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sounds_sound · 4864 days ago · link · · parent · post: PBS Lists top 10 buildings that changed America...
I would've liked to have posted this after seeing the actual PBS series because some of the buildings on the list could use a bit of an explanation as to why they were chosen. For me, I think that 'changed' is perhaps the perfect ambiguous word for the impact the Southdale Center has had on the U.S. Is it change for the better? Maybe not, but one cannot deny the fact that shopping centers have been paramount in shaping suburban landscapes.
The thing is, you've got to put yourself in 1950's shoes to try and understand what a promising typology the enclosed mall was. It was seen as another way to be liberated from the dirty and seedy downtown industrial center. It was a place to go to with the whole family, in the new car. What I'm wondering is - would the middle class in the United States have thrived so much if it weren't for the shopping center? I think the answer has to be no. Btw, Victor Gruen was also the chief designer for post-war Detroit's four major suburban shopping centers: Eastland Center, Southland Center, Westland Center, and Northland Center. Another, albeit completely different, architectural legacy from Motown.