Much-needed structural updates are underway to the ramp attached to the Crowne Plaza AiRE Hotel and the Appletree Square office block. Building ownership has still not communicated when these repairs will be completed, and it has presented a significant disruption to the hotel guests and apartment residents, who are paying for the parking privilege.
As of late June, all the above-ground levels in the ramp have been blocked off, as has the main ramp entrance near the hotel front desk area. With the upper ramp closed, the exit from the second story of the hotel, just below our museum and above the swimming pool, is also blocked off.
So how are visitors using private vehicles supposed to navigate the lower levels of the ramp and get into the Crowne Plaza building?
IMPORTANT NOTICE: this will involve climbing stairs and some walking. Visitors with mobility concerns should be dropped off at the hotel entrance. If drivers require accessible parking, please consult with the hotel front-desk staff at the time of your visit.
There is an alternate entrance on the east side of the ramp. Building management has placed a small sign near the usual hotel entrance, but larger signage where drivers should turn off American Boulevard.
This entrance leads immediately into a small maze of cones and barriers; follow the signs across the ramp where you will be able to turn to the left and start to see parked vehicles.
There are three underground ramp levels available: you arrive on level “C”, and can descend through “B” to ultimately “A”.
For selecting a parking spot, disregard the signage that says “TO HOTEL” which tries to point you to the northwest corner of the ramp. The staircase in that corner goes nowhere publicly accessible!
Instead, aim for the southwest corner, where usually people would access the office buildings in this complex. The example on level C is shown below:
Inside the vestibule, there are elevators WHICH CAN NOT BE ACCESSED DURING CONSTRUCTION. Instead, turn right and head through the door into the staircase to head up to ground level. (Each floor is color coded; level C is yellow):
Look for the first EXIT sign, as seen in the picture below. The door is marked “CAUTION: Watch Your Step 2 Steps Down”
This exit puts you into a small plaza between the parking ramp and the 2 Appletree Square building. In eight years of volunteering with the museum, I’ve only noticed this plaza and staircase in the past week!
Continue up the outdoor staircase and then walk along the driveway to the hotel front desk entrance:
Here we want to emphasize again that visitors who need mobility accommodation should be dropped off at the hotel entrance. Front desk staff have been instructed to provide elevator assistance to bring visitors up to the third hotel floor, where ADA access is available to the museum (across from the hotel exercise room).
For guests who can take the stairs, head up to the second level and swing around to follow the corridor through the building:
As the corridor opens up into the pool atrium, the staircase up to the third floor is marked with signage directing visitors up to our museum:
