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So what is your (by your, I mean whoever reads this) wish list? I'd love to see one or two buildings that add to the Huntington skyline and provide multi-level parking. All of them...especially the one behind Mack & Dave's have so much potential with it's proximity to the river and Pullman Square.
Lot 1 - behind ACOE: This is the hardest for me, as it's sort of an awkward space. I'd like to see at least a four story mixed use place with some apartments and retail to complement some of the existing things in the area. I think a good amount of future development should focus on establishing a smaller version of 4th Ave on 6th. I see no reason why 6th Ave can't be as dense, area-wise, as 4th from 8th St to 11th St.
Lot 2 - 4th and 8th: This is the place for the signature building. My dream? At least 20 stories to make it the tallest building in the city, 25 if we want the tallest in the state. I don't know what the design should be as there's a good mix of architectural styles in that area, but I don't want something all glass and I don't want a regular boxy shape; we need something creative yet elegant. Realistically, though, it has to be bare minimum four stories, though preferably six or higher.
Lot 3 - Beside CXB: Honestly, I'm happy with just about any multi-story development there, so long as it closes that gap. I think a more pressing issue should be the total renovation of the CXB, and allow the new development to complement it and better tie the CXB back into the physical and mental fabric of downtown.
Lot 4 - Behind Mack and Dave's: This is the fun one. A modest proposal would be a hotel or apartment building with another restaurant and some shops to extend Pullman Square. My proposal? First, reconfigure the substation there to either enclose it or get a little more space fronting the alley. Next, the hotel or apartment building, but have a couple of connections (not an entire cap) over the alley to a rooftop garden/park and restaurant atop Mack and Dave's. There's no reason (unless there are structural issues) that that giant expanse of a roof can't be a green roof. This would allow access to it and turn it into a park, if the building can be retrofitted to hold it. Third, scale back the back side of Mack and Dave's by 10-20 feet and put storefronts facing the alley. An alternative to this would be tearing down Mack and Dave's and creating two new buildings in the parking lot and the Mack and Dave space, which would give much more flexibility in design. Lastly, make the street and alley from Uno to Heritage Station a shared street concept (see Market Square in Pittsburgh) to keep vehicular access but encourage more pedestrian usage and circulation along that entire corridor.
So what is your (by your, I mean whoever reads this) wish list? I'd love to see one or two buildings that add to the Huntington skyline and provide multi-level parking. All of them...especially the one behind Mack & Dave's have so much potential with it's proximity to the river and Pullman Square.
Fun question!
Everything should be mixed use! Retail at the bottom and office/residential space at the top. We may have other office space to fill up around the city, so residential may be the niche to fill.
Public space is a must! Each of these lots should create a public space that draws people there. Similarly to what you see with Pullman Square. It's more than just a retail center for the city, it provides a public space and that allows people to come to the area who may have no intention of shopping (even though they often do; see walkability studies)
I'd love to finally see one or more high-rises be built. We haven't seen any new high-rises in nearly 80-90 years. We are long overdue. I would also like to see one of them be at least 300+ ft in height. This would probably work best for the parking lot on 4th Ave and 8th St by the courthouse.
The lot in between Pullman Square and Heritage Station is key in my opinion. That serves as the connection between the two commercial centers. This should also be a retail center in the same way, but it should invoke the public space as I have suggested above. Draw people from Pullman to this new spot and then over to Heritage AND vice-versa. Also, this area will be very important because it is on the entrance road to the Riverfront Park. According to Mayor Williams, the Riverfront Park project will be downtown's new jewel. This lot should also have this in consideration. On a more creative note, whatever is built here could have a green roof, but more specifically a small park with direct access via a pedestrian bridge.
These other two lots are very important in my opinion because they are in areas with typically less of an draw for people.
The lot of 4th Ave between 10th and 11th Streets is right beside a high-rise. I'm not too sure if this is a good or bad thing, but who knows. Make this mixed use as well, and possibly a mid- to high-rise. Once again, it could be a public space, but different than the others. This building could have a 2 story arcade running through it, similar to the one down the street. HOWEVER, this retail arcade could be open at either end, making it outdoors. The back alley between the lot and Chase Bank is really not all that intimidating and so maybe the back alley could be shut off to vehicular traffic and somehow made to be apart of the public space.
Lastly, the lot on 6th Ave. From what I have been told, 6th Ave used to be much more vibrant. Maybe a project here could revitalize that part of downtown. This lot is across the street from the Prichard Building, which already has some retail at street level. I'm not 100% sure on what to do with this space, but it should obviously be mixed-use. Something to uplift 6th Avenue again. It could be something as simple as an apartment building with retail at the bottom, or something super creative that I can't think of.
