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I'm happy to see anything there, really. I work downtown and see that building every day. Anyways, I agree about things (read: restaurants, shops, etc.) that are open past 4 or 5. It's kind of a vicious cycle, really - fewer things like that open, because it's not thought that people stay downtown after 5. Then people don't stay downtown after 5 because there's not a lot open. The area with Taylor Books, Pies & Pints, The Block, Ellen's, Black Sheep, etc. has started to change that perception. I read a good article recently about how Ann Saville more or less saved the CBD (simplistic maybe, but not exactly wrong) and that the restaurants and businesses in those few blocks aren't competing so much as naturally feeding off each other to create some liveliness. Great events like ArtWalk help, too.
I keep thinking about a conference I went to a year or so ago in Columbus. We stayed next to the Blue Jackets' arena, but would walk up to the Short North area in the evenings for dinner/drinks. A small hike, but not oppressive at all. It seemed to me a good model for Charleston. Hopefully, the new Civic Center (and increased convention/hotel traffic) and renovated Fife Street (hopefully safer through the bus stop) will draw visitors to the CBD in the evenings, encouraging more restaurants/shops/bars, etc. to open there. Affordable downtown housing is the final piece to that puzzle (I won't go into that, since we've beaten to death in this forum).
There are many construction projects in Charleston. Like Hampton park project that is under construction.
While it may seem like a lot, you should have been here between 1978 and 1983. Every block seemed to have a construction crane on it. Town Center Mall, One Valley Bank Tower, Laidley Tower, United Bank Tower, City Center West Tower, were all going up almost at the same time.
I drove down Clendenin St today and I was impressed by how the facelift is starting to look. It occurred to me though that if they build a new hotel there and even with the demolition of 5th Quarter that is still an if to me, that a low level to mid-rise horizontally focused hotel will basically block the view of that part of the civic center. If they want to people to see what they've done and be impressed then they need to put in a thinner highrise structure that doesn't completely obstruct the view of the civic center from Clendenin St.
I drove down Clendenin St today and I was impressed by how the facelift is starting to look. It occurred to me though that if they build a new hotel there and even with the demolition of 5th Quarter that is still an if to me, that a low level to mid-rise horizontally focused hotel will basically block the view of that part of the civic center. If they want to people to see what they've done and be impressed then they need to put in a thinner highrise structure that doesn't completely obstruct the view of the civic center from Clendenin St.
John, I agree with you, it would take away from the impact of the work being done to the Civic Center. It would be further spoiled of the Masons do not relocate the Beni Kedem facilities and use the entire space for a hotel. But, even that would still be a visual block. I can't see the city stepping in an buying the two properties and developing it as a garden plaza open air space for outside events. It would be nice, but the CDB has limited buildable space and that corner is pretty valuable.
One thing a new hotel could do to limit the sight lines being blocked is to go up with a thin tower in relation to the boundaries of the site. Height is not the biggest cost in a new tower these days like it used to be. Adding a few floors is cheaper then expanding a design laterally.
I'm surprised we haven't heard much more on the proposed hotel. I'd love to see something taller, but I'm happy regardless because this has been something dreamed about for years.
Also, just think back 4-5 years ago on this forum how we dreamed about a remodeled civic center, and now we are getting one!
Here is a video of the ribbon cutting ceremony. They have a nice flyover the arena and you see a lot of the newly renovated interior. It looks really nice. However, I thought that they were going to put a "University of Charleston" sign out front along with an athletic logo. Unless they just haven't gotten to that part, I assume that maybe they didn't have the money to finish it. You can even see it in the renderings in the video. I think it would look better. Oh well, who knows.
Here is a video of the ribbon cutting ceremony. They have a nice flyover the arena and you see a lot of the newly renovated interior. It looks really nice. However, I thought that they were going to put a "University of Charleston" sign out front along with an athletic logo. Unless they just haven't gotten to that part, I assume that maybe they didn't have the money to finish it. You can even see it in the renderings in the video. I think it would look better. Oh well, who knows.
They have installed the signs that you have mentioned. I drive by there a few times a week and last week they had the signs ups. When was this video taken?
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Civic Center Hotel
