Been wondering about the fence & trailer surrounding the block bounded by Rosedale, 5th, Lake, and Oleander in the Near Southside? Well, here’s what is going on there: the construction of the new Carter Blood Care office building.
Now, looking at the rendering and the site plan, it might strike you that this is not a particularly impressive building. The building is single-use and features parking located towards Oleander, even though Oleander zoning requires storefront-style ground floor facades and at least some residential use. The explanation is that the Carter Blood Care building has been approved for quite some time – it dates back before the Near Southside development standards and all the Oleander requirements.
If you ask us, there ought to be a limit on how long plans can sit approved when there’s radical zoning & design standard changes taking place (if they sought approval today, the new building would be in no way compatible with the Oleander zoning & standards), but that’s a moot point in this case. Carter Blood Care did compromise, though, and pushed its parking away from Oleander. Facing Oleander will be a small pocket park instead. It’ll be a little basic at first, going by the renderings, but we bet that the Near Southside TIF could come back and improve the park at a later date. We just hope this doesn’t set a precedent for incompatible designs along Oleander (with the Near Southside standards and Oleander’s T4-N zoning, it shouldn’t be able to).
We’ll grab some construction shots once things really kick off. In the meantime, here’s the rendering and the site plan.
Forgive the diversion from our usual content, but this was too odd to pass up.
We consider ourselves to be fairly “hip” and “with it” people (NOTE: no actual quantity of hipness or with-it-osity is conferred with this sentence. Offer void in Utah), but we were surprised to learn of a butting-of-heads between a friend of ours and one of the folks at the Star-Telegram.
Fellow local blogger Robert McKee, whose DowntownFortWorth.com we also just noticed is back to life and looks pretty darned cool, runs a scavenger hunt on the site where contestants must match photos of each letter of the alphabet to the sign in Downtown Fort Worth that the letter appears on. As blogged about over on the Weekly, Robert had to delay announcing the winner of the most recent scavenger hunt due to his being in Scotland to put on a proper funeral ceremony for his father, who passed away a year prior.
Apparently, a delay in announcing the winner of a free contest on a web site so upset a participant, one Kevin McCambell, that he e-mail Robert several times to find out what the deal was. After a series of exchanges, Robert finally wrote back “I AM AT MY FATHER’S FREAKING FUNERAL,” and McCambell went on a crusade, complaining to the contest’s prize donors and to one Barry Shlachter, the Star-Telegram’s business writer.
Shlachter ran a story nit-picking Robert’s funeral story (choice quote: “scattering ashes in an Aloha shirt (he sent us a picture) may not be the same as a funeral (his father died in December), but why quibble?”). Being put on the defensive over what should be a harmless fun game and his providing closure for his father’s life understandably bothered Robert, and he demanded an apology from Shlachter.
He got a private apology from S-T editor Jim Witt, who said that the paper couldn’t give a public one. Unsatisfied, Robert decided to take things to the next step in getting an apology out of Shlachter, as also blogged about at the Weekly:
Well, an apology has not come (save for the two hilarious half-ass attempts to humor me by publishing the winner’s name in his column yesterday but ignoring the 900 pound gorilla) and therefore Wave II of Operation: Pepperspray has been launched. Observe: http://www.barryshlachter.com that’s right! Knowing he’s probably not savvy enough to have thought to secure it, I bought the domain of the mother-fucker’s name. And now, while he can print his stupid editorializing of peoples’ burial services, sit back with his tenure, and dismiss the whiny ‘letters-to-the-editor’ assuming people will just ‘move on,’ forever emblazoned on the internet, his name will be associated with his epic journalistic fail. At least until he apologizes in his column. Fucked with the wrong guy.
We wish Robert luck in getting an apology out of Mr. Shlachter. We can sympathize with him over the whole incident, at least to some extent – we know how the degree to which people (such as Mr. McCambell) can get very emotional, demanding, and downright rude over what is essentially a free, no-obligation-to-read-in-any-way web site can truly be bizarre.