Once again, the theme is to create a public space that people are drawn to. Then insert all other desires where you wish. Walkable, comfortable, urban environments are what people want, so give it to them and they will come.
Lot 1 - behind ACOE: This is the hardest for me, as it's sort of an awkward space. I'd like to see at least a four story mixed use place with some apartments and retail to complement some of the existing things in the area. I think a good amount of future development should focus on establishing a smaller version of 4th Ave on 6th. I see no reason why 6th Ave can't be as dense, area-wise, as 4th from 8th St to 11th St.
Lot 2 - 4th and 8th: This is the place for the signature building. My dream? At least 20 stories to make it the tallest building in the city, 25 if we want the tallest in the state. I don't know what the design should be as there's a good mix of architectural styles in that area, but I don't want something all glass and I don't want a regular boxy shape; we need something creative yet elegant. Realistically, though, it has to be bare minimum four stories, though preferably six or higher.
Lot 3 - Beside CXB: Honestly, I'm happy with just about any multi-story development there, so long as it closes that gap. I think a more pressing issue should be the total renovation of the CXB, and allow the new development to complement it and better tie the CXB back into the physical and mental fabric of downtown.
Lot 4 - Behind Mack and Dave's: This is the fun one. A modest proposal would be a hotel or apartment building with another restaurant and some shops to extend Pullman Square. My proposal? First, reconfigure the substation there to either enclose it or get a little more space fronting the alley. Next, the hotel or apartment building, but have a couple of connections (not an entire cap) over the alley to a rooftop garden/park and restaurant atop Mack and Dave's. There's no reason (unless there are structural issues) that that giant expanse of a roof can't be a green roof. This would allow access to it and turn it into a park, if the building can be retrofitted to hold it. Third, scale back the back side of Mack and Dave's by 10-20 feet and put storefronts facing the alley. An alternative to this would be tearing down Mack and Dave's and creating two new buildings in the parking lot and the Mack and Dave space, which would give much more flexibility in design. Lastly, make the street and alley from Uno to Heritage Station a shared street concept (see Market Square in Pittsburgh) to keep vehicular access but encourage more pedestrian usage and circulation along that entire corridor.
So i spent a little time on my post (left the keyboard a few times to do other things) and had no idea that you wrote this. Loving the similarities in our posts. It just goes to show that people know what they want in this city, and we have the creative prowess to make it unique and interesting. All we need is a means to spread our ideas.
I think I like your idea of the park on Mack and Dave's better. Also, I can imagine a seamless street or pedestrian corridor from Uno's all the way to Heritage Station. That is just one of the must-haves in my opinion. Also, I am not a fan of the bank and parking lot in Pullman (mainly the parking lot). It seems to be just a waste of space. Better things could go there. That area would need to be changed some to create a connection from Pullman to the new development on the lot.
The bank at Pullman Square is as aggravating as the gym at Kinetic Park. Just makes no sense at all.
But both of you are right...regardless of what goes in behind Mack & Daves it needs to serve as an extension of Pullman Square that links to Heritage Station.
And I'm seriously praying for a new high rise building...something taller than the WV Building. It would be awesome to add to our skyline a little bit.
The bank at Pullman Square is as aggravating as the gym at Kinetic Park. Just makes no sense at all.
But both of you are right...regardless of what goes in behind Mack & Daves it needs to serve as an extension of Pullman Square that links to Heritage Station.
And I'm seriously praying for a new high rise building...something taller than the WV Building. It would be awesome to add to our skyline a little bit.
I think that would be awesome. A 300 ft building with an 80 ft spire would be cool.
Lot 1 - behind ACOE: This is the hardest for me, as it's sort of an awkward space. I'd like to see at least a four story mixed use place with some apartments and retail to complement some of the existing things in the area. I think a good amount of future development should focus on establishing a smaller version of 4th Ave on 6th. I see no reason why 6th Ave can't be as dense, area-wise, as 4th from 8th St to 11th St.
Lot 2 - 4th and 8th: This is the place for the signature building. My dream? At least 20 stories to make it the tallest building in the city, 25 if we want the tallest in the state. I don't know what the design should be as there's a good mix of architectural styles in that area, but I don't want something all glass and I don't want a regular boxy shape; we need something creative yet elegant. Realistically, though, it has to be bare minimum four stories, though preferably six or higher.
Lot 3 - Beside CXB: Honestly, I'm happy with just about any multi-story development there, so long as it closes that gap. I think a more pressing issue should be the total renovation of the CXB, and allow the new development to complement it and better tie the CXB back into the physical and mental fabric of downtown.
