Until he was 3 years old, Andy attended Kids Play Preschool, which was then located in what used to be the parish hall of St. Raphael's Cathedral. On the many occasions when I would pick him up and drive him home, passing by this building became something of a ritual for us.
"There's the White Building," one of us would say.
Not the round building, mind you, which is obviously its most prominent feature. It was always the White Building. (Officially, it's known as the Pyare Square Building. It had ruled the Hilldale area skyline for nearly 40 years, until the construction of the Ghost Condo, the top two stories of which loom in the center-right background.)
In my effort to find an alternative route to State Street, I encountered this minor construction delay in the vicinity of University Hospital and the Waisman Center.
Remember when the site of the Fluno Center (above left) was a dusty open space? The building is a prime example of the latest trend in urban planning, the high density vertical city. As is the new University Square building (above right). According to a 5/23/2008 UW-Madison news release, the retail and housing parts of the University Square redevelopment are expected to open this fall, with the university's $57 million wing opening in January 2009. The campus portion will house student services including University Health Services, and offices for the registrar, bursar, financial services and a student activity center.
I exited the Southwest Commuter Trail at Virginia Terrace and entered the southwest corner of the beautifully tree-shaded, architecturally rich Regent neighborhood, a few block south of West High School. Mayor Dave's neighborhood.
In a way, it's a shame that these views of Madison West High School aren't what people see as they pass by on Regent Street. The exterior is a beautiful example of 1920s era architecture. (Though I'm sure the interior spaces have left much to be desired since at least the 1960s.)
In order to remain competitive in the Madison retail marketplace, the Hilldale Shopping Center has undergone a transformation from partially enclosed mall to lifestyle center, the latest trend in the development of the shopping center. The Hilldale Row perspective (first of 4) features townhouse condos built on what used to be a surface parking lot. The 2nd picture shows an entrance framed by two not-so-attractive parking ramps, the brick facades notwithstanding. A "live" version of the 3rd photo, in which a woman is pushing a stroller, is found here. And this post concludes with a view of the Ghost Condo and White Building standing sentinel over the Hilldale's urban landscape.
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