Peter Fillat Presents "Main Street USA: An Evolving American Icon"
Before the Greater Towson Committee as Part of its Town Hall Meeting Lecture Series
January 31, 2005
Peter A. Fillat, AIA
TOWSON, MARYLAND- Peter Fillat, principal of Peter Fillat Architects, presented "Main Street USA: An Evolving American Icon" last night at a Towson Town Hall meeting that was sponsored by the Greater Towson Committee. The thirty-minute presentation that took place at Goucher College's Merrick Lecture Hall from 5:30-7:00 pm was timely and relevant, in that Towson has recently begun the AIA Urban Design Assistance Team (UDAT) process that aims to implement a successful community-based planning initiative in Towson.
More than 75 people attended the meeting,including community residents, GTC Board Members, business leaders, developers, retail and restaurant owners, TRRA members, Baltimore County and Towson Chamber staff, county government Planning Dept. and Community Conservation staff, Maryland Dept. of Business and Economic Development staff, Maryland Office on Main Streets staff and elected officials.
The presentation opened with an overview of traditional main streets that flourished in the early 20th century and juxtaposed it to the contemporary phenomenon of suburban sprawl. He offers ideas for solutions to dying main streets and alternatives to sprawl by invoking the genius of Walt Disney, the mastermind behind Main Street USA, the epitome and caricature embodiment of main street concepts.
"For those of us who remember the carefree time it recreates, Main Street will bring back happy memories… [it] is America at the turn of the century - the crossroads of an era," said Fillat, quoting Walt Disney. "The gas lamps and the electric lamps, the horse drawn car and the auto car. Main Street is everyone's home town…the heartline of America."
"Main Street USA" has traditionally been characterized as part of the iconography of American life-it is the quintessential business hub of a thriving and bustling city. The modern day manifestations of main street development, however, take the form of retail town centers and main street communities. For details about any of these concepts, download our PowerPoint presentation below, or visit the GTC Web site:
www.greatertowson.com
With more than 23 years of experience in architecture, Mr. Fillat is an authoritative voice on the issue. He has personally been involved with the transformation of Inner Harbor East, a successful mixed-use community with lively streetscapes along Baltimore's waterfront. Cacapon Town Center in West Virginia is another example of his innovative design practices. Here, Mr. Fillat has taken an existing site and maximized its natural resources to empower and improve upon the typical main street prototype. Added visual and sensory elements create synergy and a sense of place, one of Mr. Fillat's guiding design principles.
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION
