Modern or traditional is the question.

And the answer – when applied to the council’s decision Tuesday on what architectural style to go with on the new transit station – will set the tone in downtown for perhaps years to come.

The two renderings that appeared on the front of Friday’s Manteca Bulletin prompted a half dozen phone calls and e-mails from readers voicing their opinions. It was a bit of a surprise as it meant readers were that passionate about it to make their views known.

It is definitely not a trite decision.

The transit station is the first new building being built in downtown in about 30 years. It is also in a high profile location.

While anything is arguably better than the old Union Ice building it replaced, some serious thought needs to be given by council members on which way to go.

At first glance the modern design is appealing. As one reader noted, the glass and curvy roof lines are reminiscence of the era when the nearby New Deal Market – which now houses Kelly Moore Paints and the hospice thrift store – was built. While the New Deal building doesn’t have a curvy roof line, the bold angular roof it does have combined with the extensive glass front is a kissing cousin of the modernistic style.

Yet you can’t help think it would be a better match if the station was being built on Moffat across from the Crossroads Grace Community Church with its bold lines and curvy roof or even near the Powers Tract neighborhood that harks from the 1950s with its ample supply of modernistic flat top homes.

But the station is going at Moffat and South Main Street.

One caller noted the straight lines are keeping with the older buildings that make up Manteca’s heart that were built between 1909 and 1930. It also reminds one of old photos of the original Bank of Manteca on the southwest corner of Maple and Yosemite avenues that is now hidden beneath a modern skin put there by another bank. Today the building houses India Merchandise.

Many downtown buildings had brick faces that have been covered with stucco. The most recent was the brick building on the northwest corner of Lincoln and Yosemite avenues that hawks T-shirts, clothing, skateboards and other products. The Century Furniture building that once housed Mahan’s Department Store – also picks up on the modern look. Bank of America and El Rey - two other buildings within the sightline of the transit station site – are definitely a cross between the two styles although you could argue they are slightly more modern looking.

But the one building that may matter the most can’t be seen – yet. It is the new $2.1 million animal shelter now being built directly across the tracks. Although it doesn’t exactly have an expanse of glass by any stretch of the imagination, its numerous angles, varied roof lines, and architectural treatments would seem to blend in better with a modern transit station than one that has a more traditional look. That said the colors chosen for the animal shelter wouldn’t distract from a transit station that looks more traditional.

Then there is the serious issue of what the city is doing in trying to create a look for Manteca. You can see that look downtown, along the Tidewater, in Library Park, along Daniels Street by Big League Dreams and the Stadium Retail Center, in Del Webb at Woodbridge as well as a handful of other newer neighborhoods. It reflects a look from the late 18th century to early 19th century that – for want of a better term – can best be described as Manteca’s “Tidewater motif.”

What would look more seamless with the Tidewater motif that may one day be part of the streetscape along Moffat and South Main – modern or traditional?

There honestly isn’t a “right” answer. It all comes down to taste. Bold and striking designs have worked in other cities even when it contrasts with what is close by.

The Manteca City Council needs to keep in mind one thing: Architecture is a form of art. It is what takes a building beyond function to the point it makes a statement to the senses.

So what will it be – a traditional look or a modern look?