Saturday, September 29, 2007

75 Smith: The Tutti Frutti Building

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(artist rendering: picture credit www.75smith.com)



Real Time pictures taken September 2007

Call me a minimalist if you want, but in my book, less is always more. Take the example of The Smith, Leviev/ Boymelgreen's box that is almost finished at the corner of Smith and Atlantic. As the building was getting its brick veneer, I was at first amused and then distressed about the many colors of brick used. The other day, I happened to walk by and counted the various shades.

*There is your "run of the mill brick" colored brick.
*There is the "Look!-I-Could-Be-Brownstone" dark brown brick.
*There is the lighter "Let's Totally Be Creative" slightly lighter brown brick
*And the pièce de résistance, the element that is supposed to tie everything together, but doesn't: the "limestone" color brick.

Now, I am sure that all of this looked clever on paper, but in reality, all these different blocks of color give 75 Smith a real cheap look. Wouldn't the building have looked better in one color brick with some real interest over the windows? How about something like a cornice?
Am I being too critical? Well, probably! I am just so tired of those inelegant, thoughtless monstrosities going up.

Related Links:
Leviev Boymelgreen
75 Smith


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I heard that they are going to renovate the St. Clair DIner, I hope they don't any cues from that condo institution, doesn't look much different from the house of detention across the way.

Kelly said...

Ha, that is funny! You are right. The prison building is starting to look pretty good next to these condo boxes. And the prisoners don't have to pay a cool mil.

Anonymous said...

Nothing says "luxury" likes Fedders boxes.

Kelly said...

Yes, a classy building. You know that our boys Leviev and Boymelgreen went all out....