Tempe Development Thread - Page 31

sundevilgrad · #**601** Posted **Mar 9, 2007, 5:48 PM**

I was looking around on the City of Tempe's great website today and found some stuff I hadn't seen before. If this has been previously posted I apologize for the double-post.

Here's a link to Constellation Properties (The Armory) website:
http://www.constellationproperty.com/tempe/

The video is great and shows some cool exterior renditions of the the two towers. I particularly like the view of the one tower where on of the corners appears to like a knife blade almost.

Also, here's a City of Tempe powerpoint presentation that's pretty cool, too:
http://www.tempe.gov/business/flashshows/development010807/

sundevilgrad · #**602** Posted **Mar 12, 2007, 2:03 PM**

So, is The Armory the correct name for this project, or is it Stadium Towers? The Constellation Properties website uses the name Stadium Towers and the sign that's on the lot now says Stadium Towers, but it has been refered to for some time as The Armory... Just curious if anyone knows...

Thumperdog · #**603** Posted **Mar 12, 2007, 4:34 PM**

Armory / Stadium Towers - The project is actually called Lumina - the entire Hotel / retail / bar / condo tower complex. New brand being developed in several markets. At least that's what the developer told me.

DevdogAZ · #**604** Posted **Mar 12, 2007, 4:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sundevilgrad

So, is The Armory the correct name for this project, or is it Stadium Towers? The Constellation Properties website uses the name Stadium Towers and the sign that's on the lot now says Stadium Towers, but it has been refered to for some time as The Armory... Just curious if anyone knows...

I think The Armory was the initial name because of what used to be on the site. However, when the project grew so big that the original developer (Grady Gammage Jr.) decided to get out and sell it to a bigger fish, the name probably changed too.

sundevilgrad · #**605** Posted **Mar 12, 2007, 5:29 PM**

Actually, I think they were calling something else before The Armory, I just can't remember what they were using (maybe Stadium Towers, lol). Now I hear it's actually Lumina.

combusean · #**606** Posted **Mar 13, 2007, 2:44 PM**

I like Armory much better ... reflects the history of the area by what was there before.

sundevilgrad · #**607** Posted **Mar 13, 2007, 2:51 PM**

I think I prefer Stadium Towers. The Armory sounds a little rough for a residential project.

combusean · #**608** Posted **Mar 13, 2007, 5:47 PM**

Nah ... it sounds strong, defended, and secure. I'm only half joking when I think they should have a couple defended turrets on top.

nbrindley · #**609** Posted **Mar 13, 2007, 11:24 PM**

The Armory is definitely better than naming it after a cheap, ugly Chevy sedan.

Upward · #**610** Posted **Mar 14, 2007, 2:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by nbrindley

The Armory is definitely better than naming it after a cheap, ugly Chevy sedan.

No kidding!

I am tired of those sorts of names for yuppie developments. They take the root of some positive-sounding word and add an a to the end. They're supposed to sound European or something but end up sounding like names for cars. This one is literally the name of a car, and, as you said, not a desirable one.

Thumperdog · #**611** Posted **Mar 14, 2007, 7:04 PM**

Looks like the www.campusedgelofts.com web site is revamped / changed, with new pictures and renderings. Looks cool - I think their opening party is this Friday.

JAHOPL · #**612** Posted **Mar 15, 2007, 4:06 PM**

Soleri has posted some nice photos in the City Photo section taken from the A Mountain next to ASU.

Urbanite · #**613** Posted **Mar 15, 2007, 7:44 PM**

Just to confirm with everyone, as I understand it. "The Armory" is now the "Stadium Tower". In addition, on the same site, there will be a new hotel tower with a totally new brand. It is called "Lumina" and it is being designed/created by the same individual who created the "W Hotel" concept. So, should be fantastic for Tempe!

By the way, this is my first post and I love this thread!

JimInCal · #**614** Posted **Mar 18, 2007, 2:12 AM**

http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/0317tr-lakeside0317Z10.html

Fast Work on Town Lake Towers
Lakeside 2 building opens, 3rd planned
Betty Beard
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 17, 2007 12:00 AM

Hundreds of people gathered at Tempe's newest high rise Thursday night to see firsthand how quickly things are happening alongside Tempe Town Lake.

At the unveiling for the 12-story Hayden Ferry Lakeside Tower 2, Randy Levin, a vice president at SunCor Development Co., announced that the building is 70 percent leased and that the company filed plans this week with Tempe to begin construction of the third tower. Levin is vice president of design and urban infill development.

He also said construction will begin in a month or two on Le Meridien at Tempe Town Lake, a 183-room, 14-story European style hotel that is scheduled to also open in mid-2009.

The lobby of the new Hayden Ferry Lakeside building, which opened a month ago, gives you the experience of being under a floating ship.

It has backlit, sapphire-blue walls resembling water and a ceiling designed to look like the bottom of a ship.

Levin said the lobby design should make workers enjoy going to work.

"It's not just going to work each day. It's an experience each day," he said.

SunCor also turned on a three-story, blue-lighted ship's mast on the outside of the newest building that will be visible to motorists driving by on the Loop 202 Freeway across the lake. It is meant to mark the entrance into Tempe, Levin said.

The second tower has about 10 tenants. DFD CornoyerHedrick, an architectural firm that designed the building, will move in June 1, and KPMG, an international tax and audit firm, will move in May 1.

