Experiencing the contrasts of built spaces
It's interesting how I respond to human built spaces; I love natural places, of course, but my favorite towns and cities are interesting in their architecture, whether new or old.
Coming to the Piedmont of North Carolina from the mountains this afternoon, I stopped at a Sheetz, a gas station/food stop chain based in Greenville, SC, I think, but spreading through the Piedmont of NC, too, based on signs along I-40.
This one was a more than pleasant surprise, built of brick with classy decorative detailing and nice (eg MUCH better than generic) landscaping. Even the shelters above the pumps had attractive brick elements included. Inside, the space was bright and spacious with large windows, a sit-down space, and more fresh food than usual. It was just very nicely done. Surprising. The Wendy's next door had a similar look, and I wondered if perhaps the same owner/developer had invested in a much higher grade appearance for her/his franchise properties.
Continuing to my destination, the historic town of Davidson, NC, the home of Davidson College (an excellent and distinctive small college), I drove past mega-houses on Lake Norman, recently re-developed round-abouts still under construction, but quite expensively done, and since they were on the outskirts of Davidson, part of the community obviously very-tightly zoned for new construction.
Every time I've come here for the Davidson Horticultural Symposium, there's always been something new that's popped up as this area is booming, as an attractive upscale option not that far from Charlotte.
The historic center of Davidson and the College are authentic and well-maintained. I don't know if Davidson has been through down phases -- I'll have to check -- but it all looks great now, beautiful historic buildings that are nicely kept. The shops downtown are a mix of local and chain, in a pleasant way. And, I'm fortunate to have jumped on a nice room in a historic inn (Davidson Village Inn) early on; having stayed here before, I knew this place was great.
The next-door town of Cornelius has a new community garden that looks delightful, even in winter.
But rather amazingly, it also has two new shopping areas, one of which is a planned destination (a "community center") --at least it had that look. Here are a couple of concept sketches, for a shopping complex that's now been built, by a company called Antiquity Communities. I drove by the completed center this afternoon; it looked nice, much better than an average shopping center.
We have a couple of planned town centers near Asheville (in surrounding communities). The first of them, when new, looked dreadfully sterile and inauthentic, but then became something a bit more welcoming. They're dramatically better than normal "anytown America" sprawl, but have a strange constructed feeling, nevertheless. The second one is still developing.
Trees and green space are key, at least for me, to a place to feel right, regardless of the buildings.
Coming to the Piedmont of North Carolina from the mountains this afternoon, I stopped at a Sheetz, a gas station/food stop chain based in Greenville, SC, I think, but spreading through the Piedmont of NC, too, based on signs along I-40.
This one was a more than pleasant surprise, built of brick with classy decorative detailing and nice (eg MUCH better than generic) landscaping. Even the shelters above the pumps had attractive brick elements included. Inside, the space was bright and spacious with large windows, a sit-down space, and more fresh food than usual. It was just very nicely done. Surprising. The Wendy's next door had a similar look, and I wondered if perhaps the same owner/developer had invested in a much higher grade appearance for her/his franchise properties.
Continuing to my destination, the historic town of Davidson, NC, the home of Davidson College (an excellent and distinctive small college), I drove past mega-houses on Lake Norman, recently re-developed round-abouts still under construction, but quite expensively done, and since they were on the outskirts of Davidson, part of the community obviously very-tightly zoned for new construction.
Every time I've come here for the Davidson Horticultural Symposium, there's always been something new that's popped up as this area is booming, as an attractive upscale option not that far from Charlotte.
The historic center of Davidson and the College are authentic and well-maintained. I don't know if Davidson has been through down phases -- I'll have to check -- but it all looks great now, beautiful historic buildings that are nicely kept. The shops downtown are a mix of local and chain, in a pleasant way. And, I'm fortunate to have jumped on a nice room in a historic inn (Davidson Village Inn) early on; having stayed here before, I knew this place was great.
The next-door town of Cornelius has a new community garden that looks delightful, even in winter.
But rather amazingly, it also has two new shopping areas, one of which is a planned destination (a "community center") --at least it had that look. Here are a couple of concept sketches, for a shopping complex that's now been built, by a company called Antiquity Communities. I drove by the completed center this afternoon; it looked nice, much better than an average shopping center.
We have a couple of planned town centers near Asheville (in surrounding communities). The first of them, when new, looked dreadfully sterile and inauthentic, but then became something a bit more welcoming. They're dramatically better than normal "anytown America" sprawl, but have a strange constructed feeling, nevertheless. The second one is still developing.
Trees and green space are key, at least for me, to a place to feel right, regardless of the buildings.
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