New Shape

The suburban shopping center, a building standing in a serried sea of cars, is architecture's most unique and successful response to the automobile age. It is about to acquire a new shape

The design is the work of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who were asked by Macy's to design a new store on a cramped site in Elmhurst, LI a crowded New York suburb. Since there wasn't enough room for the conventional parking lot, SOM architects simply wrapped the parking space around the store.

The result is a circular building flanked by two spiral ramps. Customer? drive up a ramp, peel off at the level hey choose. There are two parking levels for each selling floor, and the customer parks diagonally on the outside or inner rim. Eliminated is the long walk from the distant parking lot

Theoretically at least, no customer need walk more than 75 ft. from car to counter. Says Project Manager Albert Kennerly: "For the first time in modern times the auto is brought to the curb of the store. It will be just like parking on Main Street in front of your favorite shop."

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