Iowa City: New 14-story Moen building downtown

[RDCFIC]

The little Wells Fargo hut of a concrete building in the ped mall has been razed. Now you see a hole in the ground in the shape of the building footprint, with the basement walls still down there. Will try to get a pic while it's like this.

[hawk61401]

Since I am older than dirt, I should remember this mural that was discovered, but I don't. In about two weeks, she starts rising.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Discover ... 93936.html

[urbanite17]

Finally, a sign has been put up on the new Moen tower project, Park @ 201. The "Park" part in the project name stands for the Blackhawk Mini Park in which it is being built on".

This is going to be a great addition to the downtown skyline. Hopefully Moen will be building more in the future!

[hawk61401]

Maybe I missed it. Have they had they ground breaking on this yet?

[RDCFIC]

Work has started on the lowest level of the "Park" mini-tower:

[RDCFIC]

This one is starting to rise out of the ground!

[RDCFIC]

Not all that much to see here yet on account of plastic sheeting, but it appears that the first of 14 floors is up.





Alley side:

[Mastermind]

I noticed the posted sign says opening Fall2013, is that correct? Seems pretty fast.

[DMRyan]

That building floorplate is so tiny it's unreal! I'm looking forward for to seeing the glass go up on this baby.

This may easily be the best project underway in Iowa right now.

[Ingersoll1978]

That building floorplate is so tiny it's unreal! I'm looking forward for to seeing the glass go up on this baby.

I can't wait to see it too! Really cool building.

[bmadden]

A new rendering from the architect:


The apartments/condos look pretty similar to Moen's other downtown housing. I like the image of it behind the library and playground. It almost blends into the sky. I'm excited for this to be finished!

[bmadden]

http://www.dailyiowan.com/2013/01/23/Metro/31408.html

An article in the Daily Iowan today says this building is set to open Nov. 1 of this year. It will include a 2 floor salon, office space, and condos. 10 of the 26 units are already sold. There's also a bit on Moen's other current downtown projects, the Chauncey and the former Vito's building.

[RDCFIC]

Two floors above ground, and if my knowledge of past taller construction holds up, I think we'll start seeing some more floors being famed up and stacking taller more quickly. In my experience, the basement and the first floor or two above ground usually take more time to get framed up than the ones going in above them.

[RDCFIC]

Four floors above ground now. This is actually somewhat of a milestone in the construction process, as the building is now (just barely) taller than the old three-floor buildings around it. It is also already taller than it is wide, and there is still 10 floors to go!

From the alley:


From within the Ped Mall:

[billyspleen]

Here is an article from today's Press-Citizen discussing the construction of the Park@201, as well as the sale/rent status of the residential, commercial, and office parts of the tower. It also includes a pretty cool video of the construction progress.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20 ... |Frontpage

[Mastermind]

If this pace continues, this building should top out near the end of May. Keep the updates coming!

[RDCFIC]

In terms of height, this one is halfway there... seven floors above ground are now up. Seven more to go. Because of its small footprint, this thing already seems kind of tall for the space it's in.

[Mastermind]

If this pace continues, this building should top out near the end of May. Keep the updates coming!

This has to be getting close to topping off, any update?

[RDCFIC]

Not topped out yet. Actually still five floors to go. I took these photos just last Friday. However, it is now tall enough that I had to go a few feet into the alley on the opposite side of the ped mall to get it all in the shot.

[Mastermind]

Thanks! You'll have to go to a parking ramp to get skyline shots when the glass facade is added!

[libertyhawkeye]

Yeah right now the 10th floor has been set and they are working their way up to the 11th. Maybe we will see this thing topped off by the end of June.

[libertyhawkeye]

The Daily Iowan had a piece today about the 3 major Moen projects- http://www.dailyiowan.com/2013/05/17/Metro/33401.html

More importantly there's a gallery with 19 pictures. The views in that building will look amazing.

[amesiowacity]

The psyche of people like Jim Throgmorton must be pretty darn fragile. These projects are great, and Iowa City is lucky to have a developer like Moen who actually has a vision. The supposed threat of tall buildings is misguided. If there's any development challenge facing the downtown area, it's the proliferation of generic student apartment buildings. Fortunately, Moen is helping tip the scales away from that, and other developers are upping their game as well.

Fans of Moen and these projects, I encourage you to write positive letters to the editor and City Council. The Negative Nancies are a vocal bunch.

[Mastermind]

The psyche of people like Jim Throgmorton must be pretty darn fragile. These projects are great, and Iowa City is lucky to have a developer like Moen who actually has a vision. The supposed threat of tall buildings is misguided. If there's any development challenge facing the downtown area, it's the proliferation of generic student apartment buildings. Fortunately, Moen is helping tip the scales away from that, and other developers are upping their game as well.

Fans of Moen and these projects, I encourage you to write positive letters to the editor and City Council. The Negative Nancies are a vocal bunch.

Wow, this really surprised me:

Jim Throgmorton : PhD in urban and regional planning (1983), University of California at Los Angeles

[RDCFIC]

I'm actually surprised at how vocal the opposition to these taller buildings has been. I actually did send an e-mail to the city stating why I thought the Chauncey would be a good development. Normally I wouldn't say anything, but the vocal opposition has been so loud, I thought I should add a voice in favor. I get the idea that it might be the wrong spot for Iowa City's tallest building, in that it's on the edge of downtown and not in the middle. Frankly, I'd prefer to see the 20-story tower at the SE corner of Clinton and Burlington, where there's currently a huge empty parking lot and other tower proposals there have failed to get off the ground. That said, I think the Chauncey will be good for the city, and I think a bit more of downtown will go past Gilbert St. in the future. It already seems to be happening on Washington St. I also don't understand the opposition to mid-rise buildings in general. It's not like we are turning into Chicago here. 20 stories is big but not imposingly monolithic. On top of that, how many cities in Iowa are big enough and cosmopolitan enough to realistically build a 20 story building. Not many at all. If a person wants a quaint, small town vibe, there are tons of towns they can go to, even right nearby. I'm not suggesting that people who like old Iowa City should move. They genuinely care about the city and want to live here, and that's just fine. I'm just saying perhaps they should consider a little perspective on where one can realistically have dense urban development and how Iowa City's character is probably strong enough not to be wrecked by a handful of tall buildings. Perhaps with population growth and space demands near downtown, just perhaps the future of Iowa City should not be small-town. Thoughts?

[hawk61401]

Jim Throgmorton, a prime example of showing that even the most unqualified people can get elected. He said the building was "2 or 3 stories out of scale." Yes, a 14 story building is so much taller than a 11 story building.

"downtown should not be monopolized by a single developer regardless of building history and reputation."
If Moen has done any monopolizing, it's because no one else can come close to his vision and designs.

Moen has said that the Chauncey is his last high rise. I don't know what some of these people will do with their lives when they don't have Moen to kick around anymore. If no one even comes close to filling Moen's shoes, these idiots will be happy to see mediocrity return to Iowa City.

[libertyhawkeye]

11th floor has been set and a lot of busy work is being done at the lobby area.