Reply With Quote
Can't you find the good in anything?
I remember a lot of foliage and some trees in the food court outdoor dining area, river turnaround.
The huge, ancient cypress trees along the riverwalk are major focal points and contributions. (I know they aren't affected by these new developments)
In the above images, it looks like less greenery. Maybe they are showing less greenery than will be there to show more of proposed construction.
Can't you find the good in anything?
Man, if they can make that look like it used to, it's going to be TIGHT!This is the original Joske's facade that will be restored.
And don't hate on the hood rats, back in '93-'95 that was me. We rolled hard, much harder than these ing punks who infest that place now.
so THATS why they don't validate parking anymore......
If it gets the "crap" people out of downtown, I'm all for it.
Too clean and too modern. The parking situation will suck because you previously had two parking options at opposite sides of the mall, now both garages will be on the same side making it a longer walk to get to your car.
Also, no parking validation means that it is less likely locals will go there which will hurt all of the businesses. (of course, it really isn't a locals destination for the most part but I'm sure it is still a statistically significant part of their traffic) Granted San Antonio is a year-around tourist destination but obviously tourism numbers are better in some seasons than other which is why these businesses would rely on a local component.
Also, too much emphasis and focus on the two restaurants bordering Commerce and not enough to showcase the mall itself. The mall entrance winds up looking like an afterthought. I see some of the smaller businesses dying out, especially during the transition where foot traffic will go down during the construction process.
All in all, it just looks like the standard genization of what is currently a fairly unique and festive space. Granted, the glass and steel of the place didn't always completely fit with the older and historic facades that populate downtown SA, but it had it's own character, unlike the artist renditions of the redesign.
So Rivercenter will look less like a 90s mall and more like a community college. Kind of a lateral move. The Back to the Future Joske's could be nice, thugh the f5act they have only been able to fill a third of it speaks volumes. Going upscale makes sense for the tourists; right now it's pretty much like any other mall with very little reason for most locals and tourists to bother making the trip.
Why are we moving one of the Imperial Palace towers here?Hotel rendering submitted to historic review and design commission. ty quality but that's how all historic review and design pdf's are.
They should bring back the Christmas display at the old Joske's building.
That was utterly tight.
They got a good deal from Harrah's?
What dome situation do you speak of?
So is the new Four Seasons hotel going to be accessible from River Center Mall like the Marriot is?
Or is it replacing the Marriot?
i assume its going to be in addition.
bottom line...rivercenter mall is a dump more or less. it needs this. though the parking thing is a tad gay.
It will be either Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton.
I agree that the mall needs to be re-worked. I suspect that additional greenery will be added as the plans become more detailed/refined. Unless they are willing to re-work a pretty big portion of the property (moreso than already committed to), it will be hard to find a retail taker for the top two floors above Dillards, though.
I would explore the possibility of complimentary convention center uses - possibly a high-end reception space one one of the floors for instance - or a mix of professional uses (attorneys, le companies, etc) and residential lofts.
I'm glad someone is willing to invest in Rivercenter. It needs some sprucing up. I think this is the same developer that has either bought or is trying to buy the St. Anthony hotel.
From the renderings though, it looks like a disaster. The new features over the existing glass curtain wall look like the cheap retail centers you see along the 1604 Stone Oak area. The old "perceived value" approach. I would prefer they took a more modernist approach. That would make the renovation portion look better IMO.
The suspended ring at the entry is nice. It's like the ones at street intersections in the Galleria area of Houston.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
