For those that haven't seen the cam.

http://www.huntjwindy.com/camera.php

They are using the cam service by Ox Blue which is the same company that provided the Lucas Oil Stadium cam feed.

The crew erecting the cranes have to finish the garage area crane tonight and rush off around midnight to Texas to get a crane down and secure from the hurricane.

Emporis has the JW listed as a Skyscraper and at 376'.

I love cranes!!!

I love this building! The others not! But the JW is cool..

I have a question about the cranes, the first crane in front on the web cam, is that the main tower crane? It seems awefully small to be a crane for a 300' tower...

I have a question about the cranes, the first crane in front on the web cam, is that the main tower crane? It seems awefully small to be a crane for a 300' tower...

This winter it will be raised, or "jumped" to it's final hook height. No sense having 400' of mast on rent when we're working below grade. Also the north 1/2 tower tower crane will go in during the winter.

It would appear there is concrete being poured, and if i'm not mistaken, the webcam leads me to the conclusion there are support columns for the garage rising.

It also appears i have no life and im procrastinating on my urban planning homework lol :bash:

I was just looking over the images available at the JW Marriott site (http://www.jwindy.com/jwi/html/gallery.html) and noticed that they've some super high-res versions of the several of the renderings we've seen. I pulled up the rendering for Courtyard and Springhill building and noticed the Fairfield Inn tucked away in the background:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/JW-MFairfield.jpg

Thankfully, it looks like they will be putting a new facade on that building.

The foundational supports are being constructed. It is nice to see work preceding at the site.:banana:

I would really like to see some good renderings of the whole project. Yes the new blue glass during daylight hours and might as well add those other ones in to try to convey to myself that they are nice hotels. Seems that the sites really would be open with new renderings.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081005/BUSINESS/810050355/1305/ARCHIVE

A work in progress
Even before designs are finalized, massive JW Marriott project is forging ahead
By Jeff Swiatek
Posted: October 5, 2008

Renderings of the 1,005-room JW Marriott hotel show a curved slab of blue glass that will be Indiana's largest hotel when it opens in early 2011.

Right now the site is a 3-acre dry crater, thanks to the removal of 19,000 dump truck loads of dirt and 24 well pumps that keep the pit from filling with 8 feet of muddy groundwater and becoming Downtown's largest lake.

Matt Stump, who is overseeing the hotel's construction at West and Washington streets, stands in the pit near a cement mixer extruding its load and shares the pressure he is under to make the city-subsidized hotel a timely 34-story reality.

"My boss explained to me we've never missed a hotel opening date ever, and we're not going to start on the biggest hotel built by White Lodging," he said.

What Stump calls "not an easy gig" is a race against the clock that will be run by up to 700 workers during the project's busiest period late next year. On the site, they're also building three smaller hotels with 618 rooms that must open a year earlier to serve fans attending the 2010 collegiate basketball Final Four.

To meet the city-set deadlines, a fast-track construction schedule is in place. It calls for building the foundation and the immense three-story underground parking garage before designs on the hotels and ballrooms are completed.

"I am putting foundations in today and don't know what the walls and flooring on top of them will look like," Stump said. Construction drawings won't be done until January, but "we simply didn't have the luxury of time" to wait until then to break ground, he said.

Sticking out of the pit floor, for example, are white plastic water pipes that had to be installed before the exact locations of the bathrooms they serve were even known.

"Things are being literally cast in concrete below" while architects are still designing the hotel above, said Bill Sewall, construction manager for Hunt Construction Group, which is doing work on the JW Marriott for White Lodging. The design-while-building approach has become almost the norm in the construction business, given today's budgeting pressures, but Sewall admits it can make a construction manager's job nerve-racking. Designers "need to cease their 'what if' considerations" before construction gets too far along, he said.
Price tag: $425 million

The $425 million project -- awarded last year to Merrillville-based developer White Lodging and partner REI Real Estate Services of Carmel after a bidding process by the city -- is meant to serve the expanding Indiana Convention Center. The city is chipping in $48 million in taxpayer money to build the JW Marriott, which will be connected by walkway to the city-run convention center.

With the August completion of the $720 million Lucas Oil Stadium and the November opening of the new $1.1 billion Indianapolis International Airport terminal, the JW Marriott project becomes the city's largest construction project under way. With the economy also in a tailspin, it's a scenario that should enable the hotel project to attract low bids from contractors, Stump said.

"We have a lot of interest from bidders, I'll tell you that," he said.

The huge Marriott will be a tribute to concrete. It will rank as the city's tallest cast-in-place concrete building. Its weight will require a foundation of 500 tons of steel and so much concrete it will take 16 hours to pour. The continuous pour will start shortly after midnight Friday and will require up to 700 loads from a fleet of cement mixers.
Parallel progress

The need for speed will affect the way the hotel's floors are poured.

Developers can't wait for the whole tower to be completed before starting interior work and installing the glass exterior. So the glass installation will start after the hotel is only six stories in the air, while temporary roofs will be built starting on the 12th floor to seal off lower floors from the rain and other elements. That will allow plumbing, electrical and heating systems and even drywall to be installed long before all 34 floors are poured, Sewall said.

ASI Ltd. of Whitestown, which won the contract to build and install the all-glass exterior, already is making a 22-foot-tall mock-up of the glass wall. It will be subjected to a stress test, required by the developer, to make sure the wall can hold up to extreme weather. The 12-day test, which includes putting the mock-up in a wind tunnel, will be performed at an independent lab near St. Louis in November or early December, said Ken Smith, owner of ASI.

Does anyone know which concrete company won the contract?

Wonder if the design will change at all?

While it is exciting that the hotel will rise so quickly, I hope that the structural integrity and safety of the building is not compromised in the process.

That is a good thought. I've wondered these things, and ponder why it all is not on paper, computer at the start, certainly by now. Is anything on these types of buildings lost in the process, then compromised?

"The design-while-building approach has become almost the norm in the construction business"

If this isn't the first time this has been done I think that we don't have too much to worry about. People are smart they can figure out how to get things to work. Now I'm not saying no worries, anything can happen, I just see no cause for alarm.

"The design-while-building approach has become almost the norm in the construction business"

If this isn't the first time this has been done I think that we don't have too much to worry about.

Correct. It's nearly the standard now as money is so precious and it is the most efficient way to get a project from conception to opening. It does have special challenges that the Star writer seemed especially interested in to add detail to his story.

When will the first of the floors start to rise? Novemberish?

Bumpity bump.

I see that construction has slowed. This is not the time of year when much concrete is poured.

By the way, I still have yet to hear any official confirmation that this project has obtained financing and the money is in the bank.

By the way, I still have yet to hear any official confirmation that this project has obtained financing and the money is in the bank.

So we could have a nice big empty pit in DT Indy for some time then if there is no financing deal in place.:ohno:

So we could have a nice big empty pit in DT Indy for some time then if there is no financing deal in place.:ohno:

I remember reading some where (I think?) that the developer stated they had deep enough pockets that they could do this project without outside funding, if needs be. I would find that a little surprising, but who knows.

rage, the papers said they could self-finance. But I'd take that with more than a grain of salt. Whiteco has $400 million sitting around in the bank? Where would the money come from? Remember, "sales were ahead of plan" at the MSA site, too. Naturally these guys are going to talk positive in the papers. To date, I haven't seen any construction I can categorically say wasn't paid for via the TIF bonds. What's more, I fully anticipate Whiteco to come back and try to renegotiate and even sweeter deal, citing the economy. The fact that the previous city administration already pre-approved more bonds than were pledged to the project shows that this was probably in the works for some time.

Nobody and I mean nobody can get a construction loan for a major commercial property right now.

Well, I wouldn't say that we are going to see a big empty hole. Steel is already at ground level (and that was about 3 weeks ago) and Lee (my partner) keeps me updated on the construction prgress (he works at AUL) and recently stated that activity is "constant" at the site.

That hotel project will get built, 2 Final Fours and a SuperBowl are riding on it!

How is this going? Anything new going on like the downstairs area coming to ground level yet?

I drove by today. Definitely many workers staying very busy on site. The western three fourths of the site - where the underground parking garage is being built - is filling in. The garage has been completed up to about ten feet below the surface level. On the east end, where the tower will be, the site is built up to the surface with a small part of the building - at the Northeast corner of the site - now sticking up out of the ground. It definitely looks like it is moving ahead full speed.

I drove by today. Definitely many workers staying very busy on site. The western three fourths of the site - where the underground parking garage is being built - is filling in. The garage has been completed up to about ten feet below the surface level. On the east end, where the tower will be, the site is built up to the surface with a small part of the building - at the Northeast corner of the site - now sticking up out of the ground. It definitely looks like it is moving ahead full speed.

Thanks, I appreciate that update. Going to see my daughter at I.U. after the holidays. Going to Louisville Slugger and Mass Av as well. I predict that in April 4 floors will be up, and in May work will really be moving along.

There are now 4 tower cranes set up on the site. Lots of activity going on.

