Clearly putting up a façade with nothing but a concrete wall behind it is a bad idea, and a waste of the historic salvaged elements, though it looks appealing from a distance. I don't think there is any parcel in Old Town that would lend itself to putting up a mall or other large building and slapping our cast iron on it in this way, at least I hope not. I think there is one critical stretch, on First between Ash and Pine, where re-creation of the old streetscape (largely using cast iron that was actually there) is possible. This includes the parking lot behind Kells and the missing corner of Smith's Block across the street. There will be a hearing (Planning Commission) on June 24 to discuss the staff proposal for Old Town redevelopment. Most of the draft I've seen makes a lot of sense, though for some reason people have a prejudice about putting up even well-done replicas that I just don't share. I expect a copy for citizen review will be available within a week or so.
One 3ed between Couch and Davis there is a facade of an old building with a surface parking lot behind it. Although not as good as having the actually building there I think that this is much more preferable then nothing at all because it preserves the street wall and the illusion of a building there.It would be an awsome project if they developed the parking lot while maintaining the facade, however that might be impossible construction wise. The Idinapolis thing is similar in that the old buildings make a much more humane pedestrian experience, however it appears to be so large that im sure the sidewalk is preity much dead around that building anyway.
The Simon Building, whose façade remains there on Third, was largely destroyed in a fire and Bill Naito (much ahead of his time) decided to save the façade, at some considerable extra expense.
Hmm. Guess I haven't quite figured out how to post photos... maybe next time.
Last edited by Preservationist; May 14, 2008 at 11:28 PM.
Reason: photo didn't get included
i wonder if the city has a plan on cleaning up chinatown with the arrival of max on the horizon.
if not, they're going to have a rude awakening with the sort of clientele hoping on and off the trains in fairless square between burnside and glissan...in turn being shuttled all over downtown.
has anybody heard of some sort of plan from city hall?
there's nights in that area that look something like total recall.
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"The United States is in no way founded upon the Christian religion." -- George Washington & John Adams in a diplomatic message to Malta
I don't know one could argue that we should be more afraid of the bankers at PDC in old town then the Pimps and what not. The job they did on the 3rd and 4th Chinatown streetscape project is an abomination. Between the dragon statue and the street tree die off that place is a mess. The old cherry trees had way more character then what they did. What I found the most Ironic is the sidewalk space in front of the PDC building in old town has been skimmed down to the bare minimum. Its hard to even walk past a person going in the other direction, all for auto access. When given a choice they consistently make the wrong one. How many Pimps can do that kind of infrastructure damage? Anyone want a burnside bridgehead? Almost ready to go right after PDC tears down a perfectly good building on the existing property.
the open drug dealing, sleeping all over the streets, across naito on the waterfront, is awful.
I bet there is too much political correctness to run these people out of town, instead we'd rather give them free food and beds and hope they have a nice stay!
i doubt that drug dealers are the same people as the ones sleeping on the street. so you're talking about two distinct populations. i also doubt that many drug dealers actually live in ot/ct; they're just there to do business.
drug dealers are one thing. but i truly don't understand this visceral reaction against people who sleep on the street. after all, we closed down most of the psychiatric hospitals and let the patients out. what are they supposed to do now? if their mental issues are severe enough that they're unable or unwilling to live like the rest of us, what then? banish them to gresham? to longview? let us know where you'd like to see them go.
and then, how, exactly, do they make your life a lesser one? do they keep from you getting your daily latte? doubtful. stop you from entering the gap? do they keep you from getting a date? unlikely. so what exactly is it? let us know; then we'll rail you.
Didn't the city-hating Trib run a story last year showing that most of the drug dealers merely hop off a bus in the area, deal, then hop back on another bus back to various points in other parts of the metro?
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"The United States is in no way founded upon the Christian religion." -- George Washington & John Adams in a diplomatic message to Malta
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