Normal 150 Years: Barn Wreath

A festive farewell to 2015

Normal 150 Years: Fell Park Holiday Lights

All is quiet in Fell Park

Normal 150 Years: Normal November Snow

Let it snow!

Normal 150 Years: Corny Normal

Approaching fall in Normal

Normal 150 Years: Latest Hotel

Normal Hyatt

Normal 150 Years: Normal Geese

Normal's feathered residents

Normal 150 Years: Paved Circle

Circle at Crossroads

Normal 150 Years: Memorial Day

A reminder of the reason for Memorial Day

Normal 150 Years: Tower Power

Another Normal tower

Normal 150 Years: Landscaping

Just a sample of the beautiful landscaping around Normal.

Normal 150 Years: Still Rural

Some of the remaining farmland in Normal

Normal 150 Years: Rosa Parks Commons

An unintentionally appropriate name

Normal 150 Years: Uptown Construction

A building goes up in Uptown.

Normal 150 Years: Uptown Station

A reminder of how the Uptown Station came to be.

Normal 150 Years: Fell Park Tower

One of several "towers" in Normal

Normal 150 Years: Post Office Stairs

The mysterious stairs behind the Normal Post Office

Normal 150 Years: Jesse Today

I wonder what Jesse Fell would think of this.

Normal 150 Years: Building Uptown Station

Normal 150 Years: Foggy Uptown

No, it's not London Town. It's Uptown!

Normal 150 Years: Discovery Museum

Uptown Discovery

Normal 150 Years: Soldiers and Sailors Home

A reminder of the past.

Normal 150 Years: Constitution Blvd.

Look at all those trees!

Normal 150 Years: Circle of Trees

Lighted Trees Around the Circle

Normal 150 Years: Building Heartland

Quad

Heartland Community College

4/28/2000 & 8/16/2000

Normal 150 Years: Building Heartland

Community Commons Building

Heartland Community College

2/20/2000

Normal 150 Years: Uptown Building 2015

Filling the "Hole"

Normal 150 Years: Normal Playground

Prairieland Playground in Winter

Normal Crossroads Mall Retrofit

I saw this article about good ideas for retrofitting suburban malls and it made me think about how the Crossroads Center could be updated to attract people.  Some ideas include: a great outdoor space with a pathway around  and maybe through the massive parking lot for people who like to walk or run; outdoor eateries (for use during good weather, of course); outdoor features and seating (again, for use during good weather); lots of green area, and businesses appealing to a variety of shoppers and users. Food trucks could provide additional dining opportunities during the summer.

Obviously, there are plenty of spaces currently available for businesses, but they aren't coming and this might be due to the lack of appeal of the outside space and lack of an overall plan for what type of experience the Center would provide. Someone needs to create a plan for the Center as a whole, which would then attract businesses. Just building it isn't enough. If you plan it, they will come?