tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post6556101523123858606..comments2024-03-06T06:34:42.881-05:00Comments on EconoSpeak: "How The Humanities Building Went Wrong" Or Does Brutalist Architrecture Represent Fascist "Institutionalized Tyranny"?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-59356871558257725852021-03-15T03:01:02.762-04:002021-03-15T03:01:02.762-04:00I do remember the building, Barkley, although not ...I do remember the building, Barkley, although not with particular animus. It is true I was much influenced at the time (1972) by Robert Goodman's <i>After the Planners</i>, which viewed a range of styles, including brutalism, as "fascist architecture". Later I came to think his critique was far too sweeping, but that's a story for another day.<br /><br />The irony about the Humanities Building is that, as brutalism goes, it wasn't all that brutal. The really bad stuff was built in the 70s at lower-rent colleges -- community and state colleges -- around the country. My own Evergreen was representative. When I arrived I was struck by the extreme contrast between the natural beauty of the Evergreen environs and the aesthetically debilitated -- OK, brutalized -- character of its built campus.<br /><br />I've always assumed that this faceless concrete style was an outgrowth of rapid expansion of educational and other campuses combined with budget constraints, encouraging planners to delude themselves that such buildings were beautiful or at least "honest". Was there more?Peter Dormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00093399591393648071noreply@blogger.com