Ryan Schuster has an interesting article in Thursday's Herald about potential future uses for the Civic Auditorium property in downtown Grand Forks. He also has a post about this over at his blog.
According to the article, there are two proposals for the property. One would see the building demolished and replaced with an apartment complex. The other would see the building remodeled and put to a new use. The name of the company that would like to buy and renovate the building is not currently being disclosed. However, I have a feeling I might now what company we're talking about here.
According to the agenda for the Growth Fund Committee's March 18 meeting - a meeting which was cancelled and rescheduled for next month - urban development director Greg Hoover states that "Jamie Lunski from HB Sound and Light has expressed an interest in purchasing the auditorium."
Now I'm wondering what a company like that would want with the old Civic Auditorium...any ideas?
Fuuurrrrrst.....
ReplyDeleteI think tearing it down and replacing it with something new, perhaps for public use (if it can be budgeted). Or...with the downtown location private bids could get interesting.
Maybe that's where Hooters should set up shop??
I forgot to add...in many other towns the civic center is a place for bands and acts who are on tour but don't have enough fans for something like the Alerus or Ralph, but too many for something like a bar, and too casual for something like the Fritz- generally when they will pull in a crowd of 500-2000. Maybe HB is looking to do some promoting?
ReplyDeleteOR..maybe they just want warehouse space.
ReplyDeleteReally when the Civic was remodeled after the flood they did some decent work. The downstairs area is very large and the office space is modern and nice. It is too bad that it has to see the wrecking ball (if that is it's fate). I wonder too about HB Sound and Light taking it over. That seems like a pretty small company for that large of a space, unless they intend to turn it into a place like the Hub in Fargo - many bars/restaurants in one place. I personally would like to see the apartment complex idea pan out - at least seven or eight stories would be really sweet to see come to downtown.
ReplyDeleteI say we get some new nice apartment buildings up, fixing up the down town is always nice. H B sound doesn't that space. They'll be out of buiness quickier then he thinks. Look at all the other buildings open. He MUST have more intention with it then we can imagine.
ReplyDeleteIf we have the option to have someone buy it and build it up to nice apartments. I saw we take it.
( not like many of us are going to be living inthat certian area) might as well fix the town up. but it is a nice old bilding. but not for H B Sound though...
New Apartments! I'll live there. The cost is going to kill me though. Any one know the cost a month of the new apartments downtown,near across from Gillys and down a bit.
ReplyDeleteWhere the heck are they parking? lol
awwww the smell of grand juction subs EVERYDAY =-) o boy...everyday... hmmm? naw
ReplyDeleteThere better not be a hooters coming! all men will be single... again.
ReplyDeleteNo need for any help from the hookers. haha
This is to boring of a town already, this town is for family.
They say it in a mag even, and then again they also say it's the worste for Bing drinking...
Maybe thats why we have allot of family. hahah
Just stay in and make babies! lol with all the single men! oooo.
I think turning it into a place where bands can play would be awesome! They should just put a Hooters inside the place and everyone would be happy. Well, everyone that doesn't have a stick up their butt.
ReplyDeleteI hate to see old buildings be torn down if they can be put to good use, but I say we need more appartments. Well more AFORDABLE appartments... 1 bedroom apartments in a nice part of town are overpriced. It would be nice to have some reasonably priced newer apartments in this city... im fresh out of college with loans and all and would like to have my own appartment but even with the decent money i make its very hard to find a place and be able to still make some money for the future...you want to feel your geting some where and not just living paycheck to paycheck. This towns apartment market is deffinitly geared to the 2 income households. If you want to attract people (college grads) to stay in GF then a good start would be to create an afordable place to live that isnt a dump or in the getto.
ReplyDeleteLiving space would be best. That means apartments or condos. That would be smart.
ReplyDeleteThey keep adding housing downtown, but no grocery or drug store. It'd be nice if grocery or other biz services located there.
ReplyDeletehaha, You know all men come on here when all blogs are about a Hooter rest. Not once in a blog have i seen anyone talk about there food. Just get a HOOOTERS!
ReplyDeleteno men like sticks up there butt
Should turn it into a Block E (From Minneapolis) style place with multiple avenues...
