I'm going on a cross country road trip, first across the north (NY - Oregon by way of Montreal and Toronto and Chicago) then back across the South... wherever the wind takes me. I found a comprehensive list on greatbuildings.com but it doesn't seem to have newer buildings. I am looking for suggestions of awesome buildings to see across the US (and Canada!) that are public... even better if they aren't too expensive to visit. Or cool private buildings with great curb appeal!
If you're near Chicago, it is worth it to pass through Muskegon, MI to see Marcel Breuer's St. Francis de Sales church. It's not exactly new, and has some horrid additions, but it's an oft-missed modern masterpiece.
There's also some great work a few hours drive, such as Calatrava's museum in Milwaukee, Cranbrook's campus in suburban Detroit (lots of work by Steven Holl, TWBTA, and Dan Hoffman), and WHy Architecture's museum adjacent to Maya Lin's Ecliptic park in Grand Rapids. There's also a great Rafael Vinoly building there and a couple good FLLW homes.
I'll skip Chicago, because it sort of goes without saying...
This is kinda like asking, "What great building are there in the United States?" It's pretty inane. There are thousands. You might want to narrow down your route and itinerary if you want to get good suggestions.
All that being said, if I could go anywhere, I would find a route from San Diego/Los Angeles to Las Vegas and natural environs, through Kansas City/St. Louis up through Columbus, IN up to Detroit (maybe throw Chicago in, maybe not;) over to Toronto then on to New York/Boston. Not sure if that route exists in real life interstates, but I think you'd hit the best of North American modern architecture with that route.
what you should do is make a google map of your trip and then let us all edit it..or something like that. that way you could at least get interesting sites along your route.
definitely agree on salk.
so many places worth going..hard to pick without some kind of itinerary or even rough route.
And this is the second map for the remainder of the trip. My destinations, and even the order of them, is subject to change depending on timing and money... I will mostly be sticking to perimeter states with a few dips in here and there. I am willing to travel to see buildings that are really interesting so I left the discussion wide open because really my itinerary is pretty wide open!
I am most interested in newer structures and hidden jewels from the past. I've been to several major buildings: Falling Water, the Seattle Public Library and even Aalto's Mt. Angel Library in Oregon... I am trying to decide if the Farnsworth house is worth $20 of my precious budget (and thoughts on that would be appreciated as well).
if you find yourself anywhere near dfw, you can and should make a trip to the kimbell, which i personally think is by far the best building in texas. while you're there you can walk over and see the modern (tadao ando).
the arts district in dallas is unique in that it has four buildings by pritzker prize-winners (renzo piano, rem koolhaas, norman foster, and i.m. pei), as well as the lovely booker t. washington magnet school (allied works). you can also see meier's rachofsky house if you can get in on a tour.
Wow! That's an amazing trip, k80k. I'm envious. Though I've never been, I've always wanted to see Marfa. Don't know how far off the path it is, but I think it may be worth it. About two hours south of Birmingham, AL, you can go to Hale County and see some of the Rural Studio work. Also, I'll second Bossman's Cranbrook suggestion; it's a must if you are in the Detroit area. I'm a little surprised you skipped Los Angeles/Palm Springs/San Diego/Pheonix. Unless you already know those cities pretty well, there is a ton of great modern architecture there.
How long do you you give yourself to make this trip? I'd say at least 4-5 weeks.
What's your budget? Unless you plan on sleeping in the trunk, I'd budget at least $10k (more if gas prices keep going up).
I drove across the country once, and lemme tell ya, it's a whole lotta nothing out there. The highlights were fun, but they added up to 2% of the whole trip. Rest looked like trashy highway design that was put together by a video game developer on the cheap.
You will also observe how run down and poor America really is.
Unless you only eat junk food, your diet will greatly suffer during the entire trip. If anyone in your group is vegetarian, they will starve to death.
This trip will be a lot more expensive than you think it will be.
Your relationship with your travel mates will be greatly tested.
But hey, you'll be embarking on a true adventure, and you should treat it as such.
I'd skip the Fayetville-Nashville (both suck) part of the trip and go through Athens, GA instead.
AH AH AH AH AH!!! Still rolling on the floor, rusty...you make the USA sound like a voidoid, third world wasteland, then you end with "Good luck, and enjoy it!" ROFL!!!
