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The Building That Lights Up The Large Square

C2H

By C2H
in Dallas/Fort Worth/Metroplex

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C2H

C2H

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Hi everyone. I had the pleasure of visiting Dallas this weekend and they really have been building like crazy. Now i normally applaud everything that Dallas does in the creative, colorful way it lights its downtown @ night.

There's some new lighting structure on one of the buildings that has a large white neon square on the side and it kind of looks a little out of place. It seems almost like Dallas is starting to overdo the lighting thing now. When driving south on the North Central Expressway at night, you can see a pretty lit skyline with a huge lit square and to me, kind of kills the effect.

Anyone know the name of that building? The building is located in downtown Dallas, just east of the Woodall Rogers Fwy.

I'm gonna try to find some pics of the building or if anyone from Dallas can post it, it would really help out.

EDIT:

finally found pic (borrowd from Ninjatune at dallasmetropolis.com)

CLICK ON LINK AND LOOK AT THE THIRD PIC DOWN.

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/showthread.php?t=7324

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AZTX

AZTX

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That would be One Arts Plaza. Don't worry, if you didn't like it won't be as visible from central soon. Rumors say there's a significant lease t.b.a. soon for Two Arts Plaza. This will be wedged between One Arts and the freeway.

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slfunk

slfunk

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Hi everyone. I had the pleasure of visiting Dallas this weekend and they really have been building like crazy. Now i normally applaud everything that Dallas does in the creative, colorful way it lights its downtown @ night.

There's some new lighting structure on one of the buildings that has a large white neon square on the side and it kind of looks a little out of place. It seems almost like Dallas is starting to overdo the lighting thing now. When driving south on the North Central Expressway at night, you can see a pretty lit skyline with a huge lit square and to me, kind of kills the effect.

Anyone know the name of that building? The building is located in downtown Dallas, just east of the Woodall Rogers Fwy.

I'm gonna try to find some pics of the building or if anyone from Dallas can post it, it would really help out.

That is the One Arts Plaza. I am sure that when that area finallizes construction of the Winspear Opera House, Booker T. Washington Arts High School and Wyly Perfomance Hall it will all come together. They also have plans to build other buildings adjacent to it.

I do agree. The lighting makes it look out of place. It kinda reminds me of game show 'Hollywood Squares'. On of my friends said they should get a big picture of Joan Crawford put in the square. If the lighting was not so intense that would help. Its slowly growing on me. Soon the Hunt Oil building will be edge lit. I'm a little hesitant on it. That is the building that has the big swooping vertical arch. They are lighting more then the arch. But will see.

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  • 2 weeks later...
TxDave

TxDave

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Based on what I have seen so far, I don't think I like this lighting scheme.

If it can be toned down to be simply an architectural detail of the One Arts building, it will be good.

Otherwise, it could be a tacky introduction into one of the best gateways into Downtown Dallas.

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C2H

C2H

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I think its brilliant!!!!!....The other night,the square was all red......AWSOME!!!.....I think it will grow on everybody.Some people just want to have something to not like..........IMHO

I know i've said this earlier but i think the square kind of messes up the look of the nighttime skyline heading South on Central Expwy. Now normally, i'm one who applauds Dallas for its lighting techniques but this is kind of going over the top. The green neon building is cool to me, alot of people say its tacky but it makes the city look almost cartoonish at night. Plus when you can see it from 30 miles away, it really makes a statement. I remember flying over Dallas at night and remembered seeing the building from way up in th air. Houston's night skyline, you'd be lucky to see it 10 miles away. I hate it!

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VelvetJ

VelvetJ

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I like the lighting on that building. It's something different. I'm not a fan of gaudy things but I like a "splash of flash" or that "odd element" added to architecture. I know a lot of people, particularly in Houston nowadays, like it but boxy buildings with no lighting at night do nothing for me.

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TxDave

TxDave

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I know i've said this earlier but i think the square kind of messes up the look of the nighttime skyline heading South on Central Expwy. Now normally, i'm one who applauds Dallas for its lighting techniques but this is kind of going over the top.

