Slog - Comments on Being Bold http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold About the remodel of New York City's MAD building, which was designed by Brad Cloepfil, a principal of the Portland firm that designed the Seattle Art Museum expansion, Allied Works... ...New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff wrote a week or so ago: This is not the bold architectural statement that might have justified the destruction of an important piece of New York history. Poorly detailed and lacking in confidence, the project is a victory only for people who favor the safe and inoffensive and have always been squeamish about the frictions that give this city its vitality. Nothing makes... Copyright 2008 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:48:25 -0800 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:50:17 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Greg
“bold” does not mean “good”
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for this.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171631 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171631 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:47:21 -0800 Comment by Hernandez Building looks fine to me. If "bold architecture" means ostenatious, masturbatory acts like the EMP, which so poorly relates to its context and surroundings, then no thanks.

]]> Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171641 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171641 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:52:23 -0800 Comment by Non This post means nothing without a picture of the original atrocity pre-remodel, you incredulous hack.

]]> Non http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171654 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171654 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:58:10 -0800 Comment by onewink3 Let's not set up false dichotomies. The question isn't the MAD building vs EMP. The question is the new MAD building vs the building's old incarnation, now lost:

http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/images/Feature0064_01x.jpg

EMP is a red herring.

]]> onewink3 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171660 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171660 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:00:52 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Oh, my gosh, that was the funniest building in New York. I loved it. The new one, meh.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171676 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171676 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:15:00 -0800 Comment by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me "Nothing makes me more nervous than the confident call for bold architecture."

Really Chuck?... NOTHING?...

]]> You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171677 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171677 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:18:12 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball Edward Durrell Stone's original Huntington Hartford Museum building was inarguably flawed, inarguably imbued with a personality like no other, and inarguably functional as a museum. The interiors (infinite applications of rare woods and stone) were astounding in a Morris Lapidus sort of way, and a pleasure to spend time within.

The new building is an overdesigned cologne bottle.

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171682 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171682 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:21:16 -0800 Comment by Greg The original building was ugly and had no sense of context. The new one is pleasing to look at and fits better with its surroundings. QED.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171684 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171684 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:23:40 -0800 Comment by Non Q.E.D. is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "quod erat demonstrandum" which means literally, "that which was to be demonstrated". The phrase is written in its abbreviated form at the end of a mathematical proof or philosophical argument, to signify that the last statement deduced was the one to be demonstrated, so the proof is complete.

]]> Non http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171689 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171689 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:25:46 -0800 Comment by archi As a kid growing up in NY, before I knew anything about architecture, I loved the original building. And after I learned about architecture, I still loved that building. It had so much character and charm. The new building has neither.

]]> archi http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171709 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171709 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:45:44 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Bold means they're depressed and want something to cheer them up.

Architecture is not always the answer.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171722 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171722 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:55:42 -0800 Comment by Cranky Old Man It's architectural design compares favorably to The Double Bacon Hamburger Fatty Melt, however I suspect it doesn't taste as good.


]]> Cranky Old Man http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171730 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171730 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:00:56 -0800 Comment by Cranky Old Man ....and a palm tree or two would be very thoughtful.

]]> Cranky Old Man http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171733 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171733 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:05:22 -0800 Comment by David Sucher Wonders will never cease: Charles Mudede writing something so intelligent (and correct) as

"Nothing makes me more nervous than the confident call for bold architecture. Such a call has one meaning beneath (or sustaining) all other apparent and not apparent meanings: that a “bold architectural statement” is by nature (or in essence) alone good. But “bold” does not mean “good”; also, a building does not have to be controversial to be good; and finally, a building is not good just because it generates lots of talk. (Some buildings we need to pass over in silence.) And “safe and inoffensive” buildings can be good buildings."

Who'd a thunk it?

]]> David Sucher http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171745 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171745 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:21:41 -0800 Comment by um frank gehry is awesome. you are dumb.

]]> um http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171768 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171768 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:41:19 -0800 Comment by Cascadian I thought the new building was bad until I saw the picture of the old one. From all the positive comments the previous building must have worked better at street level because this view makes it look like an oppressive monolith, better as prison than art museum. If the window pattern at the top was continued throughout, it wouldn't be so bad.

I definitely prefer the buildings on each side to either building on this lot.

]]> Cascadian http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171773 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171773 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:44:35 -0800 Comment by Greg @9: If you have to explain the joke, it's not funny any more.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171796 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171796 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:07:50 -0800 Comment by chris it's still miles better than the boring, cost-engineered to death, "office tower" he delivered for SAM.

]]> chris http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171929 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171929 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:43:51 -0800 Comment by Scott Dow "Much has been the talk of this building"
Did Yoda write this?

]]> Scott Dow http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171948 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171948 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:54:25 -0800 Comment by wench Um... am I the only one who thinks the photo on the bottom is bloody awesome? I don't even know what it is and I want to go to it.

]]> wench http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171999 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1171999 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:23:31 -0800 Comment by brappy The new building really does look like a Taiwanese parking garage.

]]> brappy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1172028 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1172028 Architecture Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:05:19 -0800 Comment by eric sic I completely agree, Charles (& @4). The EMP (in this rendering) looks like something a Gehry building pooped when Frank took it out for a walk.

]]> eric sic http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1172234 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/being_bold#c1172234 Architecture Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:50:17 -0800