AWFUL: When an icon is closed..... Berlin Siegessäule

OK, so I'm more than partial to this particular landmark, but not for any reason related to the history of the actual Siegessäule itself. Let me explain: A couple of decades ago, filmmaker Wim Wenders released a film so moving, so atmospheric, so beautiful, it only added to my desire to one day visit Berlin