There are now 4 tower cranes set up on the site. Lots of activity going on.


You beat me to it!

Two for the main tower, one for the garage and one for the 2nd-tower. I wouldn't be surprised to see 3 cranes for the main tower at some point. Its just so wide.



I can't wait to see what the impact will be on the skyline with a new ~ 400' and a ~250' tower over there with little surrounding height. The shots from the west side of the River will probably be the new "money" pics. The CBD core all the way to the Luke will now be one continuous skyline.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/449001588_a1733cae23.jpg?v=1180733212

You beat me to it!

Two for the main tower, one for the garage and one for the 2nd-tower. I wouldn't be surprised to see 3 cranes for the main tower at some point. Its just so wide.



I can't wait to see what the impact will be on the skyline with a new ~ 400' and a ~250' tower over there with little surrounding height. The shots from the west side of the River will probably be the new "money" pics. The CBD core all the way to the Luke will now be one continuous skyline.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/449001588_a1733cae23.jpg?v=1180733212

Just look at that West side density.
Imagine, that could be either a great bungalow neighborhood or redeveloped into a row house hood.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/449001588_a1733cae23.jpg?v=1180733212

This angle illustrates what I consider to be huge missed opportunities in terms of exciting residential development for the CBD. Indy residents only remember we have a river when it either floods or makes news for "life" floating on the top. Residential high rise along the west bank would provide excellent views in addition to the leisure and recreational opportunities all within a 5min walk.

Just wait till enough yuppie rehabbers move into Stringtown. Soon enough, we'll discover this is "Historic Stringtown" and anything remotely resembling what you described will be outlawed.

I was wondering. I guess Indy is considered an inland city, largest? Anyway, the river is there, but because it is a small width river is this why the inland term? Curious about this awhile.

I was wondering. I guess Indy is considered an inland city, largest? Anyway, the river is there, but because it is a small width river is this why the inland term? Curious about this awhile.

Yes, Indianapolis is one of the largest inland cities in the United States not located on any navigable body of water. It was founded partly because of the access to the White River, but it turned out to be too shallow.

Hey all. The 2 tower cranes on the east side can reach all the tower without a 3rd. The garage crane will stay thru steel erection of the podium ballroom area, although it will be reconfigured with a smaller radius when BB season begins in April as it now swings over left field. :) We'll use all that stick while we can until the last minute. Also a big crawler will sit along Maryland to assist in the steel erection, but we're done setting up tower cranes. Work has gone well and as planned all winter.

Funding: There has been a mix of both public and private dollars put in place so far.

I've still seen no confirmation that there is a construction loan in place for this.

rage, the papers said they could self-finance. But I'd take that with more than a grain of salt. Whiteco has $400 million sitting around in the bank? Where would the money come from? Remember, "sales were ahead of plan" at the MSA site, too. Naturally these guys are going to talk positive in the papers. To date, I haven't seen any construction I can categorically say wasn't paid for via the TIF bonds. What's more, I fully anticipate Whiteco to come back and try to renegotiate and even sweeter deal, citing the economy. The fact that the previous city administration already pre-approved more bonds than were pledged to the project shows that this was probably in the works for some time.

Nobody and I mean nobody can get a construction loan for a major commercial property right now.

I think you can stop worrying about Mr White's finances. He has enough B's after his $ to make this like you and I looking for lunch money.

Heck, the banks may be calling HIM for funding these days!

Just wait till enough yuppie rehabbers move into Stringtown. Soon enough, we'll discover this is "Historic Stringtown" and anything remotely resembling what you described will be outlawed.

Hey, I'm all for historic districts.
Don't get this hatred for historic districts because of a bunch of NIMBYs, they have protected our cultural areas for many years.

SMSC1, I know White is wealthy, the question is, how much of that wealth is in cash? IIRC, hit net worth was around $1.6 billion. Does that include $375 million in cash he's willing to spend building this hotel, with no guarantee he'll easily be able to get it back out? I'm not saying he doesn't have money, but to me when someone says they'll "self finance", that implies "pay cash". Either that or he's borrowing on margin (i.e., pledging other assets to back the loans).

There may be good skyline views on the west side, but if you look strictly at built environment, the East Side is clearly where it is at. Compare these aerial with regards to a) percentage of surviving structures b) density. Note how the lots in places like Fountain Square are so deep that while the appearance of density from street might look the same as the east side, since the houses are close to the street, the reality is quite different.

These are all captured at the same resolution level in Google Maps.

West Side

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/3181348550_0de5df2f03_o.jpg

Fountain Square

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3180510009_5846cdcc8f_o.jpg

East Side

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/3181348438_7de7d89893_o.jpg

There may be good skyline views on the west side, but if you look strictly at built environment, the East Side is clearly where it is at. Compare these aerial with regards to a) percentage of surviving structures b) density. Note how the lots in places like Fountain Square are so deep that while the appearance of density from street might look the same as the east side, since the houses are close to the street, the reality is quite different.

These are all captured at the same resolution level in Google Maps.

West Side

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/3181348550_0de5df2f03_o.jpg

Fountain Square

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/3180510009_5846cdcc8f_o.jpg

East Side

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/3181348438_7de7d89893_o.jpg

Woah, that's dense.
Replace each of those homes with a rowhouse(except say the historic or whatever.) or midrise and imagine!
Don't tell me they can't support the density, just look at that!

Woah, that's dense.
Replace each of those homes with a rowhouse(except say the historic or whatever.) or midrise and imagine!
Don't tell me they can't support the density, just look at that!

Could you do the same type of photos for the Meridian Kessler/BroadRipple/So Bro/Butlertarkington neighborhoo
I would be interested to see that.

While there are many of homes in the area that are historic and should be preserved, there are several sections of homes on the broadripple side the should be demolished for Condos/ townhomes and apartments. Broad Ripple has the potential to add massive density, it jusst needs the infrastructure.
I would love to see broad ripple fill in with high density housing. Mixed use buildings would work out great especially retail in the first floor for all of the pedestrian traffic.

I saw some new renderings for the JW on the news. Anybody know where we could get our hands on those? The new rendering made the building look kind of "squatty"

gregarious, you can do it yourself, just go to Google Maps online and browse to "Indianapolis, IN". Zoom in to the desired depth and pan around.

The lots on parts of the north side are enormously deep.

In an "ideal" world to improve density you could just cut those lots in half. Think about the alleys you see in Fountain Square. Turn those into streets and you're now as dense as the east side. Of course, easier said than done.

I think the East Side has HUGE potential. In many ways it is my favorite side of town. The density in that photo is not much different from even some northside neighborhoods in Chicago. The big difference with Chicago is the dense commercial streets, and the fact that those residential streets have apartment buildings and 3-flats, not just single family homes, though many streets have lots of those too. If Indy were zoned to allow those lots to include apartment buildings and to allow doubles or triples, that is where you get the density effect. If you drive around Meridian-Kessler, you often see the odd apartment building thrown in. These do not in any way make the street awful.

I saw some new renderings for the JW on the news. Anybody know where we could get our hands on those? The new rendering made the building look kind of "squatty"

Don't worry about it being squatty. The images were obviously squashed to fit on the screen.

Pretty lazy/amateur if you ask me. Or it had something to do with the conversion from TV to online version. I doubt it though, because the rest of the images were fine.

I'll look around and see if I can find those newer renderings. A few of them may be here a few pages back. The only one that was "new" was the West St. entrance.

two renderings if you click this link, click photos on the video box to the left once the page loads.

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/Indy_Mariott_workers_reach_milestone

Those renderings make it look like some kind of Vegas casino.

way too squatty in the images, but it will look good. The impact of all the towers will really add tgo the density over there and I can't wait until the new skyline shots from the River become the norm. People will finally see that we have a river.

All the main renderings of the project (except for the new street level one on the WISH page) are available at the project webpage:

http://jwindy.com/jwi/html/gallery.html

N.B.: very high resolution images are available -- click on the renderings and read the text below each of the renderings.

Google needs to get its shit together and update the Indianapolis satellite imagery, it is nearly four years old.

Google needs to get its shit together and update the Indianapolis satellite imagery, it is nearly four years old.

It's annoying, but they just buy their imagery from multiple other sources, such as the federal government, and stitch them together. From what I've read, Google is constantly updating Google Maps/Earth with the newest images they can get their hands on.

It's really up to those sources to provide new imagery and if they haven't updated the midwest in a while, there won't be any new pictures of Indy. A lot of it has to be declassified, especially when it comes to the Middle East and the like.

www.live.com has a much more recent image of the city, and it has a feature where one cone go into birds eye view and look at the city at an angle from a 1000 ft or so above the groung in each direction which i find really cool, it allows you to actually see the buildings rather than just roofs.

www.live.com has a much more recent image of the city, and it has a feature where one cone go into birds eye view and look at the city at an angle from a 1000 ft or so above the groung in each direction which i find really cool, it allows you to actually see the buildings rather than just roofs.