I agree. I applaud the effort to highlight architectural features, but this "light square" looks like a weak attempt to be noticed, and does draw too much attention on the drive in from North Central. Perhaps if it were lit more discretely (and appropriate to the building's stature), it would be more palatable.

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Metro Matt

Metro Matt

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The green neon building is cool to me, alot of people say its tacky but it makes the city look almost cartoonish at night. Plus when you can see it from 30 miles away, it really makes a statement. I remember flying over Dallas at night and remembered seeing the building from way up in th air. Houston's night skyline, you'd be lucky to see it 10 miles away. I hate it!

True, the BOA building along with the spires on Renaissance Tower can be seen from 30 miles away on a clear night. The best view hands down is coming into Dallas on I45 at night.

Houston's downtown suffers from its generic "Christmas lighting" the tops of the buildings. Smog & humidity in the air are also to blame for only being able to see downtown at night from 10 miles away, the beacon on Williams Tower how ever can be seen from 20-30 miles away sweeping the sky on a clear night.

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troyboy

troyboy

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It's the owners of these buildings that CHOOSE to light them up. Many of the same owners have buildings in Houston that they choose not to light up. I don't think the city of Dallas is pushing owners to light up their buildings, remember a few months ago a council member proposed making building owners turn their lights off. So why do building owners like brightly lit towers in Dallas.. and Houston's skyline sits kinda dark?? Maybe they think Dallas is, dare I say it, ..more vibrant. It certainly looks it.

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VelvetJ

VelvetJ

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It's the owners of these buildings that CHOOSE to light them up. Many of the same owners have buildings in Houston that they choose not to light up. I don't think the city of Dallas is pushing owners to light up their buildings, remember a few months ago a council member proposed making building owners turn their lights off. So why do building owners like brightly lit towers in Dallas.. and Houston's skyline sits kinda dark?? Maybe they think Dallas is, dare I say it, ..more vibrant. It certainly looks it.

Very well stated. There is something that is not quite tangible in the air that sets a tone in cities which is why as you stated, owners light up their buildings in Dallas but not in Houston. There is a tone in Houston that says it's ok to design a monstrosity like the Mercer Condo Tower to be placed in such a high profile location in Houston's Upscale Uptown, but would not dare even consider such a building for Uptown Dallas or Buckhead in Atlanta. Currently there is a progressive, striving, can-do, cutting edge tone in Atlanta that is evident in everything from the design of the buildings going up to the very ideas that are being proposed years down the line. That same tone existed in Houston once. I believe cities have certain tones that permeates everything even the residents of a city.

I have found that a particular tone in a city is contagious. The tone in Dallas is more flashy and attention to detail is valued there and it shows up in almost every part of the city. You can see it in the buildings, in the freeway designs, in the designs of the shopping centers, the the rail stations, etc., and I think it's great.

I like the color scheme of the Hunt Tower. I say bravo to the owner for the design.

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Metro Matt

Metro Matt

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So why do building owners like brightly lit towers in Dallas.. and Houston's skyline sits kinda dark?? Maybe they think Dallas is, dare I say it, ..more vibrant. It certainly looks it.

Just because a skyline is lit up Vegas or Hong Kong style at night doesn't necessarily mean its buzzing with people at street level such as with Dallas. Houston's downtown is much more developed & filled with activity than Dallas' is IMO.

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C2H

C2H

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Just because a skyline is lit up Vegas or Hong Kong style at night doesn't necessarily mean its buzzing with people at street level such as with Dallas. Houston's downtown is much more developed & filled with activity than Dallas' is IMO.

I agree, but half of the battle is looking the part. Driving through Dallas at night gives the impression that Dallas is a more vibrant and entertaining city. It's something that's more eye catching and is prone to grab the attention of an out of town visitor. In reality, downtown Dallas is no more vibrant than Houston. Houston's night skyline needs work. I'm really banking on the Houston Pavilions to start a trend of developing nicer lighting techniques for downtown Houston. The generic Christmas light theme has always appeared ugly and cheap to me. I even sometimes wonder if the building owners are doing that on purpose to keep Houston's image down.

