That’s what Roberta Smith wrote in her takedown of the Taniguchi MoMA compared to the Tate Modern in yesterday’s NYT.

What of this destiny, knitting together the fates of the Seattle Art Museum and Washington Mutual corporate?

I recently caught a glimpse of Cloepfil’s tower at night (the museum opens May 5), and I noticed that the very top of the tallest side (the WaMU side) is translucent, so you can see right through it. The structure, which is light anyway despite is girth, disappears up high, in deference to the sky.

It’s those kinds of details that make this office tower a minor triumph—as an office tower. Art museums are not office towers, so what does it mean to conflate the two? Well, first off, you’ve got to fend off suspicions that you’re conflating the two. And secondly, there’s a ton of pressure on the inside of this building—and the creative insiders in this building—to perform, given the standard towerishness of the architecture. Here’s the latest video rendering of what the space will look like on the inside here.

And related: Modern Art Notes this morning declares City Beautiful thinking is back when it comes to art museums (Ando in Fort Worth, Herzog and de Meuron at the de Young, Miami—and hey, isn’t this a return to the era when the now-neglected Seattle Asian Art Museum was built in Volunteer Park?).

Another related bit I love from MAN: Chicago mayor Daley says no to concrete. Outlawing an entire material is swinging cluelessly with a blunt instrument, but when has Nickels ever had an aesthetic bone to pick? Public figures expressing aesthetics?? Unheard of!! Fabulous!