Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Architects - Broken Cross live in Vienna
Architects - Broken Cross live in Vienna - 04.04.2014 Not the best quality. (filmed with a Samsung Galaxy S4)

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Architects - Broken Cross live in Vienna - Video

Sarah and Rusty Brown are the founders of Semple Brown Design, one of the foremost architectural firms in Colorado. Semple Brown is heavily involved in the Union Station renovation. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

In their 32 years in Denver, architects Sarah and Rusty Brown have seen the potential in aging and sometimes abandoned structures, designing new life into old structures such as Denver's Ice House, Memorial Hall in Pueblo and the Highlands Ranch Mansion.

They and their firm, Semple Brown Design, have helped shape and transform parts of Denver from dilapidated warehouse districts into lively commercial and residential hubs of the city, including Larimer Square and Lower Downtown. Their work spans from arts venues to the two new contemporary wings that flank the historic Denver Union Station.

"What drives our designs and drives our projects are really studying what is going to be the most successful solution based on what is surrounding the project," Sarah Brown said.

The Highlands Ranch Mansion has seen an influx of use since undergoing massive renovations. (Seth McConnell, Denver Post file)

Kevin Eronimous, president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Colorado board of directors, said Semple Brown has an impeccable reputation.

"They're really well-known and respected," he said. "They have a very consistent quality of design."

The firm's largest recent project was the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, which demanded a completely new facility be built within the shell of the 1908 Municipal Auditorium.

The $92 million project took five years to complete. The ribbon was cut in September 2005 on the 2,268-seat auditorium configured to optimize unamplified music such as opera and folk and critically acclaimed sightlines for dance, opera and musical productions.

"That is just a phenomenal project," Eronimous said. "It's very well received in the arts community."

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Architects Sarah and Rusty Brown have put their stamp on Denver

By KARA IRVINGApril 7, 2014, 8:11 p.m.

ITS not a job for the faint-hearted, but someone had to do it.

ITS not a job for the faint-hearted, but someone had to do it.

Two heritage architects yesterday examined the facade of the Ballaarat Mechanics Institute (BMI), via a 13-metre crane.

At 7.15am the 50 tonne Barry James crane towered over Sturt Street, while the architects inspected the heritage buildings facade for water damage.

BMI president Graham Gooding said the architects found water had deteriorated the 1869 brick work beneath the exterior facade.

We require a heritage architect to examine the facade (of the building) because the facade has caused an issue with the 1869 brick work, Mr Gooding said.

The (existing) bricks are absorbing water.

Mr Gooding said Ballarats frosty and wet weather over an extended period of time had caused deterioration to the brick.

He also said the institute would push to secure funding from Heritage Victoria to help repair the facade.

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Architects examine Ballaarat Mechanics Institute facade for water damage

JOHN SULLIVAN

Three construction companies will become the construction team for the new arena for the Detroit Red Wings. It will be built on a site near Woodward Avenue and I-75.

The new $450 million arena for the Detroit Red Wings will be built by a consortium of three construction companies that was submitted for approval today by the citys Downtown Development Authority.

Newly formed Barton Malow-Hunt-White, organized as the projects general contractor, was submitted today to the DDA by arena developer Olympia Development of Michigan, which issued a statement today.

The authority is scheduled to vote on the submission when it meets at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The three companies are Southfield-based Barton Malow Co., Detroit-based White Construction and Indianapolis-based Hunt Construction Group.

Details about the consortiums structure and information about financing were not disclosed.

Barton Malow and White were involved in construction of Comerica Park and Ford Field. White recently was hired as a subcontractor for the $137 million private-public M-1 Rail streetcar project along Woodward Avenue.

Hunt Construction has worked on major sports venues such as the Amway Center for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association, Barclays Center for the NBAs Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders of the National Hockey League and Consol Energy Center for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL.

The DDA will own the 18,000-seat event center, to be built by 2017 west of Woodward at I-75 in Detroit.

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Three construction companies would become team that builds new Red Wings arena

New proposal would replace Norris homes with new housing, retail and park space.

by Patrick McCarthy 08 April 2014

A $30 million grant that would allow for the removal and redevelopment of a North Central Philadelphia public-housing community located near Main Campus may be in the works for the City of Philadelphia.

The Norris Apartments, which contain 147 low-income housing units between Berks and Norris streets east of Main Campus, are the subject of a proposal to be torn down and replaced with 297 mixed income Gold-LEED certified homes, a 10,000 square-foot workforce development center, an 8,000 square-foot community center, 2,000 square feet of commercial retail space, 75 underground parking spaces and a new one-acre community park.

