The Wainwright cornice is wonderful, but in the end it is just a flat slab with 
decoration.  The previously posted Guaranty/Prudential building in Buffalo, by 
the same Chicago architect, is much more interesting and original.  And just a 
few years later.  Starchitects in our time are original in nonsensical ways. 
Sullivan was original in his own way, and it makes sense.  The facade flares 
out, carrying the upward sweep of the feathery elevation to its conclusion.

On 2/23/2014 9:37 AM, Leland Torrence wrote:
> I am currently enjoying auditing Kathleen Curran's course on modern architecture
> at Trinity College. What an inspiring teacher.   I would agree that the revival
> or use of the cornice almost always seems to be part of a classical revival.
> The original "hat" did protect the structure, but maybe, more of a basic
> practical way to construct post and lintel.  Techtonic architecture.  Then there
> is the evolution, trade to profession, tekton to architekton, builder to master
> builder to architect.  It seems the cornice has not been used as a practical,
> functional element in architecture, until the advent of the "new" sustainable
> buildings movement.
>
> What a joy to revisit the Sullivan's Wainwright building.  Now that is a cornice.
>
> See:
> http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Louis_Sullivan_-_cornice_detail_-_Wainwright_Building%2C_Seventh_%2B_Chestnut_Streets%2C_Saint_Louis%2C_St._Louis_City_County%2C_MO.jpg
>
> LT from NH
>
> Leland Torrence Enterprises and The Guild
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> *From:*The listserv where the buildings do the talking
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Heidi Harendza
> *Sent:* Sunday, February 23, 2014 6:30 AM
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* Re: [BP] What, exactly, is a cornice for?
>
> I'm with Cuyler on this one. I think cornices mostly evolve from the Greek
> architectural tradition, not so much for a functional reason as a proportional
> one. Early architects and pattern book designers pulled much of their stylistic
> inspiration and use of proportion from the classical tradition, and many of
> their drawings illustrate a tremendous consciousness of the proportions of the
> elements on classical temples. We see the three-part idea of base-field-cap in
> the interior treatments of walls (baseboard-wall-cornice: wainscot-wall-cornice)
> as well as the exterior.
>
> -Heidi
>
>
> On Feb 23, 2014, at 12:57 AM, Cuyler Page <[log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
>     Would love to see Irene's slide show.   While there may be an ancient
>     history of the cornice for weather control in moist climates or in places
>     such as Greece with enough wealth to play with "beauty", surely the
>     urban versions from the last century or two have more to do with the
>     human art of perception and persuasion.
>
>     The absolutely brilliant book "Facades" by Bill Cunningham makes a powerful
>     point about the linked relationship in any era between contemporary
>     architectural style and clothing style.   For the grand era of urban
>     cornices in NYC, look at photos of the people on the streets.   Everyone
>     wore a hat, usually with a brim, to top off their persona.
>
>     "Facades" traces two hundred years of style with a photo for a style on each
>     page.    It was photographed using examples in NYC with a single model being
>     the human throughout.   She is stunning as she portrays and illuminates the
>     clothing and architectural styles of the passing decades.
>
>     The theory really holds up.  In modern times, think the appearance of the
>     Swatch Watch quickly followed by the multi-patterned sports jackets with
>     different fabrics on pockets and bisected coloring of sleeves, all
>     shockingly new and coincident with the rise of Post Modern collaging of
>     building facades.
>
>     Cornice = Hat = Appearance for communication and inspiration.   Rain and
>     weather will be dealt with in any structure as totally secondary topics of
>     necessity. _Form Before Function_ got all mixed up and lost during the World
>     Wars, and our post-war architectural professors didn't learn about it so
>     couldn't teach it.   We usually learned about _Form Follows Function_
>     without also learning about or respecting the other approach.
>
>     That is not to say that cornices do not protect what is below them from a
>     certain amount of weather, but that really they are now more like our
>     eyebrows in function.   They do a certain amount of protective work for the
>     eyes and probably evolved first for that purpose, but are now much more
>     important as communicators.
>
>     cp in bc
>
>
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Martin C. Tangora
tangora (at) uic.edu

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