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February 6, 2008
Square Feet: A Plan to Open a 1980 Gehry Mall Design to the Air
The New York Times
by Terry Pristin
Frank Gehry won acclaim as an innovative architect when he redesigned his home in this beachside city. But another local Gehry design, the enclosed 1980 mall known as Santa Monica Place, has long been regarded as obsolete — a suburban-style shopping center that turns its back on a thriving urban corridor.
...The mall is often described as a “cork” that cuts off pedestrian traffic from the adjacent Third Street Promenade, a pedestrians-only shopping strip that has been hugely popular since it was refurbished in 1989. In redeveloping the mall, the original back door will be opened up, the steps will be replaced by a ramp, and brick pavers and jacaranda trees will be added, echoing those at the Promenade across the street.
NoLandGrab: Hmmm, "a suburban-style shopping center that turns its back" on the neighborhood. No wonder Frank and Bruce are such bosom (liberal, do-gooder) buddies.
Posted by eric at February 6, 2008 4:48 PM