To The Editor: I designed that building in 1983, the first of the larger size of that time. It was a tough nut to crack though. The chain company wanted their typical pink stone pasted on the façade. They also wanted a “no entry” vestibule but they did want their refrigeration equipment on the ground around the building. The freezer and cold boxes were to be drywall with insulation and no floor drains. “No,” said I, “there will be sanitary Bally Boxes and equipment on the roof.” Wawa handed me plans that were very poorly designed. I had designed for many other larger chain companies (Pantry Pride, Shop ’n Bag, Acme, etc.) and visited some Wawa stores that were literally molding and growing mildew. To teach them some things while they resisted and objected – not unlike other commercial clients – was mental stress. Making a better building and one that would fit in or complement Cape May didn’t have to be such a struggle but it was exactly that. I found the contractor, Buck Purdy, who did a credible job. On opening day the one person missing and not invited for the photo op was, well, you know, me. Shortly before the place opened, there was a 100-year rain storm for two days. I had planned for that by drainage design and calculations. The lot was flooded when I got there and I asked the first manager what he thought was the problem. “It’s the architect’s fault” said he. “Give me your *@#%* phone!” I still had the number for the man in charge of property development for the company with me. I had seen a few days in a row as the mulch was piled and dumped on the parking lot just prior to the storm, and while they were stocking the new shelves it had washed into the drainage system and clogged it up. The landscaper chosen by Wawa on a separate contract had done the damage, not bad site design. In a trice, given how angry I was, the Wawa official allowed for me to work with a local plumber of my choice to clear the problem immediately and Wawa paid that plumber, not me. I did some damage to my hands lifting those originally heavy cast iron grates on the drains. They were replaced with much lighter material recently - but why? As evidence of my over-design, notice that Swain’s Hardware, built later, has no storm drains. That vast lot drains on the Wawa property and into the system I designed at the demand of the Planning Board’s engineer and with my agreement that it was proper to do so. I am sorry to see the place now abandoned and a boarded-up eyesore. Wawa has plans to get rid of all the smaller places to focus on the really big ones with gasoline service islands. They may be missing something in the master scheme, but the success they have enjoyed came from the kind of building I designed for them, the principles of which became their standard. All the refrigeration equipment is on the roof; delivery of stock is not through the front door; the control register counter is always central; the vestibule is always double side loaded. And the central gable roof with which everyone is so familiar was my design. My regrets and sympathy go to Johnny Wawa and friends. HUGH MCCAULEY Cape May