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Show New mall prompts debate over 'historic' architecture IN. K f fk I c Nf i r f ! f W in w4 J I Jt it The focus of the controversy. ph0, b Davd Hampshire by Rick Brough The spray-painted graffiti asks, "This is historical?" And pedestrians, walking by the new Silver Mill Mall on upper Main Street can't help but see it. The vandalism is the most flagrant of several public comments expressing express-ing discontent with the look of the mall. If the vandal had had enough spray paint, he might also have asked, "How did it get this way?" and "Who created this building?" The Record attempted an answer to this question by talking to some of the people involved in the city's approval of the mall's architecture. We found a web of differing opinions, recollections and opinions. But three basic conclusions emerge. 1 ) The modern style was definitely . not the first choice of Silver Mill, which abandoned a historical "replica" "repli-ca" design after pressure from the city. Silver Mill president Randy Fields told the Record he got the message a replica style would have tough sailing. "They never directly said so, but they made it clear the approval process would be torturous and long." At the time, he said, he needed to move fast to secure needed financing. 2 ) Tina Lewis and Helen Alvarez, then serving on City Council, strongly opposed the replica approach ap-proach at a time when Fields needed the council's help to secure financing. But records show the mall was not forced to go modern by City Council action on the financing. 3 ) Just before final approval, the Historic District Commission (which approves plans for buildings in the Historic District) reluctantly accepted accept-ed two major changes recommended by Silver Mill's mall consultant company. 4) Despite reservations, most of the people the Record contacted felt good or optimistic about the addition to Main Street. In its discussion, the Record talked to Tina Lewis and Helen Alvarez and former Historic District Commission members Bill Mammen and Nina Macheel. From Silver Mill, the paper contacted former partners Mike Barnes and Michael Doilney and Dave Wigman, controller for the Fields company. Silver Mill submitted its first design a replica village by architect Steven Baird to Historic District Commission in March of 1982. In his staff report, City Planning Director Bill Ligety praised some aspects of the project but noted "the overall impression is more imitative of past styles than we prefer." The design resembled a small village with a network of walking lanes. Both advocates and opponents have used the word "gingerbread" to describe it. Said Bill Mammen, "I was never against a historic concept, but they were doing hokey things with it." Nina Macheel said replicative architecture was more than an aesthetic problem. If a replica damaged the look of Main Street, the whole area might have been taken off the National Historic Register. Dave Wigman recalled the architect archi-tect then tried a "box" look, to MalltoAlO (DdDimttnimTUKBdL f rrqpinm . . . preliminary approval to the mall design in December of 1982, pending final details on color, concrete specifications, glass color and window win-dow details. Later, Silver Mill came back in the summer of 1982 with two changes that provoked discussion in Historic Commission. According to minutes from June 15, 1983, SilverMill asked to change the material from concrete which was prohibitively expensive, to brick. Mike Barnes from Silver Mill also asked for a tan brick color. Planning Director Bill Ligety advocated a reddish tone, pointing out the many Main Street buildings with that color. But Bames said a mall consultant (Chris Ramos of the Ramos Group) recommended tan as a more inviting color to customers. And Barnes said he had such confidence in Ramos that he would not change his mind. Commissioner Steve Decker! noted the commission had no basis on which to demand the red color, and the changes were approved. (By this point, MHT Architects of Salt Lake had been hired to complete the design. Mike Bames said the change was made because Rick Brighton did not have a large staff needed to "fast-track" the mall design. ) On June 27, the Planning Commission was presented with another change. The building had been broken up into steps and ramps to conform with the slope of the site. Now the north end of the mall was raised up, and the floor levels of the mall were lined up in even planes. The result was that, on the front facade, a strong horizontal look appeared on the building. According to minutes, architect Lynn Jones said the change was again suggested by the mall consultants. The original building with "stepping" required too many ramps for the handicapped and broke up the retail space. Commissioner Allen Roberts felt the building still had 90 percent of the original look. But Commissioner Paul de Groot said the old design had a playful appearance that was now weakened. Nina Macheel said the new look was heavy handed and reinforced the mass of the building. However, the staff recommended approval. Ligety said that, compared to earlier submissions, the proposed design was better than what the building might have looked like. The change was approved unanimously. unani-mously. Who is the designer of the mall building? Sources name either Rick Brighton, or Lynn Jones of MHT Architects, or both. Barnes said, "Rick Brighton probably gave it the form and structure. Lynn Jones gave it the polish." At this point, here are some of the verdicts from the characters involved in the drama: Randy Fields said that the more he looks at it, the better he likes it. "I think it's gonna fit." Helen Alvarez calls it "wonderful" "wonder-ful" and says that an original of anything is better than a replica. "It has the relief. I don't even mind the color." Mike Doilney said that the style was not his choice, "But when it's all finished, it's gonna look okay." Bill Mammen, who has left Historic Commission, said he would not have approved the design. "The height is non-conforming. It used to step better from south to north. Now it is one huge roof. I suppose that is better utilization of the space and less expensive." Nina Macheel said, "I have reservations about the brick, but the design functions well." And the result is better than what might have been. "I don't know what we could have done to prevent that size building in that space. That's where the zone is going." Tina Lewis said it might not be the best example of modern architecture and she regrets the brick color. But the building is broken up better than the Treasure Mountain Inn, she said. Lewis offered two more points. "Nobody anticipated that somebody would build something that would cover blocks!" And finally, "You hope for the best in 1984 architecture. But under the law, you cannot regulate taste." Mall from A1 duplicate the early look of buildings on Main Street. "The historic commissioners would say, 'I don't know what I want, but I'll know it when I see it.' " Meanwhile, a parallel drama was taking place at City Council, where Silver Mill was requesting a resolution of inducement so it could secure $10 million in industrial revenue bonds for the project. (The bonds, being tax exempt, would daw lower interest rates and make financing less expensive for the mall.) Tina Lewis and Helen Alvarez opposed the revenue bond resolution saying the mall's replica style did not benefit the area. (Lewis still argues for a contemporary but compatible architecture. It is tricky for achitects to do, she told the Record, but 1984 buildings can fit in by using elements mass, windows, etc. in a way that blends with older buildings.) Lewis and Alvarez, however, did not win at the Council level. On April 29 a vote for a bond resolution ended in a 2-2 tie Lewis and Alvarez voting against, Councilmen Bob Wells and Tom Shellenberger voting for. Mayor Jack Green broke the tie by voting for the resolution. The mayor said a decision on architecture should be made by the planning Department and Historic Commission. Commis-sion. (Ironically, Wigman said that Fields later chose another method of financing the mall.) Six days after their narrow victory at City Council, Silver Mill dramatically dramatic-ally changed its design. At a May 5 meeting, the Historic Commission saw new drawings, for a modem style, from architect Rick Brighton. Wigman said the two events were not connected. He recalled that shortly before the meeting, planning staff saw the latest version of the Steven Baird "replica" design and were quite unsympathetic to it. Doilney then decided to substitute drawings that had been worked up by Brighton, he said. Apparently there are several answers to the question of who in city government forced the change. Wigman said a note from Mike Doilney at the time says that he (Doilney) was getting pressure from Historic Commission, the Redevelopment Redevel-opment Agency, planning staff and members of City Council to build a modern building. According to city minutes, Brighton Bright-on proposed a conceptual, contemporary contemp-orary design of glass and concrete. Stephanie Churchill of the Utah . Heritage Foundation praised the approach. The Historic Commission gave |