I wonder if Microsoft and Google fight over exclusivity rights to satellite imagery? If so, I'm sure that pleases anyone in the satellite imagery industry. Imagine, two of the richest companies in the world fighting over your product!

Fun fact: if you turn on 3D buildings in Google Earth you get a (pre-construction) model of LOS stretched across the lots that still appear because of the old satellite images.

Unfortunately, it's one of only six buildings downtown that have been modeled. [LOS, RCA Dome/CC, Conseco Fieldhouse, the statehouse, OneAmerica Tower, and 101 West Ohio]

Fun fact: if you turn on 3D buildings in Google Earth you get a (pre-construction) model of LOS stretched across the lots that still appear because of the old satellite images.

Unfortunately, it's one of only six buildings downtown that have been modeled. [LOS, RCA Dome/CC, Conseco Fieldhouse, the statehouse, OneAmerica Tower, and 101 West Ohio]

If anyone has extra free time, I just found out yesterday about Google SketchUp (http://sketchup.google.com/product/gsu.html). It will let you model buildings in Indy and plop them down in Google Earth.

It's annoying, but they just buy their imagery from multiple other sources, such as the federal government, and stitch them together. From what I've read, Google is constantly updating Google Maps/Earth with the newest images they can get their hands on.

It's really up to those sources to provide new imagery and if they haven't updated the midwest in a while, there won't be any new pictures of Indy. A lot of it has to be declassified, especially when it comes to the Middle East and the like.

The DT Chicago imagery is from 2007, so I don't see why Indy hasn't been updated.

I'll settle for old satellite imagery if it means getting more stuff like the Prado layer.

The DT Chicago imagery is from 2007, so I don't see why Indy hasn't been updated.

There are probably several more reasons to have current satellite imagery of Chicago than Indy.

Just based on the sheer size of Chicago over Indy financially and development scale/pace, and their true global city status, I'd imagine there are more than a couple of people there that need satellite imagery more often than anyone here. Just my 2 cents. :-)

that sounds about right. i asked the same question for san juan, but on the google maps site it says images will be updated once every four years. next year should be that year though.

The tower should be starting to be visible on the webcam.

Any recent pictures of the construction site? I'd like to see what is going on wiht all of the (crane) towers. Does anybody know when the towers will reach their final height.

Any recent pictures of the construction site? I'd like to see what is going on wiht all of the (crane) towers. Does anybody know when the towers will reach their final height.

Here's a link to the webcam:http://www.oxblue.com/pro/

I just posted some construction photos on my blog:

http://dig-b.blogspot.com/2009/02/photos-jw-marriott-construction-update.html

Here are a couple extras that I didn't use for the post:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/JW%20Marriott/02-08-09/640px/2009-02JWMarriott022.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/JW%20Marriott/02-08-09/640px/2009-02JWMarriott004.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/JW%20Marriott/02-08-09/640px/2009-02JWMarriott014.jpg

Man, that was a great construction fix! Thanks.

Nice to see and know that with the recession, Indianapolis has a few projects going on.

The construction site is huge. Reminds me of when Circle Centre was U/C.
I am warming to the location of this project. Four hotels totaling 1300 rooms will be a lot of activity at the site and will really shift ped activity to the area.

Sweet pics. This project is proceeding nicely.:cheers:

Has anyone other than CorrND walked around the site lately?

The most amazing thing is how close the small hotel on the west end is to White River State Park. I mean, it is super close. It pulls the complex right into the park. In a couple of spots, you cant' even tell there's a road between front lawn of the State Museum/Eiteljorg and the construction site. I hope they've improved the design of that hotel a bit, because it's definitely going to influence to feel of the park. With 1500+ rooms, all those hotels are going to put a lot more pedestrians in the park.

That could be a great thing for the whole canal, now that I think of it. :-)

Another great vista is from the Eiteljorg entrance. The main tower will be the first thing you see when you walk out the door. We're very fortunate that they tweaked the design and are building a better tower. I'm still disappointed by the way the complex integrates into the city, but at least the views of the tower from far away will be nice.

Bunch of new renderings from the project website (thanks for the heads up CorrND):

If you want to see HUGE versions and interior renderings, click the link.

http://jwindy.com/jwi/html/gallery.html

Some of these are reposts.

JW MARRIOTT:
http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWMarriottIndinapolisDuskRendering.jpg

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWMarriottIndinapolisEntry.jpg

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWM-NorthEastviewB.jpg

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWMarriottIndinapolisSouthwestView.jpg

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWMarriottIndinapolisBallPark.jpg

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/5652NorthwestMuseumsB.jpg

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT:
http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/CYSHSDriveThrough.jpg

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/CY-SHS_Exterior.jpg

FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES BY MARRIOTT:
http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/FairfieldInn.jpg

Hey, at least TGIF will still be there. :cheers:

While the main tower is definitely an improvement, the other two are still nothing spectacular.

I like the additional blue glass on the south side of the Conference Center part of the building. Should be nice to be able to attend a conference and occasionally watch an afternoon game at Victory Field. Its also interesting .... they seem to occasionally mix and match different designs in that set of renderings. Sometimes they show all four of the hotels, sometimes just two. The second to last picture for example seems to show an older version of the Fairfield (it looks different in that picture than how it looks in the last picture) and I thought I had heard that the signs on the Courtyard and Renaissance would look different than in that rendering. The third picture must be an older version. It doesn't show the Courtyard and Renaissance and the look of the Fairfield is very different from the way it looks in the bottom rendering.

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't actually walk all the way around the JW-M site! I'm very curious to see the effect that you're talking about from the secondary hotel building though. Maybe I'll go check it out at some point and put up another set.

I went to the rendering site just now and blew up that first one ablerock put up (thanks for posting those btw!). I was wondering what those vertical white elements were and you can see that they look like fins. It'll be interesting to see how those turn out in the final product.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/jw-mfins2.jpg

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWMarriottIndinapolisDuskRendering.jpg

I like the white or shine type elements on the window panes-moldings. I think I am close enough on that description. Now the gold look on the older renders are gone on certain windows, am I correct? The total hotels will be 4, 3 new and 1 refurbished? At least the main tower is cool, I know it is not breathtaking or a reinvention of the highrise, but for Indy a step in the right direction for highrises.

... and you can see that they look like fins.

Yeah, to prepare the building for the next round of killer Indianapolis straight winds!! :rofl:

I LOVE the "fins" that have been added! The design of this improves on a monthly basis. As mentioned, I am really "warming" to the location of this. Obviously, I still have dreams of an Indy skyline with the gorgeous Intercontinental at Pan Am, but this is nice and will really bluk up the western portion of the skyline. The main tower really stand-out and the other 2 wilol add a great amount of density over there.

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/CY-SHS_Exterior.jpg

This shot is a little deceiving. I am guessing that all of the green "lawn" we see is actually WRSP, and not infront of the tower. Washington Street seperates the two.

http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/CY-SHS_Exterior.jpg

This shot is a little deceiving. I am guessing that all of the green "lawn" we see is actually WRSP, and not infront of the tower. Washington Street seperates the two.

That rendering illustrates the view in real life I spoke of earlier, where the street disappears. That hotel is going to look much closer and more massive than it looks in that shot when you're standing at the bend of the canal or near the visitor's center. The street pinches right there and the hotel is right up against ROW.

Also, this site is really looking like a bunch of square pegs crammed into triangualar holes. Not literally, of course, but it's just not an elegant use of the site. Why is the Courtyard Marriott shaped like an "L"? It must be a cookie-cutter design. It would've been nice to see it curve with the street. All the buildings just look awkward next to one another.

^^ It's my understanding that the Courtyard in the rendering is actually 2 hotels in one. The northern wing will be a Springhill Suites, while the westerly wing is the Courtyard. I believe this is why it's "L" shaped.

^^ It's my understanding that the Courtyard in the rendering is actually 2 hotels in one. The northern wing will be a Springhill Suites, while the westerly wing is the Courtyard. I believe this is why it's "L" shaped.

I get what you're saying, and this isn't an attack on you, but that's one lazy reason.

^^ NO PROB!.... and I totally AGREE. There is no reason you can't have both function and form (an architectually pleasing package), which this portion of the development lacks.

Everytime I look at that rendering I wanna know where the emergency ward is. I keep waiting for an ambulance to pull up in front. It looks more like a hospital (a place to be sick and die) rather than a nice hotel (a place to relax, dine, and have fun). That's just my opinion. There is nothing inviting about that rendering of the Courtyard design.

They must have blown all their R&D money on the JW portion which left them no money budgeted for design of the rest of the property. Perhaps had they tried from the start to "get it right" on the JW Marriott portion, and not had to go through a couple of redesigns, they could've made a better go of it on the Courtyard, Fairfield and the Springhill Suites portion.

BTW - Question? Are they still planning condo's/residences on the top floor of the JW similar to the Conrad or has that been scrapped? Just curious. I haven't heard.

