Comments on: What Will be the Fate of Washington’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library? http://goodspeedupdate.com/2006/2051 Rob Goodspeed's blog Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:48:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: DC1974 http://goodspeedupdate.com/2006/2051/comment-page-1#comment-42654 DC1974 Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:43:59 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2051#comment-42654 As a chicagoan, I love miesian buildings. The beauty is also in his carefully chosen details. This is high modernism and its a direct descendent of formal beaux arts structures. It's a building about form and structure and materials. Mies was from the old guard. In the PoMo era -- the street and the vernacular have risen up to influence design of buildings -- and our tastes (well some, I hate most historical looking buildings with a passion) have changed so that public buildings increasing reflect the taste of the public over that of the formally trained. This is a beautiful building and it should be preserved. I remember the plaza back in the early 1990s. There was one in front of the Portrait Gallery as well, both were torn out when the basketball stadium was built and the once downtown arts community was replaced by a tourist playground. As a chicagoan, I love miesian buildings. The beauty is also in his carefully chosen details. This is high modernism and its a direct descendent of formal beaux arts structures. It’s a building about form and structure and materials. Mies was from the old guard. In the PoMo era — the street and the vernacular have risen up to influence design of buildings — and our tastes (well some, I hate most historical looking buildings with a passion) have changed so that public buildings increasing reflect the taste of the public over that of the formally trained. This is a beautiful building and it should be preserved. I remember the plaza back in the early 1990s. There was one in front of the Portrait Gallery as well, both were torn out when the basketball stadium was built and the once downtown arts community was replaced by a tourist playground.

]]> By: jonah http://goodspeedupdate.com/2006/2051/comment-page-1#comment-15384 jonah Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:39:16 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2051#comment-15384 its a horribly gloomy library. i visited it once. in theory the towering ceilings and copious window are should make this a bright and open space, but it misses the mark. that said, i think a serious remodeling job could improve it. im sure this archeture seemed very "different" and "innovative" in the 1970s, but in that era ugly often signified new. and with all respect to dr king, it is ugly. tear it down and bulldoze it away. its a horribly gloomy library. i visited it once. in theory the towering ceilings and copious window are should make this a bright and open space, but it misses the mark. that said, i think a serious remodeling job could improve it. im sure this archeture seemed very “different” and “innovative” in the 1970s, but in that era ugly often signified new. and with all respect to dr king, it is ugly. tear it down and bulldoze it away.

]]> By: ML http://goodspeedupdate.com/2006/2051/comment-page-1#comment-12208 ML Mon, 27 Nov 2006 22:04:22 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2051#comment-12208 Interesting study done to determine if the central library could move back to the Carnegie building site at Mt. Vernon Sq.: http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/dcpl0606.pdf This idea seems to be have been removed from the discussion, though I don't think I've ever heard precisely why. Interesting study done to determine if the central library could move back to the Carnegie building site at Mt. Vernon Sq.:
http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/dcpl0606.pdf

This idea seems to be have been removed from the discussion, though I don’t think I’ve ever heard precisely why.

]]> By: Raza Showai http://goodspeedupdate.com/2006/2051/comment-page-1#comment-12193 Raza Showai Mon, 27 Nov 2006 01:56:42 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2051#comment-12193 he owned cab company in1996...in washington. and lived with his wife and 2 children. he owned cab company in1996…in washington. and lived with his wife and 2 children.

]]> By: ListenToLeon http://goodspeedupdate.com/2006/2051/comment-page-1#comment-11963 ListenToLeon Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:57:16 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2051#comment-11963 This was a very informative and interesting entry. I am definitely going to follow this much closer now that I know more about the history attached to the library. This was a very informative and interesting entry. I am definitely going to follow this much closer now that I know more about the history attached to the library.

]]> By: DCBlogs » http://goodspeedupdate.com/2006/2051/comment-page-1#comment-11844 DCBlogs » Sun, 19 Nov 2006 21:44:39 +0000 http://goodspeedupdate.com/?p=2051#comment-11844 [...] [...] [...] [...]

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