If you listen to me babble long enough, you'd think I've been working downtown since the Harding administration. Actually, Gerald Ford was the incumbent but that's long enough. When I was a fledgling lawyer the Arcade Building was oh so beautiful. The architecture is a neo-Gothic spin on early 20th Century skyscrapers. There was actually a gorgeous arcade down the center, richly ornamented, with two levels of shops. The upper floors contained office space. In time it became one of downtown's ghost buildings, unable to compete with more modern structures.
As many of the area's old commercial structures began to be converted to apartments and condos, a grand plan was created to convert the Arcade Building to residences and restore the shopping arcade itself. Construction was under way when the real estate crash hit. The developer went bust. Now it sits on the corner of 8th and Olive decaying, reminding us of what was and what might have been.
As many of the area's old commercial structures began to be converted to apartments and condos, a grand plan was created to convert the Arcade Building to residences and restore the shopping arcade itself. Construction was under way when the real estate crash hit. The developer went bust. Now it sits on the corner of 8th and Olive decaying, reminding us of what was and what might have been.
4 comments:
Sad story, but oh so common. I love buildings like this. I bet all the arcades were wood panelled, tiled etc.
You know, for a rich country, your country is very poor.
Any public thoughts on yesterday?
Vertigo. But bella!
This is an all too common thing. Here in Australia, Newcastle, the council and historical society have a tight reign on what can and can't be changed in the buildings there. It's good and bad, choked growth for a while, but they now have some of the most amazing older neo-gothic and victorian buildings around.
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