Stone Walls and Shopping Malls: Retail Landscapes in the Bluegrass

Authors

Jason Richards, University of KentuckyFollow

Abstract

This paper is an analysis of the recent use of veneered stone walls in the contemporary retail landscapes of the Bluegrass. These walls have been used in conjunction with other elements of the region’s landscape symbol vocabulary to re-create the equine landscape of Central Kentucky in commercial spaces. They seek to evoke the region’s symbolic landscape of wealthy horse estates, utilizing their inaccessibility to elicit an associative attitude of aspiration in the shopper. But they also speak to the values of the businesses and citizens who produce them. The earliest of these walls were found in the street frontage and signage of shopping centers. Most recently, stone veneer has been incorporated in contexts other than landscape walls in order to indicate a center’s amenity relative to other shopping centers.

Recommended Citation

Richards, Jason (2006) "Stone Walls and Shopping Malls: Retail Landscapes in the Bluegrass," Kaleidoscope: Vol. 5, Article 9.
Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/kaleidoscope/vol5/iss1/9