Crane Artist Lofts

[dogbo]

I was suprised to not find a thread already dedicated to the Crane building. I know it has been discussed plenty within other threads.

It looks like developers have finally been awarded tax credits (according to the article I linked to below). Does this mean this building will finally be rehabbed? Hope so! You get this and the new brewery/restaurant that the Latin King folks are doing and I would say you have some real momentum going now in this area of downtown.

Crane Artist Lofts: LWO Development plans to buy and rehab 29 affordable units for families at 1440 Walnut St., Des Moines; tax credit award, $502,398.

Link to full article:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... nav%7Chead

[DMRyan]

I'm a little surprised this never had it's own thread either since it's been talked about as a building for residential conversion since about 2005. This will tie in well with this becoming a mini arts destination in the future. ArtSpace and the Fitch Building already have a presence here too.

Crane:





Fitch Building:

[DMRyan]

The plans are moving forward to covert this building to 36 artist loft-style apartments, hopefully in the spring of 2012 if not sooner. The top floor of the one story annex just to the east of the building is slated to become a rooftop garden and patio area.

Little known fact, a portion of the basement level of the building extends under the street right-of-way. Underneath layers of old asphalt sidewalk, there's a GLASS sidewalk that provided light to the basement level. If bids come back favorable, one of the add alternates of the project would be to restore the sidewalk's original glass panels once again.

[dogbo]

This is such a visible building for those using MLK to enter downtown....this will be a great improvement.

[Mastermind]

Looks like the are doing quite a bit of work here today. Several semi's unloading supplies today

[dogbo]

Yes, I've noticed there's been a lot of activity lately on this building.

It is going to be such a huge improvement to this entrance to dowtown once with this and the brewery get completed.

[RDCFIC]

Has there been enough of a visible change to warrant postings some newer pics of the building? I am (and I'm sure other are) interested in seeing how this renovation is shaping up!

[dogbo]

^ not yet. Appears to be all interior work (probably demo) at this point.

[DMRyan]

Awesome that work has started on this now. I originally thought there would be some progress on the project back in December, so I was started to get concerned on the reasons why work hadn't started yet.

Hopefully, this project in conjunction with the brewery really can become the tipping point for more great things to happen along this part of Walnut Street. Getting downtown's most visible boarded up building back into shape is job #1 though.

[Mastermind]

Awesome that work has started on this now. I originally thought there would be some progress on the project back in December, so I was started to get concerned on the reasons why work hadn't started yet.

Hopefully, this project in conjunction with the brewery really can become the tipping point for more great things to happen along this part of Walnut Street. Getting downtown's most visible boarded up building back into shape is job #1 though.

I saw them working a month or two ago as well. Looked like demo at that point.

[lunksmoo]

It's great to finally see work on this beautiful building.

With the Crane building being renovated, here is downtown's top boarded-up eyesore that is a gem in the rough:



Ferrington Place (Reliable Carpet Cleaning) on Keo, next to the majestic Greyhound Bus Terminal. On the entryway in to our great downtown area is this boarded-up building, and a bus station that looks like a metal shed with a few bricks thrown on its facade.

[dsmspence]

I was walking by Crane tonight on my way home and was very pleasantly surprised with the level of activity going on with this building! I usually take Locust but am glad I opted for the diversion on Walnut! My apologies for the cruddy quality of the photos as they are phone shots.

[DMRyan]

It's great to finally see work on this beautiful building.

With the Crane building being renovated, here is downtown's top boarded-up eyesore that is a gem in the rough:



Ferrington Place (Reliable Carpet Cleaning) on Keo, next to the majestic Greyhound Bus Terminal. On the entryway in to our great downtown area is this boarded-up building, and a bus station that looks like a metal shed with a few bricks thrown on its facade.

Agreed, Keo Way is the most embarassing corridor leading into downtown. The empty Ferrington Place building is the only thing left untouched by rampant and unremarkable urban renewal-era development that already needs replaced in this part of Des Moines. Ferrington Place just seems so natural for renovation and probably already would be if it were in different part of downtown. Minus a large scale wiping of nearly everything along Keo Way, I don't really think there's really an easy fix to clean up this mess.

[Des Moineser]

Happened to come back from C-Fizzle for Easter Break and saw that work has really picked up on Crane, sorry for it just being a cell phone pic, but it's amazing how much better the building looks sans-tacky boards in the windows.

[DMRyan]

Thanks for the photo update Des Moineser and hope you made it back up "C-Fizzle" safely to finish out the semester.

