Livingston downtown design in the hands of experts

At a recent public meeting, a battle was raging about Livingston's downtown design. This was no surprise to citizens who are used to a lively discussion about what Livingston should look like in the twenty-first century.

But this time the battle lines were not about curb "bulb-out" sizes. They were firmly drawn around the questions of "What exactly is puce?"  and whether or not "taupe was really that dusky and brownish." After involving architecture students from Montana State University, things were still moving slowly, so the city and the Downtown Association turned to the Fab Five. The crew of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" were in town for their first look at the Absarokas, a mountain range that they hoped to refurbish for one of their upcoming shows (see Volume 1, Issue 2).

While Carson and the other four members of the crew were focusing on beauty, things were turning ugly across town as Livingston residents saw parts of the plan unveiled. "I'll be damned if puce has that much purple in it," said one third generation Montana rancher. "It's got a lot more deep red to it, if you ask me."

According to their Web site, the job of the Fab Five is to "transform the style-deficient and culture-deprived from drab to fab." "The town is drab, let's face it," said Thom Filicia, the show's "Design Doctor." "We've got our work cut out for us here," he added while sipping a latte at The Coffee Crossing. Part of what makes the job so tough is the relentless attention to detail that is a characteristic of the boys' transformations. This has rubbed local merchants the wrong way, although True Value Hardware liked the ideas the boys had for a new line of lawnmowers.

"Lawnmowers are accessories," said Carson, "and without accessories where are you? Billings, that's where." He added, "If you're going to put merchandise on the street, it had better be exciting." A real stickler for carrying out fashion themes with boldness, Carson convinced True Value to carry a line of lawnmowers more appropriate to what he envisions for Livingston's new look.

Below are the rainbow, turquoise, fuschia, and neon lawnmower models, among others. "Lawnmowers are accessories," says Carson. True Value also painted its red brick front a cool tropical blue to better showcase the mowers.



The producers of the Emmy-winning show want to branch out into new themes. "Queer Eye for the Straight Town," is one of the possibilities, and Livingston could be in the pilot if it accepts the Fab Five's plan and bid for a new design.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Frisco," sang one citizen in response to one of the Fab Five's downtown design ideas (right). Cable cars could solve the tragic and persistent downtown parking problem.

Below: San Francisco's famous "Painted Ladies".

Palm trees made a huge difference for San Francisco's Embarcadero, but are they right for Callender Street (below)?  The Fab Five think that the bank should be painted a bold golden color, while fire hydrants should be painted puce and embellished with "festive plants". City leaders are still struggling with what puce is.