Everytime I look at that rendering I wanna know where the emergency ward is. I keep waiting for an ambulance to pull up in front. It looks more like a hospital (a place to be sick and die) rather than a nice hotel (a place to relax, dine, and have fun).

Good call on the hospital. :-)

The condos are no longer part of the project.

The fins should be pretty cool. They will be a polished stainless so should really pop on sunny days, and the finish can't wear off in years like a coating.

Thought you all would like this pic from testing the curtainwall. This phase was to verify the design for structural deflection and water infiltration.

(passed btw ;) )

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o225/SMSC1/jwmcwtest2.jpg

^^ It's my understanding that the Courtyard in the rendering is actually 2 hotels in one. The northern wing will be a Springhill Suites, while the westerly wing is the Courtyard. I believe this is why it's "L" shaped.


The L also facilitates the only place on the site to create a guest drop off area for the two brands in that building.

Indy skyline with the gorgeous Intercontinental at Pan Am,sep.

?
The what?

I like the design.
It is modest and reflective.
I'm not sure about the curve, either it could be really amazing or end up being tacky.
It looks wonderful in the renderings though.
Fins? Why the hell did they stick fins on the structure? :sly:

Several months ago the hospital was shown for all of us to admire. I thought it looked like a hospital then and still feel that way. Why Indy does not get the whole package is beyond me. No excuse for that thing to be in the plans, with an L or not. You would think in the 21st century that a hotel would not look like a hospital, and the city and anyone involved would get it right! I wonder if their food will be any better than a hospital? I wonder if a restaurant will be a part of that thing?

?
The what?

The Intercontinental was a 40 something story building proposed by Browning I think, and the JW was the lucky winner for the convention center hotel project. The tower was proposed to be at the Pan Am area. A few others know the site better than I. I think there was an underground garage that another guy owns that was part of the problem.

Seeing that bright blue glass in SMSC1's picture really emphasized how BLUE the bulk of this large building is really going to be. It looks blue in most of the renderings, but its not until you see the real thing that you realize its not just an artist's color palette that is bringing that color. I love the Los Angeles Design Center's buildings that are the three huge blocks of color (I think they are red, green and blue). I think a big curved wall of bright blue glass will be cool on the west side of downtown.

Actually I just looked it up and it is the Pacific Design Center that has the very large, brightly colored glass buildings. There may actually only be two - that are green and blue. But anyway -- they do stand out quite a bit with the bright color.

Good call on the hospital. :-)

The condos are no longer part of the project.


Yeah, quite a few of us here tagged th Hospital look immediately hern the renderings were released.

Sit down and have a cuppa...

This is the failed Indianapolis Hotwel InterContinental:
http://static.flickr.com/132/328236135_bac07181d1_m.jpg

Sit down and have a cuppa...

This is the failed Indianapolis Hotwel InterContinental:
http://static.flickr.com/132/328236135_bac07181d1_m.jpg

Do you think they made it wide enough?
Seriously, we are fortunate to be spared from this thing.

How tall was it supposed to be?

Several months ago the hospital was shown for all of us to admire. I thought it looked like a hospital then and still feel that way. Why Indy does not get the whole package is beyond me. No excuse for that thing to be in the plans, with an L or not. You would think in the 21st century that a hotel would not look like a hospital, and the city and anyone involved would get it right! I wonder if their food will be any better than a hospital? I wonder if a restaurant will be a part of that thing?

Are you talking about the Court Yard?
It does look like a hospital but the main tower doesn't.

Seeing that bright blue glass in SMSC1's picture really emphasized how BLUE the bulk of this large building is really going to be. It looks blue in most of the renderings, but its not until you see the real thing that you realize its not just an artist's color palette that is bringing that color. I love the Los Angeles Design Center's buildings that are the three huge blocks of color (I think they are red, green and blue). I think a big curved wall of bright blue glass will be cool on the west side of downtown.

Hopefully it will be blue.
I don't care for red or yellow towers but green can be done right if it is in a minty sort of look.

To me the new Marriott looks icy but in a cool way.

Are you talking about the Court Yard?
It does look like a hospital but the main tower doesn't.

The CourtYard. I am a big fan of the JW itself. The JW is a step in the right direction. I hope that this will open up a window for very good to great architecture. This is simple, but pleasing to the eye. Maybe Indianapolis will see a trend of nice towers in the next 5-10 years.
The hospital, and the Fairfield-eek, those are just fillers... I wonder what the Intercontinental would have real been like if it had been built? Well at least the JW was redesigned. That awful concrete slab was terrible looking! Let's look forward.:okay:

It could.
I don't care for the odd towers, I prefer well organized and reflective towers.
What is that gothic like tower near monument circle and then the black granite one north of it?
Those are beautiful towers.

I've lived in Indy for 25 years and I don't know which buildings you are talking about. Gothic Tower near Monument Circle? The Scottish Rite Cathedral (is that Gothic?) Black Granite Tower? Maybe you're thinking of 300 N. Meridian. Although I'd call that more of a dark brown granite.

Do you think they made it wide enough?
Seriously, we are fortunate to be spared from this thing.

How tall was it supposed to be?

It's actually less wide than the currently U/C JW Marriott. Its the picture affect. Think of the Pan Am site where it was proposed. It would have been in excess of 600' making it the cities 2nd tallest.

It's actually less wide than the currently U/C JW Marriott. Its the picture affect. Think of the Pan Am site where it was proposed. It would have been in excess of 600' making it the cities 2nd tallest.

I love height, but I also love smart design.
This looks very 'in the moment' and poorly designed.
It would quickly become an eyesore in our skyline. The JW is reflective and simple, this is just ugly.
I think due to the LOS and likely the general density of the wholesale district such a tower would not only block views but also be an eyesore amongst more beautiful buildings.
Does this city even have the demand for a 2nd tallest?

I've lived in Indy for 25 years and I don't know which buildings you are talking about. Gothic Tower near Monument Circle? The Scottish Rite Cathedral (is that Gothic?) Black Granite Tower? Maybe you're thinking of 300 N. Meridian. Although I'd call that more of a dark brown granite.

No, I am not talking about the SRC and yes, it is Gothic-(tudor?).
That's it!
No, the Gothic tower that has the key on it and sits on the North side of Market.
That is a beautiful tower.

No, I am not talking about the SRC and yes, it is Gothic-(tudor?).
That's it!
No, the Gothic tower that has the key on it and sits on the North side of Market.
That is a beautiful tower.

Market Tower

I think the buildings he is talking about are 300 North Meridian which is South Dakota Red Granite. The other is Circle Tower, which has the setbacks because of shadows that the city did not want to cast on the circle. While I am at it, that 110 East Washington Street tower, which is quite old was converted to Condos, is that a sold out condo tower? Nice to keep these old buildings around, especially for people to live downtown.

It's actually less wide than the currently U/C JW Marriott. Its the picture affect. Think of the Pan Am site where it was proposed. It would have been in excess of 600' making it the cities 2nd tallest.

That plaza area is not a huge area at all. I said in a previous post about asking others about the actual site, and the underground garage. I remember when this was proposed thinking that the area was not a big and wide area, and the tower looked quite wide.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b177/fashionking615muah/IMG_0093.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b177/fashionking615muah/IMG_0094.jpg

Thanks for the updates!! Looking in that last pic,notest the contrast to the police car, this is going to be one massive structure that just "pops" outta of the middle of nothing lol!!! But I love the effect it is going to have on the skyline, and the view from IUPUI will be improved from the easern and southern sides of campus!!!

My only complaint as I thinl of it, too bad One Indiana Square and the JW will not be in the same pics, atleast from a "money shot" angle. (I think)

I took this pic Saturday from the steps of the Eiteljorg. You can see things REALLY well from there. Its just this mass of MESS plowing up out of the ground. Pretty neat to see really.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3354/3287948300_efe20494f2.jpg

FY, here is a recently completed HOSPITAL in MSP:
http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/4973/regionshospitalit3.jpg

Here is the Courtyad/Fairfield:
http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/CY-SHS_Exterior.jpg

HMMMMM...

Wow! It's amazing how two beautiful and unique structures, with a state of the art design could be so similar;)

I think it was the lack of attention to detail that makes them look unattractive rather than the shape. As someone previously mentioned the L shape allows for a circular drive in front. And since they are two separate hotels, I don't think a cure would have worked as well. In my opinion, the L shape could work out fine had they applied a little bit more time and money into designing those buildings.

This is the 21st century, boring buildings should not be built in the city. I know people will talk functionality, and cost and bla-bla-bla... The Conrad and Simon was enough for 30 years worth, and now this thing. Once again, the JW at least saves it all. I cannot even think what an eyesore it would be if the original JW and these others would be like across from Victory Field!

I took this pic Saturday from the steps of the Eiteljorg. You can see things REALLY well from there. Its just this mass of MESS plowing up out of the ground. Pretty neat to see really.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3354/3287948300_efe20494f2.jpg

This may be an ignorant question, but are those crane towers at their final height or will they be raised as construction progresses? They don't seem high enough for 34 floors.

they will most definitely rise in height.

