LOUISVILLE | Museum Plaza | 696 FT / 214 M | 61 FLOORS

[Vertigo]

This thing's pretty much a go at this point...

Museum Plaza gets state aid
By Joseph Gerth
jgerth@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Monday, March 12, 2007

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Museum Plaza project for downtown Louisville cleared a major hurdle today when the General Assembly passed legislation authorizing the use of $130.million in state and local tax revenue for road, floodwall and other improvements in connection with the $465.million project.

“Museum Plaza will be built,” said Craig Greenberg, a member of the project’s development team, which was waiting for approval of the legislation as the last piece of the economic puzzle for the 62-story riverfront structure at Seventh Street and River Road in Louisville. “We will definitely have shovels in the ground later this year.”

Final passage came after the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee made changes in House Bill 549 to allow such tax benefits for similar large-scale projects throughout the state.

The bill passed the Senate 35-1. The House approved Senate changes 85-11. And Jodi Whitaker, spokeswoman for Gov. Ernie Fletcher, said he will sign the bill.

“I’m tickled to death,” said House Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, the Louisville
Democrat who shepherded the bill through the House. “It’s the biggest project that will ever be built in Jefferson County using private and public money. I’m just glad it’s done.”

Saying the bill would help people in Kentucky “build buildings that can be seen from the moon,” Senate President David Williams urged passage of the legislation in the Republican-controlled Senate.

“This is a great day for the Kentucky Senate and a great day for business,” said Senate Democratic Floor Leader Ed Worley, who worked with Williams and others over the weekend to hammer out a final version of the bill.

Read more in Friday’s Courier-Journal and at courier-journal.com
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http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/...S0101/70312061

[Nowhereman1280]

hurray!

Glad to hear it is approved! This is the kind of cutting edge/crazy design we don't seem to see much in the US or even the world!

Good for Louisville!

[colemonkee]

That first nighttime rendering looks great! Very dynamic. Couldn't this have been posted to the original Museum Plaza thread, or was that purged?

[WonderlandPark]

_no_freaking_way_

they really going to do it?

Nightime rendering looks better.

[cactus22minus1]

I was never a huge fan of the design when it was announced, and to a point I'm still not sure what to think even with Louisville being a city close to home. But I'm crazy excited to see this approved! This kind of extraordinary development is very needed, esp. in a city like Louisville.

I don't know if I'll like the design when(if) it's done, but it's definitely going to help the skyline and bring some new life downtown. I think it has the possibility of really growing on me once it starts going up, so for now I'll continue to ponder those renders...


EDIT: Forgot to ask- anyone remember the height for this sucker?

[urban_encounter]

Personally i like the fact that it's a bold design.

And I'm certain that this will become a wonderful signature building for Louisville..



Congrats..

[Vertigo]

703 feet is the official height

I think a lot of the initial resistance to this building will be dampened once people EXPERIENCE this in person. You won't just drive by and say 'Oh, how neat!'. Despite the advances in computer renderings, this is a project that is just so massive in scope that it's difficult to portray through virtual photos or videos.

In addition to that, as each new set of renderings have emerged, it's become obvious that this is not a project that was built to stand out just for the sake of being so different (as many have insisted). The architects and the developers have spent an enormous amount of time working together to create something truly special.

In fact, I can't think of a project in recent memory where the developers AND the architects both had such fantastic visions that seemed to come together so perfectly. Usually one trumps the other at some point.

Skyscrapers have always been a reflection of technology. They're also considered some of our greatest works of art. And even today, they spur controversy wherever they are built. Museum Plaza has all of these traits. In some ways, that makes it a 'perfect' skyscraper.

[Vertigo]

Oh no, not the Detroit comparisons again. I'm not even going there...

[CGII]

[trvlr70]

^^^^^^
Yep...I was thinking the same thing here.

[Stephenapolis]

Originally Posted by CGII

This comparison shows why I do not like this project. The funky design is cool, but it looks as if it will be too disconnected from the rest of the dt.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Stephenapolis

This comparison shows why I do not like this project. The funky design is cool, but it looks as if it will be too disconnected from the rest of the dt.

but that's nothing that a few new infill towers down the road can't resolve. it may look a tad disconnected now, but who knows what the future holds for the development of louisville's skyline. hopefully this radical new development will help loiuisville catch some new attention and possibly even central city growth that will help spur new infill towers. it could all just be part of a self-fulfilling prophecy. build it, and they will come.

[Magnus1]

now that is a nice looking scraper!

[Plasticman]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

but that's nothing that a few new infill towers down the road can't resolve. it may look a tad disconnected now, but who knows what the future holds for the development of louisville's skyline. hopefully this radical new development will help loiuisville catch some new attention and possibly even central city growth that will help spur new infill towers. it could all just be part of a self-fulfilling prophecy. build it, and they will come.

I don't know of any true highrises planned for Louiseville other than MP. Has anyone else heard of any? I'm talking skyline altering, at least 20 floors. Louisville should try to attract a building at least in the 400+ range to infill that area.

[ppassafi]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

but that's nothing that a few new infill towers down the road can't resolve. it may look a tad disconnected now, but who knows what the future holds for the development of louisville's skyline. hopefully this radical new development will help loiuisville catch some new attention and possibly even central city growth that will help spur new infill towers. it could all just be part of a self-fulfilling prophecy. build it, and they will come.

Mind you, this scraper is only 2 blocks west of another 30 story architectual wonder, the Humana Building. The angle of that shot will be seen by virtually no one except those visiting the Falls of the Ohio museum in Clarksville, IN. What I REALLY want to see is the view motorists will have as they cross I-65 bridge into KY. Since that bridge is further east, it will "rotate" the perspective drastically from those pics. Therefore, Museum Plaza should essentially look flush with the Humana building. Also, the view from I-64 will be amazing too.

I am also concered about the view of the building from the street, and I think it will be awesome from Main street and 7th street. And that is all that matters, not that hocus pocus river view from a secluded park in Indiana that no one ever goes to anyways!!!

[Lecom]

Originally Posted by CGII

Beat me to it. Was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the new rendering from that angle. Hopefuly it will be similar to RenCen only superficially and lack its fundamental problems such as aversion to streetscape.

[Tom In Chicago]

Cool building. . .

[Aleks]

this is a really cool building butnit should be built in miami or sumwhere else

usually i hate blocky buildings but i love this design

[kool maudit]

i like it save the diagonal part.

[Jeff_in_Dayton]

Im sort of hooked on that mid-level piece, with the museum and other non-repetitious program stuff.

The diagonal as an experience is going to be fun......

Deisgn..no, not 60s..think 20s, Russian Constructivism. This was the kind of out-on-the edge thing those old Constructivists where doing.