WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. April 22, 2004: Costas Kondylis, the urban archectural legend, and Donald Trump's high rise architect of choice, made a personal appearance Thursday evening to present the latest enchancements to the Cappelli Hotel Condoplex planned for Main Street. During the meeting, the Council saw Mr. Kondylis new "blue crystals," as he called it, design for the Cappelli Three Towers on Main Street. The Council viewed Mr. Kondylis' ground level solution for Main Street "open space," that he said, provides a European open space ambience along Main Street showcasing Grace Church and the old Reporter Dispatch building.

At the conclusion of the evening, Councilperson Rita Malmud asked Louis Cappelli, the Super Developer, for a letter indicating he had a hotel concern under contract. Mr. Cappelli said he did not, but he was negotiating with two hotel chains at this time. Cappelli said the hotel was originally designed for a Westin. Asked who the two chains were by WPCNR,  if one of them could be the Super Boss,  Donald Trump, (who has toured Cappelli's Main Street site has been known to build hotels and condominiums), Mr. Cappelli playfully said WPCNR has Trump on its mind, and that WPCNR had been "Trumpisized."

THE TRUMP-I-TECT:  Costas Kondylis, designer of Trump Tower, talks of the white, light blue, and dark blue glass that will highlight the three "blue crystals" of the Cappelli Three Towers on Main Street. Photo by WPCNR News

MAIN STREET AMBIENCE: Grace Church and the Reporter Dispatch Building would be naturally showcased by a diagonal cutback revealing Grace Church in the detailed Main Street side design unvieled by Mr. Kondylis Thursday evening. A single column would support the corner of the hotel and condominium tower. Pedestrians walking along the curved setback would gradually see the Church and Dispatch building revealed as they walked East on Main Street (top rendering). Photo by WPCNR News.

Over the next month, Commissioner of Planning Susan Habel said, the Cappelli organization would tighten up and coordinate the site plans based on the comments the Commissioners and Department Heads and various city boards submitted on the plans. This would allow the council sufficient time to see coordinated site plans in anticipation of approval in June, not at the May 3 meeting as originally requested by Mr. Cappelli.

Cappelli said this was not a problem, because the Longhitanos whom Cappelli is puchasing the Bar Building annex from, are getting approval to subdivide their property at this time, having just submitted it, he said. "We're o.k.,"  Cappelli said. Asked by WPCNR if he was negotiating on the Bar Building now, Cappelli said flatly there were no negotiations and that a "friendly silence" described the relationship between the two rival developers.

Design renderings for the Church Street side of the hotel (the main entrance) had not been completed yet and were forthcoming.

Kondylis said a landscape architect had been hired to create planting and open space design on the Church Street side. Bruce Berg, Louis Cappelli's right hand man, said 23% of open space had been provided "on the ground" as requested by the Common Council.

Tom Roach chaired the meeting while Mayor Joseph Delfino was vacationing in Rumania, George Gretsas, the Mayor's right hand man said.