3D building coming down?

[historyman]

I noticed a couple days ago that a big piece of construction equipment that is used for demolition was parked in front of the old 3D building to the east of the Moeller Funeral Home. Does anyone know if there is a plan to tear down that building or are they just parking the equipment there for the time being?

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4679211,-87.0448798,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJJV4EqVhFup1Qs06WLZ3bQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

[a3uge]

I noticed a couple days ago that a big piece of construction equipment that is used for demolition was parked in front of the old 3D building to the east of the Moeller Funeral Home. Does anyone know if there is a plan to tear down that building or are they just parking the equipment there for the time being?

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4679211,-87.0448798,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJJV4EqVhFup1Qs06WLZ3bQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

Hopefully to bulldoze Trails and their rude insufferable staff.

[wh]

I noticed a couple days ago that a big piece of construction equipment that is used for demolition was parked in front of the old 3D building to the east of the Moeller Funeral Home. Does anyone know if there is a plan to tear down that building or are they just parking the equipment there for the time being?

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4679211,-87.0448798,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJJV4EqVhFup1Qs06WLZ3bQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

(from April 2013)
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/valparaiso/major-changes-planned-at-vu-in-coming-years/article_d6b53ee2-1015-5d92-93a0-7c299947acda.html?mobile_touch=true

This article from 2013 indicates that plans are to demolish the building and use the area for parking as part of making the university a "walking campus."

[okinawatyphoon]

I noticed a couple days ago that a big piece of construction equipment that is used for demolition was parked in front of the old 3D building to the east of the Moeller Funeral Home. Does anyone know if there is a plan to tear down that building or are they just parking the equipment there for the time being?

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4679211,-87.0448798,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJJV4EqVhFup1Qs06WLZ3bQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

(from April 2013)
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/valparaiso/major-changes-planned-at-vu-in-coming-years/article_d6b53ee2-1015-5d92-93a0-7c299947acda.html?mobile_touch=true

This article from 2013 indicates that plans are to demolish the building and use the area for parking as part of making the university a "walking campus."

It's so far from campus, I'm not sure how any parking would be useful, let alone making it a "walkable" part of campus.

[usc4valpo]

While we are reminising, is Buzz's Valpo Liquors still around? They loved selling those kegs of Old Milwaukee!

[a3uge]

While we are reminising, is Buzz's Valpo Liquors still around? They loved selling those kegs of Old Milwaukee!

They absolutely are - their best feature is the bargain shopping cart.

[78crusader]

I'm sure VU was forced to take the 3D parcel as part of the hospital land acquisition deal.  Why in the world would Porter Memorial want to retain such an awful piece of property?  They probably told VU that if the university wanted the hospital land, they would have to take the 3D piece as well, or no deal.  VU had little-to-no bargaining power and had to accept this eyesore, which is a liability waiting to happen.  VU then had to spin the acquisition as part of long-range parking option for the campus, but everyone knows that is ridiculous. 

I would simply turn this parcel into a landscaped park with a couple walking paths.  No one is going to take this land and turn it into a nice commercial property.  Evidence in support of this statement is supplied by the 30+ years this property has remained vacant.

Paul

[agibson]

This article from 2013 indicates that plans are to demolish the building and use the area for parking as part of making the university a "walking campus."

It's been used as parking, probably especially for the Uptown East apartments for a year or so.  Those are more or less immediately across the street, and apparently pretty short of parking.  So, maybe not a bad arrangement from them.  Except the street is Lincolnway, and while there is a stoplight and crosswalk on the corner with Roosevelt, it's not a great place to cross.  I wonder if they'd be well served by improving pedestrian access / warnings to drivers.

They did add official VU signage to the lot, somewhere between Ironwood and Leo's Bike Shop, off Roosevelt, maybe over the summer.

Long term, it might be suitable as parking for students whose life is mostly on campus, who live on campus, but happen to have a car.  It's only a few minutes walk from the dorms - not ideal for a commuter, but maybe not so bad two evenings a week and on the weekend.

The complete vision isn't clear to me, but there have been a number of parking and traffic changes made effective in the last week or so.  The "old" (not _so_ old) parking ramp by Brandt is now meant to be student only.  The "ocean" behind the union is now faculty/staff only.  Campus Drive in front of Scheele, Alumni, and Lankenau is now one-way east bound.  They seem to have _tried_ to remove the parking spaces, both parallel and slanted, parking spots to the west of Scheele (basically until the intersection with Campus Drive).  Unfortunately, while they removed the white paint from the slant parking, it left obvious marks and they've continued to use them.  They coned it off yesterday.  If they can clean up the parking there it will, hopefully, improve traffic flow there which was sometimes a problem.  They've removed the 15 minute  parking spaces as well, I don't know if they'll try to clamp down on "I'm parking here with my flashers on" (which was frequent), or if they're just hoping that widening the street will better accommodate it.

