Walgreens changes — when it has to

Aspecial Walgreens design for the village of Poland, Ohio, has stirred interest in northeast Ohio and beyond. Walgreens recently opened a 14,000 sq. ft. store that stands just 20 feet back from Poland’s main east-west road, and draws from the village’s Greek Revival heritage (see September 2004 New Urban News). Architect Robert A. Mastriana of the 4M Company incorporated suggestions of Greek Revival into the exterior of the building, which is clad mainly in white HardiPlank clapboard. The building appears to be two stories, but the interior is actually a tall one-story volume (upper windows add natural light to the interior). A 55-vehicle parking lot is placed to the side, behind a decorative metal fence. Four-foot-wide showcase windows project from parts of the exterior, accentuating traditional proportions. Mastriana used vertical Pella windows on parts of the exterior walls; with the windows’ mini-blinds closed, passersby cannot see shelves of merchandise against the interior sides of the walls, as in a standard store. The $4.5 million development includes approximately $1.5 million for the land. The Visconsi Companies of Pepper Pike, Ohio, was responsible for getting the custom design built after residents initially opposed a standard Walgreens. While other communities have expressed interest in the design, Jeff Deeds, development manager for Visconsi, said, the cost is “significantly” higher — and unless a community has regulations requiring a change from the stock design, America’s largest drugstore chain “won’t go along.” Developer Richard Erganian tried to use a version of Mastriana’s design in Fresno, California, but Walgreens rejected it there on the grounds of not wanting to set a precedent. For now, it appears that municipal codes and community resistance are the key to locally sensitive designs. u