Abstract:
This is a small architectural project with very big implications. It is the kind of project which, when handled carefully and with love and consideration, can impart “la joie de vivre” to anyone with whom it comes in contact -- rich or poor, happy or sad -- because that is precisely what it is: the joy of life.Marketing has enjoyed a glad and colorful history among men. This activity has been linked with every good aspect of men’s life from ceremony to major social gatherings. We are happiest when we are at our friendliest and marketing places such as this persuades the friendliness right out of us.On the less poetic side, this is also a project which is both architectural and planning. It is one of those projects by which we may rediscover the positive side of urban renewal. Though strikingly simple architecturally, the countless influences of the compound lives and history of a population such as even a small town make this a project-type worth looking at, studying, and remembering.Important, also, is the opportunity to study an effort toward the rehabilitation of an “obsolete building.” Buildings are valuable resources; man cannot afford to continue building with short-term use in mind – nor can he afford to waste the many resources necessary to build one.