My experience is the exact, diametrical opposite of your description of a trip through the US. Sure, if you stick to interstate highways only your trip will be pretty dull. Get on the "Blue Highways" and the trip is nothing but fascinating. To describe one of the most varied - both in geography and culture - large countries of the world as "a whole lot of nothing" is asinine. This country is nothing but fascinating, as it was for Lewis and Clark way back when (and that's not denying that parts of it have now been trashed). And you're wrong about the food too: it's garbage if you only eat on the highway stops or just off of interstate exits, but every state has regional specialties or delicacies that are a joy to eat. Come on rusty, learn to really travel, not just drive.
Definitively stay away from St. Louis unless you think Detroit wasn't big enough of a shithole, and you need more.
Emilio, if k80k decides to only drive 12 hours a day, the whole trip will still take over 16 days. That's a lotta drivin' no matter what. If they take a full month off, then they may explore some back roads and such. It'll be an expensive trip.
Never said there is nothing to see in the US. There are plenty of monotonous regions that will grow tiresome on you. If you've ever considered driving through Kansas, don't. In the first 10 minutes you will have seen everything you'll see in the next 5 hours.
Emilio, did you even click on your own link? Home of the 5 foot waterfall, a balancing rock, a bison, hike through a cornfield, viewing platform of a cornfield, etc... and this is best of state!
"To describe one of the most varied - both in geography and culture - large countries of the world as "a whole lot of nothing" is asinine."
me thinks you've never applied for a passport :)
Don't get me wrong, I loved travelling across America, but you gotta appreciate the sheer size of it. Some parts are better than others. And some parts suck. And monoculture is (sadly) far stronger than any local cultural twists.
Chicago: IIT student center and farnsworth house is a must see.
The building explains how the architects use the design to respond the client's needs and the challenge from the environment. I always cried in my heart every time I went to IIT student center. How many buildings can still stand modern and meets people's needs after 50 years? When I think of these two buildings, no matter how hard the challenge I need to face, I feel I am full of energy.
The trip is one of two/three best ways to learn architecture. Quick and solid. I wish I did it when I was in college. k80k, If you could, you better to find a partnert to go with you, so you guys can drive alternatively. Otherwise, it is easy to get bored, and tired when time goes. Also, you need to share your thoughts and hear feedback right way when you see some exciting things in the trip.
I agree with you, seattle and zaha's cinninate museum is a must see too.
I've been to many places in the world....you're just not seeing what's in front of your face in your burning desire to reject. Also, hugeness of landscape is in itself a very fascinating aspect of geography in this country (and not just this one) and is not only just "monotony". Geography is also architecture, just not made by humans.
I have a feeling something would grow monotonous in a car trip with you, and it ain't the landscape.
rusty's comments, as usual, are completely absurd.
i've driven thousands and thousands of miles across this country, driving back and forth between home and college, on ski trips, moving, going down south to escape the winter, and just pure travel. i've driven across most of canada, up and down the east coast, and all over the south, the midwest, and the rocky mountains. i even did a 9,000 mile road trip once, starting in phoenix and driving through el paso, houston, marfa, new orleans, rural studio, to charlston and all the way up the east coast to boston, then through ann arbor, chicago, minneapolis, fort collins, salt lake, sf, san diego, and LA, and then back to phoenix. it took 5 weeks and i did it for less than 2gs, with two other people. granted, gas was cheaper back then, and we camped a few times. the price is probably double now. but we were going in a big suv.
last summer i drove my car from montana to chicago in a day and a half and probably spent 200 bucks on gas and hotel. so it is not that expensive. also, north america is an incredibly beautiful place. deserts, mountains, ruins, amazing cities, poverty, wealth, history, food, beaches, geology. regardless of the time of year, you are likely to encounter snow at least somewhere on the trip, and then 100 deg F somewhere else. even kansas extremely beautiful and changes color depending on the season, and what is in season.
btw the "monoculture" is seemingly everywhere, but getting away from it is usually a simple matter of getting off the nearest freeway exit, driving a mile in any direction, and then taking the two-lane highway that the freeway replaced instead. this is how you see the real america: amish working their fields, people selling fruit, old record stores, historical architecture, beautiful depression era concrete-arch bridges, trading posts, anasazi ruins, etc. like you would see in an ideal travel brochure.
i'll 2nd hatch show print in nashville. you can pick up some cool prints for cheap, or just snag some of the free ad papers that are printed the old school way.
forget what rusty says about st. louis. plenty to see to warrant passing through:
-saarinen's arch + dan kiley's archgrounds park (pay to go up in the arch)
-just across the river from the arch in illinois is cahokia mounds (free)
-tadao ando's pulitzer gallery (free)
-allied works / brad cloepfil's contemporary art museum (next door to pulitzer, free?)
