West 7th Updates – Lights, Landscaping, Signage, Etc.

The West 7th development is coming together nicely, and walking around the development shows that the streetscape is finally starting to feel complete.

Along Crockett, between the two loft buildings, strings of festival lights have been installed. The lights run between the two buildings for the length of the street, except in the center of the block. There, the buildings set back a bit, creating a sizable plaza space. Leaving the plaza area open overhead gives a kind of “tension and release” feel to the development’s streetscape, with a more cozy sensation between the building walls under the lights opening up to a larger central “room.” It’s a nice piece of spatial definition.

Landscaping looks to be very nearly complete. Here, we’re looking into one half of the central plaza.

Bollards have been installed to define the two halves of the curbless plaza and to prevent cars from entering. The sculptures in each plaza have been given their permanent installations and the water features around them are being installed.

Here’s a close-up of one of the sculptures and its in-progress water feature.

One of the central plaza spaces. One of the development’s mid-block pedestrian passages can be seen behind the sculpture. These serve to break up the longer blocks into segments similar in size to a standard downtown block, allowing improved pedestrian circulation.

Decorative paving can be seen between the two plazas. It’s easy to imagine that this central area could be entirely blocked off to car traffic for special events.

Typical Crockett streetscape, showing off the wide sidewalks and trees planted out at the edge of the sidewalk, not near the building – the proper way to go about it in an urban setting, to create a better sense of enclosure for pedestrians.

The corners of the central plaza space each have a large outdoor dining area for the adjacent retail space. This will be the outdoor dining area at Tillman’s Roadhouse.

This will be outdoor dining for Patrizio.

Looking up at the lofts above the central plaza.

Streetscape in front of Patrizio and Paciugo.

Another angle on one of the sculpture/water feature installations in the central plaza.

Looking up through the festival lighting at the lofts above.

Looking down Crockett at Movie Tavern.

Speaking of Movie Tavern, their signage is going up now. A neon “Movie Tavern” sign adorns the building at Crockett & Currie, while the company’s slogan “Movies Never Tasted So Good!” has been installed over the ground-level entrance & plaza on the corner.

Looking up at the Movie Tavern sign.

The Movie Tavern slogan and plaza in front of the ground-level entrance.

Leasing at the lofts is going on now. Retail tenants of West 7th are looking to start opening soon. Some tenants, including Movie Tavern, Tillman’s Roadhouse, Paciugo and Yofe should be opening in October, while more will open in December, including LA Fitness, Bailey’s Prime Plus, Patrizio and Delaney’s Irish Pub. Bowling alley Lucky Strike Lanes looks to open later, in March 2010. March will also be the official “grand opening” of the development as a whole. Two further pieces of the development – a second office tower and the likely third loft building replacing the originally planned hotel component – will be built later.