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Columbus Skyline Needs "A Lift"!

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Started 2 years ago by babeblueboijohn
Latest reply from Tenzo

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Skyline

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babeblueboijohn
Columbus, Ohio
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I'm a new resident to Columbus, having moved here in August 2009.
So far, I am impresssed with the quality of life and the amenities that this city offers, however ...

What's up with the skyline of AMERICAS 15th LARGEST CITY???

I find Columbus' skyline to be an attractive one and it does have a form of continuity ... but where are the really TALL SKYSCRAPERS that are visually appealing?
The Rhodes Office Tower at 41 stories is a "most unattractive" building ... and is the tallest in Columbus.

Cleveland has a much more impressive city skyline than Columbus ... and is arguably the best in the state of Ohio.

DOES ANYBODY KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY PLANS FOR A PROLIFIC SKYSCRAPER IN THE PLANS FOR OUR FAIR AND SIZABLE CITY???

For being the 15th largest city in America, WE NEED A SKYLINE that would promote and display our importance.

I welcome any feedback! Thanks :)

Posted 2 years ago #
robertfoshizzle
Eastland
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Columbus being the "15th-largest city in America" is kind of a farce. The only reason Columbus proper is more populated than Cleveland and Cincinnati is because Columbus annexed a lot of inner-ring suburbs. While Columbus is certainly a large city, both Cleveland and Cincinnati are larger in reality. A better measure of a city is the population of its metropolitan area. In that case, Cincinnati sits 24th at 2,155,137, Cleveland 26th at 2,088,291, and Columbus in 32nd at 1,773,120.

Posted 2 years ago #
robertfoshizzle
Eastland
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Case in point -- Cleveland's skyline is more impressive than that of Columbus because Cleveland has traditionally been a much larger city. Columbus is catching up, however.

Posted 2 years ago #
chaptal
West Side
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I've always liked it.

Posted 2 years ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Get the Flash Videos

Posted 2 years ago #
agtw31
columbus
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this isn't Dubai,this is the heart of the midwest.

Posted 2 years ago #
cc

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I have always thought of Columbus as pretty much being the Austin, TX of Ohio. A large spread out fairly progressive town with a blooming community. We are about equal in area, and population.

austin skyline

I think that while skyscrapers are nice to look at, I would rather the money be spent on a more walkable, pedestrian friendly downtown. Basically something I would use rather then look at.

Posted 2 years ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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I'd rather see a bunch of 5-6 story parking garages replacing surface lots than skyscrapers.

Posted 2 years ago #
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
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I'd prefer a few mid-rise buildings to a high-rise building if I had a choice. Gotta' fill in those parking lots.

Posted 2 years ago #
Core_Models
Columbus
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johnwirtz wrote >>
I'd prefer a few mid-rise buildings to a high-rise building if I had a choice. Gotta' fill in those parking lots.

heh...step two! ;)

Posted 2 years ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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I want to see green roofs. Look at Columbus in the satellite pictures, it's a big gray blotch.

Posted 2 years ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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While Skyscrapers are nice to look at, they offer little in the way of everyday use unless you happen to work in one of them. And even then you're talking about just one of them.

I heard someone say once (I think it was Kyle Ezell) that the majority of people "exist" in the first 10 feet of space off the ground. Everything else above that may be nice to look at, but that's about it.

Case in point, most of our best neighborhoods and areas (Short North, Grandview, German Village, Clintonville, University District) are mostly made up of 2-3 story buildings. So while you can't view them from afar, they're great places spend time up close with.

Posted 2 years ago #
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
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Core_Models wrote >>

johnwirtz wrote >>
I'd prefer a few mid-rise buildings to a high-rise building if I had a choice. Gotta' fill in those parking lots.

heh...step two! ;)

Phase 3 - Profit
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/151040

Posted 2 years ago #
ColDayMan
Cincinnati-Dayton
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Columbus' skyline is about the right size for its metropolitan area of nearly 2 million (CSA is over 2 million now). Columbus has more 500+ foot skyscrapers than Cincinnati and Cleveland and on average is the "largest" in the state, overall (even though Cleveland has three taller buildings). I think it is just fine. Skylines that are underwhelming for their city size include San Antonio, Phoenix (a soul-less Tucson with light rail), and San Jose (essentially an office park with light rail).

Posted 2 years ago #
Matthew
Hilltop
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alexs wrote >>
I want to see green roofs. Look at Columbus in the satellite pictures, it's a big gray blotch.

Hmm we could send some honeysuckle that way.

Posted 2 years ago #
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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Don't forget that Washington DC has no true skyscrapers. Only the Capitol and Washington Monument stand out from a distance. That doesn't change the fact that it's a really dense city with good walkability and a subway that works really well.

Posted 2 years ago #
lisathewaitress
SoHud
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I would like to see all the vacant store fronts filled before we start building *anything* new.

Posted 2 years ago #
jpizzow
580 N. Park St.
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I have always been a fan of highrise buildings. I see them as an indicator of a cities' economic power in a way. It's all about the initial perception. Think about it, if you were to drive past Dayton (not knowing anything about Dayton) what would your initial perception of the city be. Now think of driving by Indianapolis. It should be a completely different perception in that Dayton doesn't hold a candle to Indianapolis. I for one think our skyline is a bit bland and could use some new "bling". It's mostly grey and brown buildings, the tallest of which looks like a turd.

The problem with skyscrapers these days is that they do not work as well as single use buildings. Any highrise built should incorporate some or all of a combination of office space, residential, retail, hotel and civic space. In other words, they should be mixed-use buildings. This way they become more of a living, breathing building throughout the day and night. Also, high office vacancies can be countered by low residential/hotel vacancies, or vise versa. It just makes more sense.

Also, being an urban development junkie, I just liking seeing cranes in the air. It gives a sense of a city experiencing growth.....and it just looks so cool. I'm waiting for the next tallest to be announced, but at the rate highrise buildings get built around here, that probably won't happen for a while.

Posted 2 years ago #
gk
columbus, ohio
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lisathewaitress wrote >>
I would like to see all the vacant store fronts filled before we start building *anything* new.

Ditto!

Posted 2 years ago #
DtownCbus

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jpizzow is right. We can't expect a single use high rise office tower anytime soon. The office vacancy rate is too high for that to be viable right now. A multi-use office, hotel, and condo project makes more sense. Maybe like the newer Omni Hotel in downtown Ft. Worth. With that said, we all know how the luxury high rise condo market has faired thus far.

http://www.1301throckmorton.com/index.html

Posted 2 years ago #