A few months ago we had food for thought because of the business buzz words so proudly unfurled. Now that the wrapping is mostly gone, here is the end result: UGLY! It looks like the packing crate that the Fox Plaza came in. The signs were pretty, not true, but pretty. The building, appropriate in being diagonally located from the ever hideous visual disfigurement called the FOX PLAZA, is equally dreadful. What law proclaims that modern/new buildings must adhere to some standard of ugliness? This building is ugly. It is cold, not a shred of appeal. No wonder Americans turn to drugs. You almost have to have them to get past the horror of the jungle of glass, steel, concrete; no relief in sight. This is one area where my good friend Prince Charles is spot on: Modern buildings by & largely hold no visual appeal. They just get drearier with each passing decade. We have gone backwards just to make buildings taller. Something very special from a visual perspective got lot in this process.
When the next edition of American Heritage Dictionary is published, here is my candidate to illustrate the word ‘ugly.’
The tree is utterly terrified & told me so. Like Prince Charles, I know that plants talk. This one is screaming for help, trying to escape!
The architects believe in sharing depression. Is this a cult thing? UGLY! Maybe it’s this way to discourage loitering?
Seems that being authentic is being plugged as one of the turn of THIS Century’s buzz words, along with being local & supporting culture here. How can we not believe this when it’s in print & hanging on banners tied to chain link fences?
These words are food for ponder, but are they authentic for thought?
Culture is always a good thing & context just proves it!
Being here is better than being in Oakland, at minimum there is a there here. Gertrude Stein, alas, is not here to verify.
And local, is where the heart is, right? The highrise is local all over the world, but we have a sign to prove ours is really more local than theirs.
Last, but certainly not least, this company is authentic, not like the others which might not be authentic. Now we can sleep without medicine, an authentic & good night’s sleep will solve all ills.
Thomas Outt 