It was brought to our attention over the weekend that one of the reasons a neighborhood, say Fairmount in this case, that’s being reborn has such a hard time dislodging long-time slumlords is because the appraised value of their property is ridiculously low. We’re not talking about the home/duplex/whatever on the property – just the land itself.
We’ve noticed that, in Fairmount to continue the example, your average nicely kept/restored home sits on land that TAD says is worth around $35,000. The slummy properties, often located directly next to the aforementioned nicely kept ones, on the same size lot? TAD says that land’s $8,000. No wonder the slumlords don’t leave – they’re paying tremendously under-valued property tax compared to the people actively improving the neighborhood.
Maybe we’re missing something in this equation, and if we are, we will be happy to be corrected. At first glance, though, it appears that it pays to be a slumlord in Fort Worth.
The official lighting ceremony for the “Avenue of Light” sculptures by Cliff Garten Studio on Lancaster Avenue in Downtown was finally held last night. We shot some video (with a humble Flip Mino HD) and took some photos of the festivities. Lancaster was partially blocked to car traffic, and a large crowd assembled around food, water, and live music in the twilight.
Once it got dark enough, Mayor Mike Moncrief, Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks, District 9 City Council representative Joel Burns, and artist Cliff Garten all gave speeches about the sculptures and the revitalization of the south end of Downtown Fort Worth (Councilmember Burns remarked that the Lancaster Avenue area will become as active and beloved as Sundance Square as new infill occurs around the remade street). The mayor announced that Cliff is participating in the design of the new 7th Street bridge linking Downtown and the Cultural District (which will be a part of the Fort Worth Streetcar network). Finally, Mayor Moncrief and Cliff Garten led the crowd in a countdown to illumination, which kicked off an extended light show by the six sculptures along Lancaster accompanied by the band.
Above is the video we shot, and below are our photos. Enjoy! Anybody else attend? What were your thoughts on the sculptures, the lighting, and the ceremony?
Firefighters on hand to watch the ceremony.
Artist Cliff Garten talks with attendees.
Crowds gather around the music stage at Lancaster & Throckmorton.
Visitors enjoy observing the sculptures from the temporarily-closed-to-traffic Lancaster Avenue.
The crowd in front of the new Omni Hotel & Condos, one of the most noticeable signs of the beginning revitalization of Downtown Fort Worth’s south end.
More visitors arrive as the sun goes down.
Crowds gather around one of the Avenue of Light sculptures in front of the Texas & Pacific Lofts/train station.
More visitors arrive, with the Omni Hotel & Condos in the background.
Looking at one of the sculptures in front of the Omni Hotel & Condos.
Crowds in the median of Lancaster Avenue as the lighting approaches.
Gathering around one of the sculptures, with the Post Office in the background.
Silhouettes of two of the sculptures along with the Post Office, Texas & Pacific Warehouse, and visitors on Lancaster Avenue.
Crowds gathering on Lancaster. The Fort Worth Water Department brought out fresh drinking water for the attendees.
Gathering in front of the Texas & Pacific Lofts/train station, one of the first revitalization efforts on Lancaster Avenue.
The crowd gathers to hear speeches by Fort Worth city officials and the artist.
Mayor Mike Moncrief expresses the importance of the Avenue of Light sculptures and the revitalization of Downtown’s south end.
Crowds listening to Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks.
District 9 City Council representative Joel Burns talks about bringing life and activity back to the south end of Downtown Fort Worth, undoing the mistakes of the I-30 overpass and the decimation of South Downtown by parking lots and historic demolitions.
Artist Cliff Garten discusses the meaning and significance of his Avenue of Light sculptures in creating a meaningful sense of place for the south end of Downtown Fort Worth.
Crowds gather and take photos of the sculptures after the lighting was switched on.
Visitors watch as the color combinations change and cycle.
People walking around Lancaster, getting views of the Avenue of Light sculptures from different angles and distances.
Colors change as the crowd enjoys the show.
Visitors watch the lights of the Avenue of Light.
Still more people watch the shifting color schemes.
Attendees getting up close & personal with the Avenue of Light sculptures.
