Architectural Eye Candy...key to urban redevelopment?

Here's some eye candy for all of us who love great architecture – new and old. When I first looked at the site, I enjoyed it for its entertainment value – after all – the exhilaration of good or fun architecture is part of the reason we work so hard to save it when it is threatened, and if you can’t have fun with it, well…it could get serious!



Then I put my big idea hat on and thought – how very wonderful it would be if here, in the Rochester area, we could inspire the same exuberance of innovative architectural design. Lo and behold, when I scrolled down – I saw we did make the list – The new Strong Museum construction is identified as one of the “strange buildings of the world.” I also immediately thought about James H. Johnson’s ‘Mushroom House,’ built right next door in Perinton, NY. Shouldn’t that too be on this list?


And shouldn’t , as we look to redefine our urban core with the site potentials at both the Midtown and Renaissance Square sites, among other under-development sites, we be considering the construction of equally stimulating architecture? How about some positive controversy for a change!

To see more go here.

Yes – it costs money. And such design is not for the faint of heart. But, if it is designed well, and built to last, think of the long term benefits of that joy. I do.

Posted by Joanne Arany, Executive Director LSWNY