SOUTH PARK GARAGE

 

There are buildings that create aw, cause you to pause, standing as a monument to the architect. Few parking garages engender the same. A developer once cautioned, “Never pay an architect until he finishes the garage.”

They are the last thing the architect wants to do, no more than a necessity. If not done well, construction can leave rough edges and marks that remain scars for years. Over time though they take on their own artful way.

Such a place is South Park Mall’s parking garage. A giant sprawling place left largely empty the majority of the year, except holidays. Even on quiet days finding your way into and out of the place is a puzzle. 

In the sixties, cities seemed to fall in love with giant urban garages. Places they envisioned would make parking your car easy and keep downtown shopping attractive. Often though, they became dark holes in the urban fabric, especially as shopping trends changed.

It’s easy to spin a crime story or worse in a dark parking garage. You pass through them quickly to where you want to go. Still they stand as a valued conveniences, in silence undeserved. Pardon them for all looking the same, but if you really look, art is there.