I love driving down MLK and seeing 4 downtown construction projects all in a row; the new fire station, the Crane Building being renovated, the new Central Iowa Shelter, and the Fitch Annex being renovated into Exile Brewing Company. Now, how do we get something going on the other side of MLK??

[casbern]

I love driving down MLK and seeing 4 downtown construction projects all in a row; the new fire station, the Crane Building being renovated, the new Central Iowa Shelter, and the Fitch Annex being renovated into Exile Brewing Company. Now, how do we get something going on the other side of MLK??

According to Rick Clark, that'll only take 5 Years... http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012304080080

[Mastermind]

Thanks for the photo update Des Moineser and hope you made it back up "C-Fizzle" safely to finish out the semester.

I love driving down MLK and seeing 4 downtown construction projects all in a row; the new fire station, the Crane Building being renovated, the new Central Iowa Shelter, and the Fitch Annex being renovated into Exile Brewing Company. Now, how do we get something going on the other side of MLK??

Speaking of which, anyone know the status of Exile? The sign says Spring 2012. I have seen movement there for a few months, but im not sure if it would be open prior to June.

[casbern]

Thanks for the photo update Des Moineser and hope you made it back up "C-Fizzle" safely to finish out the semester.

I love driving down MLK and seeing 4 downtown construction projects all in a row; the new fire station, the Crane Building being renovated, the new Central Iowa Shelter, and the Fitch Annex being renovated into Exile Brewing Company. Now, how do we get something going on the other side of MLK??

Speaking of which, anyone know the status of Exile? The sign says Spring 2012. I have seen movement there for a few months, but im not sure if it would be open prior to June.

You should check out their facebook and twitter pages, they've been fairly decent at maintaining their updates. From the looks of it, they are just getting ready to actually install the brewing equipment.

[Mastermind]

Sorry, i was being lazy. Looks like they won't open til July
http://exilebrewing.com/90/
From March
During the past few weeks we’ve gotten the bulk of our construction work underway. After more than two years of planning, designing and chipping away at various parts of the project we are finally reaching the homestretch leading up to opening. The construction crew has been digging trenches for plumbing in the restaurant, building footings in the basement to support our brewing equipment, tapping into the downtown water main and prepping for the next 1,000 things that need to get done before we open in July. Our beer offerings are set, the menu is being finalized and each day we are more and more excited to open the doors and start serving people from all over Des Moines! Thanks for following our progress, more to come!

[Des Moineser]

Thanks for the photo update Des Moineser and hope you made it back up "C-Fizzle" safely to finish out the semester.

Haha, I did. Just the way I left it... Except the six houses they are building in the WHOLE town are coming along really nicely. Cedar emphasis on the Fizzle.

[DMRyan]

A few more of the Crane Building, with the plastic covering over the windows flapping in the wind after last night's nearly 70 mph gusts that blew through downtown.

[casbern]

Nice article in the Business Record about the Crane Artist Lofts:

In addition to living units, Crane Artist Lofts will have display areas in corridors for art work, lobby space on the first and second floor, a pottery room with a kiln, a dance room, music room and computer lab.

A terrace will be constructed on the east side of the building. Concrete separates each floor, all of which have been serviced by a now-abandoned service elevator. It, too, is set for a rehab to ferry tenants from floor to floor.

Read more: http://businessrecord.com/main.asp?Sect ... z1tFPD1hZS

http://businessrecord.com/main.asp?SectionID=45&SubSectionID=136&ArticleID=17271&TM=60115.63

[DMRyan]

The Crane Building looking much better with the new windows going in.

[DMRyan]

The Crane Lofts are expected to be opened up for occupancy over the next month, with 20 of the 36 units already spoken for. Sounds like they're really trying to make a concerted effort to keep tenants to those that are actually practicing artists.

From the Register:

The South-of-Gateway-Park area is about to get a creative boost.

Tenants are expected to start moving into the Crane Artists Lofts, 1440 Walnut St., in the last two weeks of November. Twenty of the 36 units are leased, all to artists.

Developer LWO Properties of St. Paul, Minn., and Koester Construction of Grimes are renovating the former toilet factory into a haven for artists. The 58,000-square-foot building features a soundproof music room, a pottery room with a kiln, 8-foot-wide hallways to display art, and an outdoor patio with room for sculptures.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/ ... ea/article

[DMRyan]

Workers look to be scrambling to get this project wrapped up by the end of the month.

[DSMSiren]

I heard there is supposed to be an open house today (Wed 11/14). Anyone have the deets?

[DMRyan]

Found this interesting piece of renegade art stuck to the side of the Crane Building. I kind of enjoy seeing more of this happening downtown, and it certainly beats useless tagging and graffiti (which has become very prevalent on Walnut Street).