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From: "LANDMARK WEST!" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Undisclosed-Recipient" <>
Subject: "That curve is damn good" Postscript, February's 2 Columbus Circle Panel
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The following e-mail was sent around to members of DOCOMOMO-US on March 8, 2=
002, as a follow up to LANDMARK WEST's and the Center for Architecture/AIA N=
ew York Chapter's February 12, 2002, panel discussion on 2 Columbus Circle.=20=
Enjoy!
_________________________________________
=20
"That curve is damn good."=20
- Reed Kroloff, panelist
"At the Crossroads: The Future of 2 Columbus Circle"
On February 12 Landmark West! and the Center for Architecure/AIA New York Ch=
apter held the first of what is planned as a series of forums - both live an=
d online - on the future of Edward Durell Stone's building at 2 Columbus Cir=
cle.
As was expected given the topic, discussion was lively and the house full. =20=
Over 200 people packed the sixth floor showroom of the Steelcase Building-a=20=
venue providing grand views of Columbus Circle. With Stone's building as a b=
ackdrop and the new AOL/Time Warner buildings looming opposite, the stage re=
ally was set for the musings of panelists Kurt Anderson, Reed Kroloff, Theo=20=
Prudon and Billie Tsien. (Robert A.M. Stern was unable to attend but weighed=
in via a written statement).
**To view this statement and the transcript of the panel discussion, follow=20=
this link to the LANDMARK WEST! website: http://www.preserve.org/lmwest/2c=
cpanel.htm.
THE BUILDING.
In the course of the evening panelists suggested an array of answers to the=20=
baffling question: What is this building?
-a bauble; not a building;
-an architectural folly at the edge of a park;
-a dead building with good bones;
-an exterior without an interior;
-risk-taking incarnate;
-a exhibit from the school of drag modernism and.or.
-an icon marking high modernism's wake-up call.
And there were more. No wonder panelist Reed Kroloff remarked, "This buildin=
g needs to be on the couch for awhile."
ITS VALUE.
Larger issues ensued: Whatever it is, what is its value? Can we separate lik=
ing the building from its historical and cultural significance? Or as paneli=
st Theo Prudon noted, "its preservation significance from architectural crit=
icism." In our editing of the architectural landscape can we celebrate risk=20=
taking as an idea, challenges to orthodoxies, detours in architectural taste=
, urbanistic value or maybe even a bit of folly? 2 Columbus Circle may never=
enter the ranks of great architecture, even if it=20
is spared from present threats of "redesign," yet as panelist Kurt Anderson=20=
suggested, "it is kind of quixotically noble to have this little building he=
re in the middle of Manhattan in 2003.
THE ARCHITECT.
As an architect, Edward Durell Stone remains an understudied figure if not a=
mystery to most. Moderator Tom Mellins opened the evening's discussion with=
an illustrated overview of Stone's life and work. 2 Columbus Circle was des=
igned at the height of Stone's career and he was personally involved in its=20=
design. There seemed to be panel consensus that Stone had done some great bu=
ildings, but little agreement as to whether this was one of them. Stone made=
deliberate changes of course in his career and he never hid the fact that t=
hese shifts were often conscious diversions away from modernism in its puris=
t, sanctioned form. Mellins quoted Stone to this effect: "This obsession wit=
h monuments of the past may seem sentimental and pedantic, but=20
I believe the inspiration for a building should be in the accumulation of hi=
story."
=20
Mellins suggested as a possible common ground between enthusiasts and detrac=
tors that the building was simply confounding at this moment in time. The v=
alue of this designation can be seconded with a snippet from Robert Stern's=20=
words on 2 Columbus Circle: "Its provocations are as important now as ever."
=20
So, DOCOMOMO members and friends, don't stop here. The transcript of the pan=
el discussion as well as Robert Stern's prepared comments are available on t=
he Landmark West! web site. (see link above). Even if you don't like Stone's=
building, take a few minutes to read it. The ideological ground covered in=20=
this discussion is certainly useful to the ongoing conversation about Modern=
architecture.
