Construction Update 5/27/10

The US Courthouse steel is nearly complete after the first columns were delivered last December.  The eighth floor penthouse is the last portion being constructed.  This building should have a major impact on the area between the core and 8th Avenue and is a welcome addition to the skyline.

The Human Services Building, a four story structure designed by OPN Architects, is a block down 8th Avenue from the new courthouse.  Steel has been complete for a while, and now the building envelope is beginning to take shape.  Demolition on the old Sinclair plant can be seen in the background.

Sinclair Park

One of the items generating controversy of late has been attempts by the Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission to preserve the 100+ year old smokestack of the former Sinclair meatpacking plant.  The 160-foot tall stack towers over the crumbling Sinclair packing facility, a victim of flood and arson that is currently undergoing demolition.  While it may sound unimpressive at first, the Sinclair smokestack is unique in the fact that it is one of the tallest brick stacks still standing in the United States.  The Sinclair stack is also a symbol of the T.M. Sinclair Company, one of the four large meatpacking conglomerates that rose to prominence in the early 20th century.  The Cedar Rapids facility was one of the largest in the world.

I think the Sinclair smokestack is a valuable asset to Cedar Rapids and something that should be preserved.  It is a unique urban feature that may not be appreciated now, but generations down the road it will be a physical symbol of the great packing warehouses of the early 20th century.  It represents a time when American industrial might was unmatched in the world; a time when the captains of industry forged ahead with brave, bold ideas and innovation.


So now, onto the question: what to do with the Sinclair stack when the Sinclair meatpacking facility is torn down and it stands alone in a vacant field?  Originally when I imaged the stack in an urban setting, an image of Columbus Circle in New York popped into my head.  Columbus Circle is a roundabout near Central Park surrounded by a dense urban neighborhood in the heart of Manhattan.  In the center of the roundabout, a statue of Columbus stands tall on a column that towers over the plaza.  I began thinking of the stack as a landmark, something that could act as the centerpiece of a streetscape or boulevard surrounded by mixed-use residential and commercial development.


With that, I started sketching away.  In the idea below, the smokestack would stand in the middle of a low-traffic boulevard or pedestrian promenade between the river and loft homes, condos, & retail.  Utilizing principles of new urbanism, this neighborhood (which I am calling Sinclair Park) would feature dense, walkable development and plenty of greenspace along the waterfront.  One idea is that a new bridge could be constructed across the river to connect C St. SW with 3rd St. SE.  It would run directly east of Mount Trashmore (a local nickname for the mountainous landfill at the bend in the Cedar River), traveling southeast where it would eventually meet up with C St. SW.  Here's to hoping Mount Trashmore would be permanently closed by that time!

Sinclair Park neighborhood (imagined).  Downtown Cedar Rapids seen in background.

Ultimately, the goal of Sinclair Park would be a neighborhood not unlike the Omaha Old Market or Kansas City Power & Light District in feel, if not age.  Cedar Rapids has a rich industrial past and should do everything to preserve what little remains of its early industrial heritage while continuing to encourage new development and principles of new urbanism.

Courthouse Construction Update: 5/15/10

New Fire Station Narrowed Down to Three Sites

Gazette Online

Although not as high profile as the new library, the central fire station has also been going through a site selection process.  The former central fire station on Third Street NW was flooded in 2008 and has been closed since that time.  In the meantime, the fire department has been inhabiting a number of temporary spaces around the city.

To better centralize the new fire station, three sites have been chosen across the river from the existing station.  The three are next to each other, with one housing a Taco Bell and another the History Center.  I am not sure how much of the block they intend to occupy, but I would hope the fire station will go with a a layout as compact as possible to help promote more density in that area of the city.  Most of the neighborhood is dotted with newer drive-thru banks, strip malls, and used car lots with deep setbacks of paved parking lots facing the streets.  It feels very suburban, rather than urban as it should be.

There are a couple reasons these three blocks are strongly favored.  Most importantly, this area is in the dead center of Cedar Rapids, and centralization is key to minimal response time.  Secondly, all three will have quick and direct access to I-380.  And finally, my assumption is that A Avenue will prove to be very valuable at times, since it is the only viaduct other than I-380 that travels over the single railroad track through downtown.  The same railroad track that constantly backs up traffic during the evening rush.  Nothing would be worse than being stuck on First, sirens blaring and fire raging on the other side of the tracks, with the train *stopping* *backing* *stopping* *screeching forward* *stopping again* and finally moving out ten minutes later.

Out of the Rut

Good news for architects: work should pick up by the fourth quarter of 2010 and into 2011, according to economist James Haughey. A recent article in the Des Moines Business Journal noted that commercial work will be very strong going into 2012. This comes on the heels of Forbes Magazine ranking Des Moines at the #1 city in the nation for business and career development after holding strong for many years in the top ten. Lincoln, NE ranked #5, Omaha ranked #7, and Cedar Rapids ranked #13. Very good news for the Midwest.

Fortunately, Iowa did not suffer as bad as coastal and Sunbelt markets, where a massive building boom took place during the first half of the last decade. Iowa sees neither boom nor bust; just a gradual rise and fall with the markets, usually delayed by up to half a year.

The real question on our minds now should be: is this a V- or W-shaped recession? With $1.4 trillion in commercial loans coming due over the next four years, things could very well get ugly again. However, the optimist in me says we hit the bottom in early 2009, and if there is a "W", the second half will not be nearly as severe as the 2008-2009 dip. The stock market has stabilized, and many industries are reporting increased profits and sales. Retail sales have improved drastically in April. Jobs numbers for April showed 290,000 jobs created, the largest increase in four years. Things are certainly looking up.


Des Moines Business Journal: Architects Should Plan for Better Days Ahead

Second Avenue: To Close, or Not to Close

The Physicians Clinic of Iowa plans to relocate from its current building near Mercy Hospital to a new medical mall that will be built along 10th Street SE, between 1st and 3rd Avenue SE.  One obstacle in the way is 2nd Avenue SE, which is a four lane one-way street that runs directly through the two blocks purchased by PCI.


PCI has proposed to close 2nd Avenue, which has been met by some controversy among residents in the community.  I am on the fence on this one, and understand both sides' viewpoints: residents like the fact that 2nd Avenue is easy access to downtown with few stops (i.e. a drag strip), while PCI would like the new building to remain a single structure rather than splitting it up between two blocks, adding cost and requiring a skywalk.


I rarely take 2nd Avenue so I have no idea how heavily it is used in the morning commute, but I have taken 3rd Avenue a few times (one-way heading out of downtown) and it never seems to terribly busy at 5 PM.  Studying traffic patterns during the evening rush, most of the traffic seems to turn onto 8th Street to access the I-380 ramp.  Both Second and Third Avenues are supportive routes; First Avenue is the main thoroughfare that is most heavily used, so the other two mostly help with congestion during peak hours.


Therefore, I don't think residents should be too heartbroken if the city council decides to close the small portion of 2nd Avenue through the PCI site.  It may be a bit of an inconvenience, but there are some positives that should be considered.  As said above, 2nd and 3rd Avenues are currently the drag strips in and out of downtown; it's not uncommon to see commuters going 45 in a 30 zone.  A streetscape project to extend from the new Medical Mall and connecting with the downtown core would help slow traffic, improve pedestrian access, and encourage more business and housing to locate in between these two bookend areas.  I am imagining something like the East Village in Des Moines, complete with infill and preservation of existing architecturally significant structures (which there aren't many of outside of the core).  There is a significant change in elevation the further northeast one goes that could provide some spectacular axial views of downtown from this streetscape.  Most importantly, a streetscaping project would serve to unite downtown with the medical district.

Water-Cooled House

The owner of this residence in Singapore wanted a home that would remain cool in the tropical climate while being able to take in the lush surrounding vegetation.  The main living space is encapsulated in glass on an elevated pavilion above, accessed by a spiral staircase.  The living area is surrounded by a pond that reflects heat and insulates the bedrooms at ground level below. The home was designed by Singapore-based Wallflower Architecture + Design.

Link

Then & Now: Cedar Rapids, Downtown and Beyond

Three themes are always evident in major American cities following World War II: the rise of the highway, the decline of inner city neighborhoods, and the attempt to slow the decline with urban renewal.  Most urban renewal attempts were not successful, and many seemed to do more harm than good to the life of a neighborhood.  Entire blocks were leveled to make way for speculative developments that never panned out, leaving the urban fabric with a patchwork quilt of parking lots.  Neighborhoods were wiped out or cut in half by elevated highways that sent land values into a freefall and encouraged remaining residents to flee to the serenity of the suburbs.


With that said, there is a great book on Amazon titled Then & Now: Cedar Rapids, Downtown and Beyond.  It is just shy of 100 pages and runs for about $15.  The book includes a wide variety of "then & now" photographs that depict the evolution of Cedar Rapids over the years.  Most of the early images have been taken before 1960, while the latter day images are recent (the book was published in 2005, so I imagine they are from that time period).  Image resolution is high, and each page includes a brief description about the subject.  The book covers downtown, warehouse districts, and some early ring suburban neighborhoods.


Probably the most striking change is seen in the area between Quaker and First Avenue, from the river over toward the US Cellular Center.  The area where the Five Seasons Tree (locally known as the 'toilet brush') now stands was once packed with three and four story brick edifices that led up to the looming Quaker Oats factory at the end of the road.  Nearby were a number of houses and small multi-family units that were leveled first for the rail yard, and then again when the elevated span of I-380 was constructed in the late 70's.  A number of ornate structures such as the Union Block were met by the wrecking ball to build the present day Cedar River Tower and Wells Fargo Bank.  Below is a 1952 Life magazine photograph showing the Union Block of the far left between the Hotel Roosevelt and the darker brick structure in the foreground.

