The politics of Pan Am.THE PAN AM BUILDING AND THE SHATTERING OF THE MODERNIST DREAM By Meredith Clausen Dr. Meredith L. Clausen is an architectural historian, and professor in the School of Art and the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington in Seattle. She is known for research and writing on American architect Pietro Belluschi and on Art Nouveau architecture. . London: MIT MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press. 2005. [pounds sterling]29.95 In the early 1960s my father, a construction worker, would come home from work complaining about a moral quandary. He was making good money working on a building that he felt would diminish midtown New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . As a teenager, I knew little about what he was referring to. With the publication of Clausen's book about the Pan Am Building, now I do. As Clausen points out, it was a building few wanted yet was built: the triumph of unalloyed un·al·loyed adj. 1. Not in mixture with other metals; pure. 2. Complete; unqualified: unalloyed blessings; unalloyed relief. capitalism over the Modernist ideals of rationality and functionalism functionalism, in art and architecture functionalism, in art and architecture, an aesthetic doctrine developed in the early 20th cent. out of Louis Henry Sullivan's aphorism that form ever follows function. . Clausen's discussion covers much in a clear, readable way: the history of Grand Central Station and the suggestions for its redevelopment, and the role of architects, developers, engineers, and clients who were instrumental in realising the Pan Am Building. Clausen covers the politics of the development process, the rise of Emery Roth Emery Roth (1871 – August 20, 1948) was a Hungarian-American architect who built many of the definitive New York City hotels and apartment buildings of the 1920s and 30s, incorporating Beaux-Arts and Art Deco details. , the role of Walter Gropius and Pietro Belluschi Pietro Belluschi (August 18, 1899 - February 14, 1994) was a Portland, Oregon architect, a leader of the Modern Movement in architecture, and responsible for the design of over one thousand buildings.[1] The native of Italy won the 1972 AIA Gold Medal for his work. and the effects the final design had on their careers, the unique and difficult engineering and construction efforts that made the building possible and a detailed discussion of the final design and building itself. Most critically, we learn about the political manoeuvering and manipulation crucial to the development process and the angry and anguished debate among architects and critics about the social, cultural and aesthetic advisability of such a large, imposing structure. These debates dealt broadly with everything from the social impacts of the design, the responsibilities of designers, the dangers of allowing market considerations to define the urban landscape, to discussions of the overall effect the building would have practically, formally and aesthetically. What a difference from today's debates about such projects as Ground Zero in New York where the discourse revolves around either puff pieces about the celebrity designers or politicians involved in the process, gossip about their infighting in·fight·ing n. 1. Contentious rivalry or disagreement among members of a group or organization: infighting on the President's staff. 2. Fighting or boxing at close range. , or debates about formal and aesthetic issues alone. Read Clausen to discover what architectural debates can and should address. But also read this excellent book because it is a most engaging informative narrative about how important projects, for better or for worse, come to fruition. Book reviews from The Architectural Review can now be seen on our website at www.arplus.com and the books can be ordered online, many at special discount. |
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