Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
i would EASILY place UH on any top 5 list of brutalism in chicago.
structural expression at its best.
1 billion percent chicago.
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Wha? How? Explain.
Chicago architecture is many things, many designs, multiple icons. It isn't just defined by one style or icon...and UH is most certainly the last thing that I would use to define it as 'Chicago.' I have many fond memories of my undergrad years at UIC, but the dated, thoughtless architecture of the campus (ESPECIALLY the A&A building *shudder*) is not part of any of those memories. Blame the state government at that time; blame the architect; blame whomever you chose, the fact of the matter remains, all of the old Water Netsch buildings should be razed. They are reliquary of a bygone time when perceived confinement in state higher education in order to suppress any thought that was outside the status quo was considered elan. Oppressive, confusing, dark, foreboding - this what comes to mind when I think of the UH, BSB, the Physical Sciences classrooms. *more shudders*.
Walter Netsch was a visionary architect - I met him and his wife once when I was 16, and thought he was one of the most amazing men I'd ever encountered. But even visionaries can sometimes have problems executing their designs, especially when their clients are cheapskate idiot government entities.
Even in Brutalism, there can be grace, refinement, attention to detail and the ability to create special and beautiful spaces that stand the test of time. The original UIC campus design is the antithesis of Brutalism done right.