The long read是《卫报》(The Guardian)推出的长篇深度阅读栏目
文章来源：
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/10/the-death-of-the-department-store-john-lewis-coles-sheffield?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
整理：Frank
The death of the department store
Just before Christmas, the John Lewis logos on the building’s
exterior
were
dismantled
. The entrance to the car park once again said “Cole Brothers”. At night, some lights stayed on. “There are people in there,” said Seneviratne, “but we don’t know what they’re doing.”
Exterior
：the
outside of sth, especially a building ;（尤指建筑物的）外部，外观，表面，外貌
Dismantle：
to
take apart a machine or structure so that it is in separate pieces ;拆开，拆卸（机器或结构）
Along with Hunt and Park, the Sheffield Telegraph had organized a discussion about the building’s future at the City Hall. The muted, hesitant mood seemed to
be partly down to
the newly arrived Omicron variant, but also a sense of uncertainty about how any final decisions about the building would be made.
Be down to sb/sth：
to be caused by a particular person or thing; 由…引起（或造成）
The most energized contributions came from a couple of the paper’s readers. One insisted she wanted another John Lewis, or something like it: a place “where you can go in look around and choose things – gifts, perfume, makeup”. Another was
enthused
by the idea of something “experiential”, perhaps a “social issues museum”
centered on
the struggles of women, people of color and the LGBT community, or a sport museum. Others suggested a library, a
creche
and a reimagined
shopping arcade
.
When Hunt spoke, he managed to frame his suggestions in big questions about democracy, participation and the future of the lived environment. “We can show the world what is possible,” he said.
Enthuse
:
enthuse sb (with sth) to make sb feel very interested and excited;使热衷；使热心；使激动
Center around/on/round/upon sb/sth | centre sth around/on/round/upon sb/sth:
to be or make sb/sth become the person or thing around which most activity, etc. takes place ; 把…当作中心；（使）成为中心
Creche
：
a place where babies and small children are taken care of while their parents are working, studying, shopping, etc.;日托托儿所
Shopping arcade:
a large building with a number of shops/stores in it;商场；购物中心；商业中心
The next day, the city council announced that John Lewis had agreed to pay £5m “to surrender their current lease and
obligations
”. The money would be put “towards the future redevelopment of the site”. Three consultancy firms had been employed to
flesh out
the council’s options. All highlighted the challenges in redeveloping the building, not least its extensive asbestos. One paper, by the urban planning agency Fourth Street, recommended knocking it down, opening up the surrounding space to the public, and putting up a new, smaller structure, with potential uses including a “library, archive and storytelling center”, art gallery, music venue or sports facility, with an opportunity to “stack more private or commercial uses” on top.
Obligations：
The state of being forced to do sth because it is your duty, or because of a law, etc. ;义务；职责；责任
Flesh sth out:
To add more information or details to a plan, an argument, etc.;充实（计划、论据等的内容）
The empty store is soon to be covered by a vast “wrap”, at a cost of £100,000, and a five-week public consultation by the city council about the future of the city center is nearing its end. It sets out three broad options for the John Lewis building. Two involve demolition, then either the creation of a huge new public space, or Fourth Street’s mixed scheme. The third choice is to reuse the existing structure.
Later this year, the plans will become clear, but one person will not be involved: Nalin Seneviratne, who is about to
step down
as director of city center development after 13
tumultuous
years. “This is the longest I’ve ever worked for an organization,” he told me. “Someone else needs to do the next chapter.”
Step down:
If someone steps down or steps aside, they resign from an important job or position, often in order to let someone else take their place; 辞职;下台;让位
