White Castle is just White Castle, but THIS is a genuine improvement.

Relax.

The White Castle at the dangerous intersection of Vincennes and Spring has reopened, although it's just another chain, and I don't give a tinker's damn whether it lives or dies.

If we must have cookie-cutter chains, then I'd rather have seen the building rebuilt right on the corner, flush with the sidewalk, as it used to be. At least now it's closer, and surprisingly, one aspect of the refit actually matters.

The view during construction ...

 ... and before.

I'd love to know the names of those city officials who approved the installation of a grassy berm at the precise spot where pedestrians would be approaching the restaurant. Suburban design idiocy like this is one reason why the intersection remains dangerous.

Wait ... it was John "Pinocchio" Rosenbarger, wasn't it?

After all, his fingerprints of 40 years time-serving can be found at hazardous junctures throughout the city.

ON THE AVENUES: For New Albany’s Person of the Year, the timeless words of Mother Jones: “Pray for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.”

Show trials. We need 'em desperately.

For better or worse, there'll be a brand new auto-centric White Castle at an already dangerous and muddled intersection.

Panicked rumors began surfacing on social media yesterday afternoon, and thanks to my neighbor Matt, we now see the apocalypse indeed is nigh, for the White Castle at the corner of Spring and Vincennes has closed ... but only temporarily.

The current building is to be demolished and a new one built. I heard this discussed at a Board of Public Works meeting some months back, but forgot about it. I'm told that new White Castle buildings like the one destined for this spot are modeled somewhat on the original castle-like cartoon outline.

I'm not sure if that's better or worse than what's there now.

From the standpoint of this street corner, the real issue remains the intrinsic danger of this intersection, and the fact that Rally's, Walgreen's and White Castle each boast drive-thru windows, translating into greater automotive traffic and a boost in hazards for non-vehicular users, as it's also one of the few places in the city where people walk from adjacent neighborhoods.

"New Albany has a long way to go on street safety," says Broken Sidewalkin an understatement for the ages.

In a much larger sense, I'm an indie kind of guy -- but we all have our exceptions. When it comes to the Porcelain Palace ... the WC Lounge ... it's really hard for me to say "death to chains."

This intersection is such a mess that it's even harder for me to refrain.

White Castle seeks permission to replace itself, and Mayor Lite can't wait to dedicate these new sliders.

For a branding mechanism, it's being used quite often in an official capacity -- but don't call it a city seal.

Call it the "Mark of Duggins."

Meanwhile ... didn't the new White Castle at Spring 'n' Vincennes just get built a few years ago? It seems that way, though it's probably been two decades.

Docket S-01-16: White Castle Management Co. requests a Site Plan Review to permit the construction of a restaurant to replace an existing restaurant in the C-1b, Local Business district, at 1701 E. Spring Street.