2004 - 04:06 PM
Well, I think it's alright. If they really want similarities to Uptown, they're going to have to get on the ball with those condo towers pretty soonIn my conversations with Mr. Struhs, we discussed the area's similarity to the Uptown area of Dallas. Samuels Avenue is so much like what McKinney Avenue was 15-20 years ago. He mentioned looking at the development in Uptown and using it as a model for what he wanted to do. To that end, I saw a recent newspaper quote where he called the Samuels Avenue area the Fort Worth Uptown. It seems like they are going to make a conscious effort to rebrand the area as Uptown. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Good, bad, indifferent?
#68
Posted 18 August 2004 - 09:05 AM
#69 ghughes
Posted 18 August 2004 - 05:25 PM
yes, and when one considers that a lot of the money "Uptown" is going to replace antiquated sewers and stuff that is actually the city's responsibility, the S-T is on even sillier ground. (But that's never given them pause at the editorial board).
#70
Posted 18 August 2004 - 06:12 PM
#71
Posted 24 August 2004 - 05:56 PM
A response to the editorial regarding Trinity Bluff last week, FYI, published yesterday in the ST.
Edited by John T Roberts, 24 August 2004 - 08:41 PM.
#72
Posted 24 August 2004 - 09:36 PM
Personally, I do feel the City of Fort Worth has given away too many tax abatements over the last couple of years. However, I do agree with Ms. Falconer that totally cutting off economic incentives for all projects would be an unwise decision. The city should continue to look at each case on its own merits, if that is their policy. I also feel that the City has given the tax abatements to the wrong developers. I would much rather see $19 Million go to Mr. Struhs and his development than use it to cut a hole through the Montgomery Ward building.
#73
Posted 27 August 2004 - 06:36 PM
City OKs deal: Trinity Bluffs gets go-ahead
JERI PETERSEN 27.AUG.04
When Fort Worth developer Tom Struhs told city council members that work on his Trinity Bluff project would begin immediately if the council approved a tax abatement zone, he was serious.
The day after the council gave approval, Struhs' office overlooking the Trinity River was demolished to make way for a 300-unit, multi-family complex - one of the first of some 1,600 residential units planned for the area.
With the city partnership locked in, Struhs can begin site preparation as soon as next month. The first housing units could begin in January with construction of 41 town homes between Belknap and Bluff Streets, where infrastructure is in place. A multi-family complex built by Lincoln Properties will begin at about the same time across the street. Another 26-unit town home project on First Street will be included in Phase 1. David Hensley Architecture will design the town homes and Fort Worth architect Billy C. Williams will design a few larger, custom plans.
The next three phases will begin after utilities are moved, sewers are re-built and curbs and gutters are constructed. The project - an area bounded by the Trinity River, Belknap Street, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks and the historic Pioneers Rest Cemetery - should be complete in six to eight years, Struhs said.
At 1,800 to 2,200 square feet, the three-story townhomes with rooftop decks and two-car attached garages are expected to sell for $250,000 to $300,000. Four-story, multi-family units will be built in four phases, with as many as 900 units at completion.
Mixed in with the residential component will be enough retail, entertainment and restaurants to draw people to the river without detracting from central downtown activity, Struhs said.
Struhs had asked the city to help finance a $5-million gap for his $250-million re-development project of a blighted, 30-acre area on the Trinity River bluff. Although council members Clyde Picht and Chuck Silcox opposed yet another abatement for a private developer, Struhs' project will cost taxpayers less than projects such as Cabela's, at $27 million in public participation, or the nearly $20 million promised to Kimco/Weber on a $42.5 million re-development of the Montgomery Ward site.
Much of the city's participation involves replacing Civil War-era infrastructure to support the new development - work the city was going to do in the next six or seven years anyway, council member Wendy Davis said. Struhs agreed to pay engineering and design costs and the city will pay for construction costs.
“We're spending the money sooner, but because the developer is picking up design and engineering costs, the city ultimately saves money,” Davis said. “Tom will be putting in even more money for phases two through four; the dollars we're putting in are paying for infrastructure for all four phases. We're laying the groundwork for an unbelievable taxing opportunity for the future.”
Davis said the Trinity Bluff abatement is well deserved.
“You can look at that area right now and feel like maybe it's ripe for development. I can tell you the reason that it's ripe is because Mr. Struhs has spent the last three or four years putting together a very difficult assemblage in that area. It has not been an easy or inexpensive task,” Davis said. “Not only did he do prep work to lay the groundwork, but he's facing re-development in an area with very old infrastructure.”
The abatement approved last week will fund the project for the first year; thereafter, funding will come from proceeds generated by the TIF district.
“The wonderful thing about Tom's TIF incentive is that he's taking less out in terms of increment than his project is contributing. So the TIF gains monies over time to help with other downtown projects,” Davis said.
Earlier this year, Tarrant County College was considering a portion of Struhs' land for a downtown campus site. By the end of May, TCC decided to pass on Struhs' site, but ended up with some other parcels owned by Struhs' company, Wide Open Spaces, including Leonard's Farm & Ranch store adjacent to the proposed town home site.
“When I had my property under contract with TCC, my obligation was to assign other interests over to them by contract. They chose to keep those interests and not close on my property,” Struhs said. “It only affects me positively because we're going to have a major institution next door to us. There's nothing in real estate like having a neighbor spend $110 million on their property.”
TCC still has not announced a downtown campus site, although the college has purchased a number of parcels near the river.
In the course of acquiring properties for the Trinity Bluff development, Struhs said he gained an appreciation for the historic area, which was the site of the original fort after which the city was named.
“The area has a lot of connotation, both good and bad. It's an historical area, but it's also a blighted area,” Struhs said. “It needs a new identity. We've branded the whole area 'Uptown,' a word that conjures something very positive and also paints a crystal-clear picture of the type of upscale addition to downtown it's going to be.”
#74
Posted 27 August 2004 - 08:41 PM
#75
Posted 26 September 2004 - 08:24 PM
There was also an ad for Rahr & Sons beer, which I found quite interesting. Picked up a Startlegram on the way home and found an article about their efforts.
Andy Nold
#76
Posted 03 October 2004 - 12:33 AM
I first learned about this when it was mentioned in a posting on the old Forum. It is on Bluff Street not too far east of the Paddock Viaduct. The mention on the old Forum said it was a hitching post. Does anyone know for sure. Does anyone know what the engraving is supposed to mean? Any idea how old it is?
I suspect that this is the old carriage step that Redhead mentioned being in the area.
An old brick sidewalk on Bluff Street. In one section - not visible in this photo - someone has recently dug out all of the bricks. Observe how the bricks are laid down here in such a way as to both provide a functional sidewalk and, at the same time, keep costs low by not using as many bricks.
Here are some of the old stone street curbs that Redhead mentioned.
Here is the old stone wall that I mentioned in a previous posting.
Wow. Whoever ends up living here is going to have one heck of a nice view!
I also took a walk across the Paddock Viaduct and took some pictures of the power plant and of downtown. Here is a rather pretty view of the river from the bridge.
Here is the new county building that they just finished. I thought that having the fountain in the foreground of the photo would be a nice touch - but the lighting just didn't work out.
#77
Posted 03 October 2004 - 08:48 AM
#78
Posted 31 October 2004 - 08:56 AM
#79
Posted 09 January 2005 - 10:47 PM
#80
Posted 08 February 2005 - 03:20 PM
#81
Posted 18 February 2005 - 01:16 PM
First phase is supposed be townhomes and apartments simultaneously. Lincoln Properties should break ground in Mar-April and Alan McDonald about the same time.
My wife and I went over to the Struhs office on East 1st to look at his townhomes.
The only thing available right now are the 1,800 to 2,200 square feet, three-story townhomes with rooftop decks and two-car attached garages for $250,000 to $300,000. They are suppose to be under construction next month and finished by August of this year ? We really were not interested in this location, thinking we would like something closer to Samuels Ave. After driving down Samuels and seeing the homes and view we decided to wait for that area to be developed. We even talked about buying one of the older homes on Samuels and fixing it up ?
I am wondering if buying a fixer uper in this area is even possible at this late date. I am sure Tom's people have now canvesed the whole area and those that wanted to sell already have made arrangements. We being just a couple of old civil service workers with limited capital don't really stand a chance or do we ? Do any of the more senior members of this forum know of any prospects ? We love the downtown area and would like to spend our retirement years enjoying the city life.
#82
Posted 10 April 2005 - 06:53 PM
#83
Posted 22 June 2005 - 05:31 PM
ALESHIA CLAUNCH 20.JUN.05
Fort Worth’s Uptown will take a major step toward becoming the fashionable residential neighborhood promised by developers when ground is broken June 23 at the new Lincoln at Trinity Bluff complex.
Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and District 9 City Council Representative Wendy Davis will be special guests at the groundbreaking that will help to put the city’s Uptown area on the map. The apartments will be located in Davis’ district.
Dallas-based Lincoln Property Company will develop the apartments on the northeastern edge of downtown Fort Worth. The 304 residences will be located on the bluff, 90 feet above the Trinity River.
“The dream of Uptown is becoming a reality beginning with Trinity Bluff,” said Trinity Bluff Ltd. developer Tom Struhs. “Who could be better than Lincoln Property Company with their renowned multifamily development and management expertise to construct the area’s first new residences?”