There are plenty of campuses where the expectation, even for students, faculty, and staff who commute, is something like "drive to campus once a day, park way out on the parameter, walk maybe even five or ten minutes to your office, and spend the rest of the day on campus".  We're not there yet.  And, that vision would take some adjustments from the campus community, maybe especially for midwesterners.  But, it's probably not a bad vision.  I certainly don't miss the through traffic on Chapel Drive.

Thinking of the 3D parcel and adjacent area.  I have no opinion about the 3D building itself, I'm sort of used to it being vacant, as it has been for my almost 20 years on/around campus.  But, I've not noticed or heard about that becoming a problem.  It's a little bit of an eyesore, but I've not seen broken windows, graffiti, etc. or heard of any problems.  And, I bike past there twice a day.

I think it _might_ be nice to improve the corner, more immediately apparent to passerby, of Sturdy and Lincolnway.  The NE corner that is. We've talked some on the board on the intersection.  The bank's OK.  I don't mind the used car dealership so much, though of course it reflects, for better or worse, the continued "pawn shop, laundromat" feel of many of the businesses in the campus area.  Of course it'd be nice if the SW corner could get a tenant or be sold.  But, the NE corner has just a bit of broken pavement, or unimproved scrubby area.  I'm not sure who owns it, whether it's part of the 3D parcel or not.  It'd be nice to turn it into attractive green space, or make it part of the Ironwood property and let them put it to good use, or something.

For me that one small corner parcel (too small for any building larger than a kiosk, probably) is somehow more of an eyesore than the whole 3D building and parking lot.

[a3uge]

What does 3D stand for?

[historyman]

Danners Discount Department Store

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danners

http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/46263438/

Here is an ad that ran in the Vidette Messenger in 1974, 41 years ago tomorrow (8/22/1974). 3D was a Walmart type store that was headquartered in Indianapolis.

[swiftmutiny]

It's been used as parking, probably especially for the Uptown East apartments for a year or so.  Those are more or less immediately across the street, and apparently pretty short of parking.  So, maybe not a bad arrangement from them.  Except the street is Lincolnway, and while there is a stoplight and crosswalk on the corner with Roosevelt, it's not a great place to cross.  I wonder if they'd be well served by improving pedestrian access / warnings to drivers.

Dead on. Parking at Uptown East is abysmal, and even if you're able to reserve a space it's going to cost you $400+ per year. There are a few open spots, but they technically belong to the businesses there, and if you're parked in those after about 8:30pm they'll tow your car so fast it'll make your head spin. Lots of people started parking across Lincolnway once they realized it was an option.

[okinawatyphoon]

The complete vision isn't clear to me, but there have been a number of parking and traffic changes made effective in the last week or so.  The "old" (not _so_ old) parking ramp by Brandt is now meant to be student only.  The "ocean" behind the union is now faculty/staff only.  Campus Drive in front of Scheele, Alumni, and Lankenau is now one-way east bound.  They seem to have _tried_ to remove the parking spaces, both parallel and slanted, parking spots to the west of Scheele (basically until the intersection with Campus Drive).  Unfortunately, while they removed the white paint from the slant parking, it left obvious marks and they've continued to use them.  They coned it off yesterday.  If they can clean up the parking there it will, hopefully, improve traffic flow there which was sometimes a problem. 

I think the plan was always to eliminate Campus Drive in front of Scheele, Alumni, and Lank. In my opinion that plan makes a lot of sense given the new road behind the dorms. I would have thought that the parking ramp for the Union would need to be constructed before eliminating parking nearby, but I guess that's not the case. Either way, I definitely support the mentality of parking on the outskirts of campus and walking around all day instead of driving. Notre Dame's campus is a great example of how this could work.

[vu72]

So this isn't the old Miller's Mart site?  (1805 Lincolnway)

[wh]

So this isn't the old Miller's Mart site?  (1805 Lincolnway)

Miller's Mart (and Market) were located several blocks east of 3-D (in the immediate vicinity of the eastgate roundabout). 

[vu72]

So this isn't the old Miller's Mart site?  (1805 Lincolnway)

Miller's Mart (and Market) were located several blocks east of 3-D (in the immediate vicinity of the eastgate roundabout). 

Thanks.

[78crusader]

They did add official VU signage to the lot,

This might be the most depressing news of all.  How to advance VU's brand?  Hey, add VU signage to the woeful parking lot in front of a vacant eyesore of a building on the worst commercial corner in Porter County!   

