I was pondering this today: What building or target, if catastrophically destroyed, would have the biggest psychological effect on your town’s inhabitants?
I think here in Ann Arbor one candidate would be the University. I can’t really name a specific building, although perversely I think the stadium would upset a lot of people.
Otherwise, I think the Borders bookstore downtown. The company was started right here, and while the current store is not the original location, it’s a big landmark and a point of pride in this town of bibliophiles. Even people who “hate corporate” have a grudging respect, I think, for Borders.
If they blew up the recently-opened Starbucks, there’d be a parade, but that’s a different question.
Here in the Twin Cities, it’d be a close race between the IDS Tower, the Mall of America, or the Metrodome as to which one would cause the greatest trauma.
Toronto, of course, is possessed of the CN Tower, the tallent structure of any kind and the world’s biggest phallic symbol. Even the huge bank skyscrapers next to it are dwarfed by comparison. It’s the pride of the city and defines the skyline. You couldn’t pick a better target.
I’m on the 17th floor of the James Monroe State Office Building, the tallest building in Richmond at 25 storeys. We’re also located within spitting distance (literally) of I-95 - if we fell over we’d block north/sough traffic on one of the busiest interstate highways in the country. There’s also a Federal Reserve Bank here in town that would be a prime target.
Yep, they closed the IDS tower and the Mall, and cancelled sports events.
I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and there it’d be the Golden Gate Bridge. Guess they don’t place much stock in 110-story skyscrapers in a town that gets the occasional earthquake… they had building height caps for a long time based on elevation, so all the tall buildings were built in the lower parts of town, and the shorter buildings went up on the hills. As a result, the skyline got evened out at the rooftop level.
I live in a rural redneck town. I guess it would be the Town Hall here, but it wouldn’t be major news beyond the regional TV stations. The building itself is relatively young though, being built on the spot where the previous Town Hall was burnt to the ground. It serves as the local court, DMV and auditorium for local events. The closest semi-large city is Plattburgh, NY on Lake Champlain. I guess it would be a big deal if the former Air Force base were destroyed. It used to store American nuclear warheads and it was actually one of the top locations the Soviet’s aimed their missiles during the Cold War. What a tragedy that would have been!
I live in a rural redneck town. I guess it would be the Town Hall here, but it wouldn’t be major news beyond the regional TV stations. The building itself is relatively young though, being built on the spot where the previous Town Hall was burnt to the ground. It serves as the local court, DMV and auditorium for local events. The closest semi-large city is Plattburgh, NY on Lake Champlain. I guess it would be a big deal if the former Air Force base there were destroyed. It used to store American nuclear warheads and it was actually one of the top locations the Soviet’s aimed their missiles during the Cold War. What a tragedy that would have been!
Buffalo, New York - definitely City Hall. It’s not the tallest or largest building in the city. Considering its prominence on the city’s skyline and architectural uniqueness, though, a blow to City Hall would probably be the last nail in the coffin of a struggling yet beloved city.
Orlando, Florida - A strike on the Magic Kingdom would be an attack on the very thing that turned the city from a backwater town into a booming postmodern metropolis. It’s also an attack on “the world’s happiest place,” and would deliver a psychological blow to the nation, and probably world, would be just as hard as the attack on the WTC, IMHO.
Denver, Colorado - Unless something lops off the Rocky Mountains, I can’t think of a structure or place that plays a massively prominent symbolic role in the city’s citizens. That’s not to underplay the city’s wonderful architecture, but there’s just nothing I can think of that the city would miss that much, nothing that folks can’t imagine the city without. Maybe the Tattered Cover bookstore?
Pittsburgh, let’s see,
USX Building
Heinz Stadium
PNC Park
The Point/the Golden Triangle (Point State Park-the place where the Three Rivers meet-gorgeous view from Mount Washington)
Fort Pitt
Duquense University, Pitt Campus, etc etc…
Pittsburgh International Airport
Who knows?
Bell South building (AKA the Batman building because the roof looks like batman’s head) - commerce
State Capital - government
Grand Ole Opry - to piss off the locals
In Houston it’d be the old Transco Tower, now known as the Williams Tower. It’s a beautiful building proximal to the trendy Galleria and is quite a landmark. Now, if they wanted to hit something with more strategic impact, Texas City and the Port of Houston’s chemical industrial complex includes a frightening abundance of targets.
I would say the Space Needle, except going on the apparent motives of the terrorists for causing massive casualties, I would have to choose the Columbia Center–at one time the tallest building west of the Mississippi.
It is a major commerce hub, like the WTC. The Space Needle, while a highly visible symbol of the city, would probably be safe, like the Statue of Liberty.
My first thought would be some place of the University, maybe the Century Tower. But that´s just a tower, there are not so many people inside it(only students walking aroung him). So maybe the Reitz Union or the Turlington Hall. Reitz is the student center, and contains an hotel, offices, lecture rooms, ballroom, various stores, and a food court. Turlington Hall is the College of Liberal Arts and Science, a monument to mazes.
But then I think Gainesville is Alachua county capital, so maybe one of the federal buildings downtown might be a good target.
San Juan:
I suppose it could be the main offices of the biggest bank of the island. Come to think about it, that building is located in an avenue called “Milla de Oro”, Golden Mile, because all the financial offices and some government ones are located there.
Louisville:
Depending on the time of year, the Kentucky Derby, otherwise, one of the “sky scrapers” downtown like the PNC (I think) building. Columbus:
Again dending on the time of year, the Ohio State University stadium (the Horseshoe.) 102,000+ students, alumni and various fans in one place. Downtwon, there are a few tall buildings, but none really strike me as prime targets. Dayton: Mead or* Renolds and Renolds* among a few other major companies have their headquarters in Dayton. Lexus-Nexus is just south of Dayton, too.
