ArtCritic

Yes, the number of pedestrans is hilarious. Maybe they're planning to give away free ice cream or something, while stipulating that that it must be eaten on the other side of South Blvd. That would explain it.

I love this photo Tozmervo! Just like so many of the really good miniature models, it's cute and eerie at the same time. Memory and fantasy cohabit in an airy but airless mental world. Uncanny, isn't it, how the real and the surreal seem to confront each other here, as the futuristic and the old are juxtaposed. As I've learned from years of lurking on UP, the blend of old and new is one of the things that and lend urban atmospheres a special magic. You've beautifully evoked the impending unfolding of that here. Dreaming of the future: In the decades to come, increased density will mean more and more foot traffic for this area and for others along line. A background filled with people actively milling around or strolling (like the couple near the monument in the present photo) would make the static look of a model a little harder to achieve. Just think of all the bustling shoppers and errand-running residents future photographers will have to edit out of their pics in order to get a similar effect!

Any ideas about what the stores in the Tremont will actually be? If the retail is geared toward everyday use by neighborhood residents, then in a small way it could have a "village center" feel, augmenting the sense of community. I'd like to see a lot more of that. Just a thought by a non-Dilworth resident. As Atlrvr said, the scale seems nicely handled, and the retail space is great. I just wish that in this case the Historic District Commission and/or the architect had sought a style more redolent of Charlotte's history instead of New England's. All I would hope for now is that the ground floor stays light-colored, which would save the building from looking entirely Massachusetts, as well as lessening its potential dreariness.

THAR' SHE BLOWS!! This really is something right off of Cape Cod. What will they sell in the street-level shops? Scrimshaw necklaces? Saltwater taffy? Bayberry candles? Chowder? Once the yellow Komatsu in the photo is gone (and the ground floor is painted the same New England gray?), everyone who's ever lived within a hundred miles of a whaling town will have flashbacks on overcast days. It's our version of the House of the Seven Gables. In a funny way I do appreciate the variety, but purely for variety's sake. And at least there seems to be no EFIS. Having just ONE of these is fun (and who knows, some neighbor with a sense of wit might also paint his/her house gray!), but I hope the Cape Cod style does not become a local trend. IMHO Charlotte has its own "native" variations on the bungalow style that, if adapted to a Tremont-sized project, would harmonize much better with the surroundings.