To the Editor:
On Saturday, April 18, Mayor Euille voiced his support for the plans offered by EYA at the Robinson Terminal South site along the waterfront. He claimed to offer a “historical” perspective of the waterfront based on his own life in the city — a short 65 years. Among other things, he recalled playing on the mid-20th century industrial areas along the waterfront, and then called out the mural on the south wall of council chambers, saying that it may reflect what the waterfront looked like in the 1700s or 1800s, but is not what it was when he was playing there. He argued that this 20th century industrial past was not what he wanted to see in the design, and that what was offered is better than what is there now and what was there when he was a child. He was happy enough with what he saw from the developer. In effect, the mayor argued that those opposed to the submitted designs are saying they want the waterfront he knew in the recent past. That’s not the case, nor is it really the choice before us. It’s disingenuous to argue so. As Vice Mayor Silberberg put it, the waterfront should reflect its past, but need not replicate what the mayor knew. She pointed out that she certainly was not supporting returning to the waterfront look of the mayor's childhood. Instead, she wants a waterfront that embraces the city’s and country’s heritage and relates to the Old and Historic District setting. The choice is not about whether the design is better than the 1950s, its about what is the best design to embrace Alexandria's past and that of the nation.
Mayor Euille added that at 65 he won't be here to hear the judgment of the next generations – “I’ll be gone by then,” he says. He need not wait that long. The council made a bad decision and one which will destroy an opportunity to create a waterfront Alexandrians can point to as their own — not something that, as the vice mayor pointed out, belongs at Landmark or elsewhere and anywhere. Good enough isn’t good enough.
In truth, the lithograph the mayor pointed to, and then said he’d “love to restore all that” if it was possible, is actually a better example of what what we should aspire to than the 20th century industrial look he claimed on Saturday to oppose. The image, printed by Charles Magnus in 1863 in New York, is recognized as one of the most accurate non-photographic depictions of an American "city" during that era, down to the individual structures. It captures Alexandria’s heritage, and offers design ideas more compelling than the developer's. Even if you look at the portion of the print depicting what is now the Robinson Terminal South site, the true “historic” waterfront (not of the mayor’s 1950s) was far less dense that what we are now offered. If the mayor meant what he said on Saturday about restoring the 1860s waterfront look the print reflects, we could do much worse, and it appears we probably will.
Hal Hardaway
Alexandria