Deeply dissatisfied with Robert A.M. Stern's design for a
Revolutionary War museum near Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Art
Commission has taken the unusual - and welcome - step of asking the prominent
New York architect to go back to the drawing board.
Although the commission did not reject the $150 million
project outright, it sent a clear message to the organizers Feb. 5, saying that
the faux-colonial home planned for the Museum of the American Revolution Center
did not measure up to authentic colonial-era buildings nearby. The commission
asked the architects to remove a Disneyesque cupola, add eye-level windows on
Chestnut Street, and reconsider the building's composition.
Few Philadelphians may be aware that a privately run
nonprofit organization had been planning a large new museum at Third and
Chestnut, now the home of a fortresslike, redbrick visitor center built for the
Bicentennial. The museum unveiled its design in the summer of 2012, after
philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest announced he would donate $40
million to the effort. (Lenfest is an owner of Interstate General Media, which
publishes The Inquirer.)
Nothing much happened after that - at least in public.
Buoyed by Lenfest's pledge, the museum board instructed the firm of Robert A.M.
Stern Architects to prepare detailed documents necessary to construct the
design. The firm is now more than halfway done, and the museum has received
pledges of $30 million from the state and $10 million from the Oneida Indian
Nation.
Without the Art Commission's bold action last week, the
project probably would have broken ground without much serious design review.
That is shocking, given that it occupies a vibrant Old City intersection and is
situated directly across the street from Samuel Blodgett's 18th-century First
Bank of the United States, a dignified, classical temple frosted in thick white
marble.
The museum had mistakenly assumed that it did not have to
submit its plans to the Art Commission because the site was originally owned by
the National Park Service, which is not subject to city zoning and planning
controls. But that situation changed in 2009 when the Park Service agreed to
give the museum the site in exchange for 78 acres of private land adjacent to
Valley Forge National Historical Park.
In the last decade, Stern's firm has become ubiquitous in
Philadelphia, churning out buildings in a wide variety of styles, from the
handsomely modern Comcast tower to historical pastiches such as the University
of Pennsylvania's McNeil Center for Early American Studies. While the firm can
produce buildings that are sensitive to their urban context, such as Drexel's
new LeBow Hall, its historicist designs tend to look cheap and fake.
The Revolutionary War museum was conceived as an abstracted,
flattened version of Independence Hall, complete with side wings and the
cliched cupola. But its massiveness and modern materials - including a
panelized veneer of thin bricks - would make it more cartoon than homage.
"This building really has a big-box-store mentality
with a little bit of ornament attached," said David B. Brownlee, a Penn
art historian and vice chair of the Design Advocacy Group. The volunteer group
severely criticized the design in 2012 (as did this critic).
One of the first questions Art Commission members asked when
they saw the design last week was why the museum had not heeded the group's
design suggestions.
Although it sent the architects away with a list of
requested changes, it is unclear how much the design can be improved. For
instance, the Chestnut Street facade is blank on the lower portion because of a
floor-level change on the inside. Ironically, one of that things that makes the
Bicentennial visitor center such an awful building is its blank, redbrick
expanse. Stern's design would enshrine the condition for another generation.
The commission faced a similar predicament in 2009 when the
design for the new Family Court was presented as a done deal. It, too, was sent
back for revisions, but ultimately approved after superficial changes. In this
case, the Art Commission has formed a special committee to work with the
museum. It also agreed to let the visitor center be demolished so the site will
be ready for construction to start this summer.
Lenfest, for one, said he was not bothered by the
commission's decision. "We welcome their input. Anything they can do to
improve the building is good," he said, before adding: "I've never
liked the cupola. If that were removed, it wouldn't bother me."
At the same time, he defended the building's historical
style. "I think it blends with the historic district. We didn't want to
create something that would clash."
Museum vice president ZeeAnn Mason said the architects were
now working on a response. "We do think there are things we can do and are
eager to explore solutions," she said.
Art Commission chairman Sean Buffington acknowledged that
improving the design at this late moment will be a challenge. "It's not
the role of the commission to micromanage the design," he said. "All
we can do is ensure that the building interacts in a positive way with the
public space."
Source: Philly.com
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