Citizens Against Slots at the Mall: Lots of Signatures

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Citizens Against Slots at the Mall have submitted almost 24,000 signatures in a petition against placing slots at Arundel Mills Mall. That means a referendum may be up in the Fall elections to allow voters to decide whether or not to support the proposed slots at the mall. Read the article here for more details.

Bank Barn Renovation Update IV

It’s been a while since I’ve shared some progress photos on the bank barn adaptive reuse project (an old barn into a guest house and “party barn”) for a family in Ohio. I wish I had a few photos of the barn in the snow (Ohio certainly gets its fair share each year) only because I’m sure the site looked absolutely beautiful and serene. However, these photos were taken just before winter set in. Maybe next year when the barn is complete, the owners will take a snowy shot for me. I can’t help but think it’d make a perfect holiday card. In the meantime, work is progressing nicely, thanks to the hard working construction crew headed by Ed Wurm at Classic Homes in Aurora, Ohio.

Bank Barn Adaptive Reuse

View from the top!

The Fate of Maryland Jockey Club and Casinos in Maryland

There are six expected bidders for the upcoming Maryland Jockey Club auction, according to Frank Angst for Thoroughbred Times. On January 6th, Angst wrote that the sale of the club, to be held by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, had been rescheduled for January 21st. However, on January 18th, Angst reports that the auction has been rescheduled for the second time to February 10th at a New York law office due to mounting concerns by the state of Maryland to keep the Preakness in state.

The Maryland Jockey Club, currently owned by Magna Entertainment, controls Laurel Park and Pimlico, home of the Preakness. Magna Entertainment’s bankruptcy proceedings are further complicated as a majority of its business is owned by MI Developments, a real estate operating company. An article posted on January 11^th on the Wall Street Journal Web site details the arrangements between the companies.

To throw yet another log in the fire, the controversial issue of slot machines comes into play. The Maryland Jockey Club is a proponent of developing slots at Laurel Park—as proposed by at least one of its bidders, most vocally (they issued a press release) by Blow Horn Equity LLC of West Grove, Pennsylvania. (Personally, I’m on board with this as well because slots at Laurel Park will allow for improvements at the track. This will help keep the focus on horses and racing, which to me is much more exciting to watch than a slot machine screen.)

On the other hand, the Anne Arundel County Council voted on December 21^st to pass two new zoning bills that will allow Anne Arundel County to develop casinos at both Laurel Park and a new 4,750-slot casino that would become the largest in the state, if built. The casino, which would be built at Arundel Mills mall, is proposed by the Maryland Jockey Club bidder Cordish Companies of Baltimore. The mall casino comes highly contested, which is unsurprising, to say the least.

Iron Horse Slots from http://www.bostbilliards.com/SlotMachines.asp

The county’s need for revenue has seemingly surpassed the concerns of some of its residents who feel that the mall casino will bring in undue traffic and noise. John Wagner of The Washington Post writes that within a few years, “the mall casino could generate more than $500 million a year, about half of which would be earmarked for state education programs, according to consultants hired by the state.”

Still, like many counties in Maryland, Anne Arundel County allows the opportunity for a ballot referendum—in this case, if 19,000 signatures of registered voters are obtained. If the petition is a success, citizens will be able to vote on the issue—and potentially reject the casino site. The Maryland Jockey Club has hired the Washington-based firm FieldWorks to help obtain signatures for the petition efforts already underway. A more local effort is being made by Stop Slots at Arundel Mills as they gather signatures through volunteers. In an attempt to smooth things over, Cordish Companies reportedly unveiled their casino plans to Anne Arundel County residents on January 13^th, according to the Maryland Gazette.

While the number of casinos Maryland may have remains unseen, one thing is for certain: big change is in the air. Let’s just hope we keep quality racing events like the Preakness in Maryland.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming bid for the Maryland Jockey Club rescheduled for Wednesday, February 10th.

Haiti: Donations from Americans

I just read on the Huffington Post that Americans have now donated over $9 million for relief efforts in Haiti. This page also links to corporate donations for the disaster. It’s hard to believe the devastation, but it is uplifting to know so many are willing to help in any way they can. It’s worth a read.

