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The Emperor’s New Winchester Mystery House (With sincere apologies to Norman Murray, a man who deserves high respect. The following is an analysis of our Community and Senior Center.) Recently, I had occasion to visit our Community Center. It reminded me of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. You will remember that the Mystery House was built by a wealthy widow who was deluded into thinking she would not die as long as she continued to build her house. Over many years the house ended up being a hodgepodge of rooms – a real mess. In the case of our Community Center, our hodgepodge of rooms was designed by an architectural firm. Now, as I understand it, the same firm is planning to build an addition to the original building, to add to its ill-conceived plans. The addition seems to be in the same style, but on a grander scale. (Is it that the city staff was unable to enlist any other firm because no other firm would want to be associated with such a pitiful original design? Or is it that, if another firm were to take on the addition, it would first want to demolish or radically alter the original structure?) The entrance to the building is entirely too small and out of scale with the rest of the building. (It is probably not as big as some walk-in closets) Moreover, upon entering, it seems that one has entered a high-security bank or prison, with the center staff ensconced behind a half-walled and half-glassed barricade. One must proceed into the body of the building by descending an extensive ramp, and one can proceed through the rest of the building only by passing through sides or corners of rooms in order to get to the next rooms. You no doubt remember the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” The Emperor was being swindled by a group of shysters who were pretending to fashion beautiful and expensive clothes for the Sovereign. The Emperor doubted his own eyes, and his sycophant advisors were afraid to tell him the truth. Moreover, the King was ill-served by a citizenry hesitant to acknowledge the problem of his embarrassing new “clothes.” But then a little boy came along and stated the obvious, and the “tailors” were booted out of town. Maybe we’re in the middle of a retelling of this classic tale. The updated version goes like this: Our City Councils, doubting their own eyes, were being swindled by a group of shysters parading as architects. The citizenry was hesitant to acknowledge the embarrassment of its Community Center. However, at a crucial point in the story, when the Council was displaying and parading around its new plans for the Center, a lowly citizen came along and stated the obvious; the citizenry was jolted into recognition; and the “architects” were booted out of town. (Let us hope that is how the story ends.) Oh, how wonderfully the story could end. Just take a look at the Laguna Hills Community Center to see what can be done. What a beautiful building! Remember that saying: “Measure twice and cut once,” which could be modified to “Plan twice (that means, rethink your plans) and build once.” Meanwhile, would the good people managing our Community Center please 1) reconsider their helter-skelter placement of the various and sundry information racks bolted to the cinderblock gray walls, 2) at least thoroughly wash the green, plastic four-foot topiaries, and 3) because of the developing odors, air out the place! (Again, sincere and profuse apologies to Norman Murray. This article is not meant as an insult. Is not the real insult the Community Center building itself?) Paula Steinhauer |
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