Monumental Mixed-use Developments in U.S. Urban Centers: Examining Shared Consumer and Corporate Spaces

Abstract

The monumental mixed-use structure has become a common building and social type of the urban center over the last century. The delineation between public and private has been redefined with the construction of private developments that offer both private and public spaces and create varying degrees of social interaction. A new dialogue continues about who belongs in spaces with multiple identities. To answer questions of ownership and use, I turn to an historical overview of form and function considering the Wanamaker Building, Rockefeller Center, Time Warner Center, and Liberty Place as case studies.