Reply #8: Well classic Greek seems to have weathered the times!

[LisaM]

Let me ask you this: do you have to look at any of this out of your window at home or work?

I do. I think that makes an enormous difference.

I just about cry when I see them knocking down the classic old buildings with beautiful architectural detailings, wood floors, brass fittings.

I love Van Gogh, but I think you've made my point. I can choose whether or not to look at his paintings. I cannot choose whether I have to look at the EMP or the Seattle Public Libary. I would also argue that the SPL has proved to be astoundingly unfunctional. They have had to make adjustment after adjustment to make the space suit its function. At first, they had to provide additional space for books. They had to soften up the children's area so that it wasn't dangerous. They had to provide more public space for people to read. The escalators also would shoot past some of the floors - you'd want to go to Fiction, but couldn't becuase the escalator would send you past it! Seriously, they didn't stop at every floor. Finally, the city had to spend about $50K to hire someone to create signage and directional signals so that people knew where to go (e.g., when I went there first, I never once saw the so-called core of the building, a red twisting spiral). This person was called a Way-Finder.

People who don't have to actually use the library write rave reviews.