The Sidewalks of White Plains

A walk around City Center at White Plains with John Bailey

I'm John Bailey, and we're going to take a walk around the Cappelli Enterprises City Center at White Plains, based on his architectural drawings of the $300 million project.

Number one, this is a massive scale project, when we see these drawings, it gives the observer no clue as to how much visual impact this project will have on the eye and the spirit. Take it from me it will be stunning. To get an idea of how big this project will feel, how it will command the eye, and simply sweep visitors away when they view it from street level, click on this thumbnail which provides the Mamaroneck Avenue street level facade, after you read this.

Here we are standing at the old fountain at the traffic island at Main and Mamaroneck, and you are viewing the Greenpoint landmark bank building on the left, and the Westchester Arts Council building on the right. Cappelli, in his remarks, over the last several weeks has proposed this design that makes use of limestone and red brick to blend in with more subtlety with its two landmark neighbors.

The Loew's lobby with old time classic marquee is seen in the middle, and when you click on the thumbnail, it will blow up and you can see some of the detail...which includes a lobby with a grand staircase, reminiscent of old time movie palaces of the past. The Cheesecake Factory is scheduled to go into the bank building and Legal Seafood to left of the theater, with the California Pizza Kitchen to the right of the theater. The Target Store will be situated on the second floor. The theaters, fine arts cinema and community theater will be located on the fourth floor.


City Center viewed from Mamaroneck Ave.
Click on images to enlarge.


From an aesthetic point of view, the Loews marquee is no longer as garish and reminiscent of Las Vegas as the old Tishman Speyer design. The architect is using Romanesque arched windows to blend with the neoclassical bank building on the left and the stately Arts Council bank building on the right.

Now, click the thumbnail and scroll with your browser left to right and you will get a feel for the rich presence and commanding nature of this design that the pedestrian will face walking along Mamaroneck Avenue. This is one big building!

Now we are strolling around the corner of Mamaroneck and Martine, and viewing the City Center from across Martine Avenue.


City Center viewed from Martine Ave.
Click on image to enlarge and see detail.

To our left is the side of the Westchester Arts Council Building and in-between is the cleverly camouflaged loading bay entrance where all deliveries to the mall will be made. Mr. Cappelli has had it designed with one entrance, right in the middle. Delivery trucks will enter in the middle of Martine and be completely enclosed within the City Center structure. Cappelli has designed it so 12 semi's can be handled at any one time. Trucks will have space to turn around within the structure.

The Westchester Arts Council is reported asking Cappelli to build them a freight elevator and a lobby perhaps even some artist studio lofts on the rear of their building. To the far right you see Mr. Cappelli's proposed town house loft apartments he plans to build on the corner of Martine and Conroy.

Click on the Thumbnail to see a larger version of this camouflaged loading bay and the loft apartments. As you move your curser, moving the drawing left to right, you will get the "feel of the street" and the dominating feel of this most sedate feature

Now we have gone overhead for a view of Cappelli's proposed inner city park on EJ Conroy Drive.


Aerial view of EJ Conroy City Park
Click on image to enlarge and see detail.

This overhead view of the EJ Conroy "Central Park" has only been seen on WHITE PLAINS WEEK and in public meetings, and it is Mr. Cappelli's proposed vision of a city park, and how the park will look in winter (on the left) and in spring and summer (on the right). The left shows E J Conroy Park in the winter (with ice rink), and, on the right, in summer (with floral garden).

On the Martine entrance to EJ Conroy, you can see Cappelli plans a year-round city park scape with benches and gardens and trees. Cars for the Martine Avenue Apartment tower and the loft apartments on the left will enter here to go to underground garages, just before the circular park area begins.

On the northern portion of EJ Conroy Drive, Cappelli plans sidewalk cafes in the center of the block with a facility that will include an ice-skating rink during the winter months, (on the left) and converts to floral gardens (on the right) during the spring and summer. The developer sees this as a unique city scene catering to the residents of the two luxury apartment towers. Residential traffic for the North tower on Main and Conroy will enter from Main Street. Residential vehicles for the South Tower will enter from Martine. Conroy will be a through street.

 
City Center viewed from City Hall
Click on image to enlarge and see detail.

Now we have walked down Conroy and are visualizing the City Center from the steps of City Hall. On the right, soaring 34 stories is the luxury apartment tower with rents at $2500 to $3,000 and up. Inside it will be a health club.

A differently designed 32 story tower will be erected diagonally opposite on Martine and Conroy, in front of the new garage Cappelli is building to replace the Martine Avenue garage.

On the street across from City Hall with be Barnes & Noble...and on your far right is the Greenpoint Bank building. Note how the light tan limestone facade echoes the city hall building across the street, the colorful awnings.

Now get a view of how this impacts you. Click the Thumbnail to get a big blowup of the picture and see the detail. This will be roughly akin to how it will feel if you are walking past it, and allows you to see the detail. My thinking as a visual person is that the City Center will be very dominating, a statement much like the massive buildings of the Chicago Exposition of 1893, the Forum Juliana or the Baths of Caracalla in ancient Rome.

Some facts about the Cappelli City Center at White Plains:

The Retail Architects: Streetworks
The Residential Architects: Schuman, Lichtenstein, Clamon, Effron
The Landscape Architects: Sasaki Associates, Boston

Construction: George A. Fuller Construction Company, Valhalla, NY.

Cost: $300 million

Site area: 7.5 acres

Retail operations: 395,000 square feet of retail stores
80,000 square feet of movie theaters including 16 screens and 3,500 seats.
55,000 square feet of restaurants
10,000 square feet for a community performing arts center (Cappelli will build the shell of the theater for approximately $2.5MM of his money)

Apartments: 560, 1 and 2-bedroom luxury rental apartments in two buildings, 32 and 34 stories each.
40 loft-style apartments in a separate building. 6% of apartments will be affordable ($2,000 a month), required by the City of White Plains.

Parking: 2,150 spaces in a new $37 million garage connected to the complex by a pedestrian bridge. Parking for apartments to be underground beneath the buildings with entrances to apartment parking from Main and Martine Avenues.


Click here for previous Sidewalks report
The reports on White Plains CitizeNetReporter are intended solely for our reading audience. Any reproduction or retransmission of these reports  without express written consent of CitizeNetReporter Network, Inc. is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Home | Front Page | Report News
WP Sports
| Sidewalks of WP |
Soapbox

Copyright © 2000
White Plains CitizeNetReporter