Madonna and a Hamptons Farm?

As usual, I am the last to know about the latest gossip. My wife and daughter, on the other hand, always seem to know the juiciest of rumors (though my wife usually sticks with political ones). This is how I came to “hear” that Madonna is rumored to have purchased Wild Ocean Farm in Bridgehampton from Kelly Klein (ex-wife of Calvin Klein). True or not, I’m sure the allegedly 30-acre property (according to Horse & Hound ) is nothing short of spectacular.

I’m just happy to see that the property will remain dedicated to horses as necessitated in the property’s terms of agreement. Of course, this is not a surprising settlement, given that Madonna is an avid rider herself. I hear her kids like to ride as well…  but that’s about all the gossip I can take for now. Either way, I’m sure the people at the Hampton Classic don’t mind the possibility of Madonna attending their next show.

Great pic of Madonna and horse from May 2006 Issue of W Magazine

The New Year: 2010

Things have been busy here: from the holidays that brought my family visits from out-of-state relatives to work at the office, which has been happily active for December, a month that is typically slow for architecture. I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. Personally, I’m more than ready to shed this year and head into the next. How about you?

Here’s to a Happy New Year 2010– may it be happy and healthy with good cheer and hard work.

From http://www.countryliving.com/antiques/what-to-collect/christmas-collecting-syn

Project Updates: A California Ranch and a Washington State Arena

During my business trip throughout the West Coast, I visited a couple of our projects that are under construction to monitor their progress. While both on the West Coast, the two projects seemingly couldn’t be more different. One is in Southern California and the other in Washington state: each reflects their settings in very unique ways.

The first project, called Lucky Jack Ranch, is located at the edge of Southern California, very close to Mexico. While the property is not located on the coast itself, you can see the blue tint of the ocean from the property. Beyond the view, the ocean also provides a practical benefit as we positioned the buildings on the property (a barn and a clubhouse) to take advantage of the cool ocean breezes. While the site is currently under construction and may be hard to visualize, I think the view of the ocean and the surrounding trees and greenery will provide a gorgeous backdrop for the owners and their family to enjoy their new equestrian facilities.

Here are a few photos of the Ranch under construction as well as a rendering to demonstrate what the project ultimately will look like.

Under Construction at Lucky Jack Ranch

Lucky Jack Ranch--in progress

Lucky Jack Ranch Rendering

The other project I visited is a private equestrian facility (we’re designing a new arena, to be followed by a new barn to replace the current one) called Circle B Ranch. This project is just north of Seattle, close to the Canadian border. As you probably assume, the aesthetics of this property highly contrast those of Lucky Jack Ranch.

Circle B Ranch Arena

Circle B Ranch Arena Interior

It may sound cheesy, but the first word that comes to mind when describing the landscape of Circle B Ranch is lush. It is absolutely lush—all that rain really has quite an amazing effect on the land. With a hazy, green (autumn-leafy and colorful during my visit) foliage surrounding, the beautiful site was somewhat of a design challenge due to its relative perfection. The land, which is plentiful and mostly flat, doesn’t present much opportunity to “hide” the bulk of an arena, which can look overwhelming if it’s just plopped on any old spot in the land. Luckily, there’s a portion of the property with a slight mountainous slope where we located the arena in order to nestle it into the landscape to provide a more human scale. (Otherwise you’ll have the dreaded box effect—a big box of a building that sticks out like a sore thumb—aka, an architect’s worst nightmare.) The property also features the owner’s very cool and completely off-the-grid work studio—a small cabin-like refuge. Here are a few photos of the progress at Circle B. Now is that green or what?

Circle B Ranch

The Breeders’ Cup 2009: A Day (or Two) at the Track

On a recent business trip on the West Coast I travelled from Las Vegas—home of the slot machine, a form of gambling I can’t pretend to understand—to Arcadia, California for the Breeders’ Cup and the more intricate betting system of horse racing. There’s something to be said about the art of horse wagering. For the cost of admission to an event like the Breeders’ Cup, you receive a full day’s worth of entertainment: peering through the crowd for a glimpse of the horses in the flesh at the parade ring then studying the stats and attempting to decipher the odds. There’s always a chance an underdog will cause an upset. To me, it sure beats mindlessly pulling a lever (or pushing a button) in a smoky casino.

