Sycamore Terminus Revised

— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 12 April 2010 — 2 comments below »

The latest design of the Sycamore Avenue terminus — as revealed at this past weekend’s Community Update event — looks like this (the Powder Keg is on the right)…

Revised Sycamore Terminus

Whereas the previous design included an elevator tower that would be attached to the restored historic Administration Building, the latest design features a large and wide staircase (think Spanish Steps) that doesn’t hide the handsome brick of the Administration Building.

One of the main reasons for the removal of the tower (which also included a lookout platform at the top), as stated by the developer this weekend, was the formation of plans of the building adjacent to the Administration Building, which would provide ample space to hold the elevator. The adjacent building is shown in the rendering below (view looking east toward Sycamore Avenue; the Powder Keg roof-line is visible in the background)…

Administration Building Plaza

Both designs — former and present — are rather impressive (a win either way), and will surely inject energy into the immediate area. For example, outdoor seating for Powder Keg will be greatly expanded with the addition of Sycamore Plaza (and not the inordinately large intersection that currently exists). Restoration of the Administration Building and Sycamore Plaza, i.e., the Sycamore terminus, is slated as one of the first projects to be completed when construction finally begins for Hercules Bayfront.

2 comments already …

  1. # David Smith commented on 12-Apr-10 @ 11:32pm

    This is a nice design. But I do miss the landmark tower from the previous design. It would be nice to have both the stairs and the tower.

    But this will be nice…

  2. # Mike Bowermaster commented on 16-Apr-10 @ 11:57am

    The design for the brick Administration building evolves. Unfortunately with the deletion of the elevator tower, this is a step backwards. It’s too bad, for the tower would have really defined the Powder Keg plaza as well as been a great landmark to terminate the view down Sycamore. However if it takes value engineering and/or historical preservation concessions to get the brick building remodeled, I’m willing to lose the cool tower.

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