Letters about Corman train shed

Good riddance to bad design

I was delighted to read that R.J. Corman took down the train shed with the plastic spires that had been parked next to the bridge at Oliver Lewis Way.

The spires were a silly reference to Churchill Downs and agricultural buildings. How this is relevant on a train shed is beyond me.

But it wasn’t just the incongruous cultural reference of those spires that made me glad to see it go, it was the horrible proportions of the building and the complete absence of craft. Although it’s a shame that the dinner train didn’t work out, Lexington is much better off without the train shed from Dollywood.

Thinking about the train shed helped me understand what’s disappointing about the University of Kentucky’s new dormitories.

Several of the buildings demolished to make way for them had distinctive massing, elegant masonry details and unique, hand-made canopies. They provided a positive visceral experience for the passerby and they were true to their time in history, making them feel friendly and authentic.

The new dorms seem more like the prefabricated train. Certainly they succeed at being inoffensive. But I miss the historic honesty, distinctive personalities, evident craftsmanship and connection to place that were lost with the demolished buildings.

I hope Lexington and the university can avoid making more buildings that only rise to the level of a decorated shed. There is so much to celebrate in our history and in our contemporary culture, and good buildings will add to that story.

Keep train building

Have all remnants of common sense left our city, our government and, really, ourselves?

We have an absolutely wonderful building, housing an absolutely beautifully restored train, operated by the Corman companies, located in the Rupp Arena lot. It was, at one time, doing duty as a dinner train, tourist attraction, etc. But, through the wisdom of our local officials, and the rulers at the convention center, the building is being torn down and the train moved, maybe to Midway.

It probably won’t present any problem for Midway. Well, other than the couple of hundred thousand dollars to erect a new building in which to store the train.

But, my God, what will Lexington do for a replacement attraction? Well, why don’t we try to raise $1.3 million to renovate an old train that we’ve found 100 miles away? We’ll just move it to Lexington and have it restored to serve as a tourist attraction and, just maybe, a dinner train.

Idiots of the world, unite. Your cause is not lost.

This story was originally published February 28, 2016 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Letters about Corman train shed."