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Museum Plaza Glory Days
While we’re on the topic (and it’s been oh, so long since we have been on the topic), it’s worth taking a look at probably the coolest video-rendering ever made of Louisville. This video was made by the amazing Brooklyn Digital Foundry for Museum Plaza. Just watch it. (Or click here if the above video doesn’t load.)
PrintRemembering The Museum Plaza Groundbreaking
Museum Plaza Construction Retrospective
With the planned announcement today about Museum Plaza just a few hours away, take a look back at the last time such notable figures gathered at the Museum Plaza site with such optimism and excitement. Who can forget that giant shovel that marked the ground breaking of the 62-story tower to be?
Could Museum Plaza Construction Be Resumed?
Museum Plaza detail (Rendering by REX New York)
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.
I’ll have an update after the press conference today.
More Museum Plaza coverage from Broken Sidewalk.
Museum Plaza (Rendering by REX New York)
Museum Plaza Watch: ‘Trust Us, This Thing’s Getting Built’
Museum Plaza Drawings Ready To Go (photo by Museum Plaza)
Craig Greenberg went before Metro Council today to answer the tough questions about the state of the Museum Plaza development. We didn’t have a chance to sit in on the Q & A but did read over a letter Greenberg sent to Metro Council about the project. The gist of the meeting probably goes something like, “Financial meltdown. We’re doing our best. We’re ready to go. Economic crisis. We’re going to get this thing built. Credit crunch.” More realistically, Craig is trying to reassure Metro Council that matters are under control and the project will move forward as the economy improves.
Life’s not easy for a mega-project in these trying economic times. That giant spire that Santiago Calatrava designed in Chicago is just a hole in the ground and going nowhere fast, Dubai is in meltdown mode, and even the new World Trade Center is being held up every other day or so. Louisville is not unique by having a delayed mega-project. What is unique are a group of developers so dedicated to the city. And with $47 million already invested in the project so far, including $1.2 million to purchase property not owned by the city and about $14 million more to bury some power lines, the group can’t just walk away from an already substantial development.
So far, 20 permits and approvals to get started have already been acquired for the project, the Westin hotel franchise is still ready to go, and the developers are good for the money. They were even forced to bear all in a confidential letter demonstrating “Evidence of Net Worth” and their ability to personally meet the financial obligations. Greenberg reassures the Council as well that no city funds have been used so far in the project, and won’t until a complete financing package has been obtained.
And so far, the plans and design for the building haven’t changed. Greenberg’s letter to Metro Council explains that “the architectural and construction documents for Museum Plaza are to build a building and infrastructure that is the same as has been shown in renderings… over the past two years.” And the construction documents are done. Waiting. Sitting in a back office somewhere biding their time until financing rolls in. That’s them in the photo above.
Despite a barrage of concerns and worries from Metro Council, the developers are still showing no sign of breaking. While an anxious public keeps fingers crossed or pointing fingers poised, the pressure must be great for the four who have already put so much at stake. Here’s the optimism Greenberg and the rest of the development group still maintain for Museum Plaza:
“Laura Lee Brown, Steve Wilson, Steve Poe, myself and the entire Museum Plaza development team remain as committed as ever to building this important community project. It is too important not to build. Museum Plaza will not only energize and improve West Main Street, Downtown Louisville, and our entire community, but serve as a symbol of our community and state’s ability to rebound from these challenging times stronger than ever.
“Museum Plaza will be under construction within 30 days of closing our financing, building $150 million of infrastructure and having an economic impact of over $1 billion during our construction period. Over 4,500 different people will help build Museum Plaza, earning prevailing wages. Over 600 people will work on the site every day during its peak construction period. And, over 1,500 people will have permanent good jobs in the building upon its completion. Museum Plaza will quickly and forcefully stimulate Kentucky’s economy, while improving it and its image in the process.”