Hopefully the jumbled mess of wooden utility poles and numerous powerlines will be replaced and relocated to make the streets near the JW more urban. As of right now, the powerlines, stoplights, and utility poles look more like something from Morgan County than downtown. Is anyone aware of streetscape improvements in that area? It would be a shame to have such a nice urban tower with a front walk littered with all of that unattractive utility infrastructure.

Hopefully the jumbled mess of wooden utility poles and numerous powerlines will be replaced and relocated to make the streets near the JW more urban. As of right now, the powerlines, stoplights, and utility poles look more like something from Morgan County than downtown. Is anyone aware of streetscape improvements in that area? It would be a shame to have such a nice urban tower with a front walk littered with all of that unattractive utility infrastructure.

I do know the master planners IUPUI hired for their new campus plan repeatedly mocked the condition of West Street and (sarcastically) said it made a great first impression for a university striving to be world-class.

Hopefully IUPUI will become the champion for improvement that West Street so desperately needs.

they will most definitely rise in height.

Well you figure that the tower will be 373' tall, maybe that project guy can fill us in on the height the crane(s) will have to be?

This is the 21st century, boring buildings should not be built in the city. I know people will talk functionality, and cost and bla-bla-bla... The Conrad and Simon was enough for 30 years worth, and now this thing. Once again, the JW at least saves it all. I cannot even think what an eyesore it would be if the original JW and these others would be like across from Victory Field!

The Conrad is okay, but it is more like a limestone box.
It is supposed to look 'art deco' but they didn't even add decorations to it.
The Conrad should have been done in REAL art deco.
The original JW was plain and dull.

Hey guys,
A couple things related to the comments above. West St poles will be gone. The the curb/walk/entry and exit aprons/earthen berm design continues to evolve but is set as far as function.

Cranes:
The current set has the working height of the hooks around what will be the 16th floor. There will be a few "jumps" as the structure rises. First jump will place the hook around 26. The next after that will be about level with the roof. Final jump will set the hook at elevation 1156.12' on the south crane. The intersection at West and Washington is about 710' above sea level, so the hook will be 446' above the street at it final point. The south crane will swing over the north crane but they will both be able to set elev equipment and mech gear on the roof.

Speaking of elevators, the pictures are really starting to show some scale. The concrete elevator core section alone from some angles is starting to dwarf the Fairfield. ;).

Hey guys,
A couple things related to the comments above. West St poles will be gone.

Is that just on the block of the hotels?

Drove in on Washington St from the West toward downtown (past the zoo) this afternoon. The hotels on the west side of the block are starting to go up pretty quickly now. It looks like they are up to the third floor right now. It is definitely true that it is going to quickly become a completely different feel when driving in from the West side. It used to be that as you came around the curve after crossing the White River, you gradually went from green parkland through grassy, mid rise areas and then into the heart of downtown. Now, you will come around the corner by Victory Field and all of a sudden - you drive right into a 34 story building. You already begin to get that feel now as you drive past Victory field into the construction zone.

The city has so much potential that I hope the planners in the future realise it. Maybe the younger generations will see it as well, and add heavily to how great Indy can be.

Is that just on the block of the hotels?

Yes, that is all I know about. If I hear about any more of the stretch along West, I'll let you know.

The city has so much potential that I hope the planners in the future realise it. Maybe the younger generations will see it as well, and add heavily to how great Indy can be.


IndyYeah, unfortunately it isn't up to the planners. I am confident that the planners do realize the potential (I used to work for the City as a planner and the staff is very capabale) but unfortunately it is the politcs and back-room hand shakes that are the problem.

The city has so much potential that I hope the planners in the future realise it. Maybe the younger generations will see it as well, and add heavily to how great Indy can be.

They should build Indiana Tower.
:cheers:

IndyYeah, unfortunately it isn't up to the planners. I am confident that the planners do realize the potential (I used to work for the City as a planner and the staff is very capabale) but unfortunately it is the politcs and back-room hand shakes that are the problem.


My thoughts of planners are anyone who is planning to have anything done, whether it is a developer, an architect, a plumbing contractor, an artist, any type of person that has an idea, that will take shape for a cities future.Fortunately, I don't have to think about shaking anyones hand in a back room. The front room by the candy machine is fine.

2/25/09
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b177/fashionking615muah/IMG_0175.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b177/fashionking615muah/IMG_0232.jpg



http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b177/fashionking615muah/IMG_0235.jpg

Hopefully the jumbled mess of wooden utility poles and numerous powerlines will be replaced and relocated to make the streets near the JW more urban. As of right now, the powerlines, stoplights, and utility poles look more like something from Morgan County than downtown. Is anyone aware of streetscape improvements in that area? It would be a shame to have such a nice urban tower with a front walk littered with all of that unattractive utility infrastructure.

Is there any plan to mandate that new road construction follow better guidelines for streetscaping on a city or state level? I believe that the most important contributor to the urban feel is streetscaping. (Even more important than density and high-rises.)

Is there any plan to mandate that new road construction follow better guidelines for streetscaping on a city or state level? I believe that the most important contributor to the urban feel is streetscaping. (Even more important than density and high-rises.)

That would be dream come true, my friend.

The Indianapolis MPO recently developed some good multi-modal guidelines for the city to follow, but alas, their plans will probably amount to nothing more than lofty recommendations.

http://www.storrowkinsella.com/projectwebs/0444-IndyDesGuide/index.htm

I agree, streetscaping is the most important contributor to a proper urban environment, and Indy's definitely sub-par in that area. Our city is dominated by mid-century road designs that pay little attention to pedestrians or aesthetics.

At least we've got the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. I've said this before, but I'm really hoping it will help people see the anemic, ugly condition of the rest of our city.

This tower will be a great defining part of the city for years. I believe that it will change the landscape of architecture within the city for future buildings and towers.

First time poster, long time lurker... :-)
Is the glass being used for the exterior of the main hotel tower going to be similar to what is being used on the Ritz Carlton / JW Marriott project currently under construction here in Los Angeles?

http://angelenic.com/2242/la-live-phase-iii-sees-notable-progress-glass-preview/

P.S. - I am from Indy and lived there up until about 5 years ago. I now live in Los Angeles.

From the images I've seen of the JWMarriott, the glass with the thin metal bands jutting out from the glass panels looks pretty similar to the pictures of the LA Ritz Carlton / JWMarriott. The main difference is that I don't believe the Indianapolis JWMarriott will have different colors of blue glass panels. I believe Indy's building will have one solid color of blue glass.

They look similar, but I'd guess that the glass is not the same simply because the developer and architects are not the same for the two projects. In the case of Indy, JW Marriott is really just a branding stamp on a White Lodging hotel project.

If you havent been downtown to see this, its quite a bit bigger than any pictures on the computer make it. Take a drive past the site on west street and you get a real perspective of how big this building is really going to be.

Are you guys asleap at the wheel?!?

Structural steel for the JW podium (ballroom areas) and exterior panels for the Springhill/Ctyd have been in process since Monday and not a peep. ;)

Also the tower forming system changes at the next level and will fly from then on, once the floor plate is typical. Should be fun to watch.

Thanks for the update, SMSC! I gotta get to that side of downtown more often to check this thing out...

And in case anyone else forgot (I know I did), the construction webcam can be found here: http://www.huntjwindy.com/camera.php

Are you guys asleap at the wheel?!?

Structural steel for the JW podium (ballroom areas) and exterior panels for the Springhill/Ctyd have been in process since Monday and not a peep. ;)

Also the tower forming system changes at the next level and will fly from then on, once the floor plate is typical. Should be fun to watch.

Thanks, I wonder why such a huge project and not alot said. Hey, by the way, How many floors do you think will be up in say -June?

If you go back and look at the past web cam pics on the calendar it looks as though they are completing a floor in little over a week.

If you go back and look at the past web cam pics on the calendar it looks as though they are completing a floor in little over a week.

Thanks, this thing is going to be a beauty!

Taken on 3/20/2009

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3372031102_e916a40778.jpg?v=1237616117

Taken on 3/20/2009

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3372031102_e916a40778.jpg?v=1237616117

EXCELLENT man!! This is what people miss by not getting down there. When you drive past on West Street, it really is overwhelming.

EXCELLENT man!! This is what people miss by not getting down there. When you drive past on West Street, it really is overwhelming.
I agree. And its effect on the street is impressive at only slightly over 3 stories at this point. Image the effect as it gets to 10, 20, and 34 stories.

The impact it makes on our skyline and street view will be huge; I will definitely be watching it rise with great enthusiasm!

Here are a feqw I took yesterday. The impact driving from the West side on Washington is/will be massive. As sson as you cross White River and make the curve, BAM!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JWWRSP.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/CranesAtJWMarriott.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JWWRSP1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JWfromWRSP.jpg

edit, that second pic...sorry, that was taken last fall, but it does gives perspective

What is the center part? The Indy Speedway looking building part? I am messed up trying to put all these hotels together to figure it out.

