[esquire]

I think 546 was the victim of unfortunate timing on that project. In the years leading up to Centre Village's construction when the project would have been designed and planned (say, 2007-2009), there was a feeling of optimism around the inner city... crime was down, development was up, there was a sense that things were improving. Centre Village was a bit audacious but it was a symbol of improvement.

Of course as we all know that's not how it worked out... pretty much right when Centre Village opened its doors, synthetic drugs did a number on the inner city. Crime and drugs ran rampant social conditions took a serious turn for the worse. Obviously if 546 was designing Centre Village today, it would better take into account the crazy Mad Max-like social dynamics now present at night in the area west of Central Park. I'm sure they could easily design a fortress. But that wasn't necessarily what the situation called for at the time. So personally I'd give them a break. It's not 546's fault that meth and crime exploded in the 2010s.

That said, I doubt Centre Village can be salvaged. If it were just about anywhere else in the city it would be fine, but that is a terrible location for a complex like that and it's hard to conclude that it's anything but a writeoff.