One of my project managers, Dan, and I attended the Cup on the two days of racing and were fortunate enough to not only watch the races unfold, but to tour the backstretch and other facilities (we were there on business, after all). It was a first time at Santa Anita Park for us both. What a picturesque track! Not only is the layout of the track very well done—offering clean, unobstructed views for the most part (OK, there were some advertisements in the middle of the track that I could have done without)—it’s complete with a mountainous backdrop and a sprinkling of palm trees. Very Californian.

Now, I don’t mean to brag, but our seats were located in what I believe is the best spot in the house. Named Clockers’ Corner, the section is located at the final turn and the top of the homestretch. To me, words cannot express the exhilaration this area in the stands supplies. As the horses round the final turn onto the home stretch, the anticipation in the air is palpable. Then, WHOOSH! The crowd sounds from a buzz to a roar as the horses storm past, faster and more clustered together than you can believe. You can see it, feel it, and hear the sound of the horses as they race past. Other than winning the Trifecta, it is one of the most thrilling experiences in racing or all sports, for that matter.

It was here where we watched the five million dollar 1 ¼ mile Breeders’ Cup Classic. While the results of that race are now written all over the news, at the time the race seemed to be any horse’s to win—except Zenyatta, the undefeated (13-0), gorgeous mare that, in the announcer’s words, trailed “dead last” for the majority of the race. The only female in the race, Zenyatta’s magnificent frame overshadowed the boys and was among those favored to win. How could she be so far behind?

Suddenly, WHOOSH! that sound again as the horses round the last turn for the final stretch. The pounding of hooves competes with the roar of the crowd. In a flash of her jockey’s green and pink uniform, Zenyatta pulls to the center of the horde, bursting to the right side of the lane. At that point, everyone in the crowd jumps to their feet, many biting their lips or holding a tight fist while watching her break to the lead. “This is UNBELIEVEABLE!” yells the announcer. Zenyatta wins by a length to become the first female to win the Classic in its 26-year history. My bet on Zenyatta to win saved my two days of unsuccessful bets and provided a thrilling conclusion to two days of fantastic racing.

That was just one incredible highlight of a very busy business trip (with more to come). Here are some photos I took during the races, plus a YouTube clip so you can see the action yourself.

Playing Nice

Zenyatta Strutin' Her Stuff

A Race in Action

Look at #2--All Air!

The Cluster

Another Horse Lover: Ann Leary

My wife pointed an article out to me a few weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to post it, although I’m sure many of you have seen it by now. It’s an article in the New York Times about Ann Leary, a writer and the wife of the actor and comedian Denis Leary. Ann is a horse lover—actually, an animal lover in general—and has written a couple of books and maintains a pretty amusing blog. Some of her blog entries are about her horses, others are about life on the farm she shares with her family in Connecticut, and others still are just about life in general. All in all, a good read you might want to keep bookmarked. Definitely check out the New York Times article if you haven’t already, if only to look at the photos of her family’s beautiful horses and their 1850s farmhouse.

Photo of Ann Leary and horses by Andrew Sullivan for the New York Times

The 2009 Washington International Horse Show at Verizon Center

Once again, the Washington International Horse Show hits DC –and believe me, horses stabled on the streets just outside the Verizon Center, home of the Washington Capitals and major concert events like Bruce Springsteen, cause quite a scene. Still, it’s a welcome scene and a great event that I look forward to attending. This year’s show features the Canadian Olympic dressage team’s Ashley Holzer who will perform with her horse, Pop Art, during the evening shows Thursday through Saturday. (Ashley and her husband Rusty Holzer, who is also a former Olympian, teach riding lessons at the Riverdale Equestrian Centre in Riverdale, New York, by the way.) Saturday’s evening show also features the $100,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, one of the main events at the WIHS.

Are any of you planning to attend? The events kick off tomorrow–Tuesday, October 20th at 7 a.m. and run through Sunday, October 25th. Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster.

All images from WIHS.org