It definitely does have a bit of a dollhouse/Disney quality to it now, but with signage up, aging and weathering, businesses moved in, people out front (possibly even small patios?) and things like that, I think it'll will start to look more lived-in and be great for the street in the long term. In 70 years maybe these buildings will be in shambles again and worn down with dive bars in them! Who knows — but we'll be glad to have the fine grain and the materiality of them as they age and as the city adapts to them and them to the city.
And wow what a great thing to see a project and an approach to development like this that actually tries to build the fine-grain and the material variability that makes our best streets so great. It can be so depressing to see how many proposals absolutely obliterate the street level experience and the rhythm of the street and don't even meet a through-the-floor minimum standard of quality. To see the care here in contrast is really welcome.
I also really like how it treats both the Victorians and the more plain possibly more modern (though maybe not looks can be deceiving) buildings with equal respect — the rectangular buildings even get something different and special with the window boxes and greenery! — and makes both types of buildings beautiful in their own way but also fit together — that jumble of styles and forms is great, and I love how these more plain buildings have not only been in some way maintained, but given their own kind of new life particular to them. It's nice to see the background buildings of our city get such respect.
