Comments on: Defending the Apparel Mart

By: Henry

Henry — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 21:31:41 +0000

Regarding the Apparel Mart and Portman’s apparent lack of vision in his placement of the structure’s loading docks: When the Apparel Mart was constructed in the early 1980’s, the loading dock area was the back of the building facing a rather depressing industrial district now occupied by Centennial Olympic Park. Techwood Drive was simply a conduit for vehicle traffic. No park, no sculptures, no fountains - nothing. Even the thought of Atlanta hosting an Olympics, which prompted the park’s construction, would have been considered a wild pipe dream when the Apparel Mart was built.

While the placement of the loading docks may not exactly harmonize with the adjacent park, let’s remember which one was there first. I should also point out that I find loading docks and people working in them far less repellent than the bums who insist on using nearby Woodruff Park as their campground.

By: Gracie D.

Gracie D. — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 10:17:36 +0000

This sort of hallucinatory urban babble is the reason bloggers are the literary Wal-Marts to the world. The Mart “cool”??? How do you follow that? Try blathering on next about how W is, deep down, really clever and sexy. aaaaagggghhhhhh…

By: decatur pat

decatur pat — Mon, 23 Aug 2004 19:12:39 +0000

Oh god…dont get me started on the Corb!

By: Reid

Reid — Tue, 03 Aug 2004 16:41:33 +0000

By the way, the standards of urbanism you appeared to be using sounded a lot like Le Corbusier.

We have his ideas to “thank” for all the glass towers in parking lots* in clusters around I-285. Thank God the city fathers never let him deface Hausmann’s Paris. Unfortunately, we’re not so lucky.

*Le Corb’s grand vision consisted of towers set amidst parkland, surrounded by high speed motorways. (The closest you get to that ideal here is the “King and Queen” towers at 285 and 400, and they still suck urbanistically.) But, reality being what it is, you usually get a tower in a parking lot. Acres of asphalt, mmm hmm!

By: Reid

Reid — Tue, 03 Aug 2004 16:35:25 +0000

Greg — great example! I love that building. If Atlanta keeps sprawling and degenerating, I just might find myself in Chicago, awful winters and all. (Well, Oak Park probably, as the Loop isn’t the best spot for my 19-month-old. But Oak Park’s on the El and Metra lines.)

Jessica — do we know each other? (I do know a Jessica; wondering if that’s you.)

Btw, I went and read that CL piece — not much to disagree with there. If someone ever takes a well-deserved late night sledgehammer to that cement-block-column “art” next to Freedom Parkway I’m sure the cops will want to ask me a few questions!

By: Greg Greene

Greg Greene — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 19:35:49 +0000

Robert: I hate to part company, but you can build a mart that still integrates well into an urban environment. Take this one as a case in point. The problem has nothing to do with the challenges Portman faced; the issue is that he copped out by not attempting to face them at all.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 17:41:40 +0000

[Reid, meet my friend Robert.

Robert, meet my friend Reid.]

Well, the pedestrian traffic argument may be chicken-and-egg — there aren’t many pedestrians because the area’s so pedestrian-unfriendly. If you read the end of The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, there’s a section about how Portman deliberately designed several of the downtown buildings to discourage pedestrian traffic.

By: Reid

Reid — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 04:25:25 +0000

What’s an “eye soar?” Perhaps you meant “eyesore?”

(I know your heart’s in the right place, but it’s hard to believe your commentary is as informed as you wish it to be when it’s marred by this kind of spelling error.)

Anyway, by whose standards of urbanism are you attempting to defend Portman’s “radiant city” disaster? Duany? Jacobs? Massengale? Mumford?

(From the line of your commentary it seems there IS a right answer to this. I’d be curious if you know it.)

I completely disagree with your line of criticism, of course. Loading docks are fine and unfortunately necessary; but having them face Centennial Park is an unmitigated disaster. Portman should have been thinking further ahead. (And that’s just one side of the building.)

By the way, there are plenty of wholesale venues in NYC (midtown, mostly west side) that nonetheless have many interesting street-level features. If you want to build a featureless cube, there are plenty of lots in the suburbs with good highway access. Builders in the urban core must meet a higher standard.