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Articles
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Wichita Rising
Surrounded by cattle-flecked plains smack in the middle of America, Wichita generally has a reputation as a sleepy, middle-of-nowhere kind of place—even though it’s Kansas’s…
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Community Building
Completed in 2004, the Belmont Street Lofts—with their crisscrossing pattern of wood, metal, and glass—have settled neatly into their neighborhood, offering a contemporary complement to the…
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Building Sustainable Communities Exhibit
An inquisitive exhibit recently extended through January 2009 at the Danish Architecture Center asks “What if architecture could change the world?” Building Sustainable Communities …
Products
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El Shelf
Pros At just $20, the El is our favorite inexpensive shelf on the market. The willow wood veneer is sturdy, the four screw holes assure that you can mount it snugly to the wall, and the bright red…
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Communicators Bowls
No one likes being the first guest to reach for the hors d’oeuvres, but we know we’re not the only ones eying the mixed nuts and deviled eggs the moment we walk through the front door…
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Shingled Hex Tile
The Portland Cement Company makes these tiles out of a proprietary concrete, which is cast in a wedge-shaped seven-inch-hexagon mold and left to dry overnight, then for a few weeks on a baking…
Dwell Collection
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Geigy's Graphic Design
Design Musem Zurich's current show Good Design, Good Business showcases the great graphic design from 1940-1970 of the Swiss chemical company Geigy.
Events
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Art in Storefronts Community Celebration
Central Market and the Tenderloin will come alive for the launch of the Art in Storefronts pilot program, which kicks off with eleven original window installations and two large-scale murals by…
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Constructed Landscapes: Mark Baugh-Sasaki
In this solo exhibition, Mark Baugh-Sasaki presents sculptural works integrating video and photography. Combining the organic with the industrial, and the technological with the artistic, the works…
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Joaquín Torres-García: Constructing Abstraction with Wood
Celebrated for his work as a modernist painter, teacher, and author, Joaquin Torres-García is also known for breaking new ground in the realm of wooden constructions or…
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El Shelf
by Mark DanielPros
At just $20, the… -
Communicators Bowls
by Marti GuixéNo one likes being the first guest to reach…
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Shingled Hex Tile
The Portland Cement Company makes these tiles…
wow...that painting is awesome! and this whole arts district sounds amazing. well done!
If you want to redevelop an area first you need artists, you can get rid of them later...this is how gritty towns like Witchita are doing it...look at San Francisco, NY, and so on..the artists are forced to move on to some other low rent area and make it fashionable..and still no real respect for the arts in America...
Hey, Blocker. The artists were the ones who recognized the value of this area YEARS before the corporate idiots moved in AND they stood their ground to keep their galleries and homes and BEAT the corporate big bucks when the horrible arena was brought in. Wichita (not Witchita) is a great place for the arts. You'd be lucky to live here, buddy.
Lisa although Blocker may have been a bit harsh, he made a point. Many of the new developments in the downtown area are so overpriced that they are out of reach for the real artists of Wichita. The larger metropolitan cities all began with redeveloped lofts, then they moved on to provide them with restaurants, and boutique shops which then ran everyone else out of the neighborhood. The end product you are left with may have been designed by and artists but was made for consumers.
Check out the Finn Lofts' official website for a complete look at this phenomenal loft development in the Wichita downtown area: http://www.thefinnlofts.com
It was extremely nice to see Dwell write such a flattering article on Wichita, recognizing the hard work our small arts community has accomplished the last few years. However Doug Stockman's comment where he states that besides his firms recent project here, and a Moshe Safdie building, "there's nothing even remotely progressive" about the city's design scene, was extremely rude, snobbish and ignorant. It would have been nice to get the opinion of an architect, born, raised, and working in the city of Wichita, and not one who merely drives through it on the way to a site meeting. Wichita might not be on the list of the 10 most progressive cities in America, and I seriously doubt Kansas City would be either, but there are several great buildings around town I believe would be labeled "progressive", even with Mr. Stockman's big Kansas City taste. Asking a local architect, would have also unearthed the fact, Mr. Stockman's project fell outside the boundaries of the "Historic Environs" which are placed on much of downtown. A condition any LOCAL architect knows can be challenging. The extremely well designed Finn Lofts are a benefit to our growing community, and a beautiful addition to Commerce Street. However, the idea Mr. Stockman blessed us with only the second piece of progressive architecture in the city is a joke.
Well said Eric W. It was a great article about a city that is discovering itself and taking steps to move forward. I too was irate at the comment Doug Stockman from Kansas City based El Dorado made in regards to Wichita. Each city has its own personality which makes it unique. Doug, next time you are passing through look me up and I will spend a few days with you showing you our progressive design scene. Of course you will be required to spend more than a few hours in our town which will probably be something new to you. I am hopeful that anyone looking to do a project in Wichita thinks twice about utilizing a firm that is incapable of seeing the uniqueness of one's site and one's town. It is a great looking project and we are hopeful that it will continue to spark growth in that area so thank you El Dorado for bringing one of your cookie cutter projects to our unprogressive community.
Unfortunately some Wichitans are so used to negative perceptions of their town that they can't even recognize a compliment, in this case by Blocker, when they see it. Thanks to Dwell for noting what we have goin' on. Thanks to Blocker for noting that, yeah, we're gritty and doing it right.
Blocker and Temporary Wichitan ... the artists on Commerce St. own their buildings, so maintaining the gritty urban feel of the area is guaranteed while the property values rise with the redevelopment of the entire city core. A tactic that other artists and communities could replicate with success . . . help the artists purchase buildings and they will remain bringing vibrancy AND increased property values.
Living in a community that embraces art makes it is easy to understand forward thinking building a stronger future for a neighborhood!
I would just have to note that someone included progressive and environs in the same sentence. Much of south downtown is loaded with environs which are very restrictive to the sights of progressive design. I applaud El Dorado for doing something which matches the aspirations to reinvision south Downtown. Don't get me wrong, I like the identity Old Town has, however I don't think Wichita needs Old Town all around. I appreciate the moves made on behalf of the Finn Lofts and the parti of the Intrust Bank Arena, which utilizes different materials to mark the regrowth in Downtown. I appreciate this city way more than any of my peers in Architecture from Wichita do. I wish it the best as I one day look to call the city home.
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