I’ve sat for hours, sipping coffee, longingly staring at her from across the street. Her shape, her lines, the exquisite design of her angles intriguing, inspiring from afar. I’ve made plans, scrapped them, made others… She will never know how much I loved her.

There’s a building on the corner of 38th and Guadalupe in Austin, Texas that I just adore. It was The Austin Chronicle‘s 2004 “Critics Best Building to Consider for Preservation,” and was for sale for a while last year, spawning dreams of opening an office, coffee shop, gallery, or a boutique of some sort.

In spite of its quaint color and previous life as a tile outlet, the odd angles of this place remind me more of the pseudo-futuristic architecture of science fiction movies. Nothing quite lines up and for seemingly no reason other than not lining up on principle. It’s a beautiful little building.

Well, it was.

And then Planet K bought it. Now it has gaudy murals, banners, Christmas lights, and poster-board (!) signs all over it. Planet K is a Texas gift/headshop chain, and I have no problem with that. What they’ve done to my favorite building is unbearable.

So, little building, I’m sorry you’ve turned into such a whore. You’ll never know how much I loved you.

——————-

This post was inspired by Charles Mudede.

Further Posting:

• Building Stories: The Edifice Complex
• More Desirable Lines
• Summer Reading List, 2012