The Anchor Tenant

[ FOR BETTER RESOLUTION, CLICK ON IMAGE ]

Developers tend to drive us to distraction in their compulsion to sprawl new blight upon unspoiled ground. We think it a compound fracture of logic to leave a perfectly sound building behind, abandoned, unoccupied when the innards are transplanted to a newly built structure which happens to be in a more favorable flow of customers.

It's a wasteful molting, shedding a perfectly good skin which no other snake wants to occupy. In this process they gobble up some green space and leave behind a white elephant. We don't want the snake to suffocate, but we'd certainly like to see some new life in old buildings. The trick is in finding a use and tenant for the discarded one.

When developers market a new shopping center, they seek the draw and security of an " anchor " tenant, a well known enterprise likely to attract other tenants as well as shoppers. The Anchor above is located on upper Spruill Avenue, North Charleston, SC, decidedly not unspoiled ground. It's the only decent available building above or below this spot for some distance. It may be a bit ambitious to look to the Anchor to be the anchor for the renewal of these few blocks, but it catches our eye. The exterior seems quite sound with a practical layout. It has a nice sallyport to keep customers dry and adds an aura of formality to their coming and going. There's a stout planter outboard of that and a wonderful old sign which radiates 70's glitz. The "grandfathered-in" illuminated sign panel can promote any enterprise, but we rather like the idea of installing a restaurant with an eye toward fine dining in the future. After all, as the sign reveals, they're already a 4 Star facility with 2 Stars in reserve. Good omen.