On the First Street flank, that snazzy "Motor Court" entrance, dominated by a soaring Art Deco ceiling, is visually damaged by views of the backstage elements, such as utility rooms. But the commercial spaces that face the Whole Food shops across First Street have the potential to add considerable life to the street, which is-even now-quite a pleasure to drive or walk, not the dark wind tunnel some had predicted.

It's hard to understand how the architects and developers of these crucial elements in Sarasota's downtown have managed to create a pleasant street scene while imposing such lugubrious mass on this key downtown space. The Selby Public Library building has, at last, retreated into relative anonymity (not a bad thing), and the bunker-like Zenith building doesn't look quite so grim in this new context. The Opera House is, as always, a graceful element, as are the Bijou Café building and the nearby Library Mews townhouses.

Remember when those citizens who participated in the master plan charrettes were assured that only one 17-story "signature" building would be allowed at the city's center, providing a landmark symbolizing the future of our town, while its neighbors would be kept in scale? Well, we got the big building, all right, in the shape of Five Points Plaza. But it is surely not the distinguished architectural landmark, the symbol of our municipal future, that we hoped for and deserve.

In May, Richard Storm won third place for "Best Criticism" for this column in a statewide contest conducted by the South Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.