SEATTLE | Downtown Projects: Completed, U/C, Proposed/Approved

[mSeattle]

A couple of panos for your Saturday Night. Click for larger view.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/...9e52bd23_b.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3068/...ebd8b3d5_b.jpg

[Aleks]

Great pics. In the second picture Seattle looks so urbanized, from that area in general, Seattle looks full of skyscrapers.

Anyways, a picture from today showing the progress on Skyline. It's finished with the 23rd floor which I think is the last one. I'm not too sure though, there may be another one.

[Hoodrat]

How tall is Aspira s'posed to be?

[Aleks]

I think 400 ft. exactly.

Anyways, time for some flashbacks.... The first pictures are from July/August last year when I first got my camera.

Escala before:-------------------------------------------------Escala Today:


West 8th before:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------West 8th today:


818 Stewart before:---------------------------------------------------------------------------818 Stewart today:


1521 before:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------1521 today:






O8 before:----------------------------------------------------O8 today:


And just a shot of Aspira's progress:


Wow, this last year has seen a good amount of construction. Pretty soon we'll only have Aspira U/C and everything else will be either complete, proposed or still in the hole.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Amazing what can happen in a year!

[mSeattle]

Originally Posted by Aleks0o01

Wow, this last year has seen a good amount of construction. Pretty soon we'll only have Aspira U/C and everything else will be either complete, proposed or still in the hole.

Soon? No mid-rises are digging now (as far as I know) so there will be a lull on big starts. But 5th & Yesler is at least a few months from being complete, maybe early 2009? Escala is a long way from topping out, and 1918 will be a well into 2009 before being complete.

The low-rise (-10 floors) density going on in Belltown, Eastlake, Denny & Aurora, Ballard, Broadway, UD, Greenlake, Northgate, West Seattle, Rainier Valley... are as big or bigger than a couple of high rises, plus their turning dull neighborhoods into much more interesting ones.

[Aleks]

I forgot about 1918 and 5th&Yesler. Escala will probably be the last highrise until Aspira is done. Those projects around the neighborhoods are pretty big specially in Rainier Valley where condo's are popping up everywhere. I hope it stays that way because that area could improve a little. The Central District is starting to see more and more new/modern townhomes too with glass atrium designs. I noticed Broadway is just converting old buildings into apartments or condo's but not much construction. Still, it feels like everything is slowing own a bit and we'll coll off for a few years.

I would really like to see that North parking lot in the Seahawks stadium developed and I've seen projects in other cities around the US that are massive with hundreds of homes and acres of parks while being affordable. Rainier Valley should get a project like that, it would be great to see 5 or 6 blocks redeveloped into a green, affordable community. Well, more than the ones that already exist.

[Vashon118]

Demo on the apartment building on the 8th & Seneca site finally started a month or so ago. It looks like they're doing it by hand (I haven't seen any machinery on the site and demo is going along very slowly).

[mSeattle]

The O8 crown is being put on now. I got some shots this morning!

[alexjon]

And a bonus:

[Aleks]

For some reason the crown looks kind of weird on O8. It looks good but I'm used to seeing it square. Aspira will looks like and shorter, less bluer version of 08 without the crown.

[mSeattle]

The "crown" is more like a giant mortar board.

Click pic for big view

[Aleks]

Passed by it today and the crown looks pretty good. It will sure look better once the blue panels are installed.

Anyways, the first post is a little undated. I'm working on a new layout for it but I want to know what you guys think.

Basically this is what every project is listed like
Name:Project with link.
Year:
Height:
Use:
Facts:

Image One, Image Two [rendering, rendering or rendering, picture if project is complete]

Current Progress:
Current Progress Photo [only for U/C projects].

---------------------------------------------
Example:
Name:1918 8th Ave
Year: 2009
Height: 500 ft.
Use: Office
Facts: The building is next to the residential tower Cosmopolitan which will have it’s views blocked off from the West side. Many residents were not informed about the project and condos have dropped in value.



Current Progress: August/4/2008


and so on. The updates/current progress would be updated as soon as the newest updates are available or whatever has the best view of the projects progress. Here's a list of what I've completed. Not everything is correct and I may need to move things around. There would also be and On Hold/Unknown section so the Approved/Proposed section doesn't include dead or projects that are going into the light. So, what do you guys think? For now just give me feedback on the layout and what you think should be removed or added. Then later the projects will be moved around.

[Urban Zombie]

^
I checked out your new layout in the Test forum, and it looks good. You should PM Bond and ask him to cut and paste your html over that in the first post of this thread. If we end up going with that layout, then in the future you can PM me or Bond with a photolink to update the "Current Progress" picture.

[alexjon]

Your facts about Cosmo are funny, but I won't get into that argument.

[Aleks]

Well, that's why I said I would most likely have to change things.

[alexjon]

Originally Posted by Aleks0o01

Well, that's why I said I would most likely have to change things.

Yeah, the residents get vicious sometimes on blogs and such when they find out people are making light of their "plight".

Of course, this would not have happened if architects and developers realized that when you share a block, it's unreasonable to have 360 degree views unless some heritage building is adjacent. Like with 5th and Columbia.

[Hoodrat]

Saw the crown on O8...I think it's great looking, not such a boxy profile now.

[NW Mike]

Nice job with your example AleksOoo1. Looks great.

[colemonkee]

That's a nice skyline shot there, alexjon.