One Bangkok

[reader]

The largest construction project in the city gets closer to completion by the day. One Bangkok (pictured in an artist;'s rendering above) is being worked on around the clock at the intersection of Rama 4 and Wireless Rd. (opposite Lumpini Park). TCC Assets, the same folks who brought us Samyan Mitrtown and Silom Edge, reports that One Bangkok is destined to become the city's prime central business district. It's due to open in stages between 2023-2026.

[PeterRS]

5 more luxury hotels, endless new office space, endless upmarket apartments, presumably a major mall or two. All of which Bangkok simply does not need! Would that the night market with the superb Joe Louis Puppet Theatre, its plethora of cheap eating sna shopping places and the Lumphini Boxing Stadium were still there. These would be fsr more appealing to residents and tourists than virtually anything in Bangkok One.

[reader]

Sixty-seven years ago people thought the Patpongpanich family was crazy to buy an agricultural plot on the outskirts of Bangkok which is today known as Patpong.

A half-century ago many would argue that there was no need for the Dusit Thani Hotel, which has since been razed to make way for a new development.

I agree that the old places that are being replaced by One Bangkok served its citizens and tourists well and have a place in the hearts of those fortunate enough to have patronized them. As the saying goes, no body likes change, including me (the Dusit Thani was my favorite hotel on the few nights a trip I could afford the splurge). 

Now as to the question of "need", that will be determined by how the public and business community respond to the new opportunities presented by One Bangkok.

I had an affection for many of the now extinct landmarks in US cities (particularly the infamous sex theaters and peepshows of old Times Square 😉).

I suspect there are Londoners who still detest the development Canary Wharf.

As I write this, Central World--one of the city's great shopping meccas--is undergoing a remake. Personally, I can't see the need for it. It already outdistances anything I can find at home.

[PeterRS]

On 2/26/2023 at 8:05 PM, reader said:

Sixty-seven years ago people thought the Patpongpanich family was crazy to buy an agricultural plot on the outskirts of Bangkok which is today known as Patpong.

A half-century ago many would argue that there was no need for the Dusit Thani Hotel, which has since been razed to make way for a new development.

I'd suggest you are not comparing like with like. New ideas like the development of Patpong replaced agricultural land which affected a very small number of farmers. Canary Wharf was basically just a series of wharfs which had all closed by 1980. It was to all intents and purposes dead land.

One Bangkok on the other hand has displaced a huge number of people. Earlier I forgot to mention that BEC Tero had created a 4,000 seat theatre in the Night Market site which enabled medium-level pop concerts to go ahead right in the centre of the city. Had the developers of One Bangkok had any interest whatever in serving the people of Bangkok rather than purely profit, they would have made space for different types of entertainment - like the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre (which I cannot priase too highly), a theatre for smaller-scale concerts and a replacement for the extremely popular Thai kick boxing arena. That plus the addition of a major gallery or museum would have resulted in the loss of just a tiny fraction of the total commercial space but made it a true centre of Bangkok.

As an aside, I did not enjoy the sex and sleaze around Times Square - but then that's perhaps because I was robbed in a porn cinema! Besides, i think the New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street and the fabulous restoration by Disney is a rediscovered gem. As USA Today claimed, "It's like walking into a dream."

[fedssocr]

On 2/26/2023 at 8:05 AM, reader said:

As I write this, Central World--one of the city's great shopping meccas--is undergoing a remake. Personally, I can't see the need for it. It already outdistances anything I can find at home.

that's interesting. After the fire there was a large section that had to be redone. I suppose with so much competition in the Bangkok Mall World that you have to keep things constantly improving or at least changing. I love Central World. I can't wait to see it in a couple of weeks.

[reader]

9 hours ago, PeterRS said:

As an aside, I did not enjoy the sex and sleaze around Times Square - but then that's perhaps because I was robbed in a porn cinema!

Give you an "A" for effort, at least.

9 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Ii think the New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street and the fabulous restoration by Disney is a rediscovered gem. As USA Today claimed, "It's like walking into a dream."

For me, walking into a dream was entering the Adonis Theater on Eighth Ave. And unlike Disney's, the dreams weren't celluloid.😉

[TotallyOz]

I am looking forward to seeing what they condos they have there. I like the location and might consider.

[PeterRS]

14 hours ago, reader said:

For me, walking into a dream was entering the Adonis Theater on Eighth Ave. And unlike Disney's, the dreams weren't celluloid.😉

50th Street was quite a walk from 42nd Street and Times Square. Indeed it could not be called part of Times Square. For your info, the New Amsterdam renovation was for The Lion King's stage production - not the movie. It played there for 9 years where it was seen by around 6 million patrons. In that time how many attended the Adonis? Clearly not very many because it closed in 1989 and was demolished in 1995. (I did patronise the Adonis a couple of times but the movies were not the type I enjoy.)

[reader]

Hell, I played in the Adonis for years, too. LOL.

Btw, it was Rudy Giuliani's drive to rid midtown of any trace of pornography that led to the demise of the Adonis and a slew of other venues. That was before his love affair with Trump, of course.

But if Disney-inspired productions hold your interest and those screened at the Adonis didn't, knock yourself out on Netflix. I think you can still catch Alice in Wonderland on demand.

But I'll always think well of you, knowing that you ventured out to Eighth Ave. to test the waters with us hoi polloi.