River Oaks Shopping Center is no more
KTRK-13's Mike McGuff has details of the shopping center's demise and, for the non-faint-of-heart, pictures of the before and after:
Crews began demolishing the building Tuesday around noon as supporters of historic preservation looked on and took pictures.
"I think there is a song called they tore down paradise to pave a parking lot," said area resident Tom Horan. "I think they could have saved it and remodeled it to fit their needs."
The building that was torn down once contained businesses like the Black Eyed Pea restaurant, Three Brothers Bakery and clothing stores. As the area is fully cleared, crews will begin building a national bookstore chain and parking garage.
Residents and supporters fear that the change robs the area of the original art deco architecture and design.
"It's an urban death. I feel like I am watching someone die here," said Sarah Gish of Save Our Landmarks. "It's part of our history, it's a part of our community fabric. Tearing into this part of the shopping center makes it not as historic as if this part was still standing."
Well, that might be a bit overly dramatic. Who knows -- maybe 70 years from now someone will consider the Barnes and Noble an historic landmark and fight to keep it standing!
Can we designate the trees along Metro's proposed Richmond route an historic landmark, too?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/05/07 05:03 AM | Print | Comments (16)
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