By Josh James
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-991587.mp3
Lexington, KY – It's back to the drawing board for the developer looking to fill Lexington's vacant CentrePointe block. Dudley Webb has taken Chicago architect Jeanne Gang off the project.
Back in July, many Lexingtonians hailed Jeanne Gang's futuristic designs for CentrePointe as a step forward for the city, with a few, like Robert Maras, calling it "the greatest thing, I think, that's ever happened to Lexington."
But now the centerpiece of those plans appears to have been scrapped. Developer Dudley Webb said Gang's tower of "bundled tubes" wouldn't fit with his vision for a larger, conventional Marriott hotel. Gang was originally brought on board at the suggestion of Mayor Jim Gray.
"Jeanne brought a lot of inspiration and a lot of hope and she brought imagination," Gray says.
Webb has hired Lexington firm EOP Architects to incorporate Gang's ideas into a new design for the space, which Mayor Gray says still holds great potential.
"I hope going forward that there will be a recognition that this is the center of our city. It's a very big deal," he said.
The CentrePointe block has been empty since 2008.
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