Hong Lok House | 11-31 Essex Street | Chinatown

Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

today some steel starting to rise above the Liberty Bldg.
009-9.jpg
010-9.jpg
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

Update from today. Lots of steel:

Voiu8.jpg


9ndjw.jpg
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

already topped off then?
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

Say what you will about facadectomies, but I'd rather have the chance to see this old (Romanesque? Gothic? seems to have elements of both) beauty than the all-alucobond streetfront we'd have gotten in its place.

Ditto could have been said for the Dainty Dot, no thanks to Kairos Shen, Ori Ron and height-obsessed NIMBYs.
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

itchy said:
Ditto could have been said for the Dainty Dot, no thanks to Kairos Shen, Ori Ron and height-obsessed NIMBYs.
Click to expand...

Why put blame on Ori Ron? If I remember correctly, his first proposal for the Dainty Dot was over the top beautiful and it included portions/facade of the Dainty Dot building!
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

Because he threw a hissy fit when it was shot down and decided to demo the Dainty Dot out of spite.
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

Spite? Really? The math didn't work out, plain and simple. Not to disrupt the usual lefty circle jerk here but the primary goal of business is making money, not losing it.
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

I'm sure the math was already there or he wouldn't have proposed it, but I also won't blame him for seeing how much money he could save when they basically told him "too iconic /we don't care about the facade"
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

Hutchison said:
I'm sure the math was already there or he wouldn't have proposed it, but I also won't blame him for seeing how much money he could save when they basically told him "too iconic /we don't care about the facade"
Click to expand...

Hutch -- it was proposed in a different financial and real estate ethos -- prior to the beginning of the Great Recession: Valuations were different, what you could use as collateral, what you could expect to receive in revenues for various functions

We might regret the outcome of the process -- but its not at all surprising that the project changed to something simpler and less costly to construct -- aka the demise of the facadectomized Dainty Dot
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

A few I shot today. They had a lane closed for the work and it was causing some nice backups through the intersection.

IMG_20120629_151802.jpg


IMG_20120629_151452.jpg
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

From today...

L42A3119_2.jpg
 
Last edited:
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

itchy said:
Say what you will about facadectomies, but I'd rather have the chance to see this old (Romanesque? Gothic? seems to have elements of both) beauty than the all-alucobond streetfront we'd have gotten in its place.
Click to expand...

I have to agree that this is much better than the potential alternative. And we are not only saving the fascade shown, there is a second fascade coming back from the building next door that is in storage.

Also, the original Hong Luk building to the far left will be restored once the new section is completed (and residents can be moved), so that fascade will be restored as well. Pretty good win for this block.
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

^^^ Things I did not know, and good news, because the new construction they are building behind it will be absolutely hideous. It will be nice to have some beauty to distract the eye.
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

IIRC, the original Dainty Dot proposal has underground parking. For reasons that are not entirely clear, I believe what was previously under is now above ground.

I think that as much as anything changed the economics. Not to get too much into a Dainty Dot tangent, but the wooden floor joists in the Danty Dot building look pretty small, and the cast iron(?) floor supports look kinda flimsy. Maybe after the early fires, insurance didn't adequately cover the damage and the result was cheap re-construction.
 
Re: Hong Luk Project - Chinatown

SeamusMcFly said:
^^^ Things I did not know, and good news, because the new construction they are building behind it will be absolutely hideous. It will be nice to have some beauty to distract the eye.
Click to expand...

I believe that the setback is designed so that from street level, you will see very little of the new facade. Any yes, the new surfacing is hideous.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top