It's difficult to imagine this area between First and Quaker having once been a vibrant, working-class neighborhood as virtually nothing original is left.  Elsewhere, one can see the thinning that has occurred to the south, with a number of buildings having been replaced by parking garages.  Based on images from Then & Now along with others gathered around the internet, I have created two models that show the urban transformation of Cedar Rapids from 1935 to 2010.

Cedar Rapids, 1935.  Red = major route.

Cedar Rapids, 2010.  Red = major route.  Rose = parking garage.

Across the street from the Cedar River Tower, Riverfront Park was washed out by the flood and will fortunately be receiving a makeover soon, thanks to the efforts of local business leaders.  However, two challenges will continue to face the park: it is bounded by two heavily traveled routes that are very pedestrian-unfriendly, and there is no destination nearby to serve as a draw.  Active pedestrian traffic is critical for urban green space to succeed.  The last time I was at the park, it was a gorgeous spring afternoon and I was the lone soul there.

To make the park truly successful, a better connection to the rest of the riverfront is needed.  If I read correctly, one of the proposals for the riverfront flood wall was to have a series of tiered levels that would allow people to walk closer to the river's edge.  I could see one of those tiers traveling under the First Avenue Bridge to connect the larger network of pathways that has been proposed along the east side of the river toward the new courthouse.  With the First Street Parkade coming down soon, it would be the perfect location for a mixed-use residential structure that could help restore some life to this area that is largely dead after 5 PM.

Cedar Rapids, 2020 (imagined).  Mixed-use residential replacement with riverfront pedestrian link.

Downtown Transformation

I moved to Cedar Rapids two weeks before what later became known as the Great Flood of '08. People I work with will talk about pre-flood restaurants and businesses that never returned; things I have no recollection of. Two years later, the remnants of the flood are still visible in every neighborhood that it touched. I have vague memories of Cedar Rapids before it became a smorgasbord of vacant facades, boarded windows, and derelict homes.

Fortunately, the future is bright!  There are three linchpin projects either planned or under construction that are helping to push forward a revitalization of the entire downtown district.  Below is a summary of each.

1.  US Cellular Center Renovation / New Events Center

Cedar Rapids has pondered the expansion of its events center since 1995.  The current US Cellular Center (try saying that three times fast) was built in 1976 and has been dwarfed by new convention centers in Omaha, Des Moines, and the Quad Cities.  This $50 million project hopes to make Iowa's second largest city a more attractive convention space, encourage new businesses to the area, and potentially lead to the development of a new hotel nearby.



2.  New Central Library

The former library on First Street SE quickly fell victim to the flood in 2008.  The city has decided to abandon the building since it sits well within the 500 year flood plain.  In order to secure FEMA dollars for a new library, the city council recently voted to build at a new site on higher ground.  The careful study of three sites ensued.  Ultimately, a site across from Greene Square Park was chosen that is currently the home of the insurance business True North.  The True North building is a former bowling alley that was renovated into offices in the early 2000's, and was the site of Washington High School many years ago.


I am a big fan of the site for a number of reasons.  It will be directly across from the park with a north orientation, providing plenty of desirable indirect daylighting.  Its location is close to the proposed intermodal transit facility, and also near existing vacant blocks and surface parking.  Hopefully a project of this magnitude will attract mixed-use development similar to the effect of the new Central Library on the Western Gateway neighborhood in Des Moines.


One somewhat controversial aspect of one of the other preferred sites was the proposal to demolish the historic People's Unitarian Church for a 200-space surface parking lot across the street from the new library.  In a city that is already saturated with parking garages and surface parking, this seemed like a major step backward, especially considering there were two large parking garages within a block of walking distance.  Fortunately, the council voted in favor of what looks to be the best site of the three.


3.  New US Courthouse

The new 8-story, two block wide US Courthouse will be the most significant addition to the downtown skyline in over a decade.  This is a massive project for a city of Cedar Rapids' size, and will help to encourage new development to the area south of the downtown core.  At the moment, this area between 6th Ave. and 8th Ave. is dotted with warehouses, a few small businesses, and a sea of surface parking.  Completion of the courthouse is expected for May, 2012.


While these three are the spotlight projects that will help transform downtown Cedar Rapids in the wake of a devastating flood, there are many other small projects that have been completed or are in the works. Among these are the restoration of the historic Paramount Theatre, the restoration of Theatre Cedar Rapids, and the proposal for a new economic development center.  It is an exciting time to witness this transformation; these three key projects are laying the foundation for downtown Cedar Rapids to move to the next level.