There's a place on every street where private land bumps up against the public right of way. In cities this is usually the point where the sidewalk edge ends and the private parcel begins. A truly urban environment will have the building front next to the sidewalk for a seamless transition with absolutely no setbacks. This is a critical ingredient for the vibrant streetlife we all want to see downtown and in our neighborhood business districts. It doesn't end there however.
Well the 2008 NCAA Women's Regional Basketball Tournament just wrapped up last week in Spokane. This was a huge deal not only for the exposure, but also for the revenue generated (Idle facilities are not a good thing). It was a good event and week overall...and then a bothered reader forwarded a photo taken from his cell phone. It looks like Charley's on Monore and Broadway [GMAP] was playing welcome wagon with the nice sign above to greet fans.
Sorry Charley's, but you are dead to us.
Forget the giant inflatable gorillas and turkeys; those are mere props. Selling high-end luxury cars these days means you have to be classy, and nothing is classier than a seven-foot barbed-wire fence. Especially when it's on a main arterial downtown.
Heading eastbound towards 3rd and Maple [GMAP] recently our eyes were drawn to the former Safeway; the one with the big bright yellow sign announcing the site as the "Future home of Downtown Lexus - opening in Fall 2008". Well until that time the site looks to be the storage area for some excess Toyotas along with 100+ feet of barbed-wire-topped cyclone fence fronting 3rd Avenue. We're not sure if it's the longest barbed-wire fence downtown, but we think it sure is the prettiest. Test drive it today.
Ahhh...Grand Avenue, one of Spokane's finest streets. Driving up past St. John's Cathedral, slipping under the tree-covered canopy along Manito Park, the fine old homes, quaint small businesses nestled into the fabric of the neighborhood...and then you hit 29th and Grand. WTF? Friends, it looks like Walgreens has brought their "D" plans to the South Hill. Not that 29th and Grand was any
great bastion of pedestrian
friendliness, but this was a prime opportunity to change that and it went
uncontested. A well-sited building can be a wonderful thing.
Continue reading "Walgreens Update: Grand Avenue a little less grand..." »
Architizing-Advertecture...Call it what you will, but the four story sign on the Davenport Tower has been updated and is now hocking office space a the top-o'-the tower. 12,000 square feet of office space, in fact, with views that easily rival the Paulsen building. Please enjoy this latest installment in the downtown advertecture scene.
Once relegated to that awkward transition area between the parking lot and the inside of the Rosauer's in Brownes' Addition, The local version of The Real Estate Book and Apartment Finder have found greener pastures in which to peddle. As of a couple of weeks back, these two fine periodicals have hit the meanstreets of downtown, and are classing up street corners all over. Seriously, in one three-block stretch along Main Avenue, we passed five of these turd-brown boxes.
Feel free to give the parent company feedback here.
Good signage is a critical aspect of running almost any comercial establishment, and the more unique the better in our opinion. Lately though, we've spotted a number of these cute 'portable trailer signs' popping up at various intesections throughout the city. We figure it's an attempt at getting around some local zoning law that doesn't allow on site advertising of particular kinds. We're certain the local convenience store chain using this method has to get the word out that they have Bud by the 18-pack for only $11.89 (anyone seen Spuds McKenzie?). No, the real issue is the hypocrisy of some of our liquor control laws. Take the Perry District for example.
Well that didn't take long. A little over two months since it shuttered its doors and the abandoned Safeway building on 3rd and Maple is on the fast track to blight. Some might say it's already arrived. The store was never the pride and joy of the organization, and as far back as we can remember it had always been a little rough around the edges.
Is the sun setting on the skywalk era? An issue raised recently by David Blaine in our MetroSpokane photo pool he observes:
"One thing that has happened since Expo 74 is the movement of business from the street up to the skywalk level and back down to the street. The skywalks are not going anywhere, but the question is what role will they play in the new downtown?"
Grafitti. Tagging. Street art. Call it what you will, but it exists in Spokane in a variety of ways. From the chaotic script left by a Sharpie, to the more time consuming stencil boldly sprayed on the sidewalk in front of Sterling Savings, we've seen a lot of it. Some of it in plain sight, but blending in just enough as not to be noticed.