- Museum Plaza (Official Site)
- More Museum Plaza coverage from Broken Sidewalk
Demo Watch: Electric Structures Fading Fast
Electric jungle gym already half-way gone
Well, that was fast. Just ten days ago, the electric jungle gym on Third Street was removing its first transformers. Today, the thing is halfway gone. There’s even a little brick building visible now we’d never noticed. We’re calling it the halfway house. The crews working to deconstruct the steel mess are from Chicago and are torch-cutting the steel into large pieces. Once on the ground, a giant tin-snip cuts them into truck-size parts ready to be hauled away. There’s also a lot more concrete in this thing than we expected and piles of it are laying around the site. It’s estimated the entire site clearing process will take another 4 weeks, but the steel frame should be gone pretty quick at this pace. The rest of the time involves ripping up the asphalt and concrete around the site so it will soon appear that the electric jungle gym was only a bad dream.
Meanwhile, deconstruction of the electric towers five blocks west is set to speed up, too. A large red crane arrived on the backs of several semis and is waiting to be set up. This crane is huge. One commenter called the large tower at 8th Street the ‘lattice tower’, so we’re going to call it that too. It and the smaller tower just west at the foot of 10th Street should be gone soon as well.
- Museum Plaza Electric Towers Go Wireless (Broken Sidewalk)
- Demo Watch: Electric Jungle Gym Under Deconstruction (Broken Sidewalk)
Filed Under: Nabes: Downtown, Nabes: Shippingport, Demo Watch, Electric Jungle Gym, lg&e, Museum Plaza
Museum Plaza Electric Towers Go Wireless
Electric towers being prepped for removal
Two large towers of power on and near the Museum Plaza site are being prepped for removal. Their wires have been snipped and new “sleek” metal-pole-towers have been strung out just in time for Mardi Gras. Crews with cranes were working on the two towers all day today removing porcelain pinecones and such, similar to the work going on at the LG&E deconstruction site on Third Street. We’ve known this day was coming, a day foretold by the disappearing dinosaurs, but we say these towers can’t be gone soon enough. We couldn’t find any timetable, but we expect them to be gone fairly quickly. Perhaps the deconstructors could go the dramatic route and topple the thing into the empty Museum Plaza lot, but we’re a little doubtful of that.
- Demo Watch: Electric Jungle Gym Under Deconstruction (Broken Sidewalk)
- Museum Plaza Falls Down, Climbs Up (Broken Sidewalk)
- Riverfront Dinosaur Goes Missing (Broken Sidewalk)
- Museum Plaza Electric Tower Sprouts (Broken Sidewalk)
*Mini Post* Wind Storm Jr. No Match For Museum Plaza
As Windstorm Jr. rolled through town last night, sending more power lines sprawling into the streets and killing electricity for almost 40,000 people, it tried to pick on our very own Museum Plaza. The fierce wind gusts tore loose one of the colorful Museum Plaza banners on Main Street, but the building isn’t going anywhere. The yellow sheet was quickly reattached today with few people the wiser, except for Broken Sidewalk readers, of course. This is near the same spot that the banner mishap happened last December. Could Windstorm Jr. be trying to send us a message, perhaps? That Museum Plaza must weather the “storm” but will be around on fairer days? At least the Museum Plaza folks care enough about the project to continue to bury power lines and keep the banners tidy. If only a few on Metro Council could be more optimistic.
Metro Council’s Fear Of Museum Plaza Unfounded, Lawyer Says
Museum Plaza construction site covered in snow
Several million dollars of construction liens filed against Museum Plaza by contractors caused a panic among some Metro Council members last week as they worried public land on the construction site could be jeopardized. Council members Hal Heiner and Jim King asked for a legal opinion on the issue and demanded a report on the future viability of the Museum Plaza project, calling into question the developers’ business practices. Today, the Jefferson County Attorney’s office released a statement putting Heiner’s and King’s fears to rest: city land won’t we taken and the developers must assume full responsibility for the liens.
Attorney Craig Greenberg, partner in the Museum Plaza development, wasn’t all too pleased, however, that the issue was brought up at all: ”It’s unfortunate that Councilman Heiner continues to put roadblocks in the way of progress and job creation… There are enough challenges today outside of our control and community to get this project under way.” The team reassured the public, again, that they will be moving forward with Museum Plaza when the credit markets improve. Meanwhile, the power lines the developers paid to have burried should be completely switched over in the next month or so and two large electrical towers will come down. Crews already removed the riverfront dinosaur for just such an occasion.
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