On attending the open house at Providence Academy on Tuesday, I expected to see some new revised drawings showing the proposed “multi-use development” at the Academy site. I was disappointed to see the same renderings that were in The Columbian a few months ago that drew such critical comments from readers (“Two new buildings planned at The Academy,” Jan. 8).
What was presented, instead, were these same designs labeled as “Compatible Juxtaposition,” as if calling them compatible would make them so. The most telling views are the ones that show the historic Academy building beside the stark new structures. I find it hard to see how anyone finds those buildings compatible.
Visitors like me could write comments on very small Post-It notes to place on the drawings. Hmmmm — not much room here. What should have been presented at the open house were a few alternate ideas, like maybe facing the new buildings with red brick, at a minimum. The Historic Trust can do a lot better than this in developing this important property. Please make it truly compatible. Slick headlines are not enough.
