This week's David Brussat column sounds many of the same notes the URBlog discussed here. He's rightly concerned for the soul of Capital Center if proposed designs for parcels 2 and 9, the two currently empty lots on either side of Waterplace Park, are built as envisioned. Waterplace is the keystone of Capital Center, and surrounding it with typical "glassy, boxy suburban glitz" could remake this unique, inspiring place into nothing special.
For reference, here's a scan of the Providence Business News image mentioned in the column (thanks Cotuit)
He ends by pointing out that the Capital Center Commission members
-- all of them, to a greater or lesser degree -- are captives of a mindset of "architectural correctness" that has been the conventional wisdom in architecture for decades: Beautiful old buildings should be saved, but new buildings that look anything like those buildings are illegitimate and uncreative.This is ridiculous, yet it is gospel. We shall see whether the architects (and the developers who hired them) want to please the design elites or the public. Read this space for the play-by-play.
Great point. Also, you can watch this space for play-by-play.
David Brussat is a member of the Providence Journal editorial board. His column on urban design and architecture appear Thursdays on the ProJo commentary page.