The area referred to as Fort Worth’s Uptown is a 30-acre plot of land along the Trinity River. On the northeast part of Uptown is an area called Trinity Bluff, site of planned urban community.
Trinity Bluff Ltd. is spearheaded by Struhs, who has worked with consultants to develop a master plan for the bluff area that includes several residential developments and encourages its residents to live and play on the Trinity River.
“This is a perfect example of a private-public partnership working for the good of the community,” Struhs said. “The beauty and history of the area are coming back to life thanks to the cooperation of many entities.”
Jeff Courtwright, Lincoln Property senior vice president, said the development will offer studio apartments as well as one, two and three-bedroom apartments. Studio apartments will start at about $700 per month and one-bedroom apartments will start at about $900 per month.
Courtwright said residents will have access to the existing 30 miles of jogging and biking trails along the Trinity River.
“Lincoln Property Company is extremely excited to play a part in creating a new, exciting lifestyle in the Uptown are of Fort Worth,” Courtwright said. “We believe that Lincoln at Trinity Bluff will provide the keystone to the future development of the entire master plan.”
The apartments will have four levels and a central elevator. Alongside the apartments will be a four-level parking garage for residents, which will allow tenants to park on the same level where they live.
The project is expected to be completed by next spring.
Uptown will develop further when Uptown Homes begins construction of 26 luxury town homes for sale in the upper $200 thousands later this summer.
#84
Posted 23 June 2005 - 01:21 PM
Are those "Uptown Homes" 26 luxury townhomes the Pecan Place Townhomes, or another part of Trinity Bluffs?
#85
Posted 23 June 2005 - 06:05 PM
#86
Posted 24 June 2005 - 11:24 AM
#87
Posted 24 June 2005 - 11:37 AM
#88
Posted 24 June 2005 - 11:54 AM
John is correct, and so are you Johnny. Lincoln broke ground "on the edge" as they have dubbed it, and the 26 townhomes mentioned are those at Pecan Place. In the ST this morning, Lincoln added that they are considering a 20 story tower for phase two. What views that would have looking back toward the court house!
Not only a twenty story condo tower but they also mentioned a high-end hotel and shops. Vey cool!
#89
Posted 25 June 2005 - 12:56 PM
#90 David Love
Posted 27 June 2005 - 09:38 AM
Developers start Trinity Bluff apartments
By Sandra Baker
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH - Developers of Trinity Bluff on the north end of downtown realized their dream of five years Thursday, when the first spade of dirt was turned to launch construction on a four-story apartment building.
In the first piece of a $350 million project, Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. will build 304 luxury apartments on Bluff Street, between Grove and Cummings streets, on a prime location in the 30-acre development high above the Trinity River.
Other phases of the project continue to evolve. Developers said Thursday that they are considering adding a 20-story condo tower, a high-end hotel and shops.
"We'll do whatever the market will say is the right thing to do," said Tom Struhs, who is developing the project with his wife, Elizabeth Falconer, and Rudy Renda.
More than 100 business and community leaders gathered at the site for a groundbreaking ceremony.
Lincoln at Trinity Bluff will consist of one building wrapped around a parking garage that lets residents park on the same floor as their apartments. The building, with a largely brick exterior, was designed with a "mercantile style" of architecture to blend with the many brick buildings downtown.
Seventy percent of the units will be studio or one-bedroom apartments, with an average size of about 880 square feet and priced at $1,100 a month.
Construction will start in earnest in early August, with the first units available for lease by fall of next year, said Jeff Courtwright, a senior vice president at Lincoln. The apartments are slated to be completed by the end of 2006.
"Any real good downtown project takes time to put together," Courtwright said. "We want to make it the place it should be."
Courtwright said Lincoln Property is in early talks with the developers on a second phase that will include apartments and condos. They would be farther north on Samuels Avenue, near Pioneers Rest cemetery, in an area now being referred to as UpTown.
City Homes of Fort Worth has also bought lots within the development and will build 40 town houses near Lincoln Property's project.
Preston Carter, a real estate broker with the exclusive listing on Trinity Bluff, said he is in talks with high-end hoteliers and anticipates the development being built out in about five years.
After scouting the market several years ago, Struhs and his partners quietly started buying land and run-down houses in the historic Samuels Avenue neighborhood, which dates to the late 1800s and where some of the city's early leaders once lived.
Years of neglect had taken its toll, and many of the century-old homes were in disrepair.
Now the area is highly sought-after again. Tarrant County College considered it before opting to build its $135 million downtown campus spanning the river, with part below Trinity Bluff.
It took the developers a couple of years to acquire the properties needed for Trinity Bluff, and a good deal of time was spent putting plans together and updating infrastructure before construction could begin.
