Dome Stadium...... (Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile: relocate to, office, rated)

[raj kapoor]

I would love to see some of it sheathed in the polished aluminum panels such as those used on the Children's Hospital parking garage. (the ones with the upturned tip)

The texture, light and detail would certainly bring that out of the seventies, and possibly without a lot of demolition to what is there, as it could be installed as a curtain wall lighted from behind.

[bhamoutlook]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Absolutely. They are not going to detonate the BJCC once this thing is built. We will just have the ability to do more things at one time and pick up events that we have been missing, all while booking up the two big hotels (and possibly the third or fourth, whenever they are built) and having all that foot traffic right there for Uptown and its future phases. It isn't and shouldn't be done any other way.

I'm hoping that with the arena comes a new convention hotel but a lot taller than the Sheraton or Westin. Maybe our next high rise? I know that the high rise part is a stretch on its own but I'd like to dream a little further and hope for a W and keep it in the Starwood family.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by bhamoutlook

I'm hoping that with the arena comes a new convention hotel but a lot taller than the Sheraton or Westin. Maybe our next high rise? I know that the high rise part is a stretch on its own but I'd like to dream a little further and hope for a W and keep it in the Starwood family.

That would be interesting. If the demand comes, they will do it and it is hard to see why there wouldn't be eventually. However, I wonder if the height restrictions are the same or even more strict being that it is a little closer to the airport.

Either way a W would be bad ass. Or would it be better for a non Starwood hotel to show up to keep the competitive juiced flowing. Like maybe another Hyatt (Park, Grand or Regency)

[wetdawg]

I was thinking that about the height of buildings because that would almost be directly in the flight path where as the buildings downtown are not directly in the flight path and actually can be avoided but I bet those buildings are as high as the FAA allows.

[wetdawg]

You know is my favorite thread because I have been wanting a dome ever since MAPS. I even voted yes for maps. Which my family thought I was nuts, but I hate it has taken so long to get this thing

[Space Donkey]

Originally Posted by sleepless in Bham

I think it would be a perfect location for a casino/resort. If casino gambling is ever approved in Alabama, that location could be a premier destination.

A glacier will hit malfunction junction before gambling is legal in Birmingham!

[cpg35223]

Originally Posted by Space Donkey

A glacier will hit malfunction junction before gambling is legal in Birmingham!

Any town that makes a substantial investment in gambling now is run by idiots. Witness the meltdown in Atlantic City. Too many casinos in the country chasing too few gamblers.

[Tourian]

I think we are on the right track of cleaning up this town and dropping further off the "dangerous" lists. I would not want to add the difficulties associated with gambling to our mix. The race track was created as a place for gamblers and look where it got them. They foolishly thought it could be the next Churchill Downs and wasted a bunch of money building it that way. They've tried poker machines, simulcasting and all that crap - no need to double down with legislation to allow a full bore casino.

[bhamoutlook]

Originally Posted by wetdawg

I was thinking that about the height of buildings because that would almost be directly in the flight path where as the buildings downtown are not directly in the flight path and actually can be avoided but I bet those buildings are as high as the FAA allows.

Aaaah! I didn't know anything about height restrictions downtown. That makes sense. With that said, I guess the BJCC will never follow the traditional path of a convention center like the Hyatt at the Superdome or Omni Hotel at Georgia Dome. That's okay though. There's still plenty of space to build mid rises over there. Although I would like to see a new high rise in the skyline, I guess it doesn't currently make sense. There seems to be quite a bit of availability of land around town.

[bhamoutlook]

Originally Posted by Tourian

That would be interesting. If the demand comes, they will do it and it is hard to see why there wouldn't be eventually. However, I wonder if the height restrictions are the same or even more strict being that it is a little closer to the airport.

Either way a W would be bad ass. Or would it be better for a non Starwood hotel to show up to keep the competitive juiced flowing. Like maybe another Hyatt (Park, Grand or Regency)

A W would be awesome. It's my top hotel choice if it's in a city where I'm traveling due to the hip vibe. It would be a huge addition to Birmingham and would really make a statement but I'm not sure the city can really support those rates yet. A Hyatt may be more in keeping with the current atmosphere. I think it would be really nice to have an announcement on a new high end hotel soon. It would be a huge asset to the city for the BJCC and the DNC..... And hopefully the announcement of the arena that we're all expecting soon.