#351
Posted 31 August 2020 - 03:21 AM
- eastfwther likes this
#352
Posted 31 August 2020 - 07:50 AM
Yeah that blank wall on the southern side is disappointing and rather atrocious. I think I am in the minority here looking at others comments about the building but I have never been a huge fan of the design. I never quite understood the black rectangle rising from the faux-stone facade. It's a really strange juxtaposition and looks odd to me.
The positive is that it is more hotel space and it covers up a parking lot and unused space but after seeing it first hand the other day the material of the black section makes the building look unfinished.
Im with you, that blank wall is terrible. It actually makes me think AT&T building. Hopefully something is built to block that view.
#353
Posted 31 August 2020 - 08:10 AM
It's an interesting design for sure. It almost looks like it's a new building coming out of an old building. From what I can tell, the lower floors are very high quality looking materials. The stucco isn't a bad look I think, it's very minimal and eye catchingly dark, but right now it also has an uneven look to it. Hopefully as it ages it will blend together better.
The backside isn't visible from too many places, outside 777 Main or the Cowtown Place parking garage. Some sort of decoration would've really helped it out though for sure. Burk Burnett Building did a great job at this.
The building really is surprising that it was built in the 2020s, I think I'd mentioned before that it reminds me a lot of a prewar building, where buildings almost never occupied more than 1/4 of a block and often had blank backsides, no parking, built it into, and so on.
#354
Posted 31 August 2020 - 09:08 AM
It's an interesting design for sure. It almost looks like it's a new building coming out of an old building. From what I can tell, the lower floors are very high quality looking materials. The stucco isn't a bad look I think, it's very minimal and eye catchingly dark, but right now it also has an uneven look to it. Hopefully as it ages it will blend together better
Another prime example of that: Solider Field
#356
Posted 31 August 2020 - 11:41 AM
mural space anyone?
It's funny, I used to always argue against painting a mural on the exposed side of the Kress building because I'd assume that one day it might be blocked from view by a new building on the lot. That building ended up getting built.
A cool, minimalist mural from Chicago that might look nice on the AC.
- Jeriat and txbornviking like this
#357
Posted 31 August 2020 - 12:14 PM
mural space anyone?
Yes Please!!! That's what I immediately thought when I saw it
#358
Posted 31 August 2020 - 12:49 PM
Panthercity, it is very unlikely that something will be built to the south on that block to hide the view. All of the buildings except for the old W.T. Grant Store (Library Bar) are designated as historic landmarks. The Grant Store is eligible for historic designation, if the owner wished to landmark it. I think it needs a mural, but as Austin mentioned with Houston being southbound only and other buildings blocking that facade, it is not too easily seen.
The only saving grace on this facade was the fact the architect chose to put a few windows in on that facade, and they had to set those walls back at least 3 feet from the property line to put in fire-rated glazing. They also chose to make some additional offsets at the core elements.
I don't have too much of a problem with the other facades. I kind of like the constrast of the base to the top, but the top of the building is very minimalistic. I will give Merriman/Anderson a little bit of credit for using real stucco instead of covering the upper floors with EiFS. As for the Fiber Reinforced Concrete Panel base, it would have been nice to use real stone, but it would have been very expensive.
There is another interesting note here. The Cox's remodel and the Lerner remodel of the Scott-Harrold Building that was demolished on the site were both designed by Wiley G. Clarkson. Clarkson was also the architect on the two buildings across the street, the Sanger Brothers Building and the Sinclair Building. Merriman/Anderson Architects restored the Sanger Brothers, converted the Sinclair into a hotel, and designed the new AC Hotel. This is a very unusual coincidence.
#359
Posted 31 August 2020 - 12:58 PM
By far the best looking building in downtown.
That's a stretch especially since it is across the street from the Sinclair which to me is the best looking building downtown but everyone has their own unique taste.
#360
Posted 01 September 2020 - 08:19 AM
Maybe they could paint a trompe l'oeil façade with fake windows on that side of the building?
- RD Milhollin, panthercity and Jeriat like this
#361
Posted 01 September 2020 - 09:28 AM
Maybe they could paint a trompe l'oeil façade with fake windows on that side of the building?