Just out of curiousity, what will be the final height for this thing? I thought it was 373', but I'm not sure.

If it is 373', that would make it a hair taller than City Hall.

^^ Yes i believe its slated to be a foot taller than the city county building. :) Some architectural humor i guess !

To Indy Yeah: The "Indianapolis Speedway" looking part of the construction is the elevator shaft for the main (34 story JW Marriott) tower. It is a story or two ahead (above) the main part of that building as the construction goes up. It looks like the pagoda structure with the ribs because those "ribs" are some type of framing structure for the cement as it is poured. (At least that's what I think. I'm sure SMSC1 can correct any of my ideas about that part of the structure if my guesses are wrong.)

Ok, thanks Garfield Park. I thought about that today, the elevator shaft. Naptown, I think the tallest I read, on Emporis was 375'. Last night I could not get any info on the JW for some reason. You know how you can go to the pictures on construction status, and get building information.

The top of the elevator penthouse is at elevation 1086. The first floor is 711, thus the 375' being used.
Actually however, West and Washington is around 710.86 and West and Maryland is 706 something, so it approaching 380' above the street. Way more than that as you go to the west end of the site.

And don't forget the 35' of parking garage stuck in the ground!

Boy, I will speak for myself, I am such a pencil geek skyscraper nerd! If anyone that knows me, knew I was actually fussing about 373' or 375', would want me to go lie down.

Here are some more pics I took yesterday:

From South West Street
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JWViewFromWestSt.jpg

From WRSP
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JWViewfromVictory.jpg

From Washington Street looking West
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JWViewfromWashingtonSt.jpg

View from Washington Street Bridge
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JWViewfromBridge.jpg

Watch the news on Friday for a project update.

That looks sweet. Remember the 1980's with all the cranes for several years downtown.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/19029014/detail.html

Story with video

Hey, Is the Marriott built in 2000 or whatever part of the refurbishment? Or just that other one by the JW? I think I am dreaming, but was not sure.

Sorry IndyYeah --- It's a little difficult to understand your question. Can you try again?

Hey, Is the Marriott going built in 2000 or whatever part of the refurbishment? Or just that other one by the JW? I think I am dreaming, but was not sure.

No, the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown currently located at 350 W. Maryland St. actually went through a $9.5 million dollar renovation within the last year. All of the guest rooms, meeting space, and public areas have been redone. I don't believe any changes were made to the exteriors and I doubt White Lodging has plans to invest much more money in the property at this time.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/indcc-indianapolis-marriott-downtown/

Thanks, I was not sure it was part of the complex being redone by the JW.

Has anyone else seen the glass they've installed on the bottom Northwest corner. Man, it is BLUE.

Not One Indiana Square Blue, but more like primary, straight-up classic, dark sky blue. It's going to be a very bold tower.

I don't have my camera today, I'll try and remember to snap a photo tomorrow, weather permitting.

I have and actually took a couple of pics, but the quality was HORRIBLE.

I think that this along with One-Indiana Sq will give one nice update to an otherwise vanilla skyline.

I saw it as well and I was very impressed, the impact this building made when driving down washington street was intense, and it only has 5 stories currently. This baby is going to stand out, and since it looks very attractive, its going to stand out in a positive way!!!

Have you guys seen allen plaza? That colored glass looks really cool imo, when I drove by the JW Complex, I could not help but think how nice it would have been if the smaller hotel tower would have had a similar glass front.

The JW is already having a significant effect on the western skyline...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3383/3413515478_0eb1547892.jpg?v=0

The JW is already having a significant effect on the western skyline...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3383/3413515478_0eb1547892.jpg?v=0

Your page is interesting. Alot of stories in those pictures. This photo is nice as well.

Your page is interesting. Alot of stories in those pictures. This photo is nice as well.

Thanks!

That west side will be filled in much more than I anticipated. In 10 years, I feel the skyline will get quite interesting.

These aren't the best quality:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JW%20Marriott/WashingtonStBridge.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JW%20Marriott/WashingtonStBridge1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JW%20Marriott/VictoryField.jpg

I went to take pictures on Saturday, but I forgot to put the battery back in my camera! It looks like the sun's coming out today, I'll snag some at lunch.

These aren't the best quality:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Indy%20Pics/JW%20Marriott/VictoryField.jpg
Wow, they've already got a pretty good chunk of the facade on the secondary tower.

Wow, they've already got a pretty good chunk of the facade on the secondary tower.

Now that you mention it, chunk(y) is a great way to describe that budgetel's craptastic facade.

The new view from the park is gonna be fan-tastic!

Just imagine: The huge loading dock of the JW Marriott next to a beige budget hotel that the developers intentionally made cheap-looking so customers would not confuse it with the luxurious JW Marriott.

Bleh.

After walking around this beast today, I've come to the conclusion that the JW's ballroom/tower facade along Maryland across from Victory Field is going to be quite powerful, possibly stunning. It's really too bad the bold, simple geometry/color of the JW Marriott will be ruined on the other side by 3 bland hotels.

The last picture with the bit of curved road shows the view from the sidewalk in front of Victory Field. Just imagine that large swath of blue glass floating above the street in the middle of a stone facade. If it looks anything like the rendering, we may have a winner on our hands (minus the west and north facades).

Flicks from 4.08.09:

North
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3425175054_67228f5721.jpg?v=0

Southeast
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3583/3425175744_d20e18e293.jpg?v=0

West
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3376/3425176736_26db3f2e62.jpg

Southwest
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3629/3424369447_267f117404.jpg

For comparison's sake:

more renderings here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=32134126&postcount=320)

Southwest (notice how the fugly budgetel is not in this rendering)
http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWMarriottIndinapolisSouthwestView.jpg

Northeast (notice the 4-story protrusion on the left of the rendering below, that section is in the foreground of the Southeast photo above)
http://jwindy.com/jwi/images/gallery/JWMarriottIndinapolisDuskRendering.jpg

Ignore the idiot above. All of the links are trash.

I was just about to click them when I read your comment! :) ^^

Ignore the idiot above. All of the links are trash.

Did you report him to the mod?

I was just about to click them when I read your comment! :) ^^


Me too! Thanks for the warning and taking one for the team.

Good photos above, especially the glass, the first of 7300 individual panels to set.

Me too! Thanks for the warning and taking one for the team.

Good photos above, especially the glass, the first of 7300 individual panels to set.

Thanks for the number of panels, that's interesting. :-)

Are you one of the guys eating lunch at the top of the building? That looks like fun.

I'm surprised/glad to see the glass going on so quickly. Do you know what the plan of attack is for the glass? For instance, will they be going on organically, growing out from where they've started, or will they be doing a floor at a time? Will they have whole floors done before she tops out? I guess I'm just curious about the pattern.

As you probably know, One Indiana Square's been doing a facade at a time. It's interesting to compare the different approaches for attaching glass.

Thanks for the number of panels, that's interesting. :-)

Are you one of the guys eating lunch at the top of the building? That looks like fun.

I'm surprised/glad to see the glass going on so quickly. Do you know what the plan of attack is for the glass? For instance, will they be going on organically, growing out from where they've started, or will they be doing a floor at a time? Will they have whole floors done before she tops out? I guess I'm just curious about the pattern.

As you probably know, One Indiana Square's been doing a facade at a time. It's interesting to compare the different approaches for attaching glass.

Facade at a time would do us no good, we need floors enclosed to beging interior work. Once the lower floors are enclosed (starting south end soon too) the guest room floors will enclose a floor at a time.

Facade at a time would do us no good, we need floors enclosed to beging interior work. Once the lower floors are enclosed (starting south end soon too) the guest room floors will enclose a floor at a time.

You guys are on it! This is going to be fun to watch. :-)

Which floor do the guest rooms start on? 3?

You guys are on it! This is going to be fun to watch. :-)

Which floor do the guest rooms start on? 3?


North end of 4 has some guest rooms, 5 is the first typical floor. Note the new forming system being installed on 6 right now. It is a column hung system, thus eliminating the jungle of re-shores required to remain in place for several floors as the concrete decks cure. Absence of reshores will allow follow on trades sooner than with conventional deck forming systems.

Ignore the idiot above. All of the links are trash.

There's an idiot that is born every 5 minutes.

I've got a new set of construction photos up on my blog:

http://dig-b.blogspot.com/2009/04/photos-jw-marriott-indianapolis.html

As usual, here are a couple extras I didn't put up there:

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/JW%20Marriott/04-11-09/640px/2009-04JWMarriott016.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/JW%20Marriott/04-11-09/640px/2009-04JWMarriott020.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/JW%20Marriott/04-11-09/640px/2009-04JWMarriott032.jpg

Can't wait to see how that concave, curved wall of glass will reflect the entire downtown Indy skyline. That'll make a great picture some day. Your shot above gives an idea of how a portion of it will look. Thanks for the pics.

If the hotel rooms start on the 5th floor, what will the first 4 levels be used for?

