pic of the day

Some old townhouses and apartment building

the big dig

It doesn't look like much, but this kinda work just plain sucks. Like most things that have to do with my landscaping projects I do things the hard way. What, me rent a bobcat to level out the backyard? Nah, that's what shovels are for. The strategy is simple. Wet it down and loosen the soil with a pickaxe and shovel away till your arms fall off. I've got to get this backyard level and prepped with fresh topsoil to prepare for a new irrigation system and a blanket of fresh sod. And I only have a week or so to do it. No pressure. The work is nowhere near as glamorous as my new patio either. I still have a small section to go, but I'm close enough I can taste victory. Strangely, I've grown to enjoy laying down pavers. -- I'm going to have to find a new hobby to take up my 15 min here and there.

Here's a sneak peak at something else in the works. I know I said I would put the retaining wall in stone, but I'm kind of digging this off the shelf stuff.. This was always the plan for my little side flower bed, but I mocked it up against the back wall to see if it looked cheesy or not. Thankfully I think it'll fit in nicely. Those massive piles of dirt will soon find their new home in these babies.

the three C's, minus 1

Used to be this region was known for the three C's: copper, cattle, and cotton. And while the cattle and cotton industry are far less important now than they were, say 50 years ago, they still exist to some extent. The copper industry is officially dead. And while there is a bit of nostalgia attached to the old copper smelter that has called el paso home for more than 120 years, I'm happy that the city can finally move away from an old industry that hurt the community more than it helped. My hats off to you asarco, you put up a good fight. RIP.

More info here.

pic of the day

cortez bldg, ca. 1926

build it and they will come (maybe)

I saw city council approving the magoffin park villas a mile away. At least the developers conceded a few things to make it fit in to the neighborhood a little better. Brick should be a more dominant material and the windows and height of the roofline will be more inline to what the HLC wanted. I admit I don't find the proposal completely hideous and the arguments for it are compelling. Something tells me one building won't turn the neighborhood around but will hopefully encourage rehabilitation of the buildings that do matter. It'll be nice to bring some life to those dead lots so it should still be positive. I think the developers could have done a little better, but at least it's not some half-assed stucco deal. The thing I worry about is the kind of precedent that has just been set. What's the point of bothering to please the landmark commission when you can just take it to city council and get your development approved?

You can read a little more about it here and here.

magoffin development denied

In an interesting twist, the HLC decided to deny the magoffin park villas I wrote about last week. While I mostly agree with the observations and criticisms by the commission and HPO, I wonder if it was possible to work with the developers before they submitted their plans? I think a superior design would be putting up 2 - 3 family townhomes and keep it old school. I envision something like 1890s to 1910s era rowhouse brick/limestone buildings. Of course, cost is probably a big factor and unlikely to ever happen (until I get around to it that is :)). And where would all these people park? Children included of course -- there must be a parking space for every man, woman, & child in this development. That right there is the biggest problem I have with this proposal. What is the point of putting a large swath of parking lot facing the most prominent street in the historic district? Bad decision.

Seems a waste of everyone's time to come up with designs that seem to not have much of a shot at getting approved. Unless of course city council decides to override the HLC decision. I could very well see that happening since downtown living seems to be what everyone is clamoring about. Little do they realize there are a ton of actual historic buildings in need of love that would be far better investment into the historic neighborhood, but I digress.. Back to the proposal: the design could use a little more work -- something I think could be worked out between people who know what they're talking about (HLC, HPO). Meaning city council shouldn't politicize the issue and greenlight it just because we need downtown residential space.

For all you downtown area peeps -- if you have an opinion, exercise it to you District 8 rep. Decision's tomorrow. More background here.

mills building

It's amazing what a little TLC can do.

The mills building is really starting to look great with the current renovation. The exterior finish looks much cleaner in the original color. The removal of the cheesy 70's windows helps hint at when the building was actually built (1910). The replacement windows look to be sympathetic to what was originally there. I notice they're also building up an addition in the previous void of this L shaped building (note crane). Should provide significantly more square footage. I'm looking forward to them restoring the porticos on the front and side entrances that had previously been removed.

This is what the building used to look like. More info can be found here.

P.S. stop posting misc crap and get working on the house already!!! :)