-forest park, an olmsted-designed park that's nearly twice as big as central park (free)
-st. louis basilica cathedral (free)
-fumihiko maki's steinberg hall (1960), kemper art museum / library (2006) and walker hall (2006) all at WUSTL (free)
-hok's planetarium (admission?)
and plenty more...including some newer stuff by WUSTL faculty
how all major league baseball parks (incl fenway and wrigley). compare and contrast their relative functionality. the grand canyon! the basilica of the cathedral of st. francis of assii in santa fe (1610).
Thanks for all the suggestions for places to visit! I just left to start my trip a week ago, I'm still in the NE. Any suggestions for Portland, ME, Montreal and Toronto? I'm leaving Vermont in a week and heading north for a bit!
Architecture Road Trip across the North America
I'm going on a cross country road trip, first across the north (NY - Oregon by way of Montreal and Toronto and Chicago) then back across the South... wherever the wind takes me. I found a comprehensive list on greatbuildings.com but it doesn't seem to have newer buildings. I am looking for suggestions of awesome buildings to see across the US (and Canada!) that are public... even better if they aren't too expensive to visit. Or cool private buildings with great curb appeal!
My list so far:
Salk Institute in CA
Seattle Public Library
Experience Music Project
the Zaha Hadid museum in Cincinatti
I look forward to checking out your suggestions!
Steven Holl's addition to the Nelson Atkins museum in Kansas City is a definite must see.
The Getty, done by Meier, in Los Angeles (NOT the Getty Villa)
If you're near Chicago, it is worth it to pass through Muskegon, MI to see Marcel Breuer's St. Francis de Sales church. It's not exactly new, and has some horrid additions, but it's an oft-missed modern masterpiece.
http://www.sfnortonshores.com/guided_tour/page1.htm
There's also some great work a few hours drive, such as Calatrava's museum in Milwaukee, Cranbrook's campus in suburban Detroit (lots of work by Steven Holl, TWBTA, and Dan Hoffman), and WHy Architecture's museum adjacent to Maya Lin's Ecliptic park in Grand Rapids. There's also a great Rafael Vinoly building there and a couple good FLLW homes.
I'll skip Chicago, because it sort of goes without saying...
This is kinda like asking, "What great building are there in the United States?" It's pretty inane. There are thousands. You might want to narrow down your route and itinerary if you want to get good suggestions.
All that being said, if I could go anywhere, I would find a route from San Diego/Los Angeles to Las Vegas and natural environs, through Kansas City/St. Louis up through Columbus, IN up to Detroit (maybe throw Chicago in, maybe not;) over to Toronto then on to New York/Boston. Not sure if that route exists in real life interstates, but I think you'd hit the best of North American modern architecture with that route.
See the Robie House in Chicago and the Farnsworth House one hour west of Chicago. The latter is really amazing.
what won and done said..
what you should do is make a google map of your trip and then let us all edit it..or something like that. that way you could at least get interesting sites along your route.
definitely agree on salk.
so many places worth going..hard to pick without some kind of itinerary or even rough route.
Ok sorry about that html fail...Here is a link to the map for my trip (as far as google would let me go)
And this is the second map for the remainder of the trip. My destinations, and even the order of them, is subject to change depending on timing and money... I will mostly be sticking to perimeter states with a few dips in here and there. I am willing to travel to see buildings that are really interesting so I left the discussion wide open because really my itinerary is pretty wide open!
I am most interested in newer structures and hidden jewels from the past. I've been to several major buildings: Falling Water, the Seattle Public Library and even Aalto's Mt. Angel Library in Oregon... I am trying to decide if the Farnsworth house is worth $20 of my precious budget (and thoughts on that would be appreciated as well).
Thank you for your suggestions!!
While your in the northeast: I would definitely say Exeter Library, especially since your going to Salk Institute.