The proposal is an extension of the $30 million CHOICE Neighborhood Improvement Grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that Philadelphia is one of six finalists for.

Sen. Bob Casey made the announcement under the Temple Regional Rail station abutting the Norris Apartments last week, saying that the $30 million grant would create 600 construction and 300 permanent jobs and would leverage an additional $125 million in funding toward transformative redevelopment in North Central Philadelphia.

The North Central redevelopment plan is backed by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the citys Office of Housing and Community Development and Temple, which will all be playing key roles if Philadelphia wins the five-year grant.

Temples has promised $1.2 million toward neighborhood improvement programs set to be dispersed during a period of five years and contingent upon receipt of the $30 million grant. If Philadelphia receives the grant, Temple will be partnering with EducationWorks to provide high school training programs that would offer afterschool tutoring, college and career training as well as counseling to residents in the newly built homes. Temple would also be creating a new position of CHOICE neighborhoods coordinator.

As the lead education partner were really responsible for coordinating the activities of all the partners and that includes the school district, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation and the United Way who are focused on helping child care centers improve their capacity, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations and Economic Development Beverly Coleman said. Coordination is on a large part of the services that we would provide. We also work closely with the school district to track the progress of youth from Norris homes.

The plan was originally developed by Asociacion de Puertorriquenos en Marcha, a Latino-based community nonprofit that has been in the North Central Philadelphia community for 45 years.

Excerpt from:
Citys bid for grant calls for overhaul of Norris homes

Masa Sushi breaks ground in Friendswood

The Friendswood Chamber of Commerce held a Ground Breaking for a new business coming into town. Owners Chi and Michael Zhous Masa Sushi Japanese Food Restaurant will be located at 1788 South Friendswood Drive along with retail space. They plan on opening fall 2014. For more information regarding this project contact David OFarrell @ OFarrell Realty the leasing agent or 281-482-3404. Pictured along with Chi and Michael are Larry Wilkinson, L.E. Wilkinson Consulting, David OFarrell, OFarrell Realty, Karen Capps, City of Friendswood, Mary Anne Templin, Templin Commercial Brokerage, Ruth Ann Manison Prince, Prince Properties, Palmer Schooley and Greg Guy, Schooley Architect Designs, David Wright, David Wright Construction and Frank Smith, Rich Behr Construction. Pictured submitted by Carol Marcantel, President, Friendswood Chamber of Commerce. For more information regarding the Chamber give us a call at 281-482-3329 or carol@friendswoodchamber.com or friendswoodchamber.com

Posted: Monday, April 7, 2014 4:17 pm

Masa Sushi breaks ground in Friendswood

Posted in Living on Monday, April 7, 2014 4:17 pm.

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Masa Sushi breaks ground in Friendswood

On Apr 4, 2014, we issued an updated research report on Federal Realty Investment Trust ( FRT ), a Rockville, MD-based retail real estate investment trust (REIT).

On Feb 11, 2014, Federal Realty reported fourth-quarter 2013 results with core FFO (funds from operations) per share of $1.18, exceeding the year-ago figure by 7 cents and in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Decent results came on the back of notable leasing activity, rent escalations and improved same-store portfolio performance. Also, Federal Realty raised its 2014 FFO per share outlook.

We believe Federal Realty's expansion strategy has strong potential and promises steady income growth in the long run. Moreover, the company's portfolio of high quality shopping centers along with the diversified tenant base comprising grocery stores and low-end discount retailers -- such as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ( WMT ) and Target Corp. ( TGT ) -- position it well for growth.

Although the significant construction pipeline of Federal Realty bodes well for long-term growth, it increases operational risks and tends to drag margins in the near term. Furthermore, rising online sales that adversely affect the demand for retail space remains a concern and an anticipated increase in interest rate may dent its financial results going forward.

Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2014 FFO per share remained stable at $4.92. On the other hand, for 2015, it moved north by 2 cents to $5.37 per share. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Stocks that Warrant a Look

Better-ranked stocks in the retail REIT space include Simon Property Group Inc. ( SPG ). It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Note: FFO, a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs, are obtained after adding depreciation, amortization and other non-cash expenses to net income.

FED RLTY INV (FRT): Free Stock Analysis Report

SIMON PROPERTY (SPG): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Balanced View on Federal Realty - Analyst Blog

Ceiling murals in the Rose Room have sustained water damage at Korner's Folley in Kernersville. (Andrew Dye/Journal)

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. Korners Folly has long been a Kernersville landmark, but now when folks drive by the historic home, they may notice a few things that seem out of place.

