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It's time for KI to get a new front gate!


Shaggy
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Thanks, Imperial!

 

I also added earth-tone rocks to the fountains, rounded out the shapes a bit, and put a nice, stately bridge over them which, when viewed from street level, would resemble the architecture of the Grand Stand in front of the tower, without taking away from the "view" too much. The hexagonal building with the pathways is supposed to be a La Rosa's that draws crowds away from the main midway, and allows them to eat under a huge pavilion (it's about the size of the Chicken Shack complex, visible at left), vs. shop-blocking lines or congestion formed when folks choose to line up perpendicular to the entrance of that favorite eatery. I had some "table parasols" dotting the grassy area, but it looked too cluttered. Just some interchangeable concepts I throw around every now and again.

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No, I did this in a 2-D overlay. However, Google Earth now has Kings Island's landmarks, trees and buildings in glorious 3-D, which you can tilt back and, depending on how powerful your graphics are, watch as all your familiar park objects come into view, and stay in correct aspect as you "move" the camera around! (Banshee looks a little taller, wooden and inversionless, though)  ;) .

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I like the idea of moving the gate out. It opens up that area quite a bit. Makes an alternate path into Action Zone as well. You'd have to account for the loss of two merch locations, a bathroom, lockers and the season pass processing though. Not sure what all to the right of the current building is necessary, but there is quite a bit of room there that gets opened up. 

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  • 2 years later...

I personally am for a renovation of the building. But I don't think a new front gate would do too much. Being in admissions one grows accustomed to their work environment. And the front gate plaza area definitely serves it's purpose well. Handles enough crowds. A bit of a modernization would make an already good but dated design perfect.

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19 hours ago, AintNutinElse2Do said:

Here's a newer render of the rear side of the main entrance idea.   My laptop lacks some capability so it could be better for sure but the idea is conveyed.

KI_Reno_Entrance The International.png

I do really like this design. It keeps the overall feel of the current entrance with the underpass and hidden view of the park so you get the "big reveal" walking in. The update to the restaurant is great too, especially love the balcony/patio seating too. The structure that evokes a front gate coaster is nice too. Looks good and fits the park, and can kind of give that feel without actually putting a front gate coaster in. It is a nice architectural design as well for a good aesthetic.

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Thanks for the feedback everyone.   I really would like to create a truer representation if anyone has some photo's I could reference and want to send them to me it'd be much appreciated.  Pictures of the entrance from the front are fairly easy to find but sides and angles would really help greatly.  Interior areas an extra bonus.   Also if anyone has some ideas to tweak the idea or something else you'd like to see the building do (example I've thought about including a performance balcony on either the front or rear)  let me know I like playing around with this stuff.   No deadlines though I'm not getting paid for this. :) 

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I think the building is good, but needs an update.  Using shingles as siding has a certain 70's charm, but I'm not a fan.  With the park embracing international street as a showplace with the light show to go with the fireworks and the circus act they has last year, I think adding a deck would be great.  A rooftop viewing area may be a good add, or maybe not because of sightlines over the international street facades.  

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For anyone that was old enough to remember visiting the park in '72, did everything seem so modern back then?  I feel like a lot of the stuff (front gate included) have a very 70's vibe.  I've always wondered if that's how people will look at things like greys and earth tones that are popular now in 20 or 30 years.

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I don't remember things before the 80s (I was born in 76) but I remember thinking as a child that Kings Island was much older than it actually is. This was mostly influenced by the architecture and costumes in River Town and International Street, and to some extent, even Coney Mall, I assume. So much of the park has always meant to transport guests to a different time and/or place, like in the case of the former Adventure Village, that it doesn't feel "dated" in an out-of-style way.

So much stuff in my life was 1970s modern when I was a kid in the 80s, that it faded to the background for me and made no impression. But thinking back, and looking at now, the only thing at the park that still really screams 1970s is the shape of that shingled front wall (and it being shingled, for that matter). They have done their best in recent years to sort of hide it, with advertising in the summer and the house at Haunt and Winterfest, but I really think that removing it and putting in either giant screens or even just a blank wall is really the only updating that building needs. 

Going to Holiday World for the first time recently (even though it is a great park) really made me appreciate the drama of Kings Island's entrance blocking view of the park, then stepping into a whole new fantastic world on the other side. Holiday World's entrance gate and courtyard on the other side said to me "well, you're here, I guess."

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I honestly think KI needs to raze the existing front gate, ticket booth, pass processing center, and old pass entrance. Build a brand new optimized front gate. I think they can still keep the element of surprise with a tall gate, but the current gate served its purpose in its day, time to replace it.


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