Gropius House? Simmons Hall at MIT? both famous but worth visiting?
Phillip Johnson's glass house? I am going there later this week.
if you find yourself anywhere near dfw, you can and should make a trip to the kimbell, which i personally think is by far the best building in texas. while you're there you can walk over and see the modern (tadao ando).
the arts district in dallas is unique in that it has four buildings by pritzker prize-winners (renzo piano, rem koolhaas, norman foster, and i.m. pei), as well as the lovely booker t. washington magnet school (allied works). you can also see meier's rachofsky house if you can get in on a tour.
Wow! That's an amazing trip, k80k. I'm envious. Though I've never been, I've always wanted to see Marfa. Don't know how far off the path it is, but I think it may be worth it. About two hours south of Birmingham, AL, you can go to Hale County and see some of the Rural Studio work. Also, I'll second Bossman's Cranbrook suggestion; it's a must if you are in the Detroit area. I'm a little surprised you skipped Los Angeles/Palm Springs/San Diego/Pheonix. Unless you already know those cities pretty well, there is a ton of great modern architecture there.
you might want to check this out...http://archinect.com/forum/thread/68603
How many people are you going with?
How long do you you give yourself to make this trip? I'd say at least 4-5 weeks.
What's your budget? Unless you plan on sleeping in the trunk, I'd budget at least $10k (more if gas prices keep going up).
I drove across the country once, and lemme tell ya, it's a whole lotta nothing out there. The highlights were fun, but they added up to 2% of the whole trip. Rest looked like trashy highway design that was put together by a video game developer on the cheap.
You will also observe how run down and poor America really is.
Unless you only eat junk food, your diet will greatly suffer during the entire trip. If anyone in your group is vegetarian, they will starve to death.
This trip will be a lot more expensive than you think it will be.
Your relationship with your travel mates will be greatly tested.
But hey, you'll be embarking on a true adventure, and you should treat it as such.
I'd skip the Fayetville-Nashville (both suck) part of the trip and go through Athens, GA instead.
Good luck, and enjoy it!
We're working on getting Archinect Travels into the Archinect v3.0, but until then you can check it out here.
however, if you are a graphic designer you should definitely go to nashville and visit the Hatch Show Print people.
AH AH AH AH AH!!! Still rolling on the floor, rusty...you make the USA sound like a voidoid, third world wasteland, then you end with "Good luck, and enjoy it!" ROFL!!!
My experience is the exact, diametrical opposite of your description of a trip through the US. Sure, if you stick to interstate highways only your trip will be pretty dull. Get on the "Blue Highways" and the trip is nothing but fascinating. To describe one of the most varied - both in geography and culture - large countries of the world as "a whole lot of nothing" is asinine. This country is nothing but fascinating, as it was for Lewis and Clark way back when (and that's not denying that parts of it have now been trashed). And you're wrong about the food too: it's garbage if you only eat on the highway stops or just off of interstate exits, but every state has regional specialties or delicacies that are a joy to eat. Come on rusty, learn to really travel, not just drive.
oh, and k80k, don't forget the St. Louis Arch if it's not on your list yet.
Definitively stay away from St. Louis unless you think Detroit wasn't big enough of a shithole, and you need more.
Emilio, if k80k decides to only drive 12 hours a day, the whole trip will still take over 16 days. That's a lotta drivin' no matter what. If they take a full month off, then they may explore some back roads and such. It'll be an expensive trip.
Never said there is nothing to see in the US. There are plenty of monotonous regions that will grow tiresome on you. If you've ever considered driving through Kansas, don't. In the first 10 minutes you will have seen everything you'll see in the next 5 hours.
Make sure you play Desert Bus video game before taking off.
And yet, and yet...the following scenes are all part of Kansas geography.
Remind me never to take a road trip with you...
Emilio, did you even click on your own link? Home of the 5 foot waterfall, a balancing rock, a bison, hike through a cornfield, viewing platform of a cornfield, etc... and this is best of state!
"To describe one of the most varied - both in geography and culture - large countries of the world as "a whole lot of nothing" is asinine."
me thinks you've never applied for a passport :)
Don't get me wrong, I loved travelling across America, but you gotta appreciate the sheer size of it. Some parts are better than others. And some parts suck. And monoculture is (sadly) far stronger than any local cultural twists.
