“Hip, but Not Hopping: Flashy Rio Mall Generates Few Sparks” (1990)
There’s trouble in Rio.
The biggest crowd, it seems, is those wacky gold frogs that decorate the long, rectangular pool in the funky Midtown shopping center.
At its slowest times, the striking, two-level center of blue aluminum siding, white structural steel and swirly neon has the ambiance of an empty can. Despite its acclaim for architectural daring, Rio hasn’t yet become the popular entertainment and retail mecca that its developer, Ackerman & Co., had hoped.
