Crossroads Academy will open a grade K-5 school in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, in September. The school, with about 170 students, will be located in a two-story building that has been vacant since 2005.
Riverboat Cruises Return to Baton Rouge
Riverboat cruises have returned to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the first time in three years. About 26 cruises will stop in Baton Rouge over the next 10 months.
LA Will Have Two New Hotels Near Staples Center
Marriott will build two new hotels near the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. A new 23-story tower on Olympic Boulevard, scheduled for completion in 2014, will contain a 174-room Courtyard by Marriott and a 218-room Residence Inn.
Genesee Gateway Building Opens in Buffalo
The Genesee Gateway Building – formerly a group of nine adjacent buildings that were vacant and roofless for decades – has opened for business on the northeast side of downtown Buffalo. The first tenants moved in two months ago.
Tucson’s Hotel Arizona Has Closed
The Hotel Arizona (1974) in downtown Tucson has closed for financial reasons. The owner hopes to renovate and reopen the 12-story hotel sometime in the future.
Murals in Downtown Richmond
Artists are painting about 20 permanent murals along the Broad Street corridor in downtown Richmond, Virginia. The city hopes to convert the area into an arts and culture district.
Water Taxis Are Now Serving Miami
Miami has two new water taxi services on Biscayne Bay, ferrying passengers between downtown and Miami Beach. Biscayne XPress Water Taxi started on Jan. 15, and Water Taxi Miami started on Jan. 26.
Students Install Walking Signs in Downtown Raleigh
Students from the University of North Carolina have installed signs for walkers around downtown Raleigh, N.C. The “Walk Raleigh” signs were not authorized by the city, but are now being given a 90-day official tryout to evaluate public response.
New Soccer Stadium Opens in Downtown Houston
BBVA Compass Stadium has opened on the east side of downtown Houston as the home of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. The 22,000-seat stadium was built specifically for soccer, at a cost of $95 million.
Bike-Sharing on D.C.’s National Mall
Capital Bikeshare now has four stations on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Membership costs range from $7 a day to $75 a year, with free rides (for members) for the first 30 minutes.
New Apartments for Students in Downtown Phoenix
Construction has begun in Phoenix on two buildings that will provide 325 apartments for students, primarily from the Downtown Phoenix campus of Arizona State University. The buildings should be completed by July 2013.
BART Breaks Ground on Extension to San Jose
Bay Area Rapid Transit has broken ground on a 16-mile extension from Fremont to San Jose. The first 10 miles are planned to open in 2016. BART now has 104 miles of track in San Francisco and the East Bay area.
Downtown LA’s Woolworth Building Will Become a Ross Clothing Store
Ross Dress for Less will open a store in the now-empty 1920 Woolworth Building on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. The store is expected to open in 2013.
Casino Opens in Former Cleveland Department Store
‘
Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, Ohio’s first casino, opened May 14 in the former Higbee’s department store in downtown Cleveland. The Higbee’s store, which was featured in the movie “A Christmas Story,” became a Dillard’s in 1992 and closed in 2002.
Miami Lyric Opera Now Plays in Olympia Theater
The Miami Lyric Opera is now performing at downtown Miami’s Olympia Theater (1926), in addition to its traditional home at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach. The first production at the Olympia was “Lucia di Lammermoor” April 14-15.
Nashville Opens New Riverfront Park
The city of Nashville has opened its new 6.5-acre Cumberland Park on the east bank of the Cumberland River in the downtown area. The $9.5-million project is the first phase of Nashville’s Riverfront Revitalization Plan.
Austin Unveils Willie Nelson Statue
The city of Austin has unveiled a statue of singer Willie Nelson in front of downtown’s Moody Theater, where the “Austin City Limits” studio is located.
SkyDance Pedestrian Bridge Opens in Oklahoma City
The SkyDance Pedestrian Bridge has opened over Interstate 40 in downtown Oklahoma City. The 380-foot-long bridge was inspired by the state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.
American Queen Steamboat is Relaunched in Memphis
The American Queen steamboat was re-christened on April 27 at its home port of Memphis. The 436-passenger paddle wheeler was built in 1995, but has been out of operation since 2008; it is currently the only steamboat with overnight service on the Mississippi River.
Louisville Orchestra Will Play Again
The Louisville Orchestra and its musicians have signed a new contract, ending a year with no concerts. The orchestra, which plays at downtown’s Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, will resume its concerts in September.
Bank of America Donates Wilmington Building for Charter Schools
Bank of America has donated a nine-story office building in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, to the Longwood Foundation, to be used as the home for charter schools.
Folgers Closes Coffee Plant in Downtown Kansas City
The Folgers Coffee plant in downtown Kansas City is closing. Owner J.M. Smucker Co. is consolidating its coffee production in New Orleans. Folgers has had a coffee plant in Kansas City since 1908.
Fort Worth is Building a Kennedy Memorial
The city of Fort Worth is building a downtown memorial to President John F. Kennedy, who gave his last public speech at the site on Nov. 22, 1963, the day he was assassinated in Dallas. The site will include an eight-foot statue of Kennedy.
YMCA Will Move Into Downtown Cleveland Mall
The YMCA of Greater Cleveland will move its downtown branch into the Galleria at Erieview, filling about 30 percent of the mall’s retail space – previously filled by stores such as The Limited. The $9-million renovation should take about two years. The YMCA’s current building, dating from 1911, has been purchased by Cleveland State University.
Cincinnati is Tearing Down Skywalks
Cincinnati has torn down several of its downtown skywalks, in an effort to increase street-level pedestrian traffic. The city’s extensive skywalk system was started in the 1960s.
Wake Forest Biotech Place Opens in Winston-Salem
The Wake Forest Biotech Place has opened in a former RJ Reynolds building in downtown Winston-Salem, N.C. About 350 people will work in the new center for biotechnology research.
