Manhattan, the Midlands — what’s the difference?

I was holding up the wall at the back of the S.C. House chamber, trying to follow what was going on with that body’s Shermanesque march through Gov. Mark Sanford’s vetoes, when Rep. Walton McLeod spotted me. After his usual genial, "Hello, Mister Editor," he started telling me what the MIdlands ought to do with the State Hospital property.

He said we’d be passing up a huge, never-to-be-seen-again  opportunity if we don’t make the whole thing into a park, and he has a model in mind — New York’s Central Park.

Well, I tried to imagine that, thinking back to last summer, when I stayed in a hotel on the park during the Republican National Convention. (Pictured is the gorgeous view from the S.C. delegation’s hospitality suite — my own room had a less breathtaking vista).Negative00421a1

And it didn’t quite work, because while the park might be nice, it would be far less spectacular for lacking the contrast of being framed by Gotham and its eight million people.

I think Rep. McLeod saw that in my eyes, because he immediately asserted that Lexington and Richland counties combined are about the same size NYC was when Central Park was founded in 1870. Well, he got the date wrong, and the population figures aren’t exactly the same, but I take his point.

Interesting. I don’t know what I think about it. If we’re not going to use the site to build something cool like a minor-league ballpark (see, I never give up), I don’t have a preference. But I had heard others say something similar to what Walt was saying, so I thought I’d throw this out there.

4 thoughts on “Manhattan, the Midlands — what’s the difference?”

  1. Lisa Turner

    Back when the city was still grappling with finding a defining slogan, perhaps “The City With No Imagination” should have been suggested. What Cola doesn’t need is another office park/village center no matter how well concepted. Columbia lacks a visual/spiritual anchor. Not even Christos would be inspired to foist orange gates here. God bless Walt McLeod. I don’t know if a “Central Park” is it, but I do believe he is on the right track.

  2. Jake

    I strongly disagree with turning the state hospital property into a park. Living in a city that is home to millions of government square footage is one reason why property taxes are so high. Creating a park would keep the land off the tax rolls, and worsen the situation for homeowners and small business.

  3. Wakefield Damon

    >> Columbia lacks a visual/spiritual anchor.
    What about Lou Holtz? No.. wait a minute, he retired. OK, how about the giant fire hydrant?

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