Through the years I have designed a great many projects that for a whole number of reasons will never get built. One such concept was one of the coolest I ever worked on. It was for a whole new seaside resort, complete with a shopping, entertainment, playgrounds, hotels and condominiums. The version I was working on had a definite steampunk style, complete with a fictionalized back story that was good enough to be true.

To walk from the old part of town across the tracks we would have crossed a cable stayed bridge.

The street signs and railings on the dock and through the seaside village were all to be in the same industrial style.

The centerpiece of the town was on the dock, next to the ocean - a giant ninety foot tall, steam powered crane that 'formerly' loaded the ocean going ships that sailed here from around the world.

The buildings were brick with heavy, stylized steel girders. Remnants of the former industries that were housed in the buildings still remained although the buildings now catered to the residents and visitors.

These are but a fraction of the many imaginative designs done for this project. It was a great deal of fun to let my imagination go wild with design after design. But alas, sometimes the best ideas are simply not to be. With the onset of the most recent recession the project went away quietly, most likley never to see the light of day again. The ideas are cool ones however and I may yet get to revive some in a future project.

I dream on of course...

-grampa dan