Chicago: IIT student center and farnsworth house is a must see.
The building explains how the architects use the design to respond the client's needs and the challenge from the environment. I always cried in my heart every time I went to IIT student center. How many buildings can still stand modern and meets people's needs after 50 years? When I think of these two buildings, no matter how hard the challenge I need to face, I feel I am full of energy.
The trip is one of two/three best ways to learn architecture. Quick and solid. I wish I did it when I was in college. k80k, If you could, you better to find a partnert to go with you, so you guys can drive alternatively. Otherwise, it is easy to get bored, and tired when time goes. Also, you need to share your thoughts and hear feedback right way when you see some exciting things in the trip.
I agree with you, seattle and zaha's cinninate museum is a must see too.
I've been to many places in the world....you're just not seeing what's in front of your face in your burning desire to reject. Also, hugeness of landscape is in itself a very fascinating aspect of geography in this country (and not just this one) and is not only just "monotony". Geography is also architecture, just not made by humans.
I have a feeling something would grow monotonous in a car trip with you, and it ain't the landscape.
http://spiritofspace.com/spiritofspace/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18:skycar-city&catid=3:design-process&Itemid=14
rusty's comments, as usual, are completely absurd.
i've driven thousands and thousands of miles across this country, driving back and forth between home and college, on ski trips, moving, going down south to escape the winter, and just pure travel. i've driven across most of canada, up and down the east coast, and all over the south, the midwest, and the rocky mountains. i even did a 9,000 mile road trip once, starting in phoenix and driving through el paso, houston, marfa, new orleans, rural studio, to charlston and all the way up the east coast to boston, then through ann arbor, chicago, minneapolis, fort collins, salt lake, sf, san diego, and LA, and then back to phoenix. it took 5 weeks and i did it for less than 2gs, with two other people. granted, gas was cheaper back then, and we camped a few times. the price is probably double now. but we were going in a big suv.
last summer i drove my car from montana to chicago in a day and a half and probably spent 200 bucks on gas and hotel. so it is not that expensive. also, north america is an incredibly beautiful place. deserts, mountains, ruins, amazing cities, poverty, wealth, history, food, beaches, geology. regardless of the time of year, you are likely to encounter snow at least somewhere on the trip, and then 100 deg F somewhere else. even kansas extremely beautiful and changes color depending on the season, and what is in season.
btw the "monoculture" is seemingly everywhere, but getting away from it is usually a simple matter of getting off the nearest freeway exit, driving a mile in any direction, and then taking the two-lane highway that the freeway replaced instead. this is how you see the real america: amish working their fields, people selling fruit, old record stores, historical architecture, beautiful depression era concrete-arch bridges, trading posts, anasazi ruins, etc. like you would see in an ideal travel brochure.
i'll 2nd hatch show print in nashville. you can pick up some cool prints for cheap, or just snag some of the free ad papers that are printed the old school way.
forget what rusty says about st. louis. plenty to see to warrant passing through:
-saarinen's arch + dan kiley's archgrounds park (pay to go up in the arch)
-just across the river from the arch in illinois is cahokia mounds (free)
-tadao ando's pulitzer gallery (free)
-allied works / brad cloepfil's contemporary art museum (next door to pulitzer, free?)
-forest park, an olmsted-designed park that's nearly twice as big as central park (free)
-st. louis basilica cathedral (free)
-fumihiko maki's steinberg hall (1960), kemper art museum / library (2006) and walker hall (2006) all at WUSTL (free)
-hok's planetarium (admission?)
and plenty more...including some newer stuff by WUSTL faculty
taliesen,racine & scottsdale
how all major league baseball parks (incl fenway and wrigley). compare and contrast their relative functionality. the grand canyon! the basilica of the cathedral of st. francis of assii in santa fe (1610).
Thanks for all the suggestions for places to visit! I just left to start my trip a week ago, I'm still in the NE. Any suggestions for Portland, ME, Montreal and Toronto? I'm leaving Vermont in a week and heading north for a bit!
Portland ME: Portland Museum of Art ; Henry Cobb designed the large addition and a pretty decent collection of American (and some European) art.
Montreal: Canadian Centre for Architecture (there's lots of other stuff too, including Habitat).
"rusty's comments, as usual, are completely absurd."
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