Brown's first foray into strip-mall design and development was 120 Blondo, an office/retail center completed in 2004 and listed in The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture. Like all of Brown's malls, it is fully leased.
To maximize the square footage of Village Pointe East, Brown built a lower level into the sloping site. (That level now houses a daycare center.) The abundant use of copper, plantings of native grasses, and sleek lighting fixtures present a sharp contrast to the nostalgic "lifestyle center" across the street.
Monarch Place II is scheduled to open in late 2008.
At Monarch Place, Brown tailored his design to a smaller budget, dictated by lower rental rates. Gone are the angles of 120 Blondo and the copper of Village Pointe East. Instead, a screen of inexpensive metal studs gestures to the wooden barns prevalent in the Midwest.
