Main & Kennedy
The commercial heart of downtown Rockvil, described in-game as “the heart of the downtown area, flanked by classical glass-and-steel skyscrapers.”^[raw/src/rockvil.zil] This intersection is the primary business district, home to Rockvil’s most prominent corporate towers and a transit hub whose fate embodies the city’s decline.
Description and Layout
“This is the heart of the downtown area, flanked by classical glass-and-steel skyscrapers. The skybus terminal [on the northwest corner / has been closed for several years…]. To the southwest is [Kennedy Park / a construction site / luxury townhouses].”
Four corners define the intersection:
| Corner | Occupant | Fate |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | InfoTech Building | One of Rockvil’s most famous landmarks; a 130-story office tower |
| Southeast | Silicorp Building | A tall office tower, home to Silicorp |
| Northwest | Skybus Terminal | Shut down by 2071 |
| Southwest | Kennedy Park → Construction → Townhouses | Transforms each decade |
The InfoTech Building
“The skyscraper on the northeast corner is one of Rockvil’s most famous landmarks, the InfoTech Building. This 130-story office tower is the tallest building in the city and the [sixth/fifth/third] tallest in the world.”
The InfoTech Building’s world ranking is a subtle indicator of Rockvil’s decline — or perhaps of global shifts. It ranks sixth tallest in 2041 and 2051, drops to fifth in 2061, and rises to third in 2071. The change is ambiguous: is Rockvil gaining relative stature, or are other cities’ skyscrapers being abandoned?
The Silicorp Building
“The high-rise building on the southeast corner is the Silicorp Building, a tall office tower.”
A corporate headquarters. Silicorp, like InfoTech, represents the high-tech economy of mid-21st-century Rockvil. The buildings themselves don’t visibly decay — they remain “classical glass-and-steel skyscrapers” throughout — but the streets around them grow increasingly dangerous.
The Skybus Terminal (Northwest Corner)
In 2041, 2051, and 2061, the skybus terminal is operational on the northwest corner. By 2061, it is “run-down and needs repairs” (score event 123, 1 point).^[raw/src/prism.zil] By 2071:
“The skybus terminal on the northwest corner has been closed for several years, following an unprofitable experiment to sell the skybus system to a private company.”
This is score event 12 (2 points). The closure of the skybus privatizes and then eliminates public transit — a privatization experiment that left the city without a functioning transportation backbone.
The Southwest Corner: Three Eras
The southwest corner of Main & Kennedy undergoes the most dramatic transformation:
- 2041 and 2051: Kennedy Park — a public green space
- 2061: A construction site — “Kennedy Park is a construction site” (score event 13, 2 points)
- 2071: Luxury townhouses — the public park has been replaced by private, wealthy residences
This sequence — park → construction → luxury housing — is a microcosm of the game’s economic narrative: public goods are privatized, the middle class is squeezed out, and the wealthy consolidate.
Connections
| Direction | Leads To |
|---|---|
| North | Centre and Kennedy |
| Northeast | Office building (InfoTech) |
| East | Main and River |
| Southeast | Office building (Silicorp) |
| South | Elm and Kennedy |
| Southwest | Kennedy Park / Construction / Townhouses |
| West | [[rockvil-centre |
| Northwest | Skybus Terminal |
Significance
Main & Kennedy is where the player witnesses the privatization of public space and public services. The skybus closure, the park-to-townhouses conversion, and the corporate towers standing impassively above it all create a tableau of a city being sold off piece by piece. The “classical glass-and-steel skyscrapers” — icons of mid-century prosperity — become ironic monuments to a world that no longer exists.
Related Pages
- Rockvil Centre — the public plaza to the west
- Rockvil — the city as a whole
- Dunbar’s — the department store catering to the wealthy elite
- City Hall — the decaying seat of government nearby