Comments on: Renderings of Convention Center Hotel Revealed

By: columbusyuppie

columbusyuppie — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:42:48 +0000

I think a walkway similar to the walkway that Columbus State has with its cool architecture would be aesthetically pleasing

By: Walker

Walker — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:35:56 +0000

Here’s a photo of the future site of the hotel from the lower grade. Goodbye parking lot!

By: Urbanboi

Urbanboi — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:55:35 +0000

Here is a cool picture I found. It shows the future site of the Hilton from the above. http://www.aboveallohio.com/images/stock/big/nationwide_arena_columbus_ohio_aerial.jpg

By: Mike B

Mike B — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:45:58 +0000

The height and size are fine. Given the scale of units that make up hotels, bigger means denser, and that is a *good* thing…we need density. If you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t get the size/density equation then you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t get cities. The issue to be more concerned with here is design, and the design of that thing is just bad. Looking at it makes me feel as destitute as I do when looking at the wallpaper architecture of the Arena District. Bottom line, the civic and business leaders of Columbus have low aspirations for great design and this project is just another example of the lame mushy-middle architecture that populates this town. When people build things like that they are telling us: you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t deserve any better. And we start to believe this so we think its fine…Ã¢â‚¬ÂitÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s good…for Columbus.Ã¢â‚¬Â Look no further than those new garages without any retail and that absurd lifestyle communities residential development. You canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t even call it provincial because it doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t reflect our Ã¢â‚¬Å“province.Ã¢â‚¬Â And I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t agree that you canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t blame the architects. LetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s face it, the selected HOK/MN design team is not a stellar one. While I know that architects are only as good as their client, they are also responsible for leading them and cajoling them a bit. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m not looking for signature work, I just want something that captures the imagination and stimulates the senses. Trust me, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s not that hard. Is that really that much for us to expect? And enough with the red brick already, Columbus; please, can we call a truce?
About the skywalks: when the decision makers are suburbanites to their core, this is what you get. All the arguments for the skywalk posted border on the indefensible. Unfortunately, this is an argument that you canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t win in Columbus.

By: Walker

Walker — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:21:55 +0000

Ah, gotcha.

Personally, I don’t mind the size or height of the building. While it may dwarf the Char Bar, or even the height of the main Convention Center, it is neighbors with the Hyatt Hotel and Nationwide One as well.

Visual aesthetics aside, the added visitor density should be well received Downtown.

By: Blurred

Blurred — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:06:01 +0000

i never said they were within the historic districts. as someone who used to work in the historic preservation office, i know that. however, that doesn’t mean it should completely ignore the scale of it’s surroundings… which it does.

the whole idea of the convention center is that it allows a large scale building to fit in with scale of high street and the short north (which is north of this… i know) and allow the facade to bleed across the street allowing the building to integrate itself within the community.

this building on the other hand is basically a massive shoebox that dwarves everything around it therefore destroying any kind of connectivity that the area once had.

look at rendering two, that north wall…

even if it’s not technically zoned within a historic district and/or it’s in downtown that portion of high street certainly reads as though it’s an extension of the short north and the building should have been designed as such.

what i mean when i say i hope VV and IV hold strong is that they do not allow this kind of destructive architecture to start permeating into the continuity that exists within their districts.

By: futureman

futureman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:43:01 +0000

If anything, it blends in with the Hyatt and Convention Center. Which … isn’t necessary a good thing. But yes, this by no means falls within any historic or commission or areas.

By: Walker

Walker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:48:49 +0000

This hotel is located Downtown, not in Victorian or Italian Village. I believe their boundaries only go as far south as 670.

By: Blurred

Blurred — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:09:31 +0000

awful.

i really hope the victorian village and italian village commissions hold strong and keep this kind of architecture out of the historic districts.

By: Motorist

Motorist — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:24:11 +0000

You guys do realize that the skywalk was probably not the architect’s idea, right? That most likely came from the client or from whoever manages the convention center. There is always the chance that it was the architect’s idea but I doubt it.

And I can tell you what the response was when some random person (I’m assuming that you’re not officially involved with this project, cmhcow) called HOK and starting talking about what they would like to see happen with the project. The person hung up the phone, thought to themselves ”That was fucking weird”, and went on with their life.

By: joev

joev — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:40:40 +0000

I totally understand the need to provide an easy, dry access path between a convention hotel and a convention center. Why not make it arched rather than straight across, though? They can install those flying sidewalk things they have at airports. Keep it in line with the neighborhood, and make it a little more fun for guests.

By: JonMyers

JonMyers — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:05:18 +0000

Great call – what was their response?

By: cmhcow

cmhcow — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:38:41 +0000

i contacted HOK when they got the contract and BEGGED then to consider an enclosed “ground walk”. If you want people to get from the hotel to the convention center without getting wet/cold, you could connect the two under the viaduct instead of the gerbil tube above the street.

glad they listened.

By: ehill27

ehill27 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:57:07 +0000

I like the idea of placing the walkway underground. JRemy is right, the building will already be sitting below street level. Perhaps they could create a covered walkway that utilizes the High St bridge over Convention Center Dr?

I wonder if such a connection is possible on the Convention Center side?

By: jpizzow

jpizzow — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:08:51 +0000

Between the new hotel and the casino, this will create a ton of jobs for the next two years. Add in Columbus Commons, the riverfront, Flats on Vine, Children’s Hospital, Grandview Yard, OSU hospital expansion, and various other small projects. That’s alot of construction jobs. I could go even further and speculate on additional jobs from the construction of Ibiza (hahahaha) and a new transit station.