  Jz_detroit Member Username: Jz_detroit Post Number: 40 Registered: 12-2005 |
Lots of talk about the MCC being lit up. What about our other buildings? Every great skyline is a city with bright lights. The Penobscot looks great at night. Picture the Broderick, the Book, The Book Cadillac, The UA, and others all lit one day. Are there any plans to light up any of our other skyscrapers, regardless if it is tenant occupied or not? | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3789 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'm a big fan of the animated hammer. It's such a silly thing. They need to fix it so it's all lit up properly. If it's still there, I haven't looked in awhile. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 2815 Registered: 06-2006 |
I always hated how Comerica Tower is so dark at night... Bottom of the First National building looks good lit up, as does Chase Tower... Guardian building looks the best of out all...perfect accent lighting on that one | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 734 Registered: 11-2006 |
chase tower is no longer lit up.... no even the chase sign | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 427 Registered: 11-2003 |
Light up the hammer time building. | ||
Jz_detroit Member Username: Jz_detroit Post Number: 41 Registered: 12-2005 |
Something needs to be done with the Comerica Tower. It's the second tallest building in the state yet it can't get some lighting? | ||
Rax Member Username: Rax Post Number: 7 Registered: 11-2007 |
I'd take some more tenants in the Comerica Tower before I'd worry about some silly lighting scheme. Put a cleaning crew on every newly occupied floor at night and the lighting will look just fine. | ||
Iddude313 Member Username: Iddude313 Post Number: 116 Registered: 07-2005 |
The Hammer Hammer Carrot building used to have a band of red neon. Then it burnt out halfway and it was replaced with loosely hung Christmas type lights. Now it's kinda bare. Except for the hammer hammer carrot. | ||
Bw7085 Member Username: Bw7085 Post Number: 11 Registered: 02-2007 |
What is that arm like boom thats sits on top of the comerica tower used for? | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 1110 Registered: 11-2003 |
Window cleaning. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3792 Registered: 10-2003 |
Hammer hammer carrot! I'm sure it's a nail! LOL. I love it though. Question, in the last "frame" where you see the nail, should the hammer still be there, hitting the nail? Is it just burnt out? Or was there never a hammer on the last frame of the animation? | ||
Mind_field Member Username: Mind_field Post Number: 821 Registered: 10-2003 |
I think there should be a plan to light up downtown at least a couple nights during the year. The city looked so exciting and vibrant during the superbowl. Cincinnati and Hong Kong are the only two cities that i know of that make an effort to light up their skylines a couple times a year. Although i'm sure there are other cities that do it. I think the event could be made into it's own festival, or it could happen during the Auto show or some other time during the year when downtown is extremely active. | ||
Michigansheik Member Username: Michigansheik Post Number: 242 Registered: 09-2005 |
Are the lights on chase tower working again? It has been dark since the fireworks. Also, the Guardian and Stott would look better at night with white lighting instead of amber lighting. White light shows architectural details more clearly. I also agree that Comerica tower could use something, maybe even neon on the gables? | ||
Jz_detroit Member Username: Jz_detroit Post Number: 42 Registered: 12-2005 |
Don't forget...lighting up a building is a huge marketing opportunity. It could be the reason to get some of these buildings occupied. Look at the Fisher and the Penobscot. They are always occupied and they have the nicest lighting. I understand it cost a lot of money to light them up but it's an investment one should take. | ||
Gsgeorge Member Username: Gsgeorge Post Number: 352 Registered: 08-2006 |
Before we start lighting the buildings lets get them cleaned up. The Book Tower hasn't been powerwashed since.... well it probably hasn't been cleaned EVER. That's over 80 years of grime on that thing. It used to be white! CLEAN THE BOOK! | ||
Wolverine Member Username: Wolverine Post Number: 378 Registered: 04-2004 |
I was actually surprised how decently lit the Book Tower looked during the Christmas tree lighting. Quite a few floors had lights on. With all the new low-energy/low cost architectural lighting technologies out there, I'm hoping to see some more of our downtown gems lit up in coming years. | ||
Viziondetroit Member Username: Viziondetroit Post Number: 1297 Registered: 11-2003 |
I think a lot of it has to do with the cost of lighting up those buildings. People are very cautious with their spending these days and that's an expense that can be done without. Unless you have a logo on the building, lighting it up is really just for spectators. If you were looking to rent office space, how it looks at night probably is not on your top 5 must haves. | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 2894 Registered: 10-2003 |
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Exmotowner Member Username: Exmotowner Post Number: 424 Registered: 06-2005 |
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Doesnt Atlanta have some kind of ordinance that if a building is above a certain height, their "crown" has to be lit at night? Atlanta is BEAUTIFUL at night with all the caps lit on the skyscrapers. | ||
Rickinatlanta Member Username: Rickinatlanta Post Number: 122 Registered: 07-2006 |
Can't say you're wrong but I've never heard of any ordinance requiring the top of a building to be lit with the exception of the standard tower type light for air safety purposes. There was an effort before the 1996 Olympics to have all the buildings downtown lit top to bottom but it never really went that far. The buildings that are lit now are apparently done so voluntarily by the building owners. | ||
Peachlaser Member Username: Peachlaser Post Number: 139 Registered: 08-2006 |
