Comments on But Is It Art?

Lovely entry.

Nitpick: Would you call Gehry Canadian or American? He holds citizenship in both countries, and grew up in Canada but studied in the States.

Awesome counterpoint to Charles' boring boxes. Thanks!

when you subtract the purely utilitarian and the knee-jerk imitation/trendy from a house, what's left is art, imo.

A personal, passionate, and dignified slog entry? Freaky Friday, indeed.

Gloria @ 1,

Re: Gehry

I didn't know about Gehry's Canadian roots, my apologies as I absolutely adore Canada. I would say American only because his practice primarily operates out of the US.

I've only studied his work over the last 10 years or so, since he went through a rather nasty Deconstuctionist period in the 80s and early 90s, but seems to have turned it around.

Long-ass post. Dude, put it under the fold.

thanks for the great post.
Is it art? Yes.
Many things are art. Whatever can be presented as art is art. Is it worthy art? That will always be open for debate.

The west coast style of architecture that existed in the 60's, 70's in B.C. Canada is worth a note. Homes by "Arthur Erickson".

http://www.arthurerickson.com/H_smit2.html

Many of these homes built into the rain forests of B.C. still exist but have been over shadowed by poorly designed developments with no respect for their surroundings at all, as with most newer developments.

Original Andrew, have you read "Devil in the White City?" What's your opinion on Larson's characterization of Louis Sullivan?

it would be great if there was a turn around in home building and a style that took into consideration the surroundings and local materials was to show up in new developments. But mock Tudor mansions always seems to spring up.

This post gave me a full-body designgasm.

Nice post. That's some of the nicest residential architecture around, and it does tie into to locals like Roland Terry (who built Canlis restaurant) and Paul Kirk.

Sadly, the "Northwest Style" is long gone, and the tasteless rich fuckheads of today, like Craig McCaw, build tragic copies of several different Euro chateaux at once ("Cyberbaronial style) instead of having something beautiful and appropriate. You can see their hideous mansions from the moon.

I think the organic style was played out by 1980, and your man Gehry, whether he's Canadian or American, should have been smothered in his crib. That's not organic; it's CAD. He's just one of many philistines using the power of computer design to explore the outer reaches of hideousness in what is possible to make metal skins do. EMP is the ugliest building in the history of mankind, and destroys the soul of all who look at it.

Thanks for a great post! There just so happens to be an (relatively affordable) architecture awards presentation next month where one can AIA Seattle (the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, where I now work) is hosting the 2007 Honor Awards for Washington Architecture. Details here: http://www.aiaseattle.org/2007Awards/Jury.htm

Charles, I think you might have a field day with this one.

Over'n'out.

Okay, most of that post didn't make sense. Let's try again and forget you ever saw that other post:

Thanks for a great post! There just so happens to be an (relatively affordable) architecture awards presentation next month. AIA Seattle (the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, where I now work) is hosting the 2007 Honor Awards for Washington Architecture. Details here: http://www.aiaseattle.org/2007Awards/Jury.htm

Charles, I think you might have a field day with this one.

Over'n'out.

arduous @ 8,

I've not read it -I'm so ashamed.

It's Mark Mitchell @ 10,

I've done my good deed for the day : )

Fnarf @ 11,

I agree about NW Modern -but there's always Cutler:
http://www.cutler-anderson.com/

The high period for organic architecture was really 1925 to 1975 roughly, but it's still going strong in pockets. I think most people balk at the cost, and construction times can occasionally take years because of all the cabinetry and details. Maurice Jennings is carrying on Fay Jones's work.
http://www.mauricejennings.com/

Stephanie Pure @ 13,

Thanks, I'll check it out!

Call it cold and modern, but my favorite fancy schmancy architect masturbation residence is Hamura Shoei Yoh's "Another Glass House Between Sea and Sky"

http://www.japan-architects.com/portal/profile/pics/12388/firstpage/yohshoei_p1.jpg

(I suck at hyperlinks...sorry)

I went back and did a bit of reading on the Samuel-Novarro House. Of course it WAS the actor, Ramon Novarro, who built it. It's show business pedigree is perfect, with Cedric Gibbons as the original interior designer, Comden and Green using it while they wrote on the town, and more contemporary stars Like Diane Keaton and Christina Ricci taking ownership. Yummy. I'd love to see the inside.

I'd consider giving up my little Pagoda cottage for that, but only just consider.

I meant to say "On The Town", the stage musical...

and pardon all my fucking typos.

Original Andrew @14 -- it's not that they're balking at the costs. McCaw spent something like $40 million on his faux-Tuscan pile of shit. It comes down to this: do you want solid gold faucet taps in every single one of your twenty bathrooms, and a toilet seat chipped out of Michaelangelo's David, or do you want something made with style and craftsmanship? Billionaires today invariably choose the Trump Option and build shitty -- but far from inexpensive.

@ It’s Mark Mitchell,

I know! It’s so glamorous and has a sordid Hollywood history, too! There are lots of high-quality photos of the interior online, both before and after interior remodels. I’m at work so no time to find links, but they’re out there : )

I'll be checking up on that place. Who knows? Someday I might NEED an art deco LA hideaway.

Ahhhhhhhhhh...

You know what building is art? The Titan missile silo complex in Moses Lake.

For those interested, the Novarro house has been featured in Architectural Digest twice in the last few years--Once showing Diane Keaton's remodeling of the interior and once in one of their annual "Hollywood at Home" issues showing a bunch of B&W photos of Novarro in residence with his Warren MacArthur furniture.

The Library of Congress has digital photos and plans of the Sowden house available in their American Memory online collection here: memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?hh:3:./temp/~ammem_njKC::

ya know, I used to be a bigger Gehry fan but am not so much lately--everything just looks the "same." Contrasting the EMP with the Seattle Central Library for instance is a pretty illuminating exercise: the Library is exquisite and function follows form. EMP is not so much.

These houses are awesome though! Very Wright-esque in many ways. I've never seen the desert ones before... they look pretty alien and cool. :)