More variety in the lights as visitors enjoy the evening.
Michael Lindenberger of the Dallas Morning News shared this link with us to a blog posting he wrote on the DMN’s Transportation Blog, and we thought we’d share it with you. It’s about Texas being late to the party with our high-speed rail project and missing out on the current federal push for HSR funds. Here’s an excerpt:
As we have reported here often, the federal government is about to dump a lot of money on states to develop a handful of high-speed passenger rail corridors, and the good news for us is that Texas is home to two of the 11 routes highlighted for special focus.
The bad news? As I wrote in a short piece for the newspaper this morning, Texas is so poorly positioned to build its rail lines, it’s all but certain to be shut out of the big money.
Head on over to the DMN’s Transportation Blog and read up on Michael’s post and offer your comments, here and there.
Finally, after delays due to swine flu, the lighting ceremony for the “Avenue of Light” sculptures by Cliff Garten on Lancaster in Downtown is tonight! Below is the release from Fort Worth Public Art:
Colored lights will illuminate the night sky during a festive block party June 25 when the Avenue of Light on Lancaster Avenue is turned on for the first time. Avenue of Light, a public art project, consists of six stainless steel sculptures that incorporate energy-efficient LED lights and tower 36 feet high. They’ve been installed along the median from Lamar Street to Main/Commerce Street .
The event begins at 8:30 p.m. at the northeast corner of Lancaster Avenue and Throckmorton Street , where light refreshments will be served. The public is invited to this free party where the program will begin at 9:00 p.m. with remarks from Mayor Mike Moncrief, Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks, Council Member Joel Burns and the Artist Cliff Garten. The sculptures will then become a “canvas” for a color light program lasting about 30 minutes and created especially for the occasion. Lancaster Avenue will be closed to traffic 8-10 p.m. from Throckmorton to Houston streets. Parking is available two blocks north at the new Fort Worth Convention Center Parking Garage.
The City of Fort Worth ’s public art program commissioned Avenue of Light as part of Lancaster Avenue ’s reconstruction. The sculptures’ contemporary design was inspired by the nearby Texas & Pacific Terminal’s Art Deco architectural details. Lancaster Avenue’s reconstruction is a catalyst for future economic development along the corridor. Median landscaping will be part of a future phase of the project.
Avenue of Light will be illuminated nightly from dusk to dawn beginning June 26.
A flexible-use open lawn space that could be used as a community garden
Bike parking station
Overall, it looks like a smart design. It is nicely enclosed with trees, and features several programmed spaces including a nice open area for recreation. The park’s design is by Dunaway Associates and Fort Worth South.
We haven’t heard a peep about the mysterious new building rising next to Fuzzy’s Taco Shop on Race Street (technically, the new building is on Blandin just off Race), and even now as it nears completion there has been pretty much no indication of what the building is for. There have been no signs, no announcements (that we’ve seen), no nothing as to what the new three-story pink building was all about.
Finally, we’ve figured it out, thanks to a perusal of building permits. The building is being developed by (as far as we can tell) Race Street Properties, who have been involved with a number of other projects along the street, such as Fuzzy’s and the historic McAdams Building at Race & Belknap that houses Mamma Mia. According to building permits, the building is a mixed-use structure featuring office space and either two or three residential units. From looking at the building, it appears to feature fairly large rooftop decks on the upper levels.
The pink stucco & tile roof, combined with the palm tree landscaping, certainly fits in with the sort of South Beach Miami feel that many of the Race Street developments have gone for. If we can find out more about the building, we’ll update more – perhaps we can even take a tour of the finished development.
The new Ricardo Legorreta-designed Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has come a long way, and it’s possible to get an idea of the museum’s finished appearance at last. The “urban lantern” over the entrance, the purple dome of the new Noble Planetarium, and the large “floating” glass & brick corner feature are all quite far along.
Architecturally (at least from the outside), we’re still not 100% sure what to make of the new museum, but we do eagerly await the chance to get inside and take a tour of the building before coming to a real conclusion. For now, here are some more photos of the progress – click for a bigger view.
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