Minutes after an announcement was made that Governor Beshear would join Mayor Abramson and Museum Plaza developers Craig Greenberg, Steve Wilson, Laura Lee Brown, and Steve Poe for a press conference coming up this morning at 10:00, rumors have been circulating around the web that the 62-story, iconic, mixed-use project by Joshua Prince-Ramus of REX New York whose hyper-rational approach generated the building’s unique form could be back from “indefinite” hiatus.
The Architect’s Newspaper revealed the story to an international audience of architects yesterday (with a few kind words about our own little blog) with word that a tipster reports a HUD loan could come into play. The C-J got an early interview with Craig Greenberg yesterday evening who said there will be an exciting announcement about financing that that some of the project’s components have been reconfigured including replacing some of the residences with a second hotel. Greenberg is optimistic as always.
Besides the large kunsthalle-museum in the sky 22-stories in the air, Museum Plaza calls for a mix of condos, apartments, a Westin hotel, office space, retail, and a large park. Expect some clarification of these elements today along with financing news.
WHAS 11 News is also reporting that financing plan is “moving forward” and construction could be restarted by fall.
Construction began in 2008 on the tower, but was soon halted due to vibrations caused by foundation work that threatened to harm nearby historic buildings. When I was working in one of those 19th century structures back then less than a block away, the vibrations were fairly severe. A new foundation plan was engineered to reduce those issues but the project stalled amid the recession before construction resumed.
Here are some photos I took way back when of construction at the Museum Plaza site.
Prince-Ramus has also been involved with recent projects such as the Wyly Theater in Dallas and the Seattle Public Library in recent years, both examples of his firm’s innovative approach.
More Museum Plaza coverage from Broken Sidewalk.
WHAS 11 News is also reporting that financing plan is “moving forward” and construction could be restarted by fall.
that turth??
It seems true that roughly half of the planned condos are to be replaced with another hotel (C-J reports a quote that this hotel will not be as high-end as the Westin that's already planned). Even though it seems that the Downtown hotel market is already over-built, I think this could actually help the financing plan, because if anything is definitely over-built Downtown it's the high-end condo market. Nationally, this segment of the housing market is still in critical condition!
For the opening gala, we could get actors to reenact chase and fight scenes from Bladerunner throughout the building.
This building will struggle unless there are plans to replace one of the world’s ugliest elevated waterfront expressways with an at grade parkway. It would be better that this parkway not be named I-64 but is still possible to design a 6 lane at-grade waterfront expressway that does not severely damage Louisville’s image and economy for the next 110 years. Join us June 30 from 10am until 7pm under the expressway at Louisville’s Great Lawn. Sign the petition and guarantee that you will not live in Louisville if we make the biggest urban planning mistake of the 21st century, the current design of the downtown ORBP.
So, now with more details on the loan, it seems that the Commonwealth will apply for a $100 million loan, with all its statewide, current and future, HUD block grants as security. If KY gets the loan, and if the developers ever default on repayment, statewide grant moneys could be jeopardized.
The Sec. 108 loan program is aimed, in part, at job creation, but how many jobs will be created by this project, and what will they pay in compensation and benefits? I mean, a big part of it is a musuem, a hotel, and *maybe* UofL classroom space. Doesn’t seem like high-paying jobs will be created.
I’ve always been very supportive and excited for this project, but this latest idea seems fishy, and maybe not the best way to get this moving again.
According to Gov Beshear, the Brown Family is backing the $100M Fed Loan. I am for this project but the Poe Group is still involved and that really gives me bad feelings. This group from Chicago also was to build the new condo complex at the old Louisville Marina site. The city/state cleared the land, removed the structural facades, that are now in storage destined for the landfill, moved the underground utilities, water, sewer, gas, etc. and Poe simply walked away. This sounds more political use for the upcoming Gov/Mayor elections. I think that if the Brown’s can put up the back up monies, that Poe should go to them and not thru the State and have us (KY) looking like idiots when this does not progress again
Poe has delayed the marina site development but not abandoned it. When the economy bounces back look for this huge development to spring back to life because, unlike Museum Plaza, it actually makes financial sense.
Wow a Motel 6 at Museum plaza, we’ll leave the light on for ya !
If this thing ever gets built, I’m buying me some Legos and starting an architecture practice.
It would be nice if Poe would rehab the Paget House, as promised.
So what makes them so certain they will be awarded the grant? Seems like a lot of fanfare for something they don’t have much control over.
I’m sending this project some much needed positive energy! God knows it has had it’s share of negativity. As someone who travels to several large US cities throughout the year, I feel that having an iconic building that will bring in $ all year (remember, it’s a huge compliment to the arena and will se a huge boom at Derby time) will continue to place Louisville on the map. There are several reasons we have weathered this economic downturn fairly well (contrary to popular beleif) and one of those reasons is that we have continued to invest and develop our great city. I’ve lived downtown for three yrs now and I can attest to the fact that there is a tangible change in the air in the city. Urban Louisville is truly coming back to life and KFC/Yum! Center and Museum Plaza will help catapult that development! The jobs it will create alone are staggering.
Pardon all the typos! LOL
Does anyone else hate the Seattle Public Library? It’s an architctural abortion. I’m tired of these starchitects creating incomprehensible buildings that end being giant modernist eyesores. I hope the musuem plaza is less obnoxious than the Seattle Public library.
It’s not a terribly pratical library and folks that actually use it have had several complaints about the interior. Sum of it its parts aside, I’m not convinced stacking uninteresting objects on top of one another creates an interesting single piece. I vaguely recall Spetember being the month in which HUD will determine whether to fund the project which is another complaint of mine. The project should be scaled down instead of using so much public money.
I can’t speak to its functionality but I think the Seattle Public Library is spectacular. Louisville needs to stop building historical reproductions and start looking to the future. Museum Plaza needs to be scaled downt to 10 different building that fill missing teeth (flat parking lots) in the city. Seriously, why would you build 62 stories up when we have so many flat lots? Especially if the project ties together unrelated functions, hotels, museum, and whatever companies they get to pay for class A office space. Personally I think MP is financially insane but I do support the project because the design is interesting and the developer is putting up big money.
I’m paraphrasing but Laura Lee Brown says she is building Museum Plaza to make the city desireable and hopefully slow suburban sprawl. Meanwhile she opposes the east end bridge (which would divert unnecessary traffic from the city) and supports the terribly designed downtown ORBP. Does she seriously think that people are going to want to live in a city that would destroy its image defining gateway and historical heart?