Hello Everyone:
We are getting closer to our goal of 10,000 page views. I just checked and we're at 9746 page views. Fantastic. Let's get it going. I'll get writing and you keep reading. On today's post, explore what makes modernism so different? Specifically, how should we approach the preservation of buildings from the sixties through early eighties? This is the over arching question that Beth Wiedower and Chris Morris pose in their post for the Preservation Leadership Forum, "What Makes Modernism So Different?" They ask, "Are the advocacy tactics to save modern buildings the same as those for older, more traditional, buildings? Or do we need a completely different approach?" These are important questions to consider in light of the fact that buildings from the later phase of modernism are coming under threat of demolition. There really isn't a clear yes or no answer to the questions posed by the authors. The answer is both. Confused? Let's press on.
Prentice Hospital Chicago, Illinois chicagoarchitecture.info |
Show Some Love for "Dome Sweet Dome"
The Astrodome Houston, Texas columbia.edu |
The Astrodome with an open section columbia.edu |
Astrodome Interior columbia.edu |
The strategy of connecting people to place based on emotion and experience based on emotion and experience guided the campaign and message. It was heard loud and clear. The Trust staffers interacted with over 77,000 Dome-philes over the course of a month's time during the autumn. Everyone, regardless of age and economic status came to make themselves heard on the issues of reinvestment and reuse. This was Houston's only landmark, their Eiffel Tower, symbolic of Harris County and the city itself during a period when scientific and technological advances made the seemingly impossible, possible. Was it enough to sway the naysayers? No. The ballot proposition lost but something else happened.
Does Design Matter?
News coverage of the fight to save the Astrodome began appearing in the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, and even the Houston Chronicle chastising Harris County voters for not recognizing the Dome's significance as a symbol of the modern movement and encouraged its preservation for the future. This clarion call was heard throughout a city where the development motto is newer is better and very few buildings see their fiftieth birthday.
The point is, conversations about the fate of the Astrodome have now broadened in scope, including reverence for design and construction methods used in the early sixties. Maybe a design discussion was necessary after all? The sentimental approach didn't quite accomplish the task. However, combining the traditional preservation approach-architectural merit and significance-with sentiment might just what's needed to keep the beloved Dome from a final date with the wrecking ball.
Prentice Hospital: "All Politics Is Local
Prentice Hospital interior askmissa.com |
To Focus on Architectural Significance or Not To Focus on Architectural Significance
Nurse's station in Prentice Hospital ragnarbenson.com |
The media outlets picked up on the arguments over architectural significance, especially when Pritzker-Prize (the architectural equivalent to the Nobel Prize) winning architects offered their support. The Trust also found that the under-35 set were showing up at campaign events, rallies, and meetings. However, the over-35 set did have the same affection for the hospital, not usual, according to related posts (see http://blog.preservationleadershipforum.org). For the over-35 age bracket it's more about an individual perception's of history than architectural style.
What's The Message?
Preservationists can be such "know-it-alls." There, I've said it out loud. We think that we know what makes a place or building so important, and other people should appreciate them for same reasons we do. Riiiight. The majority of the general public can't distinguish one period style from the next, or building materials but they may have a real connection to the place for other less obvious reasons. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the preservation professional and amateur to understand and respect those connections. Twenty-twenty is hindsight and the in the case of Prentice Hospital, The Trust and its partners should've conducted test market research to identify the key issues and messages that resonated with the audience. The results of which might've been helpful to persuade Mayor Emmanuel and the developers.
Lessons Learned
The preservation case studies at the Houston Astrodome and Prentice Hospital in Chicago, Illinois called attention to Modernism and the iconic and vernacular buildings in need attention and protection. In each case, the Trust took two divergent approaches that were not entirely successful. The obvious lesson was by mainly focusing on one strategy to marshal support for these buildings would not have been wise. The main lesson from both these cases is that the personal connection to a place, and role it has in the greater context of architecture, experience, culture, and collective history will help raise the public esteem for Modernism and rally support for its important buildings.
For more on the subject:
Pride and Prejudice: Preserving Modern Heritage
Five Strategies to Preserve a Midcentury Mecca
The Sunshine Mile: Saving a Commercial Modernist Shopping District
No Longer Invisible: Googie Coffee Shops
Like me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lenorelowen
Follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/glamavon and on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/glamtroy
No comments:
Post a Comment