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This column was originally published in Flagpole s 1992, before
Pete McCommons came to work here. Ignored at the time, in retro
spect it is a masterly blueprint for what might have been.
I have a very simple, yet breathtaking solution for our most
pressing public problems: the civic center, the parking deck,
the proliferation of doctors' offices, a downtown hotel, the fire
hall, Atlanta.
The parking deck, the longed-for brainchild of the down
town merchants, sits empty. Nobody wants to use it, not even
downtown merchants.
The civic center has been a problem from the beginning;
people hated the design and resented the destruction of the
old buildings, including the fire hall.
Okay, here goes. We've already paid the architects a million
dollars for the civic center design from hell, and we've got sev
eral more millions in the parking deck from nowhere.
What do we do? That's right. We give these New Yoik archi
tects a chance to redeem themselves and get our city off the
hook. Redesign the civic center and build it right on top of the
parking deck.
06 you see it? The solution to both problems. No buildings
to be torn down. No more downtown space to be gobbled up.
Put the civic center right on top of the parking garage: sud
denly you've got a use for the deck and you've got plenty of
parking for the civic center.
But that's not all. Why not contract with Mariott or some
body to put a hotel in there, too. Instead of destroying
another downtown block
to build a big hotel, just
add it on to the parking
deck/ civic center.
Beginning to get the
picture? Well, while we're
at it, why not get really
creative? Isn't there some
solution to all the doc
tors creeping around town
targeting neighborhoods for destruction so that they can fulfill
their need for more offices?
Think globally: act locally: doctor's offices in the downtown
building, with bus service to the hospitals right across the
street and parking for patients right below in the deck. Look
what we've got—a multipurpose building that not only serves
diverse public needs but solves some pressing public problems.
We've also got ourselves a skyscraper—a megabuilding right
in the middle of downtown. Those who want Athens to be more
like Atlanta can take pride in our new skyscraper. Those who
don't want Athens to be more like Atlanta can be relieved that
we've confined Atlanta to one location instead of having it
creep in all over town, like the doctors.
Either way, our skyscraper will be a tourist attraction; we
might as well add several floors of display areas for our local
potters and craftspeople and why not several floors for show
casing the local music scene, some more for retail shops, and
with all this going on, we'll also need a movie complex or two.
Now. I know there will be considerable debate about this
next point, and I must confess that I am of two minds about it
myself. This concerns the problem of the fire hall. It's true that
the skyscraper—let's call it the Atlanta Building—will save the
fire hall from destruction by the civic center, but it will also
sort of leave it sitting down there all forlorn, looking more like
an abandoned chamber of commerce building than a fire hall.
Put the fire hall at the top of our skyscraper. Yes, use the
fire hall as the crown of the building. You know how all those
Atlanta buildings are competing to see who can have the fanci
est top to dominate their skyline.
Well, ours would be absolutely unique. Nobody in Atlanta
could ever come up with a design to top it. There, high in
the sky for everybody to see would float our beloved fire hall.
Think of the civic receptions we could have up there, with all
of Athens and northeast Georgia laid out before us like jewels
spread before royalty.
I know ail this may seem like too much to accomplish,
but at least we should try, and this is a way for us all to
pull together for a change. We're talking the revitalization of
Athens here, folks, and the sky's the limit.
Pete McCommons editor@flagpole com
We’ve confined Atlanta
to one location
instead of having it
creep in all over town,
like the doctors.
THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:
MEWS & FEATURES
City Dope 5
Athens News and Views
Chamber fun. war on the road, ass-kissing and other summer skills abound.
Locavores Have More Fun 8
Locally Grown Fruits and Vegetables Are Becoming Easier to Enjoy
Locally grown food is growing an economic base and customer loyalty here.
Back to the Land 9
Local Farm Volunteers Get in Touch with Their Roots
Locals brave the heat and hard work for good company and discounts on fresh food.
AUTB <§s EVElNiT
Art Notes 10
The Life Aquatic
No drought at the Lyndon House with four watermedia artists and a children’s aquatic installation.
(MiUSIG
Gaylord 22
Not as Popular as Beethoven
Rochester, NY band with Mastadon connections debuts in Athens.
To Hell with the Devil 23
The Gospel According to Charlie Louvm
The legendary musician looks back on his 60+ years singing country.
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