Originally Posted by Illithid Dude
In all honesty, I'm really growing on 5-OH's design. Looking at the details of the newest rendering, the materials and pedestrian interaction look very nice. Sure, it's no Park 5th, but in terms of 22 story high rises, the proposal could have been a lot worse. Combined with the neighborhood transforming Pershing Square re-design, the area is going to look amazing. Maybe residing in New York has made me more open to proposals like this. The East Village, where I live, and much of downtown NY, is mainly low rise buildings, with few high rises scattered around. I think these areas are the most interest in lively of all of Manhattan. Downtown and Midtown, where most of the high rises are congregated, are places me and my friends actively avoid. Sure, high rises may look better from afar, and may excite some of us on this board, but they do not necessarily mean a more lively or engaging neighborhood. Hell, look at Metropolis. Huge, glassy, full of skyscrapers, and filled with curb cuts, drive ways, and imposing, grand-scale retail storefronts. I doubt the area around that project is going to transform in to a pedestrian wonderland. It'll look good in photographs, sure, but will it really contribute to the livability of DTLA?
Concerning the Apple store, there is no reason to call anyone out. Time will prove the rumors to be right or wrong. Any opinions on here have no bearing on the reality of the situation, so sit back, be happy that downtown is making such rapid progress, and see what ends up happening.
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