Leading Architectural Writer Calls Fane Tower an Insult and “The Wrong Building”

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

GoLocal LIVE, Business Monday

 

View Larger +

Architectural writer Will Morgan

One of America's leading architectural writers, Will Morgan, calls NY developers Jason Fane's proposed tower on the 195 land the wrong building for Providence.

Morgan has written about architecture and design for a variety of publications, including the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Boston Globe.

Morgan says the design is wrong for Providence "not because it is tall, it's just not very good." Morgan says the building looks like it should be in "Phoenix or Tulsa", but not in Providence, RI.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Morgan says what make Providence great is that "it is walkable and has scale," but Morgan says the Fane Tower lacks the appropriate scale for the Capitol city. "It is just wrong."

He is the author of Louisville: Architecture and the Urban Environment.

 

Related Slideshow: Reactions to Fane’s “One Tower” Proposal on 195 - December 9, 2016

View Larger +
Prev Next

Joseph Paolino

Former Mayor of Providence 

"If the developer thinks the market is there, and the state doesn't have to subsidize it - if someone wants to come in and spend hundreds of millions of their own money, we should try and make it easier, not more difficult. Yes, they’d be getting a tax stabilization but remember that property isn't paying taxes now -- highways have never paid property taxes.

As for people opposed to it, as my dad used to tell me, that's why Howard Johnson has 28 flavors -- everyone has their opinion on what's attractive or not attractive, what’s an addition to the skyline, or a detraction. But again, if someone wants to spend hundreds of millions and employ people and create housing and add an attractive element to the city, we should be embracing it."

View Larger +
Prev Next

Travis Escobar

Project Manager, Public Policy at United Way of Rhode Island, founding member of the Millennial Professional Group of Rhode Island

“I’ve heard from young professionals who have left the state, citing our lack of development and opportunity as reasons why. If we want to tackle our brain-drain, young professionals and recent graduates need more opportunities to work and thrive.

While it's encouraging to see out-of-state developers wanting to invest in our state, any proposal should be given thoughtful review to truly understand how it can help our business community."

View Larger +
Prev Next

Dan Baudouin

Executive Director, The Providence Foundation

"We certainly welcome outside investor and capital interest in downtown and growing the downtown residential community is one of our goals because of the many benefits that it brings.

However, this proposal is quite a departure from the plans that many have been developed for this area and thus requires  analysis, study and discussion. At this point, the Providence Foundation does not have sufficient information nor has had the time to discuss the project."

View Larger +
Prev Next

Sharon Steele

Jewelry District Association Vice-President

“We need ‘live, work, and play’ -  in scale. We have 95 Chestnut with 60 plus units, Plot 30 with same developer with 90 units, so together that’s 150 units. Then we’ll have the two seven story towers, ‘River House', after South Street landing is completed, next to Davol Square. Then we’ll have 44 Hospital Street.

These are all the right scale, appropriate to the district, all ready to go — what we need is business, lab space, bio tech, start-ups - so that we have people who then need to live there.”

 

Related Articles

 

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

 
 

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook