say bye bye

Walgreens is the architectural anti-christ.

There’s a good chance that wherever you are, another nondescript, low-slung, uninteresting pharmaceutical super-center is being constructed. OK – I suppose some of you out there would argue that the new signature “void” in the new stores’ facade, framing a Las-Vegas style, neon mortar and pedestal counts as interesting. – Maybe even a strange form of 3-dimensional branding? A consistent, (yet utterly stupid), architectural element between stores. But alas – I’m not here to get my bitch on about the company’s current design decisions. (or lack there of).

Nope… what’s got this monkey’s goat is the drug chain’s lack of reverence for pre-existing, significant architecture. (This is the second instance I’m aware of that this has (is) happening in our city).

Near our new home stands, (not for long), one of the most interesting specimines of modern architecture on this stretch of historic Route 66. Formerly a grocery store, the building was turned into a Walgreens sometime in I guess the early 70’s. > The store resembles a giant origami box, emitting an erie fluorescent glow at night. The soaring space fronts a more traditional supermarket space which extends back on the lot a couple hundred feet.

I asked an employee, who closely resembled comedian Louie Anderson with a lazy eye, why his employer would extinguish such a wonderful building. He nearly spit on me when he replied, wide-eyed and shocked: “What? This Dump?”.

On another trip I caught the store manager and asked him the same thing. He replied by citing the inefficiency of the building’s HVAC system and that it’s just…. “Old”…

I suppose I’m torn over the issue. I “am” in the branding business and there’s something to be said about retailers striving for consistency to further reinforce their “brand”.. but… Isn’t there a “higher-calling” – something to override the need for your building to match your fucking letterhead?

The only solution to vent my anger would be to either blog about it or chain myself to the building in protest…. I guess since I don’t blog, I better go to Walgreens and buy some pad locks.