Need a Small City Feature

Pics of the area described may help fire up some ideas!

How about a statue or fountain with a little fence around it like in a city park.

 

Russ

Bus stop and a phone booth?  Superman coming out of the phonebooth?

I have a flea market, a Rotary Int. barbecue with picnic tables and a grill, a small playground, a news stand, etc.

Flea market might work... or perhaps a farmer's market. Here's the site.

 

 

used car lot?

Hiram,

 

Looks like a good site for a war memorial - a wall with names, perhaps a fountain, and certainly a flagpole.  Maybe even a howitzer as a centerpiece.  Alternatively, you could put a children's park in there (swingset, a few dogs and their owners).

 

George

Maybe Randy could set up some tables and chairs for his customers so they could eat outdoors. Add some decorative fencing and a few planters with flowers to "fancy up" the place. Could even add some lights strung up around the area on poles.

 

Jim

How about a "wild" unkept sidelot with old tires, weeds, scrap lumbet, etc. EZ amd cheap.

 

You also could scratch build a tri building, If done well, no-one will think it's 3 sided.

Dave G.

How about a Train club operating a modular layout outside. With bystanders checking it out

News  stand.

I vote for a outside sidewalk style cafe

Busters Barber Shop, which includes a side news stand. There appears to be sufficient room for this small, easy to build kit:

 

 

The thing that I keep coming back to in my head, and I hate to say it, but... the wedge shaped building on the left would never have been built there.  A building like that would only exist at the intersection of 2 roads at that same angle, or where a road crossed the railroad tracks at that angle.   I know it's your layout,  but that would bother me.  If you're not too far along Maybe you can re-map your streets so that building can live somewhere it makes sense. Otherwise I'd find another wall that matches the wedge building but includes storefronts or something, and modify the building so the walls are parallel to the streets.

That's true in a modern "planned" city. But, very often in the evolution of established neighborhoods, every odd-shaped lot is used for some sort of structure. Plus, old buildings are torn down leaving the adjoining structures intact, but looking a little strange by themselves. It is just a common characteristic of a changing city scene.

 

Besides, IMO getting away from right angles adds interest to a scene.

 

Jim

I understand what you're saying, and to a point I agree, but that building has windows on the awkward triangle side, meaning when it was built there wasn't a building next to it.  I stand by my original premise that a wedge-shaped building of that design would be between two rights of way.  If the space between the buildings was even, suggesting that there had once BEEN a road there but it's now gone and some small industry or park or lemonade stand or car wash has popped up there, it would be quite plausible, but I've never seen anyone build buildings that are nested triangles.

 

In my home town, there are a series of odd-shaped buildings that create an unpaved alley running diagonally across the east end of town.  Most people don't know that it used to be the Reading Co. right of way through town. But when you look at all the odd-shaped buildings together, it's clear that they were designed AROUND a definite something.  Not just oddly shaped buildings mishmashed together with no rhyme or reason.

 

Wowak,

 

True - I agree - a very accurate assessment of why some buildings are odd shaped.

 

But!!! (tongue now planted in cheek ) - an important part of building a layout (and not driving yourself nuts in the process) is the art of justification.

 

It's easier sometimes to come up with a good story, rather than go back and rebuild a scene that has a few problems.

 

For example, to explain the windows --- that building that was torn down next to the corner store was only one story high and did not extend as far back as the lower window.

 

But, seriously, we are all bothered by different things. And when something really bothers you, it's definitely better to go back and re-plan as you say.

 

Now, about that cliff of mine that never really looked right....  

 

Jim

Had the same problem, made it a construction site as suggested above.  Have a bulldozed digging a hole.  The driver is looking over blueprints with foreman.  Now the viewer can decide what's going to happen.  Problem solved.

I'm with KD on this one. an empty lot with lots of junk, tires, remnants of car pieces, broken bike, cans, ramshackle fence with torn ads, arttista drunk or like george sellios has, a guy relieving himself in the corner of the lot. maybe the for sale sign. few modeling tasks are as much fun as assembling a junk scene. so many creative opportunities. 

 

as far as the slanted building, I love the building because it creates so much visual interest not being another straiight sided box (is that the Berkshire valley drugstore)? the lower window which might not have been there assuming there was another structure at one time, could easily be covered with a few overlapping signs or announcements for events as if someone just plastered them on the wall in a haphazard manner with a few of the corners peeling off the wall. the upper windows seem ok as that ghost middle building could have been a low structure. 

 

jerrman

Make it a parking lot that has been temporarily taken over by a street barbecue.

 

Don't know about other cities, but during the summer where I live, parking lots blossom with tents and barbecue pits, plus banners for whichever organization is fund-raising that day by selling burgers, brats and pork steaks to passers-by. A compact scene with a lot of life.

It would be a challenge, but I would make the triangle building fill the empty lot.  Swing the existing wall out to the street.  Or add a new building front with a triangle roof in the empty space.

I have one these in a project box - unpainted brown plastic. . Ten bucks shipped.

Taking from several of the very good ideas offered to you above, suggesting small businesses, here are some shots of such ideas to help visualize the space done in these different ways. Where the lots in my pictures appear to be rectangular or the structures too big, you could re-configure and re-size details to fit your lot's shape...

 

...a produce vendor...

 

...an outdoor plant vendor...

 

 

Some small buidings, like Harry's "Busters...", can be quite effective in small spaces...

 

..also, small junk collectors, like Jerrman & Dgauss suggested, allow for lots of variety of expression for us..

I am hopeful these are a help, HiramO.

Frank

As always, this place is wonderful when one seeks creative input.  You guys are terrific.

 

Attached are some flash snapshots of the scene as it is coming together. Plenty remains to be done (glue down sidewalks, crosswalks and road lines, streetlights, autos, highway guard rails, etc).

 

The footprint of the Berkshire Valley drugstore  admittedly forms an absurd angle; I bought it anyway because it's a cool building.  From most viewpoints the extreme angle is difficult to see.

 

Our city is about 20 feet wide but only about 4 feet deep. I feel strongly that 90 degree streets would be far too static, creating awkward vistas. The downside of angled streets is of course those awkward triangular plots...

 

Thanks again for the terrific input!

 

Jan

that small space looks like a good spot for a little sitting area with benches, shrubs and trees. See photo]