Driving eastbound on washington street I got a taste of how big this project actually is. I almost ran a red light at white river state park because I was so distracted by all that is going on with this project.

Atleast the large tower will be done right. The smaller towers are basically infill and can be sold and either remodeled or torn down in the future. We're stuck with the JW tower for a while.

I think those fins are "sick"

The JW Marriott design kinda reminds me of 333 Wacker Drive in Chicago.
http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/CAI/Images/TheLoop/333Wacker-010.jpg

The JW Marriott design kinda reminds me of 333 Wacker Drive in Chicago.
http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/CAI/Images/TheLoop/333Wacker-010.jpg

This is a great clean nice tower in Chicago. I think an attorney was behind this design for the tower. I read something a few years ago about the design, and it was a good article about Chicago buildings.

The JW Marriott design kinda reminds me of 333 Wacker Drive in Chicago.
http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/CAI/Images/TheLoop/333Wacker-010.jpg

It looks like they would fit together perfectly. One is concave and the other convex.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b177/fashionking615muah/IMG_0278.jpg

Damn, I was in view of the tower last evening and saw it from the east and it is imposing looking west...

but this picture really shows how big it is becoming. What an undertaking. :)

I just realized that the tower part of this structure is not going to be as wide as the entire "curve" we are seeing under construction right now. That southern part of the curve is only going to go up about four or five floors (I think) - so the curved tower portion of the building - that will continue up to the 34th floor, is narrower - and doesn't actually stretch all the way north to south from Washington St. to Maryland Street. While I like the building, I was a little concerned that it would be such a massive wall - almost blocking the entire view of the city from White River Park and the the near West side.

The curved tower portion actually will only cover about 1/2 or 2/3rds of the distance between Washington St and Maryland St. That should help give the tower better verticality than I was imagining - and not be quite as wide of a wall. Maybe everyone else had this all figured out - but to me it was something I just realized so I thought I'd pass that on in case anyone else thought the entire 34 stories were going to be a block wide --- like what we are currently seeing.

These pictures were taken Monday, more to come

http://i721.photobucket.com/albums/ww215/detroitzack/Indianapolis/100_3492.jpg

http://i721.photobucket.com/albums/ww215/detroitzack/Indianapolis/100_3497.jpg

Is it true that this hotel will be the largest Marriott hotel upon completion? Wikepedia says it will be.

http://www.huntjwindy.com/

Ok, but I wish the newer look would be on the web site... The new one does not have odd looking window colors.

The glass is starting to wrap around the base on both ends and it is looking dope! If you get a chance to make it downtown this weekend, check it out. This is going to be a sweet tower. :-)

I just realized that the tower part of this structure is not going to be as wide as the entire "curve" we are seeing under construction right now. That southern part of the curve is only going to go up about four or five floors (I think) - so the curved tower portion of the building - that will continue up to the 34th floor, is narrower - and doesn't actually stretch all the way north to south from Washington St. to Maryland Street. While I like the building, I was a little concerned that it would be such a massive wall - almost blocking the entire view of the city from White River Park and the the near West side.

The curved tower portion actually will only cover about 1/2 or 2/3rds of the distance between Washington St and Maryland St. That should help give the tower better verticality than I was imagining - and not be quite as wide of a wall. Maybe everyone else had this all figured out - but to me it was something I just realized so I thought I'd pass that on in case anyone else thought the entire 34 stories were going to be a block wide --- like what we are currently seeing.

You're actually on to something. There's a reason they haven't shown any renderings from straight on. The tower's not going to "block the entire view of the city from WRSP or the West side," but it is one blocky, wide building. A friend of mine is a landscaper on the project and I got to see some unreleased renderings. It is one wide beast.

Yeah -- now that they are up to the 7th floor, you can see the width of the building that will be going up to 34. I would estimate that that portion of the tower covers approx. 2/3rds of the block from north to south. If they can do one floor per week, they'll hit the 34th floor in about 6 1/2 months - or around November.

Is it deep? Is it reflective? Does it look great or does it look lame? I'm just curious cause I haven't seen it in person yet.

Also, the "fins" from what I've heard look pretty sharp! Is this true?

Is it deep? Is it reflective? Does it look great or does it look lame? I'm just curious cause I haven't seen it in person yet.

Also, the "fins" from what I've heard look pretty sharp! Is this true?

Um, I said it looks dope, what more do you want! ;-)

It's very, very deep blue. I posted this picture a couple of weeks ago. It's one page back. It shows how blue and reflective it is. You can see the fins on the right side, it's going to be a striking tower. We're very lucky that they redesigned this building. We could've been watching one of the ugliest-buildings-ever get built!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3425175054_67228f5721.jpg?v=0

I was wondering... How much support from the inside do the windows have? And are all the windows wind tested, with that fan, or part, or just a bulk from the delivery that are not going to be put in place.

Guys, I got a closeup look at the glass panels today at the start line of the Mini-Marathon. I'm very concerned. These are just simple blue panels. If the whole building is done in a monochrome pattern, then this is basically going to just be a blue version of the "Gold Building" with slightly less reflective glass. I hope I'm wrong.

Guys, I got a closeup look at the glass panels today at the start line of the Mini-Marathon. I'm very concerned. These are just simple blue panels. If the whole building is done in a monochrome pattern, then this is basically going to just be a blue version of the "Gold Building" with slightly less reflective glass. I hope I'm wrong.

I know what you're talking about, but I think it's going to be ok when it's all said and done. At least I hope so. Like you said, they're more transparent than the gold building, and I think that the interior will help break up the facade. I also think the fins will help when they're installed.

Can you think of any other poor/good examples? Different qualities of glass would be interesting to compare.

Based on what I've seen of the renderings, I don't think you have to worry about it being this bad:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1391/1404047067_5fd81527f0_b.jpg
(from davereid2 on flickr.com)

This is a shot of the Reuss Federal Building here in Milwaukee, which has some seriously reflective blue glass that doesn't look that great.

It may be that the north and south sides of the JW Marriott don't have the blades on them, and only the East and West sides do. When you were running along Washington Street Arenn, you may have been looking at the North side of the building, which doesn't have any blades on it - as far as I can tell from the pictures. The East and West sides look like they are where the blades will be. Those are the largest, biggest walls of the building - that need to have their solid wall of blue glass broken up with some texture. I think the blades will help make the "front" and "back" sides of the JW Marriott look much less monochromatic than it otherwise would look.

It may be that the north and south sides of the JW Marriott don't have the blades on them, and only the East and West sides do. When you were running along Washington Street Arenn, you may have been looking at the North side of the building, which doesn't have any blades on it - as far as I can tell from the pictures. The East and West sides look like they are where the blades will be. Those are the largest, biggest walls of the building - that need to have their solid wall of blue glass broken up with some texture. I think the blades will help make the "front" and "back" sides of the JW Marriott look much less monochromatic than it otherwise would look.


All 4 sides have the fins. Just so far you are looking straight on at the north face, thus harder to see.

Thanks. After looking at the blue glass again while driving by, I did see the blades on the north side as well -- but you got the issue answered first. SMSC1: Would you say the estimate is close at all as to when the crews might be reaching the 34th floor with their concrete pouring -- estimated at the end of November - or early December?

http://weblive.ibj.com/ibj/photoGallery/gallery.aspx?album=6

Evidently there's going to be "an upscale sports bar on the southeast corner across from Victory Field". I like the sound of that, especially for Indians games during the summer. :cheers:

ESPN Zone perhaps? I am surprised we don't have one

ESPN Zone perhaps? I am surprised we don't have one

I had written ESPN Zone and recommended they consider putting in a bar downtown before the super bowl. I explained the new stadium, all of the new development.. I got a message back that said there were no plans now or in the near future of opening an ESPN zone in Indianapolis. The renderings said the "upscale sports bar" was called High Velocity? Not sure how accurate that is though.

Sounds kind of like a "racing themed" restaurant - if it is going to be called High Velocity. I had heard the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was considering opening a race themed restaurant downtown. Maybe this will be it.

http://propertylines.ibj.com/blogshell.asp?p=1141

Some photos I took on Monday:
http://i43.tinypic.com/am2kpk.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/157evzp.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2lvbo2g.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/o8z5zo.jpg

I had written ESPN Zone and recommended they consider putting in a bar downtown before the super bowl. I explained the new stadium, all of the new development.. I got a message back that said there were no plans now or in the near future of opening an ESPN zone in Indianapolis. The renderings said the "upscale sports bar" was called High Velocity? Not sure how accurate that is though.

ESPN hates Indianapolis. They are so clearly biased against Indy sports teams, in particular, the Colts, because of their rivalry with the Patriots.

While I originally despised the "fugly" budgetel building, I'm starting to not mind it. Sure, it could be more attractive and have more windows. However, it is 400 additional hotel rooms we wouldn't have had otherwise. Please tell me I'm not the only one that is feeling better about it.

Please tell me I'm not the only one that is feeling better about it.