The area now has new streets, sewers and water mains, and soon the electric and cable lines will be buried.
Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said Thursday that Trinity Bluff is setting a "strong, positive tone" for the city's growth, as well as providing "a new way to look at our downtown."
Fort Worth's population has increased 14 percent in five years, necessitating projects like Trinity Bluff, he said.
#91
Posted 28 June 2005 - 06:02 PM
#92
Posted 18 July 2005 - 05:19 AM
Plans confirmed for condo tower
The developer of Trinity Bluff has confirmed that a 20-story condo tower will be a part of its residential and retail development on the north end of downtown Fort Worth.
At a groundbreaking last month for a four-story, 304-unit apartment building, the first phase of the planned $350 million project, Tom Struhs said his group was considering a 20-story tower.
Last week, during his speech at the quarterly luncheon of Downtown Fort Worth Inc., Struhs showed a computer-animated model of the proposed structure and told attendees that he hopes to start construction by next summer.
The tower will be part of a joint venture with Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co., which is also involved on the apartment building, under construction on Bluff Street between Grove and Cummings streets, above the Trinity River.
Struhs said Lincoln's architects will soon begin designing the condo tower, which may have 274 units. It will be across Samuels Avenue from Pioneers Rest Cemetery, he said.
Struhs said Trinity Bluff is moving along as planned. He and partners Rudy Renda and Elizabeth Falconer, Struhs' wife, amassed 30 acres for the project during the past few years under the name Wide Open Spaces.
"The only thing on our schedule that has changed is its acceleration," Struhs said. Trinity Bluff should be completed in about six years, a few years earlier than originally thought, he said.
-- Sandra Baker
#93
Posted 18 July 2005 - 07:27 PM
Oh well, a 20 story tower for Fort Worth! Notice how Struhs just casually mentioned this a few weeks ago and is now seriously planning to build it, while we have yet to hear ANYTHING on that Schaumburg development "The Ruins"...
#94
Posted 18 July 2005 - 09:05 PM
It would be nice to hear of some progress from Schaumburg on "The Ruins".
#95
Posted 19 July 2005 - 08:29 AM
That's way to big for a tiny Neighborhood.
#96
Posted 22 July 2005 - 08:31 PM
Anything 7+ stories should be built south of Belknap. IMO, the high density buildings should go as close to the Downtown core as possible.
#97
Posted 22 July 2005 - 10:12 PM
Considering that almost everything between the cemetary and the Cotton Belt tracks has been either demolished or moved, the historic neighborhood really doesn't "exist" anymore, so height restrictions in place to preserve it would be kind of pointless, don't you think? Struhs' PD for the majority of the property has no height restrictions, so he can basically go as tall as he wants. I do think it would make more sense to concentrate the higher building densities towards downtown, and it really baffles me that he chose to start off with a 20 story building at the most remote part of the project, especially because he has a 45 degree residential slope buffer in place. We'll see how that goes...I actually agree with you on that. Without having the site plan in front of me I can only speak in general terms, however I believe that the north side of Belknap should be limited to about 6 stories (maybe with small towers, steeples, etc that protrude above) to not overwhelm the existing historic neighborhood.
#98
Posted 22 July 2005 - 10:51 PM
#99
Posted 23 July 2005 - 07:41 AM
#100
Posted 23 July 2005 - 07:52 AM
Actually I have been up Samuels quite a bit, mainly to check out the neighborhood, and indeed north of the Trinity Bluffs site are some amazing historic houses and some nice, smaller ones. Which is why I think height restrictions at the north of the site, not anywhere else, make sense to ensure Trinity Bluffs tapers down to blend with the neighborhood better. Something like that exists in Struhs' zoning, where he has to stagger his building to make sure it doesn't go above 45 degrees from a 3 floor height at the edge of his property, and why he wants his first 20 storey tower here instead of the nice, small, 12 storey building on the Master Plan is beyond me.Jonny, when you get a chance, you should drive along the northern end of Samuels Avenue.
Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: Uptown, Samuels Avenue
Architecture →
Historic Buildings and Preservation →
Peter C. Grunewald House on Samuels AvenueStarted by John S., 25 Mar 2019 Samuels Avenue |
|
|||
Samuels Avenue
Projects and New Construction →
Commercial →
Avid HotelStarted by Austin55, 26 Sep 2018 Samuels Avenue |
|
|||
Projects and New Construction →
Ideas and Suggestions for Projects →
New Water Treatment Facility AND Sunset Terrace DevelopmentStarted by Jeriat, 28 Feb 2016 Water Treatment, Development and 4 more... |
|
|||
Uptown
Projects and New Construction →
Residential →
Villa DeLeonStarted by AndyN, 14 Dec 2006 Uptown, Residential and 3 more... |
|
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users