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Next in Norfolk


Greekboy80

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I've been in Dominion Tower. It is definitely a well maintained and certainly welcoming place to be in. When you are on the first floor in the lobby area, you see the bar and all the services and amenities as well as the common areas and the welcome desk. With tons of marble and lighting that give it a warm feeling, it's no wonder it's downtown's premier office address and the added competition from Wachovia and maintained competition of the World Trade Center and 150 W. Main will only press the owners of Dominion Tower and it's A-list competition to give the their respective tenants top-of-the-line service, quality, and hospitality.
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I have always loved that building but hated how separated from downtown it felt. I do agree the inside was always in great shape and full of tenants.

My favorite two views of the tower is coming in to downtown Norfolk from VB because I grew up seeing it that way. And seeing it from Waterfront Park. Just something amazing about that park and how downtown feels from there.

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I'm not a fan of Alex Marshall, although he does make some valid points and expresses them well. It's just that he takes on too much--tries to explain broad deficiencies from a narrow, largely architectural perspective. It's a kind of Port Folio arrogance on steroids.

I do not believe that our "small town mentality" is an attribute of our physical space, lack of transit, of building styles or even of uncooperative leadership (o.k., those could be symptoms). You can find conflicted leadership in any major metropolitan area, and many social theorists believe that conflict helps give birth to creative solutions. I think our provincialism has complex sources. One problem is a military, structured mindset that does not appeal to enough creative thinkers. Another is the conservative social and political leanings of our region. Another is the lack of a major international college campus with a true community surrounding it. ODU may get there someday, but it has a long way to go. And then you have an economy that is largely dependent upon military contracts and shipping. Without major corporate presence, we lack support for the amenities that make an area great. So we have a lot of anxious little small business types who hate paying taxes, pester our city halls and get themselves elected. We do have a fine art museum and an excellent symphony orchestra, and those are surprising achievements.

So how do we think differently? Just do it. Do more to encourage it. Try to create better, more interesting jobs here. Make more of our assets, and for Gods sake start thinking about the environment and at least be more careful about throwing resources down the rat hole in the Middle East. Those are more relevant issues than street cafes in the 90 degree heat outside MacArthur Mall.

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I have always loved that building but hated how separated from downtown it felt. I do agree the inside was always in great shape and full of tenants.

My favorite two views of the tower is coming in to downtown Norfolk from VB because I grew up seeing it that way. And seeing it from Waterfront Park. Just something amazing about that park and how downtown feels from there.

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Sorry to continue the off-topic direction but I can't resist. I never understood the sense in putting that building there. It is totally isolated from the downtown business district. It prevents a unified downtown waterfront appealing to recreation and travel and fun and food.

Shame it wasn't located someplace like the Snyder lot.

Why is hindsight so clear :)

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Don't worry, in the future there will a brand spanking new office tower across the street from it at the NE corner of Waterside Dr. and St. Pauls Blvd. When that tower is put there, it will fill the gap in the skyline coming from virtually every direction especially on 264 from the beach. Other than that, let Dominion get its sole attention for now since it extends downtown's reach at its location and simply because it's a top-notch office tower.
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I'm not a fan of Alex Marshall, although he does make some valid points and expresses them well. It's just that he takes on too much--tries to explain broad deficiencies from a narrow, largely architectural perspective. It's a kind of Port Folio arrogance on steroids.

I do not believe that our "small town mentality" is an attribute of our physical space, lack of transit, of building styles or even of uncooperative leadership (o.k., those could be symptoms). You can find conflicted leadership in any major metropolitan area, and many social theorists believe that conflict helps give birth to creative solutions. I think our provincialism has complex sources. One problem is a military, structured mindset that does not appeal to enough creative thinkers. Another is the conservative social and political leanings of our region. Another is the lack of a major international college campus with a true community surrounding it. ODU may get there someday, but it has a long way to go. And then you have an economy that is largely dependent upon military contracts and shipping. Without major corporate presence, we lack support for the amenities that make an area great. So we have a lot of anxious little small business types who hate paying taxes, pester our city halls and get themselves elected. We do have a fine art museum and an excellent symphony orchestra, and those are surprising achievements.

So how do we think differently? Just do it. Do more to encourage it. Try to create better, more interesting jobs here. Make more of our assets, and for Gods sake start thinking about the environment and at least be more careful about throwing resources down the rat hole in the Middle East. Those are more relevant issues than street cafes in the 90 degree heat outside MacArthur Mall.

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