Columbia's Icons in Transition
Columbia's downtown centerpiece, originally known as The Rouse Building, was designed by famed architect Frank Gehry in 1974. The building has since served as office space for General Growth Properties—and more recently, the Howard Hughes Corporation.
Soon, it will house a Whole Foods Market, an upscale gym and other tenants yet to be determined. Within the Rouse/GGP/Hughes building was The Spear Center:
Formerly known as the Kattamaqundi Room, it was renamed to honor Rouse Company President Michael T. Spear after he was killed in a plane crash in 1991 along with his wife and daughter. Spear had earlier served as general manager of The Columbia Project during the busiest phase of Columbia's construction.
The future of this space, which for decades has been a focal point for social gatherings in Columbia, has not yet been determined.
Columbia founder James Rouse passed away in 1996, and was followed by his wife Patty in 2012. Shortly after her passing I was asked to photograph the house for The Columbia Archives and the Rouse family.
Shown above is their living room; below is the view of Wilde Lake from their deck.
Tags: Made In HoCo, Sense of Place
