Originally posted by Jaguär:
Originally posted by helicon1:
How can office space be more appealing than a concert venue with such history? With office space; comes large strip malls and town centers featuring such classic stores as Target and Borders. Thats always dreadful. And don't forget the year-round traffic it brings. But maybe thats what the neighborhood wants.
By my thinking, it's not more comfortable for the residents. Instead, it's more comfortable for those with big, cushy bank accounts and stock holdings who stand to make even bigger bank accounts and stock holdings.
Personally, I don't think it has a damned thing to do with what the neighbors want but instead has everything to do with what a very small group of investors want regardless of what might be best for the community.
Seth, care to enlighten us about any of this? Suggestions? (Besides showing our support. 
)
Any of you geeks want to create an online petition that we could easily send around that would generate a lot more action? Maybe get some of the legal eagles involved just to get the wording down. I'll do what I can but I suck at those things. I can, at very least, get lots of them out...without spamming, of course. [/b]
Yeah, I wish this was as easy as blaming it on the residents, but this time it really isn't. The residents actually don't want to see anything done with MPP. Because they know what the alternative could be, another office building and strip mall, which Columbianites aren't excited about at all, because it certainly isn't pleasing to the eye, and it doesn't fit in with upper white middle class values. (That's my daily stab at Columbia)
It's all about money, and apparently Rouse doesn't feel that MPP is bringing it in like it used to. They say the number of shows are down, attendance is down, resulting in profits being down. I am sure that this may have been true in the past to a certain degree, but it isn't like Rouse or Clear Channel were doing much to make it better, or to lure more acts. Then, fortunately IMP takes it over, and look at what they've done. They have improved the sound system, lighting system, video monitors, as well as food, the grounds, and the area behind the stage. They are looking toward the future with their improvements, and I would hate to see that effort go to waste.
I'm overjoyed to see a group taking things on to try and save the pavilion. I think that turning it into another indoor pavilion would not only dampen the look and original spirit of the facilty, but I feel like then it would be even more difficult to lure shows there, with all of the other indoor facilities around the Baltimore/DC Metro area. To me, it would seem that MPP could be put on the National List of Historic Landmarks or something for Historic preservation, because it is one of Frank Gehry's first projects, and he is a major force in architecture now all over the world.