Glad you're feeling the love, but I hate it! :-)

Just wait 'til it's finished. It's going to be one fugly building.

It looks "better" now because the facade is incomplete and stimulating to the eye. When all the EIFS is up, it's going to reveal its true colors as the boring beige box that it is.

^^ I agree It's FUGLY! I wish they could at least dress it up a bit and tie the whole complex together by using the same blue glass from the JW on it. Also retrofit the old HoJo's building with blue glass and paint the exterior to match the color of the EIFS they will be using on the ballroom section. Maybe it would give the whole complex a bit more cohesive feel. I suppose the intent is to set the JW apart from the rest of the complex. Ya think?

Making the windows larger would create one hell of an improvement. I was down there on Sunday and the site is MASSIVE. The density it is creating is very welcome for this side of DT...and despite its horrible look, I do like that the 15-story tower is right up to the ROW of Washington Street

Making the windows larger would create one hell of an improvement.

Yup.

What are the other hotels called again? The only nice one is the JW. Indy deserves better hotels than those other ones, at least in looks. Unreal, that the city cannot get all the new buildings going up to be nice.

I believe the existing building is being converted to a Fairfield by Marriott, the Northern wing of the new 17 story building is going to be a Springhill Suites and the western wing is going to be a Courtyard by Marriott. 4 hotels in one complex.

Thanks. Also,will this one have any larger windows to help. I think one of them is. This does not appear to have the larger windows. I have noticed that larger windows obviously open things up and make smaller buildings appear taller. Sure I am not saying anything anyone has not noticed. Back to the ugly thing itself...Mmm, lost for words, it is boring...

Crane model being used for Ballroom roof trusses:

http://www.manitowoccranegroup.com/MCG_MC/Products/EN/model2250.asp

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3306/3556192370_9081e43579.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3325/3555382557_89c59a1642.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3342/3556187340_d9edde221b.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3556189562_b119e4f410.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/3555373227_a78367aa21.jpg?v=0

I can't believe how dead this thread is.

WTHR reported today that the 14(15?) floor courtyard/springhill adjoining hotels were topped out today, 450 rooms in the two hotels alone. And the JW Marriott Tower is really taking shape.. www.jwindy.com check out the webcam if you haven't in a while.

Let the conversing begin.

Its looking good. The blue glass on the east side is almost high enough to begin to reflect the skyline. Once the blue glass gets higher than the parking garage - there should be a good reflection of the skyline beyond the garage. That should make for a nice photo some day. As of 6/5/09 I think they've got 12 floors done. Twenty-two to go!

I will be going up to Indy on Monday for a job interview and will make a point to check out the site. The main tower really has sprouted over the past six weeks, it is coming along nicely.

It is much more imposing than I had originally expected. The set back from the street doesn't appear to be as far as I had anticipated either. So far, I'm impressed with what I have seen of the JW so far. The other hotels not as much, but it's not worth whining about it now.

The pace at which all of the hotels are going is very impressive as well. They do make a very dramatic change to the westside of downtown.

I can't believe how dead this thread is.

WTHR reported today that the 14(15?) floor courtyard/springhill adjoining hotels were topped out today, 450 rooms in the two hotels alone. And the JW Marriott Tower is really taking shape.. www.jwindy.com check out the webcam if you haven't in a while.

Let the conversing begin.

They also reported that the main tower won't be complete for the NCAA Final Four. That still gripes me:no:

They also reported that the main tower won't be complete for the NCAA Final Four. That still gripes me:no:

the main tower was never going to be completed in time. the three other hotels will be open in time, with the jw marriott up and running in time for that little football game in 2012

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b177/fashionking615muah/IMG_0415.jpg

^^
:eek:

I knew it was going to have an affect on the views but man, that will have an incredible effect on that westward view! Instead of the skyline slowing descending into the mist, you see a 34 story tower at the "end" of the street!

the main tower was never going to be completed in time. the three other hotels will be open in time, with the jw marriott up and running in time for that little football game in 2012
That's what ended up being the timeline, but that's not what was originally said. The JW Marriott project was specifically chosen over the Intercontinental project because they believed that the JW Marriott would be completed in time for the Final Four. Turns out that didn't matter at all, but that's what the people involved in the process were saying when the decision was announced.

What's crazy is that this building has still got another 200 feet and 20 or so stories to grow! Imagine the impact that will make on our aspects of our skyline. Also, the simon building looks rather nice (and fits in well) in the above picture.

West Podium Tower Crane is done and gone as of today.

Couple of recent photos I took. One from White River, and one from the top of Chase Tower, at the time placing the 12th floor.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o225/SMSC1/jwmwhiteriver.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o225/SMSC1/june4jw12thflr.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/dcesar716/IMG_0391.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/dcesar716/IMG_0410.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/dcesar716/IMG_0408.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/dcesar716/IMG_0406.jpg

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/dcesar716/IMG_0390.jpg

^^Great pictures. When I was up in Indy this past Monday I was amazed at just how imposing the complex is. It is visible from the I-70 now.

I'm now living in NC, so can someone tell me why they are not going with the multi-glass color? The original renderings look so much better than all blue.

The developers say "all blue glass would provide less of a contrast for guests inside". Lame excuse. But in all honesty, I think the all blue facade will look sharper and sleeker. Also, they will be adding "fins" to the facade which well spruce it up.

Lastly, multi-colored will look terribly outdated in a decade or so. And you can always go to Allen Plaza if you wanna see that glass.

The developers say "all blue glass would provide less of a contrast for guests inside". Lame excuse. But in all honesty, I think the all blue facade will look sharper and sleeker. Also, they will be adding "fins" to the facade which well spruce it up.

Lastly, multi-colored will look terribly outdated in a decade or so. And you can always head to Allen Plaza if you wanna see that kind of glass.

I got it the first time.. J/K Anyways, what do you mean by "fins" and what does Allen Plaza look like?

There are very small silver, metal pieces that stick out a couple of inches or so that are randomly spaced all over the building - along edges of various panes of glass. Actually they are already there - and are not easy to see unless you are looking at the building from the side (not "front on").

This thing is rising fast!

It is massive and the boost this will provide.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/dcesar716/IMG_0406.jpg

Something needs done with this patch of grass. This should fit a good-sized development.

true, and there is plenty of parking right next to it as well ;-)

This thing is rising fast!

It is massive and the boost this will provide.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t36/dcesar716/IMG_0406.jpg

Something needs done with this patch of grass. This should fit a good-sized development.

^^How about move the patch of grass to the North side of the State Capitol and move that parking lot here? I'm with Ablerock..... RESTORE THE GRASS ON THE NORTHSIDE OF THE CAPITOL. Those lawmakers / dignitaries can walk one block from their cars to their offices.

Kidding though about putting a parking lot here. Let's get rid of surface lots all together.

I just realized it. The base of the JW is an entire block long! Pretty impressive. :cheers:

Indianapolis Marriott properties reach construction milestone
Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Courtyard by Marriott Indianapolis Downtown and SpringHill Suites by Marriott Indianapolis Downtown – part of the new Marriott Place Indianapolis development - have been topped off, marking the completion of exterior construction on both properties.

“We are on track with both of these properties, as well as the Fairfield Inn & Suites Indianapolis Downtown, to open in March, 2010,” said Cory Chambers, director of sales and marketing for Marriott Place Indianapolis. “We’ll be open and ready by the time the NCAA Final Four tournament begins in Indianapolis in 2010.”

Marriott Place Indianapolis is a one-of-a-kind collection of five Marriott properties that will offer unprecedented options and flexibility to meeting planners. In addition to the Courtyard by Marriott Indianapolis Downtown, SpringHill Suites by Marriott Indianapolis Downtown and the Fairfield Inn & Suites Indianapolis Downtown, Marriott Place also will encompass a flagship JW Marriott (scheduled to open in February 2011) and the Marriott Indianapolis Downtown (currently open). Altogether, Marriott Place Indianapolis will bring 1,626 new rooms to downtown Indianapolis, all of which are steps away from the world-class shopping, dining and destinations of downtown Indianapolis.

“As each of these properties comes closer to completion, we invite meeting planners to take a look not just at Indianapolis as a destination, but at Marriott Place as the perfect venue,” said Chambers. “We designed Marriott Place with planners in mind, and with the breadth of brands and meeting spaces we will offer, we have the flexibility to execute meetings, conventions and events of all sizes, at a variety of price points.”

March 2010 will mark the scheduled opening of The Indianapolis Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Downtown and the Indianapolis SpringHill Suites by Marriott Downtown. The JW Marriott Indianapolis will open in February 2011. The fifth Marriott Place hotel, the 622-room Marriott Indianapolis Downtown, already is operating.

For more information about this hotel development, including advance group sales, contact Cory Chambers at the JW Marriott Indianapolis sales office at 317-573-6534 or via email at cory.chambers@marriott.com.

http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=13978

I'm anxious to see the lighting scheme the developers plan to use on the tower. If they do it right, jw and one indiana square could really add some much needed color to our skyline.