Charles...nice Roxy Music reference. :-)

But, what hinges on our agreement on such issues? Do you really think you're going to unlock the mystery to universal aesthetic appreciation?

Will never happen. Give it up already. :-)

Is that Lloyd's of London? Have you seen it up close? It's embarrassing and stupid.

Now, if you want some real beauty, you have to go back a decade or two to Gateshead and the Trinity Car Park:
http://www.nothingtoseehere.net/2008/02/trinity_car_park_gateshead_1.html

hm.

what about

hm.

what about this?

john, what is that? it looks wonderful.

I have to hand it to Charles for once, that's a striking photo of a striking building.  Sure wish he had pointed out where it is, though.  Anybody know?

I love that building. The City of London area was surprisingly fascinating.

@6: Lloyds of London building, in the London financial district (City of London).

it is the james r. thompson center in downtown chicago. it was built in the 80's and designed by 80s wunderkind, helmut jahn. from the outside it looks like the spaceship in close encounters - and please note the absolutely incredible sculpture out front by jean dubuffet. full gallery here.

nah charles, the 80's?

the 80's began here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRte0S2a_dA

@4: Not fair. The building should actually be finished construction in order to count.

Abby @8, thanks.

@4 and @5:

That building, while interesting, cooked everyone in it because of the expanses of glass and the insufficient HVAC. It was a scandal. But Chicago sure does love its Helmut Jahn.

As for Lloyd's, it's incredible -- and no, @2, it's most certainly NOT embarrasing or stupid. What in the world are you going on about?

You want embarassing and/or stupid? Check out some Ballard/Fremont/Wallingford condos.

The 80's were more noted for Post Modernism. Remember "Memphis design" or "Michael Graves the Public Service Building, Portland OR.

The building you are showing has it's roots in the 70's and the Centre Georges Pompidou.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Georges_Pompidou

It is easy to continuously throw around 80's references because everything is so retro 80's at this point. This is the "Retro Decade" not many unique ideas just a lot of retro references for the last 7 years. Hopefully we will survive and come up with something better to talk about than the 80's all the time.
If we had a stronger identity for this decade then there would have been a far better representation of architecture in lower Manhattan after 911 instead of the "Freedom Tower" and surrounding buildings. But the U.S.A. is quite lost when art and architecture is talked about in this decade. In a slump you might say. So all you get is a retro reference culture because mainstream rules right now and typically mainstream lags. So people label everything as 80's.
The Lloyds Building commission was started in 1979 so definitely it was conceived in the 70's.

I was in London when the IRA bombed the Baltic Exchange building. It was a tremendously powerful Oklahoma City style bomb - it nearly vaporized a 900 year old church. I remember quite distinctly that the only building in the area that didn't have shattered windows was the Lloyd's of London building.

is that a sonic the hedgehog level?

Chaz, why do they pay you? Your output is far less than that of other sloggers and I doubt anyone can make a case for more utility per word.

Speaking of Lloyd's of London, rumor has it that the new Caffe Fiore in Ballard has a salvaged window from the original Lloyd's coffeehouse.

WHAT? The frame, or the glass? Where's it been all this time?

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