America’s Architectural Obliviousness

Americans don’t dislike architecture. They’re oblivious to it. I first recognized this about twenty years ago when I was Greyhounding around to look at Louis Sullivan’s Midwest banks, those architectural gems he called his “jewel boxes.” I was the only passenger on the early morning schedule from Dayton to Sidney so I asked the bus driver as we pulled into the New England-like town square if I could have a few extra minutes stop. I wanted to take a good look at the bank with the splendid signature “THRIFT” scrawled Art Nouveau-gishly across its façade. He said sure, he had to take a smoke.

In fifteen minutes he picked me up as agreed in front of the bank, and remarked, “You know I must have driven past that bank hundreds of times and I never even noticed it. It’s really pretty, isn’t it?” You got that right, my epiphinated Greyhound bus driver, and how I wish I could quicken the eyes of your fellow compatriots so that they could see the rich visual heritage they are wasting when they’re so oblivious to the realities of American architecture. 

I am researching what I hope will become one small catalyst in this necessary awakening: “100 Great North American Spaces.” I say Spaces because I want people to realize that the Ezra Stoller Syndrome deadens us to the architectural verities when it photographs empty (i.e. people-less) buildings isolated from their surroundings. A building is a sight for sore eyes when it is sited properly in local spaces. I say North American because I want a sort of architectural NAFTA, an opening up, say, to the lively differences between Luis Barragan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Douglas Cardinal. 

I need your help in narrowing down the 100 Greats. There should be diversity as to genre, era, and region. Will you nominate your “must chooses?” A postcard to me would be fine. Or a FAX. Opinionated communications even more valued. To give you the idea, I hereby prime your pump.

ERA	GENRE	BUILDING	ARCHITECT	REGION
1980s	Church	Thorncrown Chapel	E. Fay Jones	AK
1930s	House	Fallingwater	F.L. Wright	PA
1800s	Plantation	Monticello	T. Jefferson	VA
1960s	High Rise	Marina Towers	B. Goldberg	IL
1980s	Museum	Canadian M Civ	D. Cardinal	Ont
1870s	Church	Trinity, Copley Sq	H.H. Richardson	MA
1910s	Bank	Owatonna Farmer’s	Louis Sullivan	MN
1960s	Museum	Oakland Museum	Kevin Roche	CA
1950s	Mass Housing	National Homes	Charles Goodman	IN
1950s	Memorial	Gateway Arch	Eero Saarinen	MO
1980s	Memorial	Vietnam Memorial	Maya Lin	DC
1930s	Skyscraper	PSFS Building	Howe/Lescaze	PA
1940s	High Rise	Medical Dental/SF	Timothy Pfleuger	CA
1880s	Bridge	Brooklyn	The Roeblings	NY
1890s	Estate	Biltmore, Asheville	R.M. Hunt	NC
1970s	Hotel	Peachtree Plaza	John Portman	GA
1930s	Hotels	Miami Beach	Various	FL
1980s	Museum	MOCA/LA	A. Isosaki	CA
1980s	Utopia	Arcosanti	P. Soleri	AZ
1930s	Dam	Hoover	WPA	NV
1100s	Habitation	Mesa Verde	Anasazi	NM
1910s	Artist’s Colony	Taos	Diverse	NM
1910s	State Capital	Lincoln	B. Goodhue	NE
1860s	Public Park	Central/NYC	F. Olmsted	NY
1940s	Commissions	Columbus, IN	Diverse	IN
1980s	Public Park	Mud Island/Memphis	R. Harrover	TN
1850s	Observatory	Barnard’s/Ole Miss	F. Barnard	MS
1980s	Conservatory	San Antonio	E. Ambasz	TX