more of atlanta fading

well, contractors will be tearing down the Lindbergh Plaza soon. It used to be called Broadview Plaza and has many memories for me. Before the bridge was fully developed on Buford Highway, there was only a dirt road to Broadview Plaza. There was a small amusement park in the back called KiddieLand. Hoem Depot is there now. My Mom and Dad used to be in bowling leagues at the Broadview Bowl-o-Matic.The Office Depot used to be Club 2001 VIP Discotech, and there was an amusement arcade next door that my girlfirend at the time used to work at.The Screening Room (George Lefont's) was a great place to see movies.I saw Sextette there when I was really young. The entire audience was invited to Backstreet after the movie. Before Lefont bought it, I saw Seargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees. I think it was the first time I had ever been exposed to Hi quality stereo. If you've never seen it, the movie starts with a mono (monaural score) and doesn't change until we're taken into present day at which point the screen widens and the new score from the Bee Gees takes over in stereo.And even before it was a movie theatre and nightclub, it was the great southeast music hall.The K-Mart in that plaza has been there since it opened I believe.It's unfortunate, but I just feel that we're losing too much of original Atlanta in favor of more condos, and more buildings that will stay vacant.The entire area where Marta is building Atlantic Station used to be highly important to the film community. There were a number of movie post houses, sound stages, screening rooms, and a hotel all in the same area. Production companies could fly into Atlanta, stay at The Ramada, and walk a few blocks to do all their work. Golly gee whiz, now we're going to have even another mall of sorts to try and fill!That whole "revitalization" of underground Atlanta has been a roaring success. I don't knwo what we would have done without another Great American Cookie Company in that historic area. Gee you think I could get a Blimpie sandwich while I'm shopping and taking my life into my own hands at underground? Of course, you have to pay to park nearby, and risk getting mugged or having your car broken into by someone just to shop there.Which brings me to another point....why is it that we have to pay someone to park somewhere. The guy in the lot just collects money and doesn't care about any of the cars in the lot! Now they've even eliminated the attendant in some lots with the 'honor box'. All they have to do is boot your car for $75 if you refuse to pay five bucks in their lot. I really wouldn't mind paying the five bucks if someone were actually doing something besides collecting your money.Don't even get me started on Lakewood. Long story short--Lakewood Fairgrounds were falling apart and being used rarely. There was speculation that transforming the old fair hangers into soundstages would have guaranteed Atlanta a booming film business that would have rivaled hollywood. Near the airport, but not so close as to interfere with filming, lots of empty space on the fairgrounds themselves plus a neighborhood in need of revitalization that would have readily welcomed the boost to the economy. So we ended up with an amphitheatre instead. It's used about twice a month maybe. From what I understand, it's hard to draw people down down there anyway. I've even gotten several free tickets from Hi-Fi Buys in the past few years. But atleast we've got an amphitheatre.I suppose most of this goes back to my original post--The mural they tore down on Peachtree has indeed been replaced with new condos.Now, there's a church on Ponce de Leon near N. Highland that (surprise) is being turned into condos.Again, I have nothing against the free market. My problem is with blatant business stupidity at the expense of Atlanta history.People almost destroyed the Fox theatre in favor of more 'development'So my question is: what happens when investors tear down an Atlanta landmark in favor of building more of what the city doesn't need and then lose their collective asses once everything is completed? The answer is: The city suffers. Sure, the investor has provided employment and economical benefits temporarily, but sometimes it just doesn't justify the end. Perhaps these banks should scrutinize these construction projects more closely before agreeing to tear down a landmark to pave a new parking lot.