Quote:
Originally Posted by vandelay
I wonder if critics complained about the comical aping of historical styles in imperial Rome, or Renaissance Florence, or Baroque London.
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Of course they didn't. No one dared to think or teach that a building just might not need columns on the front and finials on top until the onset of the industrial revolution where the needs of industrial engineering began to supersede the architectural pleasantries of classicism. Out of such a philosophical environment rose a whole new concept of design call Modernism with a complete and utter rejection of the past. Modernism was basically the first new style since the Greeks invented architecture 5000 years or so ago. Everything in between was just a slightly different version of the previous styles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
i've gotta disagree with you on HWL. over the years it has really grown on me and come to be one of my favorite PoMo works. it's just so ridiculously and absurdly over-scaled that i've come to respect it for its sheer audacity. it really is an amazing sight to behold in person. now, from a functional aspect there is a lot to criticize about it, but some of that blame also lies at the feet of CPL who don't utilize the space as well as they could or should. however, as a work of "what in god's name is that thing?" architecture, it's pretty amazing.
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Completely agree. HWL is one of the most ridiculous, over the top, and whimsical structures ever built to serve a practical purpose. For that ballsy-ness I give it an A and am proud that it calls Chicago home. I just wish the interior were a bit more grand and had less obscure hallways. The first time I saw I went "holy shit what the hell is that, I'm going inside it". When I got to the front door I was utterly disappointed to find that the the "front door" led into a drywall-lined corridor that zig-zagged to a measly lobby in the middle of the building. That was quite a let down.