Hampton Inn & Suites - (19 8th Street North)

[AccordGuy]

P2080016 by streetsmn, on Flickr

I'm not at all unhappy with this project and glad to see that the skyway will open sometime in April. Sure, there are so many ways this project could have been better, but it's not a toad, and it took out another surface lot. It also gave us a decently priced hotel with good access to lots of attractions. It does a nice job relating to the structures around it, I think.

Nice pic Nick, and thanks for all your hard work involving this site.

[jennifat]

The facade looks like it's made out of cardboard. Sure, it erased a surface lot, but how many more of these dirt-cheap, design-poor developments until our downtown looks like a Mexican boomtown?

[Tyler]

Nine.

[talindsay]

Sure, why not add some racism to the discussion?

[John]

The addition of the metal cornice accents gives the facade a little more depth. The base is better defined and will make up for the cardboard above to some degree. ESG did a good job with a beer bottle budget. However, the hotel developer could have used a higher quality facade and window system with a much better result while still making this project profitable. The developers are just being greedy cheapskates. This is a perfect example of why our city needs a stronger building code to improve the exteriors of buildings and give the Planning Commission more authority to make sure that happens.

[seanrichardryan]

Boy, I never thought EIFs could be a redeeming material, but at least it can have depth.

[John]

Boy, I never thought EIFs could be a redeeming material, but at least it can have depth.

Well your in luck , we'll see it again at the AC Marriot Hotel .

[Archiapolis]

The addition of the metal cornice accents gives the facade a little more depth. The base is better defined and will make up for the cardboard above to some degree. ESG did a good job with a beer bottle budget. However, the hotel developer could have used a higher quality facade and window system with a much better result while still making this project profitable. The developers are just being greedy cheapskates. This is a perfect example of why our city needs a stronger building code to improve the exteriors of buildings and give the Planning Commission more authority to make sure that happens.

+1000

[spearson]

As a person that works next door, it's definitely not eye candy, but it's better than the parking lot. They just took down all the scaffolding visible in Nick's picture and the entrance is going to look decent. As john said, the metal accents made a huge impact on it's appearance, lessening it's cheap appearance. The added foot traffic here will hopefully result in the leasing of the first floor across the street (the building that was just converted to apartments). That building still has the old International Education Center stuff on it and it's vacant.

Heck, hopefully this building is a catalyst for getting the lot behind first ave redeveloped as well..

[mattaudio]

And the more we fill in, the more demand there will be to improve the public realm. More and better storefronts at first, creative adaptations of existing structures (I'd love to see a main-floor development underneath the steam plant across the street), and eventually wholesale improvements of exteriors.

[spearson]

Seeing some solid use of that cooling station would be amazing.

[maxbaby]

The signage is now up on the top of the building. You can see it on the webcam.
http://oxblue.com/open/mortenson/hamptonmn

[web]

Art is also up in the rooms on the top floor

[Silophant]

Looks like they're opening April 17th.

[mamundsen]

I work in LaSalle Plaza and we were told the skyway opens April 13.

[grant1simons2]

WP_20150409_007 by grant.simons, on Flickr
WP_20150409_009 by grant.simons, on Flickr
WP_20150409_010 by grant.simons, on Flickr

[mamundsen]

I thought it was strange when they added the flag poles with tie kleets about 10 ft up. And the middle one is in the middle of the sign!?! Seems like bad execution.

I do enjoy the dozen trees that were just planted. I wish the skyway was open today.

[GrowMPLS]

Isn't it amazing how much the lighting helps? Also, when those trees mature this is going to turn out to look fairly nice. At least better than a parking lot!!!

[Daboink]

Isn't it amazing how much the lighting helps? Also, when those trees mature this is going to turn out to look fairly nice. At least better than a parking lot!!!

I agree. This building had all the hallmarks of looking a little too suburban for the area despite it's height, but the lighting and trees will give some character. And once the flags are up over the entry signage, I am sure it will not look as hinky as it does now. To me there is something comfortingly cosmopolitan about flags on urban hotels.

[John]

The first two levels look fine. But after that it looks rather shoddy. Up close you can see it was a cheap paint job in an attempt to cover up the poor quality of the window fenestration and hardie board. If they would have just spent a little more money and carried through the base to the upper levels it could have been quite attractive.