The Making and Breaking of the Tower
Every builder leaves a part of themselves in the structures they create
Jason Hanley was an architect. He was the one who brought visions to life with his architectural marvels. Every blueprint that he created was a work of art and he was paid well for all the structures that he had built over the years. Now, they were going to destroy his prized building because it was built on the land the government needed to build a shopping mall, with other amenities.
The city needed a facelift and it was up to the Mayor to make sure that old buildings were taken down and new structures were put in their place. The city needed to be purged of the old and crumbling edifices so that place was made for a new generation of citizens to live and enjoy life in a modern city. The funds were in place and all that was needed was the mind and brilliance of a great architect. The City Council was ready to go ahead and begin their five-year plan of removing all the old buildings and monuments of the city. Yes, even the old monuments needed to go. No one wanted to be reminded of those old legends and icons, who were now part of history and did not have a place in the present.
The large structure that stood in the city was designed and built by the renowned architect Jason Hanley over five decades ago. It was now a landmark in the city. There was a time when it was said that the Tower of Paradise would glint and shine in the sunlight, like it was made of ivory. There used to be over five hundred offices in that structure. A decade ago, the Tower of Paradise was repaired and converted into apartments for the people of the city. However, it had fallen into disrepair. Parts of the structure of “Paradise” were crumbling. The place was now abandoned, as the last few families left to move into better accommodations in an upper-class neighbourhood of the city.
It pained Jason to watch the crumbling tower. He thought it would be his legacy for the city. He was a septuagenarian but he was still good with his architectural plans. The Mayor and the Council requested Jason to design a new modern design for the city. Jason agreed and it was not long before he gave them the most wonderful and futuristic design that “blew their minds”.
On the day when the “Tower of Paradise”, was demolished, Jason was not watching it on television. He was at the site and his lifeless body was found in the ruins of the building he had built as a young man. Strangely, he had a smile on his face, as if he was happy where he was, with his legacy of a monument to the city he loved. The new residential structure, that included a shopping mall, school banks, a hospital and a homeless shelter was named, “Hanley Towers” after its architect, who left an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of the citizens of the city.
