Heading into their fourth and fifth decades, deep into midlife architectural crises, needing face-lifts, they’re now vulnerable and back again in the public eye, eliciting concern and attracting a second look — and sympathy — even from people who never liked them. But will these loved-hated structures be saved, and should they? — The New York Times
Joseph Giovannini writes about the historic vulnerability buildings entering their fourth or fifth decade encounter and how the public distaste may, potentially, turn into a sudden nostalgia for certain veterans of a not-so-distant architectural era.
Citing recent controversial efforts to demolish or renovate PoMo landmarks, like Johnson & Burgee's AT&T Building, Graves’s Portland Building, or Venturi Scott Brown's Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Giovannini writes: "The irony of purposely ironic buildings that joked with history is that they are themselves verging on history, and history more than beauty is proving their strongest defense."
9 Comments
Sad how good buildings get torn down while absolute shite like these get preserved for their "historic value".
Celebrity culture would put Kim Kardashian's used diaper on a pedestal if one could be found.
So this morning on NPR I heard a lovely little Story Corps episode, about the New Year's Eve Possum Drop in Possum Snout, Alamissitucky (OK I don't remember the state, and the name of the town has been changed but originally it was Possum Snout). The couple recalled how on their first date she got in the car and he said "Don't get excited but do be aware, my pet snake is loose in here somewhere". They both have deep, deep southern accents, they dated for two years then eloped several decades ago and got married by a drunk judge whose home they showed up at late at night after the courts had closed, and they are still madly in love.
He's a taxidermist, and found a big possum on the side of the road that was "Not hurt except for bein' dead". So he took the possum home to mount and named it Spencer. In 2002 (I think) someone got he idea that instead of a NYE ball drop they should do a Possum Drop, so Spencer - mounted hanging by his/her tail like possums do - was dropped in town in front of a crowd of 40 people. This year they expect over 7,000 people to show up, and Spencer is the most famous (albeit dead) possum around.
Now I don't especially want to attend a NYE Possum Drop in Donkey Taint, Missibama, but I also don't want to attend the Times Square Celebrity Extravaganza or the $2,000-per-ticket black tie event at our local art museum. My point being: it takes all types. Of course the Portland Building should have been saved.
A dead possum drop is a great metaphor for Grave's Portland building.
I prefer the term pop modern, to distinguish between other PoMo trends that went in different directions. But I don’t agree with the blase editorial of the New Yale Times, which refers to this as a “style war” — its a common pejorative that diminishes architecture. Perhaps you don’t think it’s important, but look at how the Classic Modernist building 270 Park is going to be demolished unnecessarily when a tower could easily rise by its side. There are thousands of decisions that go into whether a building is successful — style and function are so closely tied together they are inseperable. I just wish the media took these questions more seriously, for the health of cities and culture and society.
I’m usually a relativist — and highly doubt that our current McUrbanism culture could replace this building with anything better—and that included kitsch historical value— so keep it.
The people that work there report serious depression and suicidal thoughts from working in these tiny cellblock rooms with tiny windows. And this in Portland where the sun is rarely seen. Give the Michael Graves firm dibs on remodeling it with expanded windows and bigger rooms before sending it to the great architectural museum in the sky.
Just stop maintaining it and see what happens. This building doesn’t have the bones or stones to exist beyond its time. How about... permanence and timelessness (lol), be earned traits...tectonic persistence... like Tikal, or Angkor wat...
I like this standard in concept, but applied elsewhere it would mean piles of sand and rusty metal where some of FLW's usonians and textile blocks still stand.
True material “honesty” shouldn’t omit the dimension of time.
It’s just like keeping your platform shoes and bell bottoms in the closet. It just takes up space and makes you look silly for digging it in the first place. Some buildings are bell bottoms and platform shoes. Just look back at photos, remember and get a good laugh.
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