Yes, the units lack size and stovetops. But they make up for it with the charm of an old-school space turned avant-garde. Some units have quirky angles and skylights. Others have walls where the building's original slate and mortar — what Granoff calls "rubble" — wall lining is exposed. And before the tentatively-scheduled March 1 move-in date, each unit's atrium-facing bay window will be rigged with specially-designed shades that extend up, instead of down, to provide both light and privacy.The waiting list for these apartments, according to one of Granoff's spokespeople, is "enormous."
The sum of it all — micro-retail and micro-lofts, plus three restaurants which will use new, street-facing entrances when the inner corridor of the Arcade closes to the public at 8 pm — will be transformative for downtown, Granoff says. "If I'm successful in what I'm doing," he argues, "it's going to actually be an [economic] engine unto itself."
There is nothing micro about the man's ambition.
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This Just In
, Mall of America, Providence, Mallrats
