“Sarah More McCann of Religion News Service writes of an odd preservation fight over a Washington, D.C., church, Third Church of Christ, Scientist. The church's members think it's plug-ugly, and they want to tear it down. But preservationists say it's a great example of the 'brutalist' architectural style from the 1970s and ought to be saved.”
Ed Cognoski responds:There's another example of the 'brutalist' architectural style that's been targeted for the wrecking ball. It's a college campus building, not a church. This one's in Madison, Wisconsin. It's the Humanities Building on the University of Wisconsin campus (unaffectionately called the Inhumanities Building for its appearance). So far, there's no organized opposition to demolishing it, but I won't be surprised if organized opposition springs up, given newspaper stories like this one:
"It's apt that the Humanities Building is both complex and a struggle to fathom. Designed by Chicago's Harry Weese, it was built between 1966 and 1969 during the Vietnam War-era turbulence. Sick of broken windows, tear gas and unruly protesters, university administrators were determined to erect a riot-proof building. Weese certainly gave them that."Something is lost when we tear down old buildings without really understanding the architecture or the times that produced them.
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