Random thoughts while driving through Broadway and 5th

I drive down Broadway quite a lot in one week, as it is near where I work and live. I finally took some photos of some changes on 5th and Broadway for you all.



First of all, Minvilla Manor is almost done (or maybe it is done by now). It looks very nice, if I do say so myself, but (of course) I have a couple of complaints. I know because of certain constraints they couldn't, but I wish they had kept the white brick (because boy do I have a thing for white brick). Unfortunately for my taste, they had to revert back to the historic surface, which is unpainted brick.



What is funny and a little strange to me though, is that when they tried to take off the white paint, they found it too difficult, and so decided to spray paint the whole building "brick" color. My hope was that once they saw the difficulty in scraping off the white paint, they'd think, "The white stays," buuuut they didn't.

The front of the building with its porches looks amazing, but another sad fact/rumor I heard was that because the building is for permanent supportive housing, the front doors of each unit will not actually function, as they want people to come and go through one main entrance. This makes sense for what the building is intended, but again, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Another interesting fixture in the neighborhood, diagonally across the intersection from Minvilla, is an archway with a lamp hanging from it.



I meant to write about this a long time ago when it first went up because I think it's pretty sweet. The archway obviously stands as a symbol of St. John's Lutheran Church's connection and service to all the people that are right across the street from them at the Salvation Army, KARM, and soon, Minvilla Manor.

Last spring, I was able to take a sneak peak of their sanctuary while on a walking tour of the neighborhood. The couple that was showing us around talked about the church's commitment to maintaining the beauty of the church (it is INCREDIBLY beautiful and well-maintained inside) and also to the homeless community around them, two things I can get behind.

Anyway, amongst other things, these are some things I think about when I drive that way, but only when I'm not trying to avoid hitting an ambulance or a van parked outside of KARM.