Worrying about the skyline.

Madison is one of these cities with a big, old central landmark that makes preservationists want to control the entire skyline. (The same people tend to object to sprawl too: these urban values are hard to keep straight!) I love the look of the state capitol building, and the many clear views of it from all around Madison are nice, but really, shouldn't we have some tall buildings? There are many magnificent views to be had from higher levels, and the skyline could use more than one spike.

So consider this new proposal.

Developer Curt Brink is proposing the most ambitious building project in Madison history.

The $250 million Archipelago Village would be the city's tallest, biggest and most costly private development ever....

The 27-story, 570-foot-tall building - twice as tall as the state Capitol - would be the second highest tower in the state and would provide a staggering 1.4 million square feet of commercial space on the old Mautz Paint site and other properties on the 900 block of East Washington Avenue. The development would shatter sacred city and state laws that limit building height to 187.2 feet within one mile of the Capitol. Those rules are designed to preserve views of the Capitol. The proposal is expected to ignite intense debate on how the city should grow as its boundaries reach their limits for expansion...

The project, featuring varied rooflines meant to look like buildings built over time, would include two hotels, 600,000 square feet of office space, 400,000 square feet of retail space, condos, a grocery, health club, perhaps a water park and 3,200 parking spaces.

It would also have a six- story, football-field-size atrium surrounded by stores and restaurants and crossed by wide footbridges where people could linger, eat or socialize...

Early reaction has been a mix of awe, along with praise for offering life to a dormant block, skepticism about Brink's capacity to pull it off, and concern about the height, mass and location....

Brink said he has thought deeply about bringing life and style to the site. He said he is influenced by the architecture of Stockholm, Sweden, and Central Park West in New York City....

The architecture, with varied heights, allows for dynamic, stylish rooftops and outdoor balconies and spaces unique vistas, Brink said.

The 570-foot-tall office- condo tower far exceeds city and state height laws, but it may be time for the city to choose places to grow up and enhance its bland skyline, which resembles a flat-topped cake from a distance, he said....

I love the idea. The building looks great, and would be set in a part of downtown that looks pretty dismal at the moment. And about that retail space: it's really time for Madison to have an upscale mall. As it is, people who want to shop at high end stores are forced to take their money out of town. The malls we currently have are depressingly utilitarian. We need more entertaining shopping in this town!

UPDATE: For an example of showing no respect for the state capitol in the skyline, look here.