Was Postmodernism ever popular? In 1986, at the height of the Po-Mo era, Newsweek's art and architecture critic Douglas Davis wrote a scathing review of Austin's newly built-up skyline, pinpointing his "disgust" towards the “riot of wretched excess” symbolized by the new Postmodern style buildings that filled the downtown area during that time. James Rambin of Towers provides us with a reminder of Davis' perspective, specifically regarding the One American Center, a tower designed by architects Morris-Aubry (the company merged with Dallas-based Huitt-Zollar in 2012) that is now known as 600 Congress. 

Rambin shares an excerpt from Davis's 1986 critic: "By common consent, the old glass boxes were boring. But they were at least reticent. Their successors, in contrast, are often aggressively ugly, as unforgettable as bad dreams.”

Nearly 33 years later, however, downtown Austin and the buildings along Congress Avenue have changed quite a bit. The city has blossomed into a hotspot for business, restaurants, and developers where many are eager to repurpose and build new. Yet, after reading more of Rambin's piece, one wonders if Davis's critique of the skyline during that time was a bit too harsh.

At least, that's how Rambin feels. He writes: "I don’t think Davis is a bad critic — no joke, I really get a kick out of his thoughtful consideration of fast food restaurant design as it relates to the postmodern inclination towards deconstructing generic retail architecture, and his body of work seems to indicate his concerns about certain aspects of postmodernism’s design influences aren’t ignorant or reactionary. To be fair, some of his general points were probably valid at the time — not every postmodern building looks as good as One American Center — but 33 years later, Austin appears to have bounced back pretty well."