ReplyDeleteI have a question...why is it that most of the new apt built in this town don't have central air?! I can understand cause of price to a point...but hell I'd be willing to pay a bit more for central air conditioning/heat.
ReplyDeleteThe city quit maintaining the building quite some time ago and the roof is in bad shape. I think it would take over a million $$ to rehabilitate the building. Some of it was leaking when the district court was using it during the courthouse remodeling.
ReplyDeleteScrape the building and list the lot.
ReplyDeleteLet's get another apartment complex downtown with more than 4 stories.
ReplyDeleteMinnesota Monitor story:
ReplyDeleteNorth Dakota students can't get enough of that old-timey racist humor
It can be really useful to see how neighbors view us. I'm not familiar with the Minnesota Monitor, but if anyone labels it a "liberal think tank" I will certainly do my research and see if there's any merit to such a label. I think that even a moderate's view of the recent behavior on ND campuses would be that it speaks badly for our people.
If Saturday night did the same skit, everyone would be laughing. It amazes me how humor on television is acceptable but do the same thing somewhere else and we're outraged.
ReplyDeleteI know them very well and HB is expanding very rapidly. They may also move allot of there stuff up from the fargo warehouse and make this the main headquarters. Least that what I was told.
ReplyDeleteI don't think some of the bloggers here realize how big HB has gotten. Check them out at the home show today. They offer a wide variety of stuff and now that Team is closed, there competition is limited.
ReplyDeleteplease people "there" vs "their" - figure it out already!!!!!
ReplyDeleteShat up, Grammar Natzi! There going too right the weigh they want know matter how much pressure their are. Its there preroggative in a free society. Be sides you no what they mean!
ReplyDeleteE.B. White
E. B. White is right. Let's just leave people like that alone so when we communicate with other countries, they continue to think we are backwater hicks and that are education system is going down the tubes.
ReplyDeleteBesides, with a lack of education that is showing up amongst the younger generation, it'll be better for us older people in keeping jobs.
Yeah - I know what they mean - and that they are idiots...
ReplyDeleteAmen, Brother!
ReplyDeleteLearn proper English before you get on your parent's computer. The world couldn't function on poor grammar and text message shorthand.
Do u kno what i meen?
I hate to see a structurally sound building be torn down because of all the waste, but it does seem to be an obsolete property as it now stands. Why not keep the current building and build a eight to ten story apartment building on adjacent the parking lot? Maybe they could turn part of the old civic auditorium into indoor parking for the apartment building, and rent out the rest for artist space or something.
ReplyDeletethey are never going to be that bog, for Grand Forks. Not enough ppl just yet for them to take that huge place over and put all the money into it.
ReplyDeletethey are never going to be that bog, for Grand Forks. Not enough ppl just yet for them to take that huge place over and put all the money into it.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me for typing too fast and not realizing that I typed the wrong there. I am fully aware of the difference. Most of you must have much more time to concentrate on your blog writing and rereading it for any grammatical errors you might make. I on the other hand, have to get back to work.
ReplyDeleteI understand the Civic Center subsidy is about the same as the Alerus Center. Sorry, I love that one.
ReplyDeleteAn oldie, but goodie!!!
-Naysayer
I talked to an employee of HB over the weekend and it would merely be warehouse space. They are a rapidly expanding business, taking care of sound, video and lighting for events ranging from WeFest to the Obama/Clinton visit. Good for them!
ReplyDeleteIf all HB wants to do with that space is use it as a warehouse, then I'm dead set against their proposal. The old Civic Center lies at the edge of downtown and wise use of that property could strengthen the current business/residential climate downtown and help to start expand the area. One or two mixed business (first and maybe second floor) and residential buildings would serve that purpose wonderfully. That would involve tearing down the old building, but it doesn't seem to have enough historic significance, architectural appeal, or practical utility to justify restoring it when one or two multi-story buildings could be erected there.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I would support HB's occupancy is if they used most of the space to launch a "Hub" type of nightclub network the way Playmakers has been revamped in Fargo. HB could warehouse their goods their and be the supplier of the venues' many sound & lighting needs. The nightclubs could be fairly noisy and not disturb the neighborhood much, since there is little housing in the immediate vicinity.