From the New City to the Edge of the Old

Let's begin our journey in Anywhere, USA.  You know what I mean.  This intersection, the junction of Pueblo Boulevard and Northern Avenue, is indistinguishable from any other intersection of its type in any suburban area in any city of the United States.  We see the "anchors" of the modern community:  Wal-Mart (or is it walmart now?), McDonald's, and so-on with a backdrop of asphalt and framed out nicely with a foreground of more asphalt. 

Our architectural legacy from the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries will consist of slabs of concrete and sewer pipes.  The above-ground portions are nothing more than inviting facades on giant sheds, constructed from materials that will be devoured by time and exist for future archaeologists as little more than rust stains on the concrete below.  Head east on Northern until you make it to Lake or Orman, and make your way north into Mesa Junction.  You can see the scenery slowly start to change as you leave the new areas and head into the heart of the old Three Cities.

Pueblo, Colorado of the olden days was built by master craftsmen and financed by people who intended to create utopia.  You can find modest apartments that have more architectural grace and lasting value than pretty much any architectural endeavor made in town in the last half-century.

Keep moving through, and you'll end up at the Rawlings library, which is actually an interesting piece to leave off on.  This building is an expression of....?

Where are we going with all of this?  Can we hope to revive the civic pride that created the old city for future generations?  What more than the motives of the commissioner of any building determine what is erected?  As we move toward the future, can we reconcile the profit motive with the drive to create a more beautiful, perfect world?