October, 2004 - Page 1

Posted November 4, 2004

The Ormsby House got another mention in the local newspaper. This one was a big Sunday spread that included conceptual artwork from the builders. But the artwork must be a few years old, since it doesn’t quite match up with what they’re building. Here’s a look:

Now here’s a five-star hotel. A lot of this is just what they’re building; the “Big Room” out by Carson Street is just that shape and size, but it isn’t being built with one big arch window like the drawing. Instead they’ve got four small arches in there. And the portecochere is actually turning out bigger than this. But the biggest change from this plan is the hotel tower. That’s not even the color they’re going with, as you’ll see later.

And here’s the concept for the south side. They didn’t just change the color of the tower, but the detail work too. They’ve changed the balconies to windows, and there are more vertical lines coming down from those arches. And then there’s the bridge. Here it looks like it comes from the north side of the parking garage, instead of the south side where they actually built it. The bridge actually runs along the sidewalk where those people are walking, and meets up with the parking garage right at the elevators. Easier to reroute the bridge than to move the elevators, I guess. Plus this drawing shows the old Guns N’ Roses emblem still up there on the tower. Does that mean they’re going to put it back up?

The article acknowledges the changes, giving the impression that they’re adjusting the plans and the blueprints on a daily basis, which is great. No need to stick to an old idea that you’re not happy with anymore, just because it’s down there on the paper. The owners are always coming up with new ideas, and the builders are flexible enough to go with the flow. That sounds like an ideal arrangement, if you can make it work. And looking at how things are coming together at the Ormsby lot, they’re definitely making it work. Let’s jump in.

The beginning of October saw white paint slowly creeping down the walls of the tower. This white is just a base coat, and then over this they’re putting the final layer of stucco (or plaster, or whatever they’re using up there).

Also, early on in the month, they brought in the Big Crane to lift materials to the roof. The Big Crane was only there for a couple of days, so they probably just had a few loads to get up there.

Here’s the Big Crane at work, with its payloads. Looks like they’re lifting heating and cooling equipment up there.

A small army of painters has overwhelmed the scaffolding and is making quick work of this job. Those window arches and modillions don’t look too big from the ground, until you get somebody standing next to them.

The south side of the tower got its paint done too, and soon the whole tower was finished. If you peek at the very top, they’ve already taken down the highest level of the scaffolding. Could that be a hint of something to come?

Now that the wallboard is finished on the bridge, and the scaffolding is up, it’s time to begin painting here too. Gotta reopen Curry Street!

Two more pages.