Affirming Preference of Classical Architecture

Commentary regarding The Architect has No Clothes at OnTheCommons.org argument against modernism.

The first profession I ever aimed for was architecture. I took drafting classes, I won a design award for my house plans, I was enamored of the field. But then I subscribed to Architectural Digest and saw white cube after steel box after pale rectangle. And I lost interest.

No one was building the palatial mansions that I had admired in Tulsa all my youth. Their time was over, so the message read. No more pillars ensconced with grape leaves and flower clusters. Ornate amaranths were scoffed as outdated and overdone. Iron and stone were passe. Sleek, shiny glass and steel were esteemed above all else. I was horrified at the prospect.

I wish I would have seen a discussion like this when I was young. Discouraged, I turned to mechanical engineering as the integration of parts to a purpose is beautiful in an intricate scale.

I do hope young architects will champion the classical side of architecture with more ornate classical beauty, and also green incorporated. Trees are a must for me. I don't want a home in a subdivision because there is no soul there - no old trees.

Note: I found this article via the news aggregator in calibre (free ebook management software) called "Give Me Something to Read" - and I highly recommend this aggregator.