=20
And please stay informed and involved in the coming months as 2 Columbus Cir=
cle's future unfolds. It is an important, significant building. Not least be=
cause it has already generated so much interesting and emotionally charged d=
ialogue on the definition, role and fate of Modernism.=20
Prepared by:
Kathleen Randall
DOCOMOMO-US
New York/Tri-State
> _________________________________________________________________
> Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8.=20
> http://join.msn.com/?page=3Dfeatures/junkmail
>=20
>=20
>=20
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The following e-mail was sent around to members of DOCOMOMO-U=
S on=20
March 8, 2002, as a follow up to LANDMARK WEST's and the Center for=20
Architecture/AIA New York Chapter's February 12, 2002, panel discussion on 2=
=20
Columbus Circle. Enjoy!</DIV>
<DIV>_________________________________________</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><STRONG>"That curve is damn good."=20
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> - Ree=
d=20
Kroloff, panelist</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> =
=20
"At the Crossroads: The Future of 2 Columbus Circle"<BR><BR>On February 12=20
Landmark West! and the Center for Architecure/AIA New York Chapter held=
the=20
first of what is planned as a series of forums - both live and online -=
on=20
the future of Edward Durell Stone's building at 2=20
Columbus Circle.<BR><BR>As was expected given the topic, discussion was=
=20
lively and the house full. Over 200 people packed the sixth floor show=
room=20
of the Steelcase Building-a venue providing grand views of Columbus Cir=
cle.=20
With Stone's building as a backdrop and the new AOL/Time Warner buildin=
gs=20
looming opposite, the stage really was set for the musings of panelists=
=20
Kurt Anderson, Reed Kroloff, Theo Prudon and Billie Tsien. (Robert A.M.=
=20
Stern was unable to attend but weighed in via a written=20
statement).<BR><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><STRONG>**To view this <U>statement</U> and=
the=20
<U>transcript of the panel discussion</U>, follow this link to the LANDMARK=20
WEST! website: </STRONG><A href=3D"http://www.preserve.org/lmwe=
st"><FONT color=3D#000000> </FONT></A><A href=3D"http://www.preserve.org/l=
mwest/2ccpanel.htm"><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>http://www.preserve.org/lm=
west/2ccpanel.htm</FONT></A><STRONG>.</STRONG><A href=3D"http://www.preser=
ve.org/lmwest"><BR></A></FONT><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><BR>THE BUILDING=
.<BR>In the course of the evening panelists suggested an=20
array of answers to the baffling question: What is this=20
building?<BR> -a bauble; not a building;<BR> &n=
bsp;=20
-an architectural folly at the edge of a park;<BR> -a dead=
=20
building with good bones;<BR> -an exterior without an=20
interior;<BR> -risk-taking incarnate;<BR>  =
; -a=20
exhibit from the school of drag modernism and.or.<BR> -an=20=
icon=20
marking high modernism's wake-up call.<BR>And there were more. No wonder=20
panelist Reed Kroloff remarked, "This building needs to be on the couch=
for=20
awhile."<BR><BR>ITS VALUE.<BR>Larger issues ensued: Whatever it is, what is=20=
its=20
value? Can we separate liking the building from its historical and cult=
ural=20
significance? Or as panelist Theo Prudon noted, "its preservation=20
significance from architectural criticism." In our editing of the=20
architectural landscape can we celebrate risk taking as an idea, challe=
nges=20
to orthodoxies, detours in architectural taste, urbanistic value or may=
be=20
even a bit of folly? 2 Columbus Circle may never enter the ranks of gre=
at=20
architecture, even if it <BR>is spared from present threats of "redesig=
n,"=20
yet as panelist Kurt Anderson suggested, "it is kind of quixotically no=
ble=20
to have this little building here in the middle of Manhattan in=20
2003.<BR><BR>THE ARCHITECT.<BR>As an architect, Edward Durell Stone remains=20=
an=20
understudied figure if not a mystery to most. Moderator Tom Mellins ope=
ned=20
the evening's discussion with an illustrated overview of Stone's life a=
nd=20
work. 2 Columbus Circle was designed at the height of Stone's career an=
d he=20
was personally involved in its design. There seemed to be panel consens=
us=20
that Stone had done some great buildings, but little agreement as to=20
whether this was one of them. Stone made deliberate changes of course i=
n=20
his career and he never hid the fact that these shifts were often consc=
ious=20
diversions away from modernism in its purist, sanctioned form. Mellins=20
quoted Stone to this effect: "This obsession with monuments of the past=
may=20
seem sentimental and pedantic, but <BR>I believe the inspiration for a=20
building should be in the accumulation of history."<BR> <BR>Mellin=
s=20
suggested as a possible common ground between enthusiasts and detractor=
s=20
that the building was simply confounding at this moment in time. The v=
alue=20
of this designation can be seconded with a snippet from Robert Stern's=20
words on 2 Columbus Circle: "Its provocations are as important now as=20
ever."<BR> <BR>So, DOCOMOMO members and friends, don't stop here. The=20
transcript of the panel discussion as well as Robert Stern's prepared=20
comments are available on the Landmark West! web site. (see link above)=
.=20
Even if you don't like Stone's building, take a few minutes to read it.=
The=20
ideological ground covered in this discussion is certainly useful to th=
e=20
ongoing conversation about Modern architecture.<BR> <BR>And please=
=20
stay informed and involved in the coming months as 2 Columbus Circle's=20
future unfolds. It is an important, significant building. Not least bec=
ause=20
it has already generated so much interesting and emotionally=20
charged dialogue on the definition, role and fate of=20
Modernism. <BR></FONT><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><BR>Prepared by:<BR>K=
athleen=20
Randall<BR>DOCOMOMO-US<BR>New York/Tri-State<BR><BR>>=20
_________________________________________________________________<BR>> Ti=
red=20
of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. <BR>> </FONT><A =20=
href=3D"http://join.msn.com/?page=3Dfeatures/junkmail"><FONT face=3DArial =20=
size=3D2>http://join.msn.com/?page=3Dfeatures/junkmail</FONT></A><BR><FONT =20=
face=3DArial size=3D2>> <BR>> <BR>> </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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