Lot 4 - Behind Mack and Dave's: This is the fun one. A modest proposal would be a hotel or apartment building with another restaurant and some shops to extend Pullman Square. My proposal? First, reconfigure the substation there to either enclose it or get a little more space fronting the alley. Next, the hotel or apartment building, but have a couple of connections (not an entire cap) over the alley to a rooftop garden/park and restaurant atop Mack and Dave's. There's no reason (unless there are structural issues) that that giant expanse of a roof can't be a green roof. This would allow access to it and turn it into a park, if the building can be retrofitted to hold it. Third, scale back the back side of Mack and Dave's by 10-20 feet and put storefronts facing the alley. An alternative to this would be tearing down Mack and Dave's and creating two new buildings in the parking lot and the Mack and Dave space, which would give much more flexibility in design. Lastly, make the street and alley from Uno to Heritage Station a shared street concept (see Market Square in Pittsburgh) to keep vehicular access but encourage more pedestrian usage and circulation along that entire corridor.
I would love to see the "Lot 2" description become reality. Living in Charleston I'd be quite jealous but it's time for Huntington to have some real positive development like this. Plus Charleston has become so complacent that a little competition from Huntington or elsewhere in the state could be a catalyst to get other areas to spur growth as well. On-a-side-note what you described almost happened back in the 80's. Dudley-Webb out of Lexington was going to build the tallest building in the state somewhere in the "superblock" area. I've looked and looked for renderings and I've never found anything. I seem to remember it being a red-brick building and over 20 stories tall. It would be cool if someone could post an image of it if one exists.
I would love to see the "Lot 2" description become reality. Living in Charleston I'd be quite jealous but it's time for Huntington to have some real positive development like this. Plus Charleston has become so complacent that a little competition from Huntington or elsewhere in the state could be a catalyst to get other areas to spur growth as well. On-a-side-note what you described almost happened back in the 80's. Dudley-Webb out of Lexington was going to build the tallest building in the state somewhere in the "superblock" area. I've looked and looked for renderings and I've never found anything. I seem to remember it being a red-brick building and over 20 stories tall. It would be cool if someone could post an image of it if one exists.
I must agree that the lot at 4ht and 8th street should be at least a 20 story building. With the courthouse across the street and a public parking garage that could be connected by a skywalk it makes the most sense to me. and I have also thought that a split use building with apartments available in certain areas would work also. On another thought, why can't a couple of 15 story high rise apartment building be constructed with the desire of many West Virginia born people to move back to the area. I know my former mother-in-law lived in a 16 to 18 story retirement high rise in St Petersburg Florida. it also contained a clinic to take care of any minor problems the residents may have. (MU could take part in something like that)
but in the mean time some 5 story apartment buildings between downtown and MU would be reasonable. Charlotte has a ton of these being constructed near the downtown area and with a modern exterior not just a brick flat building with iron rails along the walkways. Where is the imagination of developers?
On a last thought.....
I remember driving on I-64 and looking up at the Arch Coal building which was easily seen on 5th street hill (NOW Mountwest) it gave a look like business was interested in the area but now trees have grown up and completely obstructed the view so that the people driving on the interstate are not even aware of the office (college) structure. the City or county should have the trees trimmed and /or removed so that there is a view of that structure. it can be done to really look good. (not just chopping things down) you drive by Huntington and it looks like nothing is there. it is so darn misleading and crates a feeling that little changes from year to year. perceptions are reality to people and if you can't see anything going on, most people think nothing is going on. it is such a breath of fresh air to hear the thoughts of you guys and your hopes and enthusiasm about Huntington. I know you can change the thoughts of many there and keep hope increasing for great things ahead.
I remember driving on I-64 and looking up at the Arch Coal building which was easily seen on 5th street hill (NOW Mountwest) it gave a look like business was interested in the area but now trees have grown up and completely obstructed the view so that the people driving on the interstate are not even aware of the office (college) structure. the City or county should have the trees trimmed and /or removed so that there is a view of that structure. it can be done to really look good. (not just chopping things down) you drive by Huntington and it looks like nothing is there. it is so darn misleading and crates a feeling that little changes from year to year. perceptions are reality to people and if you can't see anything going on, most people think nothing is going on. it is such a breath of fresh air to hear the thoughts of you guys and your hopes and enthusiasm about Huntington. I know you can change the thoughts of many there and keep hope increasing for great things ahead.
I think that there are a lot of spots along I-64 where they could selectively remove trees to give better views of the city, specifically downtown. The stretch of interstate that passes by Kinetic Park (over Hal Greer Blvd) is another example. You can almost see bits of downtown, during the winter (when there are no leaves on the trees. Remove some of those trees and you might be able to see the lights of downtown, specifically those atop the West Virginia Building.
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