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Freeland Urban Design Corner - Arcade
Freeland Urban Design Arcade
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Welcome to our Arcade
Any corner in a good city is a point of social life : meetings and conversations among friends ... and if this corner has an arcade where we can do these encounters with a nice view and a calm breeze, well, then it is great ! So is FREELAND : please stay here and see our discussions about Urban Planning from Past, Present and Future, we hope you enjoy. Thanks again for all support and location by Fredfree and his Staff.
Opening Exposition : THINKING ABOUT CIVIC CENTERS (2)
When CITY BEAUTIFUL MOVEMENT had its debut in late 1800s, one of most important architects to join a new spirit of civilized urban space with classicist feeling was DANIEL BURNHAM. Living mainly in Chicago, he was the head to plan that famous 1893 Exposition in Tribute of Columbus, created just on waterfront to show for everyone what a good city could be in his opinion : white buildings situated in malls with manicured grass, tree lined sidewalks and monuments to inspire civic taste.
Part of this classicist atraction can be understood when we remember how important Neo-Classicism was in 1700s to give visual and ideological basis for democratic minds that, later, produced French Revolution (1789) and American Revolution (1776). Important american leaders stimulated this style for public and particular buildings : for example, Thomas Jefferson in Monticello. Classic stages are a strong image in USA since those times, as we can see in Washington D. C. or in artist production of post-modernism, like this watercolor by Thomas  Schaller at left (Roman Triptych, year 2000).
Daniel Burnham himself was an enthusiastic classicist, bringing for north american academies the French Beaux Arts taste. He even discursed for business leaders and railway tycoons just to convince them for building in this style - Union Station in Washington D. C. is a fabulous consequence of this fight for a new urban panorama in USA.
Believing that Civic Art could create a better Democracy, Burnham devoted his talent to plan Civic Centers in many cities. His most famous plan - although not built - is for Chicago : this picture at right shows what could be most imponent City Hall in all USA, even higher than National Capitol in Washington D. C. It's curious to note how Burnham understood all necessities of his time : greek and roman classic traditions would be good to create monumental buildings but not good enough. In late1800s his nation was expanding and becoming to stay in same level of old european powers, so Burnham could join Classicism with a more adequate style to show this changing : the Barroc. This projected Chicago City Hall has something in common with Michelangelo (his cupola for Rome's Saint Peter Basilica) and Maderno (his facade for same building), both important architects in the beginnings of Barroc in XVIth Century, when Europe was expanding (America was discovered) and a style of monumental power was considered necessary to show the face of a New Era.
Burnham had a long influence in american city planning because many Civic Centers, understood as civilized counterparts for skyscrapered commercial downtowns, blossomed around USA. Many of these centers were planned by him, other ones by his followers, and many are till now important places for cities in search of public identity - political, cultural or touristic. Picture at left shows a 1930s postcard of Denver (state capital of Colorado), before skyscraper invasion : then, it would be possible to imagine a visit for Athens or Rome without leaving Rocky Mountains or the West.
This picture at right shows a scale model of Brasília, national capital of BRAZIL, and it is here to make us think about heritages : although modernist, it's near classicist feeling because till now this is always remembered as THE STYLE for public and civic functions. Note how Brasília is planned with controlled highness of buildings, and how most of them are white - concrete instead of marble, but pure as a piece from Greek Parthenon or Roman Forum-, tenderly placed in a tapestry of green. Classicism is still living and producing consequences.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FREELAND ! A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR A PLACE WHERE ART HAS A NEST TO FLIGHT !

 

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