Posted on 10/17/2020 11:25:29 AM PDT by Kaslin
Since the overwhelming majority of Americans have proven time and time again that they prefer traditional architecture, why do government agencies force ugly buildings on the American people?
A new study finds 72 percent of Americans prefer traditional architecture for U.S. courthouses and federal office buildings, including majorities across political, racial, sex, and socioeconomic categories. The survey was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of National Civic Art Society and polled more than 2,000 U.S. adults.
These findings come in light of the possibility of a Trump administration executive order, appropriately named Make Federal Buildings Beautiful Again, that would require that new office buildings in Washington, D.C. be classical in design. Among other things, the order would revise the 1962 “Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture,” which forced modernism to be the official government building style. In response to the leak of the potential order, a bill entitled the “Democracy in Design Act” was proposed by House Democrats to overturn it.
However, based on the study, it appears Trump’s potential executive order would be happily received by a majority of Americans, with traditional architecture the clear winner for all demographic groups, including sex, age, geographic region, household income, education, race/ethnicity, and political party affiliations.
The study showed participants seven pairs of images depicting U.S. courthouses and federal office buildings. Each pair presented one building in a traditional style and one building in a modern style. For each pair, the survey question was: “Which of these two buildings would you prefer for a U.S. courthouse or federal office building?”
The selected images were edited to ensure fair comparisons. Factors such as sky color, angle of photo, light conditions, distance from building, weather conditions, and the like were all controlled either perfectly (e.g., sky color) or as perfect as possible via “careful photo selection and editing.”
Below is an example of one of the survey’s image pairings:
The resounding preference for traditional design was soundly bipartisan, being favored by 73 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of Democrats, and 73 percent of independents.
Preference for traditional architecture is shared across generations, being the top choice of 77 percent of those aged 65 or older, and 68 percent of those aged 18-34.
Both men and women prefer traditional architecture, but women are more likely than men to want U.S. courthouses and federal office buildings to be traditional, at 77 percent versus 67 percent, respectively.
Beauty is beauty.
The brutal movement of “modern architecture” is just another tactic that leftists use to brutalize the public.
When graduate school a professor said: “Institutions need buildings, but architects want monuments “. There is the crux of the problem.
That Hubert H. Humphrey building is sure ugly. But it was built in the 1970s. The FBI Headquarters building in Wash DC hails from the same style and era. The late 1960s World Trade Center towers are the same style.
But would you call block architecture from the 1960s/70s modern?
I would call the older buildings, from the 19th century through the 1910s CLASSIC, and the 1920s through 1930s Art Deco. The more modern look came from WWII hurry-up building program in Washington, such as the Pentagon.
We should go back to classical. Roman, Creek Revival, Colonial, Baroque, they’re all beautiful in their way.
There is nothing wrong with modern architecture, but little of what is built is architectural. The HHS building is not designed, but extruded, a version of Bauhaus by the yard, as is the FBI building. The National Archives building is pretty appalling too - a nuclear bombshelter with a classical facade stuck on.
If you really want to experience a slap in the face, for what passes as art; I encourage you to visit the History of Modern Art in Washington, DC.
You will see such marvels as a scrap piece of plywood, with screws in it, and twine entitled “Constructing the Letter “H”.
I have seen projects in the local 4-H County Fair that exceeded this effort in talent, creativity and execution. Yet, this museum is full of garbage I wouldn’t stop and pick up; if I saw it sitting along side the road.
It’s not just government forcing these monstrosities on us. Nice hold homes in our neighborhood are being torn down and replaced with really ugly “modern” architecture homes. One parcel of two or three acres got a modern architecture compound built on it — it looks like San Quentin Prison in the suburbs. All it’s missing is some guard towers.
Question: Why is a school of architecture from 100 years ago called “modern”?
How can 70% of Democrats prefer Conventional / Classical architecture when they want to burn it all down?
I would guess the driving force for “ugly” architecture is cost. Straight unadorned walls are faster and cheaper than moldings, carvings and columns.
It's ugly, devoid of order, and Satanic.
I am serious.
Satan is the father of lies and chaos.
The elite love both.
My definition of art, “If I could make it, it ain’t art.”
Well Said!
&
DITTO!
You see that all over the United States and Canada. Magnificent, gorgeous old courthouses and school buildings built in the 1880s and later torn down and replaced with extremely ugly single-story flat roof monstrosities.
I’m doing genealogical research and looking at small towns in North Dakota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. It’s the same story everywhere.
One building looks like a bunch of storage pods stuck together and the other building looks more like a parking garage than an office building.
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