Monday, September 20, 2010

Washington Heights Walmart - Not a 'New Design'

Walmart.com has posted images of their newer style architecture.

Here you go:


 














Look Familiar? 

Sure looks as if Houston is getting a development that is "unique and that adds to the community."

Obviously very, very 'unique'.

12 comments:

  1. snootyHeightsresidentSeptember 22, 2010 at 4:42 PM

    looks better than the very very 'unique' Target on Sawyer....

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  2. In the third paragraph it should read "affect", not "effect."

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  3. I'm a couple years too late to write a blog called 'Theyarebuildingatargetonmystreet' ... plus, that would be a bold faced lie, because they're not really building a target on my street ... guess I can't answer your comment with any due justice ... sorry!

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  4. I encourage you to post a side by side photo of the proposed Walmart in Washington Heights --- I think most viewers will find it is different than this new prototype. The elevation is avaialble on the development's website, www.washingtonheightsdistrict.com/walmart.html.

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  5. Anonymous ... i would totally do that(post a side by side photo) but there are no existing photos of your recommended walmart because it hasn't been built yet. An architectural rendering is really just a fancy way of saying 'drawing', which is nothing but imagination at this point.

    Here, watch:

    ______________
    | |
    | |
    | |
    | |
    |____________ |


    That is my really awesome attempt at an artist's rendering ... of what, I have no idea, but there it is ...

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  6. Also, if you click on the links that I provided in my post, it does take you to the imaginary drawings that you speak of ...

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  7. I know this sounds rhetorical but there aren't any existing photos because everyone ... including the developer, the community and RUDH ... want this store to be unique. And it will be. The rendering that has been presented is an accurate representation of what the store will look like. And this will be hard for you but ... you'll have to trust me about that. (I don't have a better response ... sorry).

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  8. Its hard to 'trust' anyone in this quite frankly. We have pictures of a suburban strip center. Thats it.

    Pile on the mayor's office saying that we'd have responses on the community's suggestions and reports, which she asked for, and not giving them, then ramming an agreement through City Council which promises taxpayer dollars to Ainbinder because of Ainbinder's financial deadlines, and you've bred an environment of mistrust. Sorry, but thats not my fault.

    As with the Yale Street comments, the city has to find a better way to communicate this stuff to the public.

    And despite all of this ... I'd still be willing to trust if the city would simply start sharing details about whats going on. But there is very, very little. So, the discussion goes on in comments on a blog, news story's where all sides take jabs at eachother, and PIR's on a weekly basis that yield very little constructive dialogue.

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  9. Also, other anonymous ... thanks, I changed the 'e' to an 'a' for affect. I could never get that right. I'm not double checking your grammar recommendation, so lets hope you're right for the sake of the millions, and gazillions of fans around the galaxy of this blog. Thats right ... I'm looking at you Iapetus ... thats a moon of Saturn for all you non-astronomy types out there ...

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  10. The picture of the WM you have looks exactly like the prototype on their WM website for their current stores; but it was sold to us by Ainbinder as "special" for this location. What nonsense. They have a model, they use it everywhere and then they think we don't know how to look up their pictures on their website. Pretty sad stuff. Travelling around the US, this is what every awful WM looks like. Nothing architectural about it. Just brown instead of gray! WOW!

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  11. Other anonymous ... the rendering or photograph --- tough to tell these days --- shown at the top of this page isn't the one being built in Washington Heights. The version posted on www.washingtonheightsdistrict.com is correct. And, to Nick's point, it's difficult to appreciate the differences until it's built but there are significant differences that will be recognizable between their prototype and the WH version. (The original presentation Ainbinder made at the GRB included images depicting the architectural progression from the prototype to the proposed store; these slides may be available on the city's website). Candidly, the only thing that is the same is the sign although the colors are similar --- both based on browns instead of blues and reds.

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  12. Right, but here's the point ... you (or Ainbinder, or the City), are trying to sell the public on subtle architectural differences. Essentially, we're debating over differing shades of red on the lipstick, even though its all lipstick.

    So whats unique? Unique in that its this close to downtown? Unique in that its bordered by homes on three sides? Unique in that the street bordering the northern edge of it through the neighborhood is 21ft wide and there's no plan to address it?

    I mean, those things are unique ... size, color of brick, artists renderings ... not so much.

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