Tempo change
Tempo change
Links to pass the time while the time's not passing.
It’s been 96 days since the last store opening. That’s officially longer than 2020’s perceptually eternal 90-day drought between Apple Fairview and the socially distanced reopening of Apple Sydney.
I think we’re due for a tempo change soon enough, but in the meantime, there are still interesting things to share:
The Western Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology is celebrating the restoration of Apple Tower Theatre with an in-person tour this Thursday. Among the presenters are representatives from Gruen Associates, preservation company Spectra, and EverGreene Architectural Arts.
The WCAPT’s announcement of the almost fully-booked tour surfaced some photos and details about the theater’s restoration that I’ve never seen before, and I’m guessing you haven’t either. Check out this page.
EverGreene Architectural Arts is seldom credited on Apple projects, but their work is behind several high-profile stores like Apple Upper East Side and Apple Carnegie Library. Few others would sweat every detail.
“Our team designed and painted a number of Murals for the Tower Theatre, the most noticeable being the ceiling murals. The originally cherub-filled ceiling mural was toned down to a calming blue sky, to mirror the California sky beyond. The circular murals on the proscenium were also designed and painted at our Brooklyn Studio.”
The WCAPT also highlighted this page from Spectra with additional restoration photos. Spectra completed interior plaster work and exterior terra cotta repairs.
Apple Nanjing East renovation
Remodeling work is underway in Shanghai at Apple Nanjing East. Photos shared on Weibo show that temporary walls have been constructed to conceal a large portion of the store’s main level. The rear entrance to the store is mostly blocked. Construction is also still ongoing at Apple Pudong in Shanghai.
Unlike the exciting Forum upgrades that swept through Classic Stores in 2018 and 2019, recent renovations have been modest, maintenance-oriented, and extremely pragmatic. The upgrades at Nanjing East will likely follow a similar formula and improve store accessibility.
Speaking of maintenance, Apple Georgetown has closed again for more renovation work. This time, it’s just door replacements.
Event calendar
Heading into spring, the Today at Apple lineup feels vibrant again in a way it hasn’t in years. Of particular interest is “Fridays in the Forum,” a weekly series that began in February at significant stores like Apple Carnegie Library and Apple Fifth Avenue. These unlisted sessions bring live DJs to the Forum and fill the store with music.
New for March is “Women in Power,” a collection running from March 7–26 in honor of Women’s History Month. The @FindASession bot will automatically post links to upcoming sessions if more are added to the calendar.
Also new worldwide is Pop-Up Studio: Make Your Own Ted Lasso Poster, a mini session celebrating the third season of Ted Lasso. Like Fridays in the Forum, these sessions don’t seem to appear on public Today at Apple calendars, so you’ll have to drop in at your local store and see if you can check one out.
In January, I told you about Creative Studios Shorts, a series of short films produced by Today at Apple in London. Five new films from Creative Studios Sydney have now been added to the collection. Apple worked with The Street University to tell the stories of young filmmakers in Western Sydney. Unless you’re in Australia, you’ll need to open this link in a browser to watch the trailers.
Featured image
Apple Dubai Mall
Photo via @dullahbank.
Hi Michael! I am loving your newsletters. This past week I was re-watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier again. Every time I watch this movie I get a kick out of the scene where Steve and Natasha use a Macbook in a mall Apple Store and they even have a conversation with an employee. It made me wonder if you keep track of when Apple Stores appear in movies? That would be interesting to read about. Thank you!