This is one of the few times I'd welcome that.
And given the location, I'd push for something Art Deco related. Like these:
#362
Posted 01 September 2020 - 09:40 AM
I was joking by the way.
#363
Posted 01 September 2020 - 11:44 AM
I was joking by the way.
Well I'm not.
I don't mind the blank walls on this because I like that shade of black, but now that you brought it up, I can't stop thinking about murals or even flat sculptures to don the sides of the building.
#365
Posted 02 September 2020 - 10:48 AM
I was joking by the way.
Well I'm not.
I don't mind the blank walls on this because I like that shade of black, but now that you brought it up, I can't stop thinking about murals or even flat sculptures to don the sides of the building.
I see where you are heading with this suggestion and I do like the art deco concept
- Jeriat likes this
#366
Posted 02 September 2020 - 11:25 AM
Maybe something like this to represent the city?
- panthercity and johnfwd like this
#367
Posted 02 September 2020 - 11:31 AM
Definitely down for the panther... no to the cowboy. We have enough of that downtown
- youngalum and panthercity like this
#368
Posted 02 September 2020 - 02:10 PM
Estimated soft opening is September 24th according to the TIF meeting.
#369
Posted 02 September 2020 - 11:54 PM
While stylistically neat, which I cannot deny, the mural of a cowboy riding a bronco is more true to Fort Worth's heritage than a rare black panther, or its more common variant the mountain lion, cougar, or puma, in terms of 19th Century post-U.S. Mexican-American War, the various Indian campaigns by Texas Rangers (and later by the U.S. Army, micro-focused on the Comanches, in particular), and the U.S. Civil War, and post Reconstruction (oil boom and all). What a mouth-full! The fact is Fort Worth was a major meat industry (to which Chicago gloried in) and the cowboy and bovine is, well, a staple to "chew the cud" over. I like it and appreciate the history. But, what hell, ...a back-lit black panther mural would be neat too...sort of.
- johnfwd likes this
#370
Posted 03 September 2020 - 09:22 AM
While stylistically neat, which I cannot deny, the mural of a cowboy riding a bronco is more true to Fort Worth's heritage than a rare black panther, or its more common variant the mountain lion, cougar, or puma, in terms of 19th Century post-U.S. Mexican-American War, the various Indian campaigns by Texas Rangers (and later by the U.S. Army, micro-focused on the Comanches, in particular), and the U.S. Civil War, and post Reconstruction (oil boom and all). What a mouth-full! The fact is Fort Worth was a major meat industry (to which Chicago gloried in) and the cowboy and bovine is, well, a staple to "chew the cud" over. I like it and appreciate the history. But, what hell, ...a back-lit black panther mural would be neat too...sort of.
As rriojas mentioned above, we do have a lot of cowboy/western imagery as is... would be nice to see more of the "Panther City" element being pushed.
#371
Posted 07 September 2020 - 05:34 PM
Have a friend in the tower that sent me a picture from that perspective:
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#372
Posted 09 September 2020 - 09:27 AM
Have a friend in the tower that sent me a picture from that perspective:
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#374
Posted 24 September 2020 - 08:31 PM
The AC Hotel opened today. They have a time lapse video on their Facebook page and I thought I would share it with the forum.
https://www.facebook...B71U5zXnKUpPIB7
For the full 4:49 video, you can follow this link, if you don't have access to Facebook. Go to Time Lapses on the left menu, and then click on Final Project Movie:
https://app.truelook..._image_archives
- Dylan likes this
#375
Posted 24 September 2020 - 08:46 PM
What a time to open a hotel. I wish them the best.
#376
Posted 24 September 2020 - 09:07 PM
They probably didn't have much of a choice. The pandemic hit when they were too far along. One option would have been to finish the building, but not open. Believe it or not, the Embassy Suites Hotel stopped construction after the structure was complete, but the facade wasn't. The building sat vacant and unfinished (an eyesore) for several years until it finally opened in the early 1980s.
#377
Posted 25 September 2020 - 08:13 AM
I wonder if they will have lower rates while the pandemic lasts?
