John asks:
Wasn't the vile practice of saving facades of historic structures
originated in Philadelphia, Steve, the fountainhead of
American preservation ever eager to get in bed with real
estate vultures?
Steve replies:
Philadelphia doesn't originate anything. It just reenacts things.
For example, when Mitchell/Giurgola Architects saved the Egyptian Revival
(or should that be Egyptian Reenactment) facade at the new Penn Mutual Tower
(1975), I saw this design solution as a reenactment of the James Stirling
with Leon Krier Derby Civic Center competition design (1970) where the
facade of an historic Assembly Hall at the site was reused as the facing of
a band shelter.
I wonder if the reconstruction of Munich, Germany after the bombing of World
War II can also be seen as "the vile practice of saving facades?"
Giurgola reenacts Stirling in at least two other designs: the Adult Learning
Research Laboratory (1972) at the American College of Life Underwriters
reenacts the Florey Building for Queen's College (1966-71), and the Mission
Park Residential Houses (1972) at Williams College reenacts the Student
Residences for St. Andrews University (1964-68).
Giurgola didn't know what to do, however, after Stirling saved a crumbling
historic facade within the Museum for Northrhine Westphalia (1975)
competition design.
It cracked me up when the new owners of the "historic" Schwarzwald Inn of
Olney (in the early 1990s) decided to not change the outside of the beloved
old restaurant despite the fact that inside was now a Japanese whore house.
Vile is as vile does OR how Philadelphian can you get?
Wasn't the vile practice of saving facades of historic structures
originated in Philadelphia, Steve, the fountainhead of
American preservation ever eager to get in bed with real
estate vultures?
Steve replies:
Philadelphia doesn't originate anything. It just reenacts things.
For example, when Mitchell/Giurgola Architects saved the Egyptian Revival
(or should that be Egyptian Reenactment) facade at the new Penn Mutual Tower
(1975), I saw this design solution as a reenactment of the James Stirling
with Leon Krier Derby Civic Center competition design (1970) where the
facade of an historic Assembly Hall at the site was reused as the facing of
a band shelter.
I wonder if the reconstruction of Munich, Germany after the bombing of World
War II can also be seen as "the vile practice of saving facades?"
Giurgola reenacts Stirling in at least two other designs: the Adult Learning
Research Laboratory (1972) at the American College of Life Underwriters
reenacts the Florey Building for Queen's College (1966-71), and the Mission
Park Residential Houses (1972) at Williams College reenacts the Student
Residences for St. Andrews University (1964-68).
Giurgola didn't know what to do, however, after Stirling saved a crumbling
historic facade within the Museum for Northrhine Westphalia (1975)
competition design.
It cracked me up when the new owners of the "historic" Schwarzwald Inn of
Olney (in the early 1990s) decided to not change the outside of the beloved
old restaurant despite the fact that inside was now a Japanese whore house.
Vile is as vile does OR how Philadelphian can you get?