58 replies to this topic

[Urbndwlr]

Blah, I drove by the rendering the other day and it looked like crap. Cheap, suburban crap. I didn't get a detailed enough view to see if it at least had decent street interaction, but I'm not holding my breath. Maybe it'll turn out better than the rendering

I totally agree. I think that it is safe to say that the combination of red brick and white limestone (aka "Austin stone") virtually never looks good. I realize it is quite popular, although I think there are vastly superior alternatives.

I think it is safe to say that we cannot continue to look to blame the aesthetic failure of Shwarz-Hanson's office buildings on the firms' clients. I strongly believe that we need better architectural design than these buildings offer.

[Thurman52]

Metal framing went up this week. Adds some bulk to the streetscape.

[Urbndwlr]

Metal framing went up this week. Adds some bulk to the streetscape.

Yes, I like the added vertical mass along W 7th Street, but the developers appear to have left a very narrow sidewalk (same at their 7th/Summit Ave project). Great that they put the parking behind the building, but might have gone a tad overboard w/ pushing the building to the street.

[Fort Worthology]

Some recent (today) shots of the progress on the building:





I had some decent hopes for this project - after all, it was right up against 7th, so I figured an entrance fronting 7th would be a nice, friendly addition. However, it looks like the 7th Street facade will be just plain windows, and the building's entrance will actually be in the parking lot between it and the pub - which, I'm sorry, is pathetic. ARGH! It looks like it's being built rotated 90 degrees from what it should be. This aspect of its design is just *pathetic.*

Does add some mass to the street, but it's got such stupid street interaction that I'm going to have to give this one a failing grade. If they'd put an entrance on 7th, it'd be a bit better, but egads - having such a parking lot-focused building on 7th like this is just sad.

[mosteijn]

You're abolustely right Atomic, this is pathetic urban design. I'd also add that the building looks TOO close to the street, so as to deter pedestrians from walking beside it because they feel "squeezed". Maybe the redesign of 7th street will solve that...

[Fort Worthology]

I see now that Citizen's has made this building EVEN BETTER by putting up some horribly tacky, super cheap-looking mirror tint in the ground-floor windows. Thanks, guys.

What a joke.

[Papaw]

I can't tell from the angle, but it sure looks like it's close to the curb. I wonder what the easement code from the street is on that section of 7th?

[pelligrini]

I don't believe there are requirements for any setbacks from the property line. I used to frequent the Sundown Pub (now Shamrock) and the distance from the front wall to the street was about 10'.

Check out a little more recent image:http://maps.google.c...166603224819645">Google Street view link There is landscaping and a walk.

[Fort Worthology]

The thing that's wrong, sidewalk wise, is that they put in a little skinny sidewalk. They should have gone to the curb. They made the same mistake on the State National building in the UWS.

The Google Street View also shows that awful mirror tint. Blech.