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Robert Venturi - one of a handful of late 20th century architectural hacks including Graves and Gehry - has thrown himself in as the latest thorn in the ass of moving the Barnes Museum to the Parkway. Is it just bad timing that he waited for the release of the rendering to express his grievance over the museum's move from Lower Marion or is something else going on. Where was he for the past five years? Could his pride be just a little hurt at the release of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien's graceful design for the new Barnes Museum on the Parkway?
I will admit, in the face of a recession, library closings, and a potential arts and culture tax, $200M does seem a bit excessive. And from the looks of the building, I can't see where the bulk of the expense lies. On the other hand some of our greatest cultural and architectural gifts are granted by public funds during economic down times.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/10/architect-robert-venturi-slams-proposed-barnes-foundation-move.html
This building even managed to offend Edmund Bacon. That says something. Venturi is like a painter who spits on a piece of paper and claims it's art because he gave it a colorful back story. He paved the way for the Gehrys and the Graves and other modern architects who, like modern artists, figured out you don't need talent if you can sell your story to an elite minority who tell the rest of us what we are supposed to like. Was the Guild House influential? Absolutely. But not all influence is good. Venturi may have influenced a line of hacks, and if this building is that line's catalyst, it is evident in the fact that at the end of the day it is just plain ugly.
It's still there, not yet encased in Robert Venturi's latest architectural abortion. The quasi historic Colonial reproduction built by Mayor Richardson Dilworth in the 1950's - and the catalyst for Society Hill's renaissance - The Dilworth House has been sitting in front of developer John Turchi's wrecking ball for nearly a decade and it's still there, empty. Is he waiting out the recession? Or better yet, waiting for the house to fall into a state of "disrepair" so he can pay off L&I to have it demolished for "safety" reasons. Or better yet, watching it burn down from Washington Square with a quizical look on his face and a smoldering match.
With all that said, and I'm not siding with Turchi (a hot headed little man who wants to bulldoze the house in spite), is a 50 year old reproduction a fitting legacy for Mayor Dilworth's contribution to Philadelphia, or is the opulance and beauty of Society Hill itself?
Robert Venturi - one of a handful of late 20th century architectural hacks including Graves and Gehry - has thrown himself in as the latest thorn in the ass of moving the Barnes Museum to the Parkway. Is it just bad timing that he waited for the release of the rendering to express his grievance over the museum's move from Lower Marion or is something else going on. Where was he for the past five years? Could his pride be just a little hurt at the release of Tod Williams and Billie Tsien's graceful design for the new Barnes Museum on the Parkway?
