Hope Point Tower (Fane) | 250 Dyer Street | Providence

I still don't love the look of this thing, but we've seen value engineering (which is what this redesign was) look a whole lot worse. They shaved down parking and added residential floors (both wins) and the street level looks a whole lot more cohesive. Like everyone else, I have my doubts that this will ever get done, but these are moves in the right direction.
 
Does the new design for the proposed $300 million Fane tower make it a better fit in Providence?
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https://pbn.com/does-the-new-design...ane-tower-make-it-a-better-fit-in-providence/

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https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12...developer-ris-fane-tower-revises-plans-again/

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https://riaflcio.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/enews-october-25-2018/
 
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The design looks a lot more sterile than the previous iteration, but I'd argue that the redesign fits better amongst the Providence skyline. The previous design looked like it was from Miami.
 
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Only six feet shy of being the tallest building in New England outside of Boston (City Place/Hartford) and if I were the developer I'd come up with some kind of design adjustment to claim the title!
 
Portlander said:
Only six feet shy of being the tallest building in New England outside of Boston (City Place/Hartford) and if I were the developer I'd come up with some kind of design adjustment to claim the title!
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I have never seen City Place in Hartford listed above 535'-537'. This one claims to be going 550'. The last render in post 122 is old, and this link says 550'.
pbn.com

Does the new design for the proposed $300 million Fane tower make it a better fit in Providence?

Developer Jason Fane on Dec. 5 announced a new design plan for the $300 million luxury tower proposed in Providence on former Interstate 195 land at 250 Dyer St. The building will have less parking, more residential floors and more rounded corners, according to the new plans. One story would be...
pbn.com pbn.com
 
I was going by the above diagram's height of 530' and I added an extra foot to capture the crown, thanks for the update.
 
The redesign is much better for providence imo. That wavy design before looked like something youd see in Miami. Theres nothing wrong with that, Miami is a beautiful city, it just looks weird against a backdrop of brick and limestone. It would have been much better if they had proposed a robert stern art deco tower, seeing that providence has an already attractive selection of art deco and brick towers, but since this is what they have this is better than before imo. Its a perfectly fine inoffensive addition that plays well with the other white office tower on the skyline. Hopefully in the future they will build something like eleven in minneapolis.
 
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DZH22 said:
Good write up but not much new for now. This is all supposedly coming to a head and a decision will be forced through one way or the other.
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This is starting to feel like posturing for the committee to kill this project and hide behind the date as the excuse.
 
I'd be surprised if Providence sees another 300'+ proposal in my lifetime. Such a loser mentality to throw up every roadblock and ultimately chase away the city's biggest potential investor in decades. Nobody else is going to take a chance on Providence with anything above the bare minimum, ie cheap 5-over-1's and short labs. Architecturally at least, it's all going to be mediocrity from here on out.
 
DZH22 said:
I'd be surprised if Providence sees another 300'+ proposal in my lifetime. Such a loser mentality to throw up every roadblock and ultimately chase away the city's biggest potential investor in decades. Nobody else is going to take a chance on Providence with anything above the bare minimum, ie cheap 5-over-1's and short labs. Architecturally at least, it's all going to be mediocrity from here on out.
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I'm not disagreeing with you, but this strikes me as a very myopic lens, in terms of overlooking--from the general public's standpoint--the stunning success that has been the overall redevelopment of the India Point/former I-195 corridor section of Downtown. Realistically, 99% of the general public just doesn't care about these concerns (although I do, as an architecture aficionado). They see the new Narragansett brewery, Plant City's amazing success, the spectacular achievement that is the new pedestrian bridge, and all of the other perfectly serviceable (though perhaps mediocre) new developments on the I-195 parcels that are creating a sense of community, and tangible urban fabric, and also providing key neighborhood amenities. In this viewpoint, the failure of this proposal leaves one mere vacant lot in a sea of winning....
 
I'm not sure a new pedestrian bridge is a sign of winning, but otherwise this bodes poorly for the city and state. If this isn't going to get built, why would anyone pony up to save the superman building or that absurd soccer stadium boondoggle in Pawtucket? Much like losing the Pawsox because the city and state can't figure out how to utilize one of the many vacant lots in downtown Providence, this speaks to an inability to get anything done. All the microbreweries in the world aren't going to change that perception.
 
DBM said:
In this viewpoint, the failure of this proposal leaves one mere vacant lot in a sea of winning....
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When I walked through there a few months ago I didn't see any of this winning neighborhood that you are referring to. Most of the developments felt like they belonged in a Waltham or Burlington, not the downtown of the #2 city in a 6 state region. If you didn't already know there was a cool pedestrian bridge in the vicinity, there's literally nothing to draw the average person to the area. The rest of the neighborhood is an absolute dud from an "Urban New England" perspective, and now it's basically guaranteed that nothing exceptional will ever be built in this city again.
 
Haha that tower was not an example of exceptional design. It was failed money making scheme. I like a good tower but the obsession over height for heights sake is antiquated. A lot of these comments sound maudlin. There is lots happening and there is a future…
 
DZH22 said:
If you didn't already know there was a cool pedestrian bridge in the vicinity, there's literally nothing to draw the average person to the area.
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Who cares if you do or don't already know if there's cool pedestrian bridge there? The fact is, it's there, and it makes for a substantial amenity. Along with all of the other amenities which I cited above, which you bizarrely dismiss as "literally nothing." The Narragansett Brewery is literally nothing? Plant City is literally nothing? India Point Park with its playgrounds and great walking trail is literally nothing? The gondoliers rowing tourists down the river is literally nothing? Gazing at the skyline from the bridge is literally nothing? Getting ice cream from the ice-cream shop in the container box at the foot of the pedestrian bridge is literally nothing? Again, think of 99.9% of the general public, not us weirdos on AB who obsess over architecture....
 
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