Grand Reflections 11.14.2006 | 0 Comment(s)

Driving north on Grand on my way to take photos from the Compton Hill Water Tower, I was struck at the amount of work that had been done on the Compton Gate Condos. You'll probably recall that arsonists set fire to this development this past summer.

Since the fire, every time I'd driven by the site the fence surrounding the property laid bent and broken, the concrete foundation sat gray and lonely in the middle of the dirt lot. That had all changed a few weeks ago.

The thing that sort of took me by surprise was the scale of the project. The building, taking shape nicely, almost towers above the street. It adds a nice presence to that stretch of Grand and the building sort of pulls some things together visually. It also makes that section of Grand feel a bit more important. It definitely makes the Jack in the Box next door seem out of place, maybe JITB will update the outside of that store as Grand develops...wishful thinking.

I hope this sort of development moves south to Gravois. The South Side Bank condo conversion is going to be a great thing, but it almost seems like it's an island unto itself...I have to admit, I'm not sure I'd want to live there. Well, I probably would for the views!