What do you think of the new building planned for the old Charlotte Observer site?
Lincoln Harris has been pretty quiet about its plans for the old Charlotte Observer lot since it bought the massive 10-acre site last year.
But thanks to a story intrepid Observer development reporter Ely Portillo wrote Thursday, we got our first look at the office building that will anchor the development. And the reviews have been … well … mixed.
This new development is in a prime uptown location, with Bank of America Stadium on one side and Tryon Street on the other. It sits along the Stonewall Street corridor that’s going to be totally transformed over the next few years.
Given all that, I hoped to see an iconic development, centered around a large office tower that would add to Charlotte’s skyline. This 30-story, 588-foot tall tower of glass and beige, just doesn’t feel like that. Something about this rendering feels off. It feels dated, generic. It’s not a building I’m excited to see added to the skyline.
And I’m not the only one who feels this way. A sampling from the comments section:
“This building looks like it belongs in a suburban coporate park not the downtown of a world class banking center.”
“Yawn! More beige!!! You go Charlotte! Such a prominent sight (sic? maybe?) for such a ho-hum building.”
“It looks like the Daily Planet, where Clark Kent works. Which is kind of appropriate since that is where the Observer used to be. But really, yet another beige building?”
Another villain/monster ripped the globe off the roof! We need to put it back! #BadReasonsForALoan pic.twitter.com/NSLobfPlND
— Daily Planet (@DailyPlanetDC) January 12, 2017
And the commentary continued on Twitter:
Looks like the LA City Hall, re-imagined. https://t.co/UWemoOoFjJ
— Chaz Beasley (@ChazBeasley) January 12, 2017
@ESPortillo pic.twitter.com/YUNcu648aH
— Chaz Beasley (@ChazBeasley) January 12, 2017
@ESPortillo that site calls for a signature piece of architecture, and – politely – this is not it.
— Shawn Moseley (@thisismoseley) January 12, 2017
@ESPortillo @theobserver horribly outdated, hoping they reconsider because 1992 wants its building back
— James Foster (@49er_rick) January 12, 2017
To be fair, some seem to like it.
@ESPortillo I’ll be the lone voice saying I like it! Charlotte needs some variety in the skyline – I like the slightly retro feel
— Bill D’Alessandro (@BillDA) January 12, 2017
@BillDA @ESPortillo I like it as well. Not sure what all the naysayers wanted here…
— Philip Sanford (@thephilsanford) January 12, 2017
@thephilsanford @BillDA @ESPortillo agreed I think it’s pretty good. Could be better I suppose but it’s fine. Could be way way way wore
— The Trolley Walk (@TheTrolleyWalk) January 12, 2017
.@ESPortillo I like! I think it’ll make a nice addition to the skyline. Not looking forward to more construction, however.
— Nick de la Canal (@nickdelacanal) January 12, 2017
The plan for this development also includes a parking deck and pedestrian promenade, and other parts of the development will probably have shops, restaurants, apartments and hotel rooms, according to Portillo. There’s a lot still unknown about how the site will look when it’s finished. (Large portions of the parcels along Mint, Stonewall, Tryon and Church streets are marked ‘future development site,'” wrote Portillo.)
I, for one, hope that it looks a whole lot better than that rendering.
What do you think of the office building planned for the old Observer site?
- Boooo. Not a fan. (49%, 232 Votes)
- Eh, it's alright. We'll see how the whole thing turns out. (35%, 168 Votes)
- Love it! It will look great in the skyline. (12%, 59 Votes)
- I really do not care. (4%, 17 Votes)
Total Voters: 476
Loading ...Rendering: LS3P, Lincoln Harris
This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 8:17 PM with the headline "What do you think of the new building planned for the old Charlotte Observer site?."