[Winona] Old and New Buildings

[Phil Carlson]

I want to offer my two cents on the question of building razing and renovation.  I am old enough to remember the old Post Office in downtown Winona (NW corner of 4th and Main?), but it was torn down when I was quite young and replaced in its current location and bland incarnation.  I would gladly join the wrecking crew to put the bland one out of its misery if a new Post Office is needed.  Buildings are always more than just structures in a vacuum -- they form places and spaces, which was understood (or at least practiced) a century ago with our older buildings, and not so much with many new buildings.  It is vital that any building projects in downtown or any of the older parts of Winona take into account their surroundings and pay respect to the public space around them.  Parking lots don't often do this, although they are needed.  The automobile must be subjugated to the needs of visual aesthetics and pedestrian activity, not the other way around.   - Phil Carlson