Julie Lemmon, an attorney who lives in north Tempe, was especially impressed with the 10th floor balcony view that shows off the lake and downtown Tempe.

"It's a spectacular view that you couldn't have seen before because there was nothing this high before," she said.

Her husband, James Lemmon, a member of the Tempe Elementary School District board, salivated over the value of the new properties, which he said will help give the district more money.

"It's nice to see this much assessed valuation," he said.

The building is the fourth finished at Hayden Ferry Lakeside. Three more are under construction and two are being planned. Edgewater, with 40 residential condos, is sold out, Suncor staff said. The second condo tower, Bridgeview, is half sold and half finished, they said. It will have 104 units.

As for the first Hayden Ferry Lakeside office tower, SunCor has leased all but about 15,000 square feet on the bottom and is reserving that for quality restaurants, Levin said. He said the company will begin soliciting those next week. Bill Hendrich, president of the engineering firm Morrison Maierle, Inc., a tenant in the first tower, said the location is perfect. Competition is intense for engineers, he said, and being next to Arizona State University gives the company access to interns and graduates and gives the employees an opportunity to take classes and teach. Plus, he said, it is near the planned light rail line.

"When you are competing for engineers, you have a need for a nice place for them to work," he said.

HooverDam · #**615** Posted **Mar 18, 2007, 6:03 AM**

^interesting, I haven't been there, but I don't know if I'd want to feel like I was under a boat. That seems like it would feel oppressing and frightening. I'm sure its just more conceptual and not really like that though

sundevilgrad · #**616** Posted **Mar 19, 2007, 2:09 PM**

Centerpoint is really starting to get some height to it! It looks like the 30-story tower is really starting to pick up some team. Can't wait to see what those look like when they're finished.

combusean · #**617** Posted **Mar 23, 2007, 5:02 PM**

La Casa Vieja land sold, developer will preserve restaurant

Katie Nelson
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 23, 2007 07:41 AM

Quote:

The graying adobe walls of Monti's La Casa Vieja have withstood more than a century of change on its corner at the north end of Tempe's downtown.

The iconic Mill Avenue steakhouse will withstand even more in coming years.

Michael Monti, whose family has owned one of the Valley's oldest restaurants, has sold the 2.5 acres of prime downtown Tempe land. The restaurant will stay, according to the business deal with Phoenix developer Tony Wall and his 3W Companies. So will the original portion of the historic building.

The land was sold late last year after months of negotiations, Wall said.

"It's a win for preservation, it's a win for redevelopment, it's a win for the city of Tempe," Wall said.

"We're proud of this intersection and all the history that's there. It's a great gateway to Tempe and we're glad to be a part of that preservation effort."

Much like recently approved plans to preserve - but still develop - the Hayden Flour Mill, Wall said 3W Companies intends to create a mixed-used building that incorporates the restaurant, or at least the historic part of it.

The original house is at the north end of the building. The rest is additions tacked on over the years, and those likely will be demolished.

Monti's rivals only a handful of others, such as Durant's in Phoenix, as a staple Valley steakhouse. The building contributes to much of the restaurant's - and Mill Avenue's - charm.

"I kind of make a habit of trying to go there on a regular basis, and I ask if I can sit in the original room because I just like the feel about it," said Bob Gasser, chair of Tempe's Historic Preservation Commission. "Just being there, it reeks of history."

The hacienda housed Tempe's original Anglo family. The 13-room Mexican "row house" style building was created by Charles Trumbull Hayden in 1871, according to the Tempe Historical Museum. He's the same Hayden who ran the a ferry service across the continuously flowing Salt River and the Hayden Flour Mill, which served as the economic engine for the burgeoning city. The mill, and the family who kept it open, helped foster the beginnings of what Tempe is today.

The Hayden family used the building as their home until 1889, when it became a boarding house and a general store. The house deteriorated during those years, so by the time Hayden's daughters Sallie and Mary reclaimed it in 1920 it needed restoration, according to historians.

The Hayden sisters had it refurbished and started the building's restaurant theme. They opened a tea house called "La Casa Vieja" or "The Old House." The family sold the building in the 1930s.

In the years that followed, the building changed hands several times, until 1954 when Leonard Monti purchased the place. He opened what's now Monti's La Casa Vieja two years later.

Reach the reporter at (602) 444-7966 or [email protected].

jvbahn · #**618** Posted **Mar 23, 2007, 5:31 PM**

Love that place. The Valley still has a few good old steakhouses, this being one of them. There is also the Pink Pony in downtown Scottsdale, and of course Durant's(LOVE the cocktail bar). There is also the Stockyards, which has a cool interior. I went in there once before the renovation, and there was unfortunately hardly a soul in the place, which is a shame. I think its clientele was around when it was hopping in the last century, so I'm sure they are all dead, hopefully some new blood was infused with the recent renovation.

It would be cool to make a tour of La Casa Vieja, Stockyards, then Durant's on the new light rail line(well, maybe a cocktail tour, can't eat that much steak in a night).

Vicelord John · #**619** Posted **Mar 23, 2007, 5:44 PM**

I'm all about cocktail tours! haha

unfortunately none of those places let me drink for free.

sundevilgrad · #**620** Posted **Mar 23, 2007, 6:01 PM**

Glad to see that Tempe will perserve it's history but at the same time improve what is fastly becoming an eye sore in the shadow of all the new development.