Good day brickers. We here at Brick Watch are feeling a tad bittersweet about the imminent terminus of our rebricking and, alas, our rebricking blog. Bitter, because it means we will have to settle for strolling about, dining on, and generally delighting in our Downtown Mall. Sigh.
But sweet because the construction work is progressing extremely well, and the craftsmanship is really starting to materialize. And, despite the whines BW has heard (though not from you, brickies) that the Mall is no different now than it was in its previous iteration, we are really seeing improvements. Even Bricktern would wear high heels on this Mall.
We are seeing beautiful details going in all over, from granite trim on all blocks, to the awesome new grates going down around the oaks, to the rose patterns ("cruciform" according to the city) at cross streets. Yesterday we commented on First Street, but didn’t have a picture. Today…we do!
Ain’t she a beaut?
Meanwhile, the new grates are customized to fit their trees like a glove.
We have some updates on zee Paris block partee zat we wrote about yesterday. First, zee Tricycle Tour de Mall will be raced through the lower Alps of the 300 block up to zee famous poster of zee Arc de Triomphe de Charlottesville. Originally an artist was supposed to fashion a miniaturized Arc, but "there were problems with getting materials for the artisan," says party organizer and 400 block captain Morgan Perkins. "It’s the kind of thing that happens when you have grand ideas to start." So now a poster will take its place.
"The race should start by the Third Street crossing and end up by Five Guys and Tuel Jewelers," says 300 block captain Mary DeViney. Also in store is a blow up version of Paris’ famous Le Metro, for kids to have a bounce.
There’s also an "afternoon delight" at Henry’s. "Marquis & Francois, ensembliers and decorateurs will be talking about their experiences transitioning from France to Charlottesville," Perkins says. "They will discuss design, Paris, business, and other topics." Marquis & Francois were finalists in last year’s London Design and Decoration Awards.
Tres chic.