#378
Posted 26 September 2020 - 12:32 PM
Last night, I went downtown to take a photograph of the building at night. I took several nice shots, but this is the one that I'm definitely going to use on the building's page on the main website. I'm hoping to get the page up sometime this weekend. It will look better when the retail spaces on the ground floor are open. Right now, they have the windows covered over in the vacant spaces.
Here are the other two. The first is looking down 5th Street toward the Frost Tower.
The last one is a closeup of the hotel's entrance.
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#379
Posted 26 September 2020 - 12:51 PM
- RD Milhollin likes this
#380
Posted 26 September 2020 - 12:52 PM
Im assuming you used a long exposure and tripod. Did you use a tilt shift lens or perspective correct the building verticals in post production?
John, I love the reflection of the blue sky at dusk in the windows.
Im assuming you used a long exposure and tripod. Did you use a tilt shift lens or perspective correct the building verticals in post production?
#381
Posted 26 September 2020 - 08:26 PM
These photos were hand held, perspective corrected in Photoshop post production, and were shot in the RAW format. I decided to spend a little bit of money on a subscription to Photoshop and keep up-to-date on the software. The current versions of Photoshop are so advanced that I can almost take any photo that I take at night and make it at least acceptable for presentation on the web. If I go out when there is still a little light in the sky, then I can usually reduce the noise down to a reasonable level.
I have been using perspective control on the post production side on most of what I have presented on the site, except for when I want to leave it as shot for dramatic effect, or the tilt is so great that the photograph doesn't look right after the correction. I hope that I have not burst anyone's bubble.
#382
Posted 26 September 2020 - 11:04 PM
Walked past it tonight.
I could see Ojos Locos making a return on the Houston Street side...
#383
Posted 27 September 2020 - 05:14 PM
I took a quick photo today of the hotel. I didn't have my DSLR with me but had my Pixel and ran it through Lightroom for some minor enhancements and perspective correction. It sort of has a papier-mâché look in this light but I even cut down the clarity and texture a couple notches.
- Dylan likes this
#384
Posted 27 September 2020 - 07:07 PM
Nitixope, this is a good view looking down 5th Street.
#385
Posted 27 September 2020 - 10:01 PM
#386
Posted 27 September 2020 - 11:04 PM
AC Hotel update presented at the 9/2/20 Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3 (Downtown TIF) Board Meeting. I didn't realize it or missed it in the earlier discussions, but the hotel's lobby is on the 2nd floor. I look forward to visiting it in-person.
#387
Posted 28 September 2020 - 11:46 AM
Me and my partner went to the Lounge area on Friday night while we were downtown and sat on their small but cozy outside patio. It was a pleasant evening and another place to enjoy outside seating.
#391
Posted 27 April 2021 - 08:31 AM
An art installation has been installed in the entryway.
#392
Posted 19 May 2021 - 08:17 PM
It looks like the rest of the ground floor space will be taken up by meeting space.
https://www.tdlr.tex.../TABS2021016000
#393
Posted 19 June 2021 - 09:23 PM
I've driven down 5th on my way home the past couple of weeks to dodge the traffic from the lane closure on 7th. The mosaic art at the entrance is nice looking, but what is it supposed to be? It kind of looks like the top part of a boot. It's entirely possible that I'm overthinking it a bit.
#394
#395
Posted 19 June 2021 - 10:06 PM
Well this at least confirms that I'm not completely nuts.
#396
Posted 15 August 2021 - 02:58 PM
Here's a few photos from our tour of the AC Marriot on the Downtown Walking Tour yesterday. One of the nice things about the tour was it is the perfect front to snap these interior photos. It's a tricky balancing act normally trying to get these shots without attracting concern by staff or security but since we were "playing tourist" yesterday, I tried to get as much as I could without being that "creep with the camera."
Overall reaction was it is a clean / modern design but the interior spaces are limited in size and the dining / breakfast area and lounge are sort of nestled on either side of the reception desk. The spaces are functional but a lot smaller than I had in mind.
2nd Floor Conference / Event space:
Lounge behind the front desk
Reception:
16th Floor Conference Room:
Back of hotel:
- RD Milhollin likes this
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