The Palm Springs City Council will meet Wednesday, 6/24/09 at 6pm to discuss the historic designation (Class 1 Historic) of the Town and Country Center.
As you may know, future development plans call for demolishing TCC as part of the Fashion Plaza project to open Indian and Palm Canyon Drives to the Desert Museum.
The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation supports the city granting class 1 historic status to TCC. I think they make some convincing arguments in support of saving the Town and Country Center. Friends of Town and Country Center also (of course!) supports saving TCC. Their sight offers some good information about the history of the center and some ideas for future redevelopment.
What are your thoughts?
Russell Hill RS Associates 760.203.2959 RussellHill@dc.rr.com
2 comments:
Hello Russell. Hope you had a good weekend.
I am in favor of protecting the T&CC and cannot fathom why anyone would consider destroying it. Besides being an historic building that was designed by America's most noted African American architect, Paul Williams, and the highly esteemed A. Quincy Jones, it is part and parcel of what attracts many people to Palm Springs: MID CENTURY MODERNISM.
The site of the T&CC is obviously not in the way of a route to the Convention Center as Andreas road serves that purpose perfectly. Besides, the Convention Center is so far from Palm Canyon in walking distance that I doubt too many people are going to take the peripatetic stroll from one site to the other. The only reason I can see for the destruction of the T&CC is so that the Spa CASINO may be better viewed from Palm Canyon and so that it may entice tourists to go through the center of the street and across Indian Canyon and drop quarters into those (IMHO) rigged machines. To destroy the T&CC so we can feed America's hunger for gambling is sick, in my opinion.
I hope the T&CC is designated an historic site and that the owner decides to work within its confines and develops the building in the manner it was intended. In this age of 'green' buildings and 'green' living NOTHING can be more 'green' than utilizing an existing building versus the decision to build anew. New construction can never be as 'green' as keeping an older building in place. The restoration of old buildings is the ultimate in 'recycling' and in being 'green'.
If we destroy all the mid~century modern buildings in Palm Springs then we will lose the very thing people come here to see. Palm Springs needs to develop the way Pasadena and Santa Barbara developed, by using some of their older building and refitting them for modern day usage. This is our chance to make a difference for the future. Let's be very careful before we rob our community of its soul.
Thanks Willy. I agree with your comments regarding the TCC. I do support opening up a street or "paseo" from Palm Canyon to the Desert Museum. I think that could be a positive change for downtown, especially for the Desert Museum. And, there's nothing special about the Desert Fashion Plaza, so ripping it apart is not a big loss! I think it would be short-sighted and stupid for the city council to allow demolition of the Town and Country Center. It could be fabulous refurbished and could become a huge draw for downtown!
Have you voiced your opinions to the city council?
Let's not forget what we're left with at the corners of Palm Canyon/Alejo/Indian Canyon!
cheers,
Russell
760.203.2959
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