Hue Adds, Well, Hue

Just as the mock-up indicated, Hue has added its primary colored stucco to the exterior of the building. Some will love on the 80s styling of this new condo building, others will hate it. Many architects that I have talked to agree that the building did look much better when it was simply a skeleton. There was integrity in the structure, truth in the materials. And now, stucco has covered it all up. The yellow actually is a bit too close to its neighbors color and therefore creates a bit of an illusion. Are they both the same color? Are my eyes fooling me? Nope, different colors shades of yellow in very close quarters.

Despite the color mirage, hopefully Hue will be a “brighter shade of life” for many new downtown residents. Let’s hope it brings a handful of good businesses to this area too. Especially now that a new Taz’s will be nearby and the Circulator stops just a block away.

blzbub02/16 10:37 PM

Yuck!

TSnow2760402/16 10:54 PM

Hardly the worst. Has anyone seen the Tucker? (I just threw up a little.)

lilpistolstarta02/17 09:44 AM

I’ll wait until its completely finished to judge…I did take a tour of the inside and its going to be solid on when they are done.

kg02/17 10:37 AM

i thought the tucker held a lot of promise but their exterior is flat horrible. shame to as something of that size could have really stood out and defined an area. i’ve seen government buildings of the 50’s and 60’s with more imagination.

Betsy02/17 11:06 AM

Tried my darndest back in 07 to get the rest of the Planning Commission to require a better exterior on the Tucker.

I also advocated for more retail frontage, and adjustments to the topography of the site so that there wouldn’t be 14-foot-high blank walls of rough block facing the pedestrian streetscape along St. Mary’s Street.

But no one else on the board cared about urban design or active streetscapes. I don’t even think they knew what those words MEAN.

Vox clamantis in deserto. Move approval! Second! All in favor! Done.

arthurb302/17 11:18 AM

The reason they paint these buildings the color of real stone is to fool the eye that is it actually just stucco over chickenwire!!!

scoop02/17 06:09 PM

perhaps they expect you to move out of park dev and into the hue so you won’t have to look at it out of your window. perhaps that strategy isn’t going so well as i have heard several rumors that hue will be going rental…gossip…xoxo

bob02/17 11:08 PM

scoop, where have you heard this? I have a girlfriend thinking about buying a condo there.

scoop02/18 09:23 AM

I hear that the developer will be/is considering offering the unsold units for lease. I know they aren’t selling well at all. I actually think leasing them would be a good move as they could appeal to the Campbell Law crowd, and they’d be online before the Tucker. Downtown definitely needs more buyers right now but the fact of the matter is that not that many exist right now so moving towards renting (while still offering them for sale) is not a bad move.

JT02/18 09:31 AM

Maybe they should have been painted rainbow colors given the proximity to Legends. They’d sell/lease really fast then

RaleighRob02/18 11:08 AM

^JT- I’m betting that theme was a subtle basis for Hue’s name and “colorful” concept from the beginning. With Legends, CC, Flex, Our Place and White Rabbit all in spitting distance? Too coincidental otherwise.

RaleighRob02/18 11:12 AM

^^^ Scoop- well, seeing as we’ve had dozens of condos built in the past decade in downtown, but only a small handful of apartments, it is pretty obvious which one would get more demand right now.
Tucker’s developers were actually quite smart to switch their building from condo to apartments…they’re sure to fill up much faster than say, Bloomsbury!
If Hue wants to get filled with residents fast, they should definitely keep an open-mind towards rentals.

kg02/18 11:25 AM

anyone know how west at north or north at west is doing? i drove past it last night and it looked like there were maybe 6 units lit up on the north side. fwiw, i want to buy in downtown but i can’t get past a 1bed/1bath for $200k+. that’s just dumb.

hackles1002/18 11:42 AM

I would be interested to hear how West at North is doing with residents. Is their any retail coming into the ground floor anytime soon?

ChiefJoJo02/18 01:41 PM

I would just about bet that hue will go rental. They have 208 units to sell and I can’t imagine they are close to 50%, the magic number. Hue won’t win any awards, but the urban form is good, and adds more people to downtown… hopefully remaining relatively affordable (compared to other projects).

“i want to buy in downtown but i can’t get past a 1bed/1bath for $200k+. that’s just dumb.”

Not when you consider price/sf. I think West is ~$219 for ~720 sf= ~$300/sf. Downtown land and vertical construction is not cheap, folks. there’s a tradeoff, but consider that you would likely save money on driving, and both West and Hue are near future rail stations ($). FYI.

da bomb02/18 02:09 PM

Hue has dropped their already(relatively)low prices drastically. That’s how they are going to attempt to fill up, and I don’t think they’ll have any problem. They are not going rental. They would have made that decision long ago. Individual investors will likely rent them out, but like all other condo projects there’s a cap on % of total units rentable. Scoop, you shouldn’t spread gossip. I’m in the business and can tell you that what you said is most certainly not true.

scoop02/19 08:48 AM

thank you for your insider information, da bomb. if you are correct, it will be interesting to see how few people actually live there at opening and how long it will be before the developer tries to minimize his losses by offering unsold units as rentals…as is what is happening with Palladium.

John02/20 12:26 AM

For all its own “typical Raleigh architecture”, I am liking my condo at The Paramount more and more as these new projects get delivered. This is especially true when you look at both 222Glenwood and The Hue. Both are synthetic stucco nightmares with no redeeming architectural qualities. It’s really a shame to throw so much stucco on such large buildings in prime locations. I think it’s an okay material if you are using it as an accent or in some panels. But, I think it’s atrocious in such huge applications.
While I am not a huge fan of the Bloomsbury (Addams Family retirement)Estates, at least they used brick and paid attention to some architectural details.

blzbub02/20 09:03 PM

John, I completely agree with you. The Paramount, in my opinion, is the classiest condo complex in Raleigh.

TSnow2760402/22 09:27 AM

^^^ holy cow

Remember this little rule which amazingly continues holds true: When something is described as “classy” it almost assuredly is not.

blzbub02/22 01:00 PM

Perhaps, TSnow, you’re referring to the way that people sometimes use the word “classy” in a sarcastic manner. I meant it literally. Just because class connotes a measure of understatement, doesn’t mean it goes unnoticed.

hueraleigh02/23 11:05 AM

Yes, Hue is getting very close to completion. We anticipate a certificate of occupancy by late April and hope to begin scheduling closings by mid-May. The fencing and scaffolding is being removed over the next couple of weeks so you can really begin to see the colorful facade! If you are interested in blogging facts vs. gossip, please come join us on one of our hard hat tours! The building offers amazing amenities and is looking incredible. Tonia - Hue Sales Team

j03/25 07:26 PM

I’m part of the Campbell Law crowd that will be moving to Raleigh next year. I’m pumped to be back in a city after leaving San Francisco to come back to the east coast and being stuck in the middle of nowhere. Anyways, I’d definitely like to live as close to the heart of downtown as I can next year. What are the best options? More than likely I will be looking to rent of course. Do you think that any of these new options will go up for rent from the original investors by next fall? Any help is appreciated.

blzbub03/27 08:32 PM

Guaranteed homey.

hueraleigh03/28 03:41 PM

I’m not sure about the rules on blogging but I’m guessing I’m not supposed to sell my products! Please give me a call to discuss your specific situation.

Cliff Webster04/07 08:24 PM

I’ve bought at the hUe…U should too! Way to rock it out Tonia!!!!

hueraleigh04/08 09:07 AM

Thanks for getting that good word of mouth out there for us Cliff!!

Welcome to New Raleigh. We welcome your participation in the ongoing discussion. Before posting we ask that you read our Comment Policy and we invite you to register with our site. If you want to keep up with the news on our blog, subscribe to the RSS feed or get emailed every time we post.

Jedidiah Monday, February 16, 2009