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I'm lousy with links, but if you want to see some great old photos of the building, go to UNCA's online photo site. Google UNCA Ball Photo. Enter keyword Roebling. The upper floors are substantially the same today; the ground floor storefronts have had a number of makeovers.

Too bad. The Haywood Building was built around 1917 and was the first major commercial building in that part of town, predating Bon Marche and the Grove Arcade. It was developed by a member of the Roebling family--the builders of the Brooklyn Bridge.

It's a lovely rendering, though it omits the traffic backed from the intersection of Lodge and Biltmore way back onto Sweeten Creek most mornings, most afternoons, certainly every Friday afternoon, and some holidays. It also omits the poor, unfortunate souls trying to turn in and out of the McDonalds parking lot. In fact, it's rather a Utopian rendering, suggesting that one might actually walk across Biltmore or Lodge at leisurely pace instead of hopping, skipping, and dodging like a game of Frogger.

The 63 Brook Street site now features a 1960s-ish strip mall, on a very long, narrow lot. Seems like new development there would require taking a large chunk out of the hillside behind it. About the influx of chain stores into Biltmore Village -- I have a hard time conceptualizing how the Village is going to handle the congestion these new businesses are bound to bring. And regarding Hauntedhead's post -- new development in Biltmore Village is displacing local business. Three businesses were bought out and town down to make way for the hulking mass that will house William-Sonoma et al. Tenants, including what appeared to be a mom & pop barber shop and non-chain clothing store, have disappeared from 63 Brook over the last few months. Biltmore Village is fast on its way to becoming Anywhere, USA with a few cottages interspersed in between.

I'm sorry to see that the design on the hotel website is a good deal less refined than previous renderings. The scale, massing, window and door patterns, and materials SHOULD BE much more important that emulating the Hunt/Smith village styles -- but unfortunately, the design guidelines are not implemented in a very creative way. The McDonalds is a ridiculous cartoon of a building (though I have to admit that I like that "M" half-timbering in the gables), but apparently it is much-loved by visitors and is seen by many to be a very successful design -- and a notable instance of the burger chain departing from total cookie cutter design. I'd rather see a comtemporary building that references the old in more subtle ways -- like the addition on the New Morning gallery on Bilmore Avenue.

I thoroughly enjoyed Orulz' and Haunted Head's letters to the developer... (what's that spiral thing on the roof? whipped cream on top?)...but I wonder if such constructive criticism ever makes its way to past the PR person to the design team.