My F.O.C.U.S. : November 2012

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Riverchase Galleria Renovation

The Riverchase Galleria, located in the suburb of Hoover in Birmingham, AL, opened in 1986 and has seen little renovation/modernization to the main mall since its opening 26 years ago. Many stores have come & gone, each with their own minimal demolotion/construction; however, the interior & exterior of the mall itself have gone relatively unaltered. All of this is about to change. Construction began on a $60 million dollar renovation to both the interior and exterior of the Galleria in August 2012. This renovation also includes the addition of a 5th department store, Von Maur, and the rebranding of the Wynfrey Hotel, which is attached to the mall, into a Hyatt. I plan to post periodic construction updates about the mall, Von Maur, and the Hyatt Hotel. The first few photos below show the "before" state of the Galleria. The later photos show the current state as of mid-November 2012.

Also, here's a link to a recent article regarding the renovations:
http://hooversun.com/articles/mall-makeover-for-riverchase-galleria/

Former Macy's Store before the Rich's merger in 2005.

Former Macy's building as it sat vacant for about 7 years after
the merger. Macy's remained at the Galleria, but moved into
the former Rich's location in the mall.

A plan was developed by the city of Hoover for the possible
renovation of the former Macy's building into a convention center.
(Obviously, this never happened).

The former Macy's building as of mid-November 2012 during
the beginning stages of the Von Maur renovation/construction.

Interior view of the Galleria from the upper level of "center court"
looking toward the future location of Von Maur (behind the
elevators). These dated elevators are to be demolished &
relocated to allow a better view of the new Von Maur.

Another interior view of the Galleria from the upper level
of "center court"looking toward the future location of Von Maur
(behind the elevators). These dated elevators are to be demolished
& relocated to allow a better view of the new Von Maur.

The future lower-level entry of Von Maur from "center court"
with signage promoting the new store. Construction walls
have been added since this photo was taken that extend
further into the Galleria.

The current state of the "Wynfrey Hotel" attached to the Galleria.

An artist's rendering of the renovated "center court" at the
Galleria. I'm hopeful that more renovations & modernizations
will be evident than are shown in this rendering.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

DIY Antique Mercury Glass Mirror

Before - 9 pane window from a salvage store.

After - I used Krylon's "Looking Glass" spray paint, a spray
water bottle, and a little black & bronze spray paint for
shadowing. There are several tutorials online for this technique.