SouthPark, Charlotte, North Carolina. Original rendering of mall by architect Jean Surratt, 1964. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
SouthPark, Charlotte, North Carolina. 1968 rendering of mall. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
SouthPark, Charlotte, North Carolina. 1968 rendering of Fountain Court. (courtesy Pat Richardson)
SouthPark, Charlotte, North Carolina. 1968 rendering of J.B. Ivey & Company mall entrance. (courtesy Pat Richardson)Previously on LiveMalls
SouthPark, The Early Years
SouthPark 1975
The Evolution of the Fountain Court at SouthPark
The original 1964 proposal seems removed from the final 1969 construct than 5 years, and reflects alot of the change that ocurred during the 60's. The first half retains an innocence and really is a continuation of the 1950's, while the last half segues into the early 1970's, some ways the 1950's began after WWII and lasted until the assasination of John Kennedey and the 70's were born in 1965 with the escalation of the Vietnam War, ending with the Reagan era ushering in the 80's. Mall architecture definitely seems to follow this division, with the early post-war malls and the emergence of the regional and super-regional malls of the later 60's and early 70's, with the exception of the end of the Reagan era corresponding to the end of the heyday of mega-mall construction.
ReplyDeleteI would tend to agree with the majority of what you said. The mall as built seems less interesting, but more sensible than the original rendering.
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