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Earth 2
Tuesday March 30th, 1999
Announcements:
Lecture notes:
CITY BEAUTIFUL (late 10C-early 20C): a political movement trying to change the look/design of cities
Land/environment:
Socio-cultural milieu:
- Eclectic ---romantic, not classic
- Modernist
- Nationalism/Imperialism
- Innovation/Exposition
- Environmental determinism---orderly surroundings make you become a better person (reason for beautiful cities)
Design Expression:
- Formal/geometric
- Neo-classical architecture (Beaux Arts, Classic revival)
- Integrate buildings--outdoor space
- The World Columbian Exposition: 1893, Chicago, collaborative design….innovative with elevators, skyscrapers, expanded ideas…still having the Industrial Revolution causing "expositions"
- Reasons for the U.S. Exposition:
The Crystal Palace was built(by Joseph Paxton): Made of iron with glass seemed like it wasn't there.
French built the Eiffel Tower along with other structures
----It was time for the U.S. to take its turn. Chose Chicago because it is in the middle of the country. Olmstead and other professionals involved. Olmstead suggested the park site for the exposition. It was a large scale collaborative effort with many meetings. Aesthetic----classical architecture image was determined. Set up to impress with strong imagery, wanted to be reproduced although it was temporary. "Port of Honor" or "White City" it was called with it's very white buildings, white sculptures, lagoon, fountains. Also had transportation building which wasn't all white (the only exception). Representations of each state/country with buildings. Also had a naturalistic part where people could get away from white buildings…amusement (particularly in the Midway) where the large ferris wheel was invented to view the whole site….
- The Exposition was opened in May 1893…coal was banned for maintainance of white buildings. It started out with a bang! People were fascinated by electricity, phones, lights. A market crash resulted in uneven attendance. The mayor of Chicago was shot within a few days before closing ---- so it closed in silence but still had an impact
- Neo-classic imagery was loved by public (set back modern imagery). This signified American style for decades. Major cities transformed themselves.
- Systems were added (road, building, etc..)
- Comprehensive plan linked with open space and strong axis, white buildings(On our campus it is shown by Pattee, Sparks, Schwab)
Film:
- L'enfante was an early designer of Washington D.C. Had grid streets and white buildings, radial avenues derived from French Baroque, diagonals, visible focal points.
- Senator McMillan was a primary mover of the "white city". Made a new plan of Washington D.C. Called the "McMillan" or "Kite" plan. Had a green front lawn, buildings, center was the capital building. This was not carried out to completion. Significant ideas: to connect the capital buildings with strong avenues.
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