BTW: Kudos on the Hunt Tower lighting. That looks mad cool!

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Gary

Gary

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Just because a skyline is lit up Vegas or Hong Kong style at night doesn't necessarily mean its buzzing with people at street level such as with Dallas. Houston's downtown is much more developed & filled with activity than Dallas' is IMO.

Exactly! How you make a statement like "and Houston's skyline sits kinda dark?? Maybe they think Dallas is, dare I say it, ..more vibrant. It certainly looks it." with a straight face is beyond me. I am in Big-D at least once a month and it's downtown area (including Victory) is no where near as vibrant as Houston's.

I don't make that statement to incite a flame war, but when biased, and unfounded statements like this are made, they have to be called out.

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Dallasboi

Dallasboi

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Exactly! How you make a statement like "and Houston's skyline sits kinda dark?? Maybe they think Dallas is, dare I say it, ..more vibrant. It certainly looks it." with a straight face is beyond me. I am in Big-D at least once a month and it's downtown area (including Victory) is no where near as vibrant as Houston's.

I don't make that statement to incite a flame war, but when biased, and unfounded statements like this are made, they have to be called out.

I wouldnt go as far as to say nowhere near .....I am a proud proud dallasite...and I think houston's downtown does have a somewhat bigger and faster pace about it......but at the same time I think the overall feel of DtD is more inviting and pleasent to the eye......it almost makes up for it not being full of people bustling around.....and...don't get me wrong....I feel; that Dallas is spearheading in the direction to become the most energetic, surprising and shockingly attractive CBD's in the state.........Its just too much stuff in the pipeline.......Its like ...all of the peices to the puzzle have just arrived...and now were in the process of unwrapping the plastic and putting everything together to create the big picture........."THE ABSOLUTE BEST URBAN EXPERIENCE IN THE SOUTH"......IMO :rolleyes:

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Gary

Gary

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I wouldnt go as far as to say nowhere near .....I am a proud proud dallasite...and I think houston's downtown does have a somewhat bigger and faster pace about it......but at the same time I think the overall feel of DtD is more inviting and pleasent to the eye......it almost makes up for it not being full of people bustling around.....and...don't get me wrong....I feel; that Dallas is spearheading in the direction to become the most energetic, surprising and shockingly attractive CBD's in the state.........Its just too much stuff in the pipeline.......Its like ...all of the peices to the puzzle have just arrived...and now were in the process of unwrapping the plastic and putting everything together to create the big picture........."THE ABSOLUTE BEST URBAN EXPERIENCE IN THE SOUTH"......IMO :rolleyes:

........."THE ABSOLUTE BEST URBAN EXPERIENCE IN THE SOUTH"???? Your kidding right?

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troyboy

troyboy

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Exactly! How you make a statement like "and Houston's skyline sits kinda dark?? Maybe they think Dallas is, dare I say it, ..more vibrant. It certainly looks it." with a straight face is beyond me. I am in Big-D at least once a month and it's downtown area (including Victory) is no where near as vibrant as Houston's.

I don't make that statement to incite a flame war, but when biased, and unfounded statements like this are made, they have to be called out.

Can you, oh...I don't know......READ!!?? I didn't say I thought Dallas was more vibrant, or asked if you thought it was more vibrant. Only offered a possible reason to why developers and building owners tend to enjoy lighting up buildings here. I don't care how vibrant or not vibrant I think a city is..I don't own any skyscrapers to light and and I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably don't either.

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Gary

Gary

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Can you, oh...I don't know......READ!!?? I didn't say I thought Dallas was more vibrant, or asked if you thought it was more vibrant. Only offered a possible reason to why developers and building owners tend to enjoy lighting up buildings here. I don't care how vibrant or not vibrant I think a city is..I don't own any skyscrapers to light and and I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably don't either.

No, I can't read... On a lighter note, I think the developers you speak of are attempting to create an atmosphere of vibrance, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, Houston could learn a thing or two about lighting it's highrises from Big-D.

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