The other day a friend of mine sent me a link to a seminar (video) of social critic James Howard Kunstler. During the seminar, Kunstler makes mention of a number of buildings and places that are meant to attract people (not deter them). You would think that the developers of buildings would be able to fathom what is good for a tenant by studying how customers interact with successful structures. Even if there are poor design decisions made in the past, there is no reason that measures can not be take to counteract poor design choices. Take, for example, the older Benchmark building seen at the top. There's really not much decent you can say about the view from Delaware Avenue. This is the building that New World Record is currently moving out of. This is about as uninviting as you can get. No windows, no lighting... no character. The City doesn’t even bother putting a tree in front of it. You would think that such a highly trafficked corner like this would command a better frontage.
Just a little ways away from the above-mentioned concrete bunker sits an entirely different looking development recently built by Benderson. When you compare the two buildings, it is easy to see what was done right and what was done wrong. Notice the windows, the gooseneck and lantern-style lighting? There's a mix of building materials, which means that there's a mix of colors... not so drab. There are even faux awnings to soften the hard elements. People can see in, and customers can see out. So the question is, "Which Delaware facade makes you want to support whatever ultimately goes inside?" Me? I'm actually interested to see what business moves into the bottom storefront... the top one I'm not holding my breath.