Sony Will Close Albuquerque Studio
Sony Pictures Imageworks will close its downtown Albuquerque studio in July. The studio, which opened in 2007, has about 60 employees, many of whom have been doing post-production work and visual effects for “Men in Black 3″ and “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
Thomas Jefferson University Opens New Building in Philadelphia
Thomas Jefferson University, a private health sciences university in downtown Philadelphia, has opened a new 11-story Health Professions Academic Building.
Solar Panels Installed On Top of Raleigh Convention Center
Solar panels are being installed atop the Raleigh (N.C.) Convention Center, covering about 60 percent of the roof. The system will be the largest urban solar farm in Raleigh.
LA Opens New Light-Rail Line
Los Angeles County Metro Rail will open the first 7.9 miles of its new Expo Line on Saturday, April 28. The light-rail line, going west from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City (with a later extension to Santa Monica), has a station adjacent to the University of Southern California and Exposition Park.
Denver Opens New History Museum
The new History Colorado Center will open April 28 in downtown Denver. The museum, which will open in stages over the next two years, replaces the Colorado History Museum, which closed in 2010.
“Teachers Village” is Under Construction in Newark
Ground has been broken for the $149-million Teachers Village project in downtown Newark, N.J. The project, with eight low-rise buildings, will house two charter schools, a day care facility, retail businesses, and rental apartments for teachers.
Two New Hotels in Downtown Syracuse
The Inns at Armory Square – a 100-room Marriott and a 75-room Courtyard Residence Inn – are being built on the site of a former parking lot in downtown Syracuse. Construction is expected to last about 18 months.
First Occupants Move Into Oklahoma City’s Tallest Building
The 50-floor, 850-foot Devon Energy Center in Oklahoma City has opened its six-story rotunda and a restaurant, and Devon is moving in its first employees. The building will be completed in the next few months.
Hotel Will Move Into Former State Office Building in Buffalo
Courtyard by Marriott will have a hotel, scheduled to open in 2013, on the first four floors of the former Donovan State Office Building in downtown Buffalo. A law firm is planning to move into the upper four floors of the now-empty building.
Hyatt Place Hotel in Omaha’s Old Market
Hyatt Hotels Corporation will build a Hyatt Place hotel in the Old Market area of downtown Omaha. Construction on the new, nine-story building is expected to start soon, with opening scheduled for 2014.
Macy’s Herald Square Begins 4-Year Renovation
Macy’s Herald Square in New York City has begun a massive, four-year renovation project, beginning with the shoe department. The flagship Macy’s store will spend $400 million and add 100,000 square feet of retail space to the “World’s Largest Store.”
Episcopal Cathedral in Providence Will Close
The Episcopal Cathedral of St. John in downtown Providence, R.I., will have its last service on Sunday, April 22. The church is closing because of declining membership.
McCormick Will Open Store in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
McCormick and Co., which had a spice factory in downtown Baltimore for many years, will open its first retail outlet this summer in the Inner Harbor area. The McCormick World of Flavors store will be in the Light Street pavilion.
“Solar Trees” in Downtown Charlotte
The Discovery Place science and technology museum in downtown Charlotte has placed two large “solar trees” on the top level of its parking garage. The solar panels will provide electricity for the museum’s education building.
Center for Advanced Medical Learning Opens in Downtown Tampa
The University of South Florida is opening its Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation in downtown Tampa. Facilities at the new three-story building will allow USF faculty surgeons to train surgeons from around the country to perform robotic, computer-assisted, and image-guided surgeries.
Downtown Newark’s First New Hotel in 40 Years
Courtyard by Marriott is building a 150-room hotel in Newark, N.J., adjacent to the 18,000-seat Prudential Center. The hotel, scheduled to open later this year, is the first new hotel built in downtown Newark in 40 years.
New Bridge Opens Across Trinity River in Dallas
The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, has opened across the Trinity River, just west of downtown Dallas.
Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena is Demolished
The Pittsburgh Civic Arena (1961), home of the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins from 1967 to 2010, has been torn down. The Penguins (and other events) moved across the street to the new Consol Energy Center in 2010. The Civic Arena’s retractable roof had a history of mechanical failure, and had been permanently closed since 1994.
Walgreens Will Replace Borders in Boston’s Downtown Crossing
Walgreens will open a three-level store in the building formerly occupied by Borders books in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. The upscale drugstore is modeled after the “flagship” Walgreens stores that opened recently in New York City and Chicago.
Whole Foods in Downtown Miami
Whole Foods is building a market on the ground floor of the Met 3 apartment building in downtown Miami. Rental apartments will be located above the market.
Lucky Brand Jeans Moves to Downtown LA
Lucky Brand Jeans has moved its headquarters, and about 250 employees, into a new building in the Arts District (the former Warehouse District) on the east side of downtown Los Angeles. The firm had been located in the town of Vernon, about four miles south of downtown, since its founding in 1990.
Baltimore is Tearing Down Skywalks
Baltimore is tearing down the 120-foot Skywalk (built in the 1960s) over Hopkins Plaza. The city – in an effort to encourage pedestrians to walk on downtown’s streets and make more use of public areas – is also planning to demolish two other pedestrian bridges near the Inner Harbor.
“Workforce” Apartment Complex Opens in Tampa
An apartment complex designed for downtown service-industry workers has opened in Tampa. The 120-unit Metro 510 “workforce” complex incorporates the historic, defunct St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church as a communal area.
Wal-Mart is Planned in LA’s Chinatown
Wal-Mart is planning to open a “Neighborhood Market” on the edge of Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles. Wal-Mart’s Neighborhood Markets are about one-fourth as big as the company’s full-size stores. The store would be the first of its kind in Los Angeles County.
