didn't
forget their level Some South Tryon Street regulars are doing double
takes in front of The Ratcliffe on the Green condominiums.
From ground level, the terrace of a posh
third-floor unit appears to be sloping slightly downhill.
But, says developer Dennis Richter, the
builders didn't forget their carpenter's levels. It's an optical
illusion.
"The terrace is narrow on the side
closest to Three Wachovia and it kind of flares out on the other
side," he said. "That's what makes it look like it's
sloping."
Still, when I looked through the viewfinder of
my camera, I thought I saw a slight tilt.
I asked The Ratcliffe sales manager Kathy
Landgraff to convince me of the illusion by escorting me up to the
$1.3 million, 4,385-square-foot condo.
The 881-square-foot terrace wraps around to
the corner of the building and overlooks The Green, Wachovia's
whimsical 1.5 acre park.
But does it slope?
I pulled a rubber ball from my pocket and
asked Landgraff to released it as I aimed the camera. The ball went
nowhere until she gave it a push.
OK. OK. I'm satisfied. Developers Richter
& Associates and Grubb Development are right. The terrace is
level.
But those optical illusions sure can play
tricks on the mind.
Remember when the 60-story Bank of America
Corporate Center opened at The Square in 1992?
Motorists commuting from south Charlotte in
the morning swore the tower was leaning 3 to 5 degrees toward North
Tryon.
That, too, was an illusion, the builder said,
caused by the angle of the sunlight bouncing off the tower's curved
exterior walls.
Oh, well, at least optical illusions give us
something to talk about on a sultry summer day.
Condo owners have started moving into The
Ratcliffe, where about 30 percent of the 57 units have sold for
prices ranging from the $200,000s to more than $800,000.
You can check it out by visiting the sales
office inside. Landgraff conducts tours for the public at 4 p.m.
weekdays.
From now on, when I pass that building I'm
turning my head the other way. I think that optical illusion is
overloading my brain.
