Freeport-McMoRan Center (One Central Park East) - Phoenix, AZ - Page 56

JKPhx · #**1101** Posted **Aug 3, 2010, 9:07 PM**

Saw rebar columns up for the new hotel expansion portion on 1CPE...does anyone know how tall the new addition will be and how much of the parking lot it will take up?

HooverDam · #**1102** Posted **Aug 3, 2010, 9:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKPhx

Saw rebar columns up for the new hotel expansion portion on 1CPE...does anyone know how tall the new addition will be and how much of the parking lot it will take up?

I was under the impression it wasn't going to touch any of the parking lot. Rather the addition would hang off the West side of the building and replace that small crappy concrete plaza with trees that was initially there.

HX_Guy · #**1103** Posted **Aug 4, 2010, 1:49 AM**

I drove by today and it does in fact extend north of CPE1. I was driving so it was hard to judge exactly how much but maybe 20' - 30'. They have molds along Van Buren and part of Central which really give you an idea of the size. The building comes all the way to the sidewalk along Central and along Van Buren which is great. Height wise it's only going to be as tall as the current lobby, just one floor, about 15' or so.

gymratmanaz · #**1104** Posted **Aug 4, 2010, 3:40 AM**

Nice to see them starting to really get going!

Back from 2 weeks in NYC!!!! Fun but still kinda good to be home.

Schadenfreude · #**1105** Posted **Aug 5, 2010, 12:58 AM**

Updated picture of the hotel entrance

Phxguy · #**1106** Posted **Aug 5, 2010, 1:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schadenfreude

Updated picture of the hotel entrance

Good thing that the entrace is towards the park and the lightrail station.

Schadenfreude · #**1107** Posted **Aug 28, 2010, 3:09 AM**

Driving home from dinner and finally Freeport lit up their damn sign. Not sure how it looks from the I 10 but it's pretty effing bright up close. Knew I wasn't crazy seeing all the wires connected to it

Vicelord John · #**1108** Posted **Aug 28, 2010, 3:27 AM**

Not legible til you get within about a mile but much better.

HX_Guy · #**1109** Posted **Aug 28, 2010, 7:07 AM**

Saw the new signage tonight, definitely a huge improvement in the readability though I kind of like the halo before.

The name came out blurry in my shot but you can see how bright it is...

combusean · #**1110** Posted **Aug 28, 2010, 8:18 AM**

I think it looks terrible in bright-ass white. I would hope this is temporary till they reinstall the copper colored face that was there before.

gymratmanaz · #**1111** Posted **Aug 28, 2010, 2:37 PM**

Get some Colla' in that sign!!!!! Not white!!! Maybe they will continue to change it every 3 months till they get it right. LOL

Schadenfreude · #**1112** Posted **Aug 28, 2010, 4:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by combusean

I think it looks terrible in bright-ass white. I would hope this is temporary till they reinstall the copper colored face that was there before.

It's still copper colored during the day. Not quite sure they would go to all the trouble of removing the face of the sign. When you see it closer it's slightly transparent and with all the light it must just wash through. One would have thought that with the crown being lit white they would have chose a different color. I'm pretty sure this is the final product...

gymratmanaz · #**1113** Posted **Aug 28, 2010, 5:12 PM**

thought the same. Maybe a different color and the halo would accent it and make it pop out more.

Vicelord John · #**1114** Posted **Aug 29, 2010, 4:40 PM**

I agree with chris, make the halo a green and it would be easy to read and look very nice.

gymratmanaz · #**1115** Posted **Aug 29, 2010, 5:44 PM**

Would be cool to have two buildings with halos of color, Freeport and Cityscape.

HX_Guy · #**1116** Posted **Aug 29, 2010, 6:53 PM**

Passed south of downtown last night on the I-17 and the halo was lit as was the name, though the halo seemed to be a bit more dim than before. The name is definitely much easier to read though, you can actually make out what it says from the freeway.

Vicelord John · #**1117** Posted **Aug 29, 2010, 7:47 PM**

Yeah, you must have been there after 10PM which is when the halo goes off every night. There hasn't been a night yet when it was off completely.

gymratmanaz · #**1118** Posted **Aug 30, 2010, 5:22 AM**

Heading home tonight at 9:45, halo on enought o see it with the words lit up white.

I still say change the letter or the halo to a different color. It would "pop" then.

phoenixwillrise · #**1119** Posted **Aug 31, 2010, 12:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schadenfreude

It's still copper colored during the day. Not quite sure they would go to all the trouble of removing the face of the sign. When you see it closer it's slightly transparent and with all the light it must just wash through. One would have thought that with the crown being lit white they would have chose a different color. I'm pretty sure this is the final product...

More than likely the faces are perforated vinyl layed over white lexan, so they show brownish during the day and white at night.

dtnphx · #**1120** Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 4:02 PM**

Phoenix to welcome 1st Westin in February
by Megan Neighbor - Oct. 5, 2010 12:00 AM

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. announced Monday the 2011 opening of its first Westin hotel in Phoenix.

The 242-room hotel is slated to open in February and will take up nine of 26 floors at the Freeport-McMoRan Center in downtown Phoenix. The remaining floors are occupied by the building's namesake.

The nine floors the Westin Phoenix Downtown will occupy have been vacant since the building opened in November at Central Avenue and Van Buren Street, said Debra Barton, general manager for the Westin.

Central Park East Associates LLC, a subsidiary of the current owners, did not return calls Monday about how much was spent to build the hotel rooms, a hotel entrance and a pool deck. However, a 2009 study conducted by the National Electrical Benefit Fund, the building's majority owner, indicated it planned to spend $30 million to $40 million.

The announcement comes at a time when Arizona's tourism industry is attempting to recover from the economic slump. Arizona has been hit especially hard by travel boycotts brought on by the passage of SB 1070, said Debbie Johnson, president and CEO of the Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association.

According to data provided by Smith Travel Research, Arizona's revenue per available room, a key industry measure that takes into account room rates and occupancy, was down 4 percent in August from the year before. The rest of the U.S. fared much better, up 8.1 percent from a year earlier.

Despite that, Mark Vinciguerra, area managing director for Starwood Arizona, said he's confident the Westin will attract business and leisure travelers because of its proximity to the Phoenix Convention Center and downtown sports venues.

The Westin will be the second hotel Starwood opens in downtown Phoenix within the past three years. The company also manages the state's largest hotel, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, which has 1,000 rooms and is owned by the city.

The Westin will have 9,000 square feet of meeting space, compared to the Sheraton's 80,000 square feet.

A study by the National Electrical Benefit Fund in 2009 estimates the Westin hotel will have a $32 million economic impact in the Valley.

The Westin has begun to hire managers for its staff of about 150 people, Barton said. Hiring for regular staffers will take place in January.

Westin Phoenix Downtown
Opening: February.

Location: Freeport-McMoRan Center, 333 N. Central Ave.

Phone: 602-429-3500.

Features: 242-room hotel with each room averaging 550 square feet.

Estimated number of employees: 150.

Hiring dates: Hiring for managers and chefs begins now; additional staff hires begin in January.

Reach the reporter at megan.neighbor@arizonarepublic.com.