Maybe this is the works since there is equipment on site right now, but if the plan is to tear down this horrible building and keep the parking lot for Uptown East students, then for Pete's sake completely redo the parking lot -- resurface it, plant some trees to give the area some semblance of visual interest, put in a black wrought iron fence around the property, and install some tasteful benches in front of the lot on the Lincolnway side.  Please. 

Paul

[agibson]

This might be the most depressing news of all.  How to advance VU's brand?  Hey, add VU signage to the woeful parking lot in front of a vacant eyesore of a building on the worst commercial corner in Porter County!   

Yeah, maybe not great.  A little better, maybe, is a nicely graphiced sign that Ironwood has up in front of a few of their parking spots, "Ironwood Brewery Parking Courtesy of Valparaiso University" or similar - not bad for a dry campus.

On closer look, it's not clear what the construction vehicle at 3D's doing, or how long it's been there.  There is something around the 3D building that _might_ be a construction fence.  But it might have been there  a while.

The lot on the SW corner is bigger than I remembered - probably _is_ big enough for a building.

Miller's Mart/Market was there way after 3D, right? I think there was some kind of grocery store still there in... 96 at least?

[talksalot]

Miller's Mart [Miller's Market Grocery and Miller's Mart Furniture] is now (west to east) where the Dynasty Buffet, Charter Fitness, [empty realty office], Dollar General, Indiana Furniture & Mattress AND BUZZ's Liquors!  That is on the Northwest corner of the "Roundabout".
Newly paved parking lot and with a $400,000 facelift... the Miller family did a nice job with the rehab.

The Northeast Corner, formerly the Dairy Queen then "Red Hots", was just sold to First Source Bank and they are now "under roof" with an opening about 2 months away.  This is the same bank that is currently across the street at the point of the triangle where LaPorte Ave and Lincolnway almost meet.  But that spot is very difficult to use and only has a couple of parking spots.  I don't know what their plans are for the soon-to-be-empty bank.

[usc4valpo]

I cannot believe the 3D building is still around. Holy cow.

So what does Buzz' Valpo Liquors look like these days? I bought beverages from there after Valpo post game wins over Butler, UIC and Bradley. We should have a bought a keg of Old Milwaukee after the infamous Rob Harden Eastern Kentucky game.

[agibson]

On closer look, it's not clear what the construction vehicle at 3D's doing, or how long it's been there.  There is something around the 3D building that _might_ be a construction fence.  But it might have been there  a while.

There's definitely something going on there.  I didn't get a good luck, but Friday or so the fence was moved further away from the building, there were stacks of building materials, etc.  Not sure what's up.

And, the gravel lot on the NE corner of Roosevelt and Lincolnway, south of Ironwood, is bigger than I thought.  You could probably fit a building there.

[wh]

It's so far from campus, I'm not sure how any parking would be useful, let alone making it a "walkable" part of campus.

As I as driving past the 3-D parking lot earlier today, I noticed numerous parked cars at the south end (Lincolnway entrance area).  On my return trip I stopped and counted roughly 70 cars. This has to be a recent development. That lot sat completely empty for many years after the close of 3-D, until the old Porter Hospital began using it for overflow employee parking.  Once Porter moved, it sat mostly empty again - until now. 

Interesting...   

[elephtheria47]

I went to Ironwood about two months ago and the parking lot was absolutely filled too, in the middle of summer. They have to be using it for something. As mentioned, they have University signs at the entrances. Something I noticed last week is that Ironwood now has a few signs for their parking on the spots closest to them...

[bbtds]

There's definitely something going on there.  I didn't get a good luck,

Let's hope the University has better luck tearing down the old building in the near future. :-)

[agibson]

There's definitely something going on there.  I didn't get a good luck,

Let's hope the University has better luck tearing down the old building in the near future. :-)

Somehow I make more of those mistakes as I age.  I'm literate, really I am.  Must say something about the way my brain works...

[agibson]

I went to Ironwood about two months ago and the parking lot was absolutely filled too, in the middle of summer. They have to be using it for something. As mentioned, they have University signs at the entrances. Something I noticed last week is that Ironwood now has a few signs for their parking on the spots closest to them...

This was discussed a bit back at
http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2228.msg60763#msg60763

And, yeah, I was shocked in the last year or so when I saw all the cars also.  I thought, "Is there a car dealership using it temporarily, or some such?"

Uptown East is, I'm pretty sure, a big part of the explanation.

But, the fact that it was still true over the summer is a little puzzling.

Maybe it's Uptown East and the adjacent apartments, rather generically, and not just students?  Or maybe there are some chunk of people on twelve months leases, or those residents are otherwise more likely to be around Valpo 12 months.

For the first time, summer research students were housed in Uptown East this summer (more often recently it had been Guild and Memorial), and maybe that's much of the explanation.  Or it may have been the default summer dorm for everybody, not just summer research students.