Blue tarps cover sections of the roof signs of a brutal winter and an aging home in need of repairs.

The Korners Folly Foundation has worked steadily over the past few years to raise $500,000 for an exterior restoration project to stabilize the home and return the roof to its original appearance. But frequent winter storms over the past few months upped the stakes, as foundation Executive Director Dale Pennington describes it.

Its really put a lot of extra stress and wear and tear on the house, she said.

The foundation is about 90 percent to its fundraising goal and hopes to raise the last $50,000 by April 15 so roof restoration can begin by May 1. The Foundation has already worked on porch renovations and foundation stabilization.

This is an important moment in the history of Korners Folly, Duane Long, a foundation board member, said in a statement. We are closing in on a critical deadline related to the roof restoration needs.

Weve had great success from everybody around our community in giving. Its just going to take a little more, said Chris Thompson, president of the foundation board.

Pennington said an anonymous donor kick-started the fundraising in 2012 with a $150,000 matching gift.

Because of things that have been worsened with this winters weather, we really dont want to go through another winter before this roof is replaced, Pennington said.

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Korners Folly in Kernersville needs a new roof

VOL. 129 | NO. 68 | Tuesday, April 08, 2014

The historic James Lee house in Victorian Village is days away from a grand opening celebration, the culmination of a restoration several years in the making that has turned the property once home to the Memphis College of Art into a bed-and-breakfast inn.

One of the many features in the newly renovated James Lee House is this 114-year-old Steinway piano that sits in the bed-and-breakfast inns living room.

(Daily News/Andrew J. Breig)

The property, which includes five suites, has been in a soft opening period and has already welcomed visitors whove booked suites in the 166-year-old mansion at 690 Adams Ave. A grand opening has been set for April 17 at 10 a.m., and looking ahead to the date, project partner Jose Velazquez still looks at the results of the transformation with a mixture of near-disbelief and elation.

The public has responded in kind, with bookings already popping up online as far into the year as September.

My first reaction is, Oh my gosh, I cant believe this actually happened, Velazquez said. To see it back to its original splendor, to be a home again with a family living here and also open to the public so individuals can come in and enjoy this piece of Memphis heritage is quite extraordinary.

This could not have been done without the financial support of J.W. Gibson and Kathy Buckman. Theyre our partners, and they made it happen. And we were surrounded by a great contractor who could do this job and do it in a timely manner, and a team of subcontractors that made it happen. Also a great architect. Thats what it took, a whole community coming together and believing that this was important for the city.

The Memphis College of Art was housed in the home until the college moved to Overton Park in 1959. Since then, the home had sat vacant and deteriorating.

The home was built in 1841 as a two-story, four-room home. It was once the home of riverboat tycoon James Lee, as well as the site of an art school that was a forerunner of the Memphis College of Art.

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Open House

Dan Gross/The Gazette

Carlos Cobos of Hyattsville primes new siding Thursday where a wing was removed during renovation of the historic house in Warner Circle Park in Kensington.

A historic mansion in the heart of Kensington is making progress on its long road to restoration.

A major project to restore the Brainard Warner house on Carroll Place, which dates to 1891, began last year, and work on the exterior of the building is almost complete.

The first step was removing wings that were added to the house in the 1960s, when it was used as a nursing home. Montgomery Parks also is reconstructing a porch and terrace that used to be on the back of the house, said Julie Mueller, the projects cultural resources manager. An oval-shaped driveway for carriages and cars to travel between the mansion, the carriage house on the property and the road also is being restored, she said.

The Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission bought the property in 2005 for $6.4 million using funds from the countys Legacy Open Space program and is planning to spend about $5 million renovating it, The Gazette previously reported. Much of the funding for the renovation is coming from state bond bills. The work done so far has cost $700,000, Mueller said.

Workers are finishing the walls to close off the spaces where the wings were removed, which Mueller hopes will be finished by the end of April. They also are waiting on doors and windows to be delivered from the manufacturer. Once those arrive, the installation wont take long, she said.

Right now, we are planning sort of a ribbon-cutting event with the Kensington Historical Society for May 17, Mueller said, to be held jointly with the societys annual garden party.

Roof repairs are planned for this summer or earlier on both the main house and a carriage house on the property, Mueller said.

After that, were out of funding for a while, she said.

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Exterior restoration of Kensington