I have never heard of an ordinance but it has become a common and attractive trend. I think it started with the blue-domed Hyatt Regency Hotel. That used to be the tallest building in Atlanta and was really an attraction. People would drive from all over the state to see the blue dome. Atlanta used to have 'Light Up Atlanta' where all the buildings turned on all their lights and people would come back downtown. This is before downtown was re-inhabited. I think Light Up Atlanta did a lot to change many attitudes about downtown. Light Up turned out to be too popular and the crowds too large and was discontinued. It was a lot of fun. Some may say that it was wasteful of energy. I think it was a pretty good use of energy in that it help turn around a downtown that was being vacated at the end of the business day. To many, downtown was a scary place and being able to come downtown all lit up with the buildings looking like light sculptures was perception altering. So, in this respect, it was a good use of energy and has had long-lasting effects. (correction made in id of Hyatt Regency Hotel) (Message edited by peachlaser on November 24, 2007) | ||
Spaceboykelly Member Username: Spaceboykelly Post Number: 264 Registered: 04-2005 |
Wow, I've never heard of "Light Up Atlanta" but it sounds like a great idea. | ||
Rickinatlanta Member Username: Rickinatlanta Post Number: 123 Registered: 07-2006 |
The blue domed building was not a Portman design but was, and still is, a Hyatt Regency Hotel. The blue domed top is the Polaris Lounge. Light Up Atlanta also included fireworks and restaurant specials. Crowd control did become the issue that caused it to be discontinued. | ||
Peachlaser Member Username: Peachlaser Post Number: 140 Registered: 08-2006 |
Rick, you are correct. It is the Hyatt Regency. That's what I get for writing a post as I am about to fall asleep. Still, the blue dome was a landmark that stood above all other buildings in its day. Of course now, it is nearly surrounded by taller buildings. | ||
Peachlaser Member Username: Peachlaser Post Number: 141 Registered: 08-2006 |
Oh, re-checked and John Portman did design the Hyatt Regency. It was one of if not his first large atrium designs. http://www.portmanusa.com/hote l.html | ||
Rickinatlanta Member Username: Rickinatlanta Post Number: 124 Registered: 07-2006 |
Right you are..you should have seen his home in the old area of Sea Island! Created QUITE a stir with his modernistic design among the old stately homes built in the early 1900's. | ||
Peachlaser Member Username: Peachlaser Post Number: 142 Registered: 08-2006 |
I have seen his home on Sea Island. Turned around in his driveway and yes, I can see why this home caused a stir. | ||
Mike Member Username: Mike Post Number: 1142 Registered: 11-2003 |
was downtown last night and last week. i thought that i was relatively dark out there last night compared with last Saturday night. | ||
Parkguy Member Username: Parkguy Post Number: 158 Registered: 04-2007 |
Dallas skyline: http://www.stormeyes.org/torna do/skyline.gif San Francisco: http://blake.prohosting.com/dr ksolas/images/sf-skyline-night .jpg Miami: http://www.clevelandskyline.co m/Driendl_Miami_mia1_large.jpg Remember when the Ambassador Bridge was not lighted? Lights were a big improvement. | ||
Billk Member Username: Billk Post Number: 172 Registered: 09-2005 |
Last night Chase tower was lit up and the whale mural on the broderick tower was lit. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3890 Registered: 10-2003 |
Does anybody have any large panorama shots of Detroit during the Superbowl? Sort of like the RenCen shot above. | ||
J_to_the_jeremy Member Username: J_to_the_jeremy Post Number: 35 Registered: 03-2007 |
Not mine, but here's one from flickr. http://flickr.com/photos/trave linjay/97535336/ | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3891 Registered: 10-2003 |
Thanks.. Looking at those pictures reminds me how fun that was. | ||
Bobj Member Username: Bobj Post Number: 3099 Registered: 11-2003 |
Forgot about all the lighting for the Superbowl, looks wonderful! | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 203 Registered: 05-2007 |
Billk-> the whale mural was lit up? you mean they took down the advertisement in the past week? | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 204 Registered: 05-2007 |
IF anyone has a subscription to the DetNews archive, here's the link to an article I remembered from a few years ago, where Kwame detailed a plan he had for lighting up the detroit skyline with different colored architectural and search lights. I, unfortunately do not want to pay for this article, so if someone can access it and post it here, that would be way more than cool  http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-sear ch/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB& s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews& f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The +%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme =gannett&p_action=search&p_max docs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_dir ect-0=0F8B68F2C320C84A&p_field _direct-0=document_id&p_perpag e=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_track val=GooglePM | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 4078 Registered: 02-2005 |
I remember being in town on that weekend when we had overcast/drizzly skies. The downtown lights were so intense that practically half of the sky (nearly a 180 degree angle over your head) was reflecting the bright light all way in grosse pointe. The crown of the Comerica Tower really needs to be lit up. As for everything else, I just want to see lights on. We will have arrived when you can travel down Woodward from midtown at night and enjoy lights on in the Broderick and Whitney. | ||
Scottr Member Username: Scottr Post Number: 841 Registered: 07-2006 |
Detroit did look fantastic for the Super Bowl. I was at home in Flint trying to catch glimpses of it, but my kids wouldn't tolerate a football game to let me do so - just then a shot of downtown was shown, and i asked if they wanted to go see it, and my kids (who love big cities) all said yes. So we made the hour drive, arriving right at half-time. All of them oohed and ahhed at the lights, my oldest daughter exclaimed 'Everything's got lights on it here!' Although we weren't able to do anything more than drive around (by that time, parking was non-existant), my kids thought it was amazing. If downtown was lit up more often, i think it would, in time, translate into more visitors. It doesn't need to be every night, say just friday and saturday nights and special events to start. it's not exactly the article raptor is referring to, but is an opinion piece from the Michigan Daily about the same thing: http://media.www.michigandaily .com/media/storage/paper851/ne ws/2003/01/13/Opinion/Let-Ther e.Be.Light-1414842.shtml |
