spenser1058

They knew @prahaboheme wanted a small format Target to hang out at, so Santa Monica’s getting a 24K sf version at Broadway and 5th St. Now, if he can just convince Bullseye to give us one in downtown O-town...

Remember when Sprint was the local phone company in Winter Park and Winter Garden? (It replaced Winter Park Telephone and Florida Telephone). Well, today Sprint, which has mostly been a wireless company for some time, is no more. After the merger with T - Mobile, the Sprint brand is no more. I’ve been with AT&T and the Bell System since the days when you had to go downtown and pick up your phones, but here’s a shout out to all you folks in the ‘burbs as we’ve reached the end of an era. https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/03/tech/sprint-tmobile-brand/index.html *This Is CNN* (in best James Earl Jones voice)*

BUILT BY UCF (even those moves!) https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/29590524 From ESPN TACKO ROCKS

Impossible Burger has arrived at Publix. So far, the closest Target has gotten is Beyond Meat and the Gardein Ultimate Burger: https://www.engadget.com/impossible-burger-publix-171152263.html From Endgadget *Pseudomoo*

What he did is become complacent. Just like John Land and Earl K Wood, when you just show up at the office to collect the check, it’s time to step away. As Mayor Bill pointed out, 10 years is pretty much the max for anyone. That’s been true of every Orlando mayor in my lifetime - they all stayed too long (in fact, I’d question beyond 8, but Mayor Bill is smarter than I am). It’s time for a vision of what Orlando should be again. Or, as JFK said about Ike, who really slowed down later in his second term, “Let’s get the country moving again”. Why is Orlando (and Orange County), a young, vibrant city, controlled by AARP members? Meanwhile, staid old cities like Pittsburgh and South Bend have had energetic mayors in their twenties? I must confess that, in being a part of discussion boards going back to the days even before the internet, that I have never seen so many so invested in the status quo, with the exception of a couple of elderly church groups. It is sort of fascinating, if puzzling. Let’s get Orlando moving. There are so many issues that need to be addressed in the wake of the current emergency and so many opportunities, but we’re just snoozing our way through.

I’ve talked a lot about the influence of Mayor Bill Frederick, but if you’d like to read about him from another source: https://sarahsekula.com/orlando-icon/ From Sarah Sekula ”I wanted to serve and then get off the stage. “. - Mayor Bill https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2013-10-19-os-bill-frederick-legacy-20131019-story.html From the Sentinel

The Tap Room at Dubsdread is already one of my favorite places to eat (and dining on the porch under some of the oldest oak TREES around is a definite bonus) and you will also probably see more FFO’s per sq ft. than anywhere else in town . What could be better? Well. Now they’re offering free COVID tests to boot. Is this a great country or what? https://www.scottjosephorlando.com/news/5318-join-the-staff-at-tap-room-at-dubsdread-for-a-free-covid-19-test From Scott J

Good heavens! Even Forbes (remember when Steve Forbes ran for POTUS?) believes customer loyalty and trust has decided customer loyalty and trust comes before Wall Street’s quarterly reports. The times, they are a changin’. https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelleykohan/2020/06/18/target-is-doing-the-right-thing-by-investing-heavily-in-employees-and-customers/

Fans of mid-century modern architecture will love these shots from Jacksonville. There’s even a brise or two for @HankStrong! https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/ten-examples-of-mid-century-modern-in-jacksonville From The Jaxson The former Gulf Life tower on the Southbank is still my favorite highrise. Interestingly, architects Welton Becket & Associates also designed Disney’s Contemporary Resort just afterward. It’s also interesting to compare the very different approaches taken between the former Haydon Burns library in downtown Jax and the brutalist Orlando Public Library (just the section on the southeast corner was included in the initial building). Both were built about the same time.

OK - our latest retail bankruptcy is Tailored Brands, parent of Men’s Wearhouse, JoS A. Bank and K&G Fashion Superstore. All three brands have Orlando-area locations: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mens-wearhouse-jos-a-banks-parent-tailored-brands-files-for-bankruptcy-report-2020-08-02 Also in the bin is Lord & Taylor. It once had a store at Florida Mall but exited the Orlando market some years ago.

The Rose Arts District proposed for Rosemont’s former Lake Orlando golf course moves forward with more info: https://www.thedailycity.com/news From The Daily City

Trying again with the Orange Avenue Overlay Project even as the lawsuit between WP and developer Demetree goes on: https://bungalower.com/2020/07/29/orange-avenue-overlay-update/ From Bungalower

We’ve had to chuckle here in Orlando about this possibility because JCPenney is still holding its own in all but one of our malls (which is in the process of conversion already to some unknown fate - several developers have tried and failed to decide on a concept yet) while Belk abandoned the market except for a couple of exurban stores some time ago. If we’re to have a Charlotte store in Orlando again, can we bring back Ivey’s from the retail graveyard,please?

There’s that word again. It was said about the Magic and I was chastised for bringing “politics” into it. I’m not sure how it’s political to note almost everything about downtown these days is mediocre and that all flows from a political source in a strong-mayor town. This is exactly what a solid majority of the 9% of Orlando voters asked for last November, to continue the mediocrity. Let us revel in it, shall we?

I received a DM from one of our posters expressing some frustration with the amount of seemingly trivial details I throw into posts (see my post about the FL408 today in Central Florida Roads and Highways for an example). In other posts I have talked about trees and walkability and the design of buildings and neighborhood history. The fellow who sent me the message wondered how any of that possibly matters. First, it’s because history matters. Trying to overlay a community that has no relationship to its past almost never works. It’s a big reason all that “urban renewal” in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s was such a disaster (as was a healthy dose of racism, but that’s grist for another post) I often bemoan the fact that my parents and grandparents are no longer around to ask questions about why certain things happened here. None of them would have been regulars on a site like this but they might remember a few things in our cityscape that just don’t make sense (another reason for knowing the history is it often solves puzzles). A big thing, however, and this is probably the biggest issue I have with Mayor Buddy, is that I’m a big believer in “Management By Wandering Around”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_by_wandering_around Whether it’s Jane Jacobs in Greenwich Village or Walt at Disneyland (he had an apartment over the firehouse on Main St. so he could check on things at night after the park closed), there’s a lot to be discovered by just wandering and talking to employees and regular folks. Mayor Bill did that and developed his vision for the swans, water features and what could be made of downtown’s historic district. Oddly, in his 17 years as mayor, I’ve never just seen Buddy do that. (I question if he even gets around in his SUV or there’s no way he’d be unaware of the horrible shape Summerlin and Delaney are in, but I digress). Has he ever wondered where all the awnings downtown went and where all these new residents he got to move in are supposed to shop (maybe he thinks a 7-Eleven and a Dunkin’ are all we need)? If that’s just not his thing, where is someone like a Thomas Chatmon to do it for him and give him regular reports? Where is the curiosity? Yes, he’d need to have his OPD bodyguards with him but as a general rule mayors don’t require the security a president does. It’s thinking about all those little things that fit together and add up to a vision. That’s what we seem to have lacked these last few years. What should Orlando look like or aspire to be in 10, 25 or 50 years? There seems to be no plan except to get bigger and taller. I believe we can do better. There is a chief administrative officer and scores of staffers to do the paperwork and make sure the trash is picked up. A mayor (especially a strong one) is supposed to determine the direction of the starship.