Staunton - A Google SketchUp City

[BoiseAirport]

Legit!

Great work as always, Patrick. I think the quality about Staunton that makes it so successful is its consistency. You've really captured the "feeling" that I'm looking at a real city. Little details like building signage and trees also do a lot to absorb me into the world. The quality of the rendering doesn't even matter anymore because the world is realistic and convincing.

It'll be cool to see what you do with the performing arts center. Centerpiece landmarks will really help give Staunton that sense of its own unique identity. If you were so inclined, I'd love to see you develop other cultural buildings like museums, a central library, or maybe even a stadium in the middle of the city. Just ideas, it's so cool to see you working on it again!

EDIT: oh no, I bumped to the next page!

[Vellu]

Great to hear from you, Patrick, and great to have Staunton back! I think it's not too much to say it's the foundation this subforum is built on.

Great update, the Arquette Building is a lovely Art Deco beauty and fits the city perfectly. The photoshopped view towards the sea is lovely! It's nice to see the city in context. Looking forward to seeing those low-rise neighbourhoods. They will contrast nicely with the skyscrapers.

[Austin55]

Dang just such fun to see this again. Nostalgia overload.

[Codster121]

I am happy to see Staunton active again. I am still working on Lakeport, and it's neighboring cities.

[Patrick]

Thanks for the feedback guys, happy to be back!

Originally Posted by AnthonyHarding

I'd love to see you develop other cultural buildings like museums, a central library, or maybe even a stadium in the middle of the city.

They are on the way! I'm planning on putting a library east of Downtown, a couple of museums within Artillery Park. I intend on putting a Baseball Field and Football Stadium across the river with views of the skyline (similar to Pittsburgh) in the city of Jefferson although that area probably wont materialize for a while. I haven't decided where I'm putting the Basketball Arena but I'm thinking it'll be in Uptown.

~~~

I'm excited to introduce the Staunton Civic Opera House! I've had a vision for this building for years and I'm so happy to finally see it completed. The Staunton Civic Opera House was constructed in 1926 and is part of the grand Master Civic Center plan which includes City Hall, the Society Center, and the Supreme Courthouse. It was the largest opera house in the world at the time of it's completion and is easily recognizable in the skyline with it's iconic beaux-arts twin towers.



Next door to the Civic Opera House is the Woodrow Wilson U.S. Courthouse, completed in 1991. The postmodern tower's design was based off of the nearby Staunton Supreme Courthouse which has yet to be modeleted.



Staunton's grand Civic Center is finally coming together. The eastern and southern sides are done but the three northern blocks remain empty. The Supreme Courthouse, Metropolitan Correctional Facility, and Federal Courthouse are the final buildings left to be modeled. The buildings surround a three block long park known as Farley Square. West of the Civic Center will be the Staunton Music Center which will be a mix of the Los Angeles Music Center and New York's Lincoln Center.



Staunton viewed from the South River, the skyline is slowly marching west towards Uptown. The buildings to the left are the first blocks of Staunton's premiere shopping district known as the Westly Center. The building with the vertical lines is Pollard's Tower, an upscale condominium completed in 1989. The development was controversial for it's partial reclad of the Pollard's Department Store Building, the largest department store in the city. Residents enjoy sweeping views of Artillery Park and Jefferson. The two pre-war buildings next to Pollard's are the Hepburn Hotel (1926) and the Adler Tower (1928).



Staunton as seen from the Staunton Bridge, one of Staunton's most iconic and photographed views. The bridge leads down to Allied American Avenue which divides downtown to the right and midtown to the left.



As the sun sets on Staunton we see the imposing King Media Building (1963) with it's smaller counterpart the Roth Center (1960) behind it, a building home to many of Staunton's largest law firms. To the left is the Staunton Tribune Building (1931), home to Staunton's largest newspaper publication. The smaller prewar buildings right of King Media are the Callahan Tower (1927) and The Bogart Hotel (1929). The large black box right of these buildings is the Orange Financial Center (1970).



I've started the groundwork for uptown. Uptown will feature a smaller business district, Staunton Square (Staunton's equivalent of Times Square), Westly Center (shopping district), and Artillery Park West (luxurious residential district). While I'm eager to get started on uptown there are still 50+ lowrise blocks to be modeled on the downtown peninsula. I'm hoping since they are mostly lowrise areas I'll be able to get through them quickly!

Stay tuned!

[Vellu]

The Opera House is a great landmark. The views from the river are great, I like how the blue glass middle part of the Pollard's Tower resembles art deco towers in shape. It's like too buildings in one and they fit the skyline very well.