The old and the new
The stakes: Wood River Valley’s history and architecture
Express photos by David N. Seelig
Gone are the days of dirt streets and wooden sidewalks. Gone are
the rumble of mule-drawn ore wagons and virgin valley floors.
Still, much of the pastoral feeling remains, found in the spirit of the
Wood River Valley. It’s an aura that architects, planners, residents and developers
are struggling, almost daily, to quantify, maintain or re-create.
Convictions about just who we are and what we should become are as diverse
as residents’ backgrounds.
It’s a philosophical conflict, which, for example, wound its way
through a recent Ketchum P&Z decision to temporarily suspend downtown building
permits.
During the Wood River Valley’s current building spurt, some
residents perceive an eclectic mix of styles and time periods. Others, however, are
dismayed by what they see as a diminishing of "a small-town Western feel."
Sidewalks, traffic lights, a grinding commute, infinite
construction—they are all symptoms of growth. If one thing’s certain, the valley
is going to continue to swell against its existing boundaries.
A struggle—the old versus the new—is reflected in these photos.
—Greg Stahl
