A Brief, Wondrous History of Brutalism (FTAO: Beton Brut)

datadyne007

datadyne007

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Enjoy:
http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/28634/a-brief-wondrous-history-of-brutalism-2/

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Cool post.

I've come to believe that the only architects who really understood the possibilities of raw concrete were in South America. Put this austere architectural language in a tropical environment and its perceived grimness is transformed into the gravitas of ancient history.
 
Beton Brut said:
Cool post.

I've come to believe that the only architects who really understood the possibilities of raw concrete were in South America. Put this austere architectural language in a tropical environment and its perceived grimness is transformed into the gravitas of ancient history.
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Couldn't you picture City Hall draped in vines? Just needs a golden idol inside.
 
^ Precisely, Toby. And bathed in cool LEDs at night. Forget what it is, or how it's perceived -- make it what it could be.

(And where the hell have you been? Shooting, fishing, or racing?)
 
Beton Brut said:
^ Precisely, Toby. And bathed in cool LEDs at night. Forget what it is, or how it's perceived -- make it what it could be.

(And where the hell have you been? Shooting, fishing, or racing?)
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City Hall was originally supposed to represent Boston's progress and the cutting-edge developments that have always occurred in our city. Sadly, it aged much too quickly, as the acceptance of brutalism (unbeknownst to them) would be rather short-lived. Your proposal really sounds like it could revive the spirit of City Hall as this beacon of Boston's progressivism. Perhaps you could start a campaign advocating for the lighting. LEDs can do some pretty amazing things to architecture.
 
Beton Brut said:
^ Precisely, Toby. And bathed in cool LEDs at night. Forget what it is, or how it's perceived -- make it what it could be.

(And where the hell have you been? Shooting, fishing, or racing?)
Click to expand...

I've been wandering around a bit, doing oddball stuff. Just came back from the Beaulieu Autojumble which was pleasant. Nice little inn there:http://www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk/montys_inn.html I highly recommend it. The pub is completely dog friendly.

Trying to outbid this French guy for an old car I want. Supposedly if he doesn't come up with the filthy lucre by midnight, its mine. (Showed a female companion a photo of it and she thought it looked like a pile of dog shit.)

Right now cleaning a G 43 rifle while watching "Boy on a Dolphin". Lousy script, but good visuals!

That picture in the beginning of the thread looked like a cross between a Todt Organization production and that apartment house next to the Neponset River bridge.

Brutalism is more a part of Boston than Bulfinch, it seems!
 
Nice inn -- I'd better buy some scratch tickets if I wanna get there. I'll bet they have a nice Scotch list.

In my experience, if a lady hates a car, well then, you gotta buy it. Good luck!

I've never seen a G 43, but I used to know a guy who had a Karabiner 98k. Interestingly, this weapon has a minor (and ironic) role in one of my favorite novels. In her day, Ms. Loren was "hot as a pistol" (as my uncle the bookie used to say).

Interesting observation on that big beast of an apartment building on Quincy Shore Drive. The proportions are similar, but the attitude (from interior layout to materials) it totally different. It's the sizzle, not the steak.
 
The Future of Another Brutalist Landmark Put into Question

November 10, 2011

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The J. Edgar Hoover Building, Washington, D.C.

The nation’s capital is home to several Brutalist buildings, almost all of which have their fair share of detractors. But the The J. Edgar Hoover Building, which headquarters the FBI and sits on Pennsylvania Avenue at the halfway point from the White House to the Capitol, is surely the city’s favorite building to hate. Since the structure–more of a campus, actually, or fortress, for that matter–was completed in 1975, it has been plagued with problems, from functionality issues to improper maintenance. When the design by Chicago-based firm Charles F. Murphy and Associates was first put forward, it purported to revitalize Pennsylvania Avenue, while bowing to the architectural heritage of “America’s Main Street” with promises of open arcades and courtyards and commercial spaces along the entire first floor.

As it stands, the building creates a “black hole” in downtown’s urban fabric, in part, due to its enormous size and the extensive security measures which closed off the courtyard to the public and prohibited the allocation of space to commercial ventures. As The Huffington Post reports, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a review Tuesday which assesses the building’s future and hints at what could be done with the property. According to the GAO report, the structure no longer supports “the FBI’s long-term security, space, and building condition requirements,” while the design of its offices is inefficient, “making it difficult to reconfigure space to promote staff collaboration. Staff dispersion across annexes likewise hampers collaboration and the performance of some classified work.” Because of the significant expense necessary to improve and renovate the Hoover Building’s “deteriorating” condition, the GAO lists two options, the first being the complete demolition of the existing building and a new headquarters built on top the site, while the second suggests that the FBI relocated to new facilities elsewhere. Another loss for America’s Brutalist architecture?

http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blo...-another-brutalist-landmark-put-into-question
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Underlined part sound familiar???
 
So I've been surfing that damn site all night. Love the UMass Dartmouth love, but I also found this:

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Apparently City Hall was supposed to have a bridge/ramp to connect the courtyard to Faneuil Hall over Congress St and there was supposed to be a building blocking the actual Faneuil Hall building? Thank god that didn't get built.
 
Not quite 'blocking', but where the Holocaust Memorial and Curley statue park are now, was supposed to be another building similar to 1-2-3 Center Plaza.
 
That pedestrian bridge idea was resurrected fairly recently (Menino administration?). It was altered from connecting City Hall to the unbuilt office building, to connecting City Hall Plaza to plaza fronting Faneuil Hall, thus allowing pedestrians to bypass busy Congress St.

Fortunately, that idea was killed as well.
 
The big issue for me about the 2nd plan to build the bridge was that it required elevators on both sides for ADA access. It became a monstrosity instead of a simple way to get from point A to point B. Aesthetically, it didn't work.

Of course, now there's no way for a person in a wheelchair to go from point A to point B, so that's still a problem.
 
A Corbu ramp would solve the elevator problem. I kind of think a ramp connecting CHP to FH isn't a bad idea...

There should be an elevator and even maybe escalators on the CH steps anyways.
 
A pedestrian bridge in this area would block the view between two historic buildings -- the Old State House and Faneuil Hall. While there wasn't historically a view corridor here, there has been for over four decades and I think most folks would prefer to keep it that way.
 
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