LAS VEGAS: SWERVE THE STRIP AND HEAD DOWNTOWN
It’s cocktail o’clock in Downtown – but it didn’t used to be. Atomic Liquor
From the Independent: I’m strolling around a mezzanine, peeping into motel rooms filled with flowers, rubber-tree plants, stained-glass art and bath salts. Yogis bend and arch in the landscaped yard below as the instructor bellows encouragement and music drifts from the speakers. I skirt past them, brushing against a spray of cerise bougainvillea, and pop into bright, airy Mothership Coffee, where I order a lavender latte.
This isn’t the Las Vegas most people know or imagine: the flashiness and flashing lights, the bow-tied poker dealers, the posh hotels and Elvis impersonators. This is old-school Vegas, rebooted. This is Vegas for everyday living. And this is Vegas for visitors looking for experiences beyond that stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip, around five miles south of here.
An Italian-style food hall is coming to Canal Street’s historic First National City Bank building
Rendering courtesy of Mercato Fabbrica
From 6sqft: Plans to bring an Italian market to the First National City Bank building at 415 Broadway (or 296 Canal Street) have just been announced. The narrow block between Lispenard and Canal Streets once housed the largest commercial bank in the world and is known for its Art Moderne facade. The 35,000-square-foot interior will be transformed into Mercato Fabbrica, a “culinary destination inspired by the great markets, department stores and social clubs around the world.” The idea has been in the works since 2018 and is slated to open later this year.
The Stories Behind Austin’s Iconic Signs
Photo by Gary Miller
From The Austin Chronicle: Making a new sign is one challenge. Restoring a historical sign is another. Re-creating a lost landmark when you only have archive photos and home movies is a whole new challenge. The original Paramount blade (as it’s known) was mounted in 1930 when the Majestic Theatre on Congress became a Paramount-Publix, taken down in 1963 for renovation – and then completely disappeared. After over 50 years of naked frontage, the theatre contracted Wagner Sign Company from Elyria, Ohio (experts in restoring and re-creating historic signage), to rebuild the distinctive flashing vertical logo and give Austin’s main thoroughfare its crowning glory again – just in time for the venue’s centennial in 2015.
LPC okays adaptive reuse of former brewery building
Rendering of the DXA-designed Ulmer Arts Building at 71-83 Beaver Street in Bushwick.
From Real Estate Weekly: DXA studio’s adaptive reuse plan for the former William Ulmer Brewery in Bushwick has been approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commissioners (LPC).
The project known as Ulmer Arts, will transform an obsolete building into commercial space for new and innovative uses.
The 19th-century brewery design plan features two buildings — the Main Brew House at 71-83 Beaver Street and the adjoining Engine and Machine House at 35-43 Belvidere Street.
The property will be reconfigured into an office and retail complex able to accommodate 10 or more commercial tenants at approximately 60,000 s/d total.
Bucktown Neon Sign Shop Goes Dark For First Time In 34 Years For Kobe Bryant Tribute
Neon Shop Fishtail’s Kobe Bryant tribute. MINA BLOOM/BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
From Block Club/Chicago: BUCKTOWN — Packed with bright neon signs of all shapes and sizes, Neon Shop Fishtail lights up Western Avenue — and has for years.
But this week the neon sign shop at 2247 N. Western Ave. has gone dark and only one sign is commanding all of the attention. The sign simply reads: Kobe.
Every night this week owner Tom Brickler is shutting off all the neon signs in the shop except a Kobe sign he made as a tribute to the basketball star.
“This is a guy that had a lot of character. … it’s just a tragedy,” Brickler said.
Kobe Bryant, an NBA MVP, died in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, California, along with eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, a promising basketball player. He was 41.