Musings on Architecture, Urbanism, Politics, Economics and Religion.
Monday, August 15, 2005
This comprehensive article on the National Mall is a must-read. Washington D.C. is truly unique in the world as it is the only fully realized town based almost exclusively on Baroque principles: wide avenues, grand vistas with monuments, and heavy symbolism. It's distressing that such features are being undermined by endless proposals for memorials. I like going to Washington to bask in its Baroque glory. It's a shame that L'Enfant's spirit is fading from view.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
An interesting article you linked to, Corbusier. DC is one of my favorite towns, one of the reasons being the architecture. I could spend years at the Mall & the Smithsonian & immediate environs. On my last visit I was waiting for a bus in Alexandria when a young ethnic(Middle Eastern, Indian? Hard to say.) woman engaged me in conversation. She wanted to know where I was from & what I was doing & while we were talking a butterfly began hovering around me. She smiled & related as how in her native land such an occurrence was considered a sign of “blessing” & that I was very fortunate. Just then her bus pulled up & she bestowed one more brilliant smile as she boarded.
Thanks for visiting the site. As a poli-sci major in college and an MArch student, I've always been fascinated by the combination of space and power in the way it is embodied in capitol cities like Washington D.C. I'd love to go back there again, since I haven't been since about ten years ago. Now that I know that much more now, I could better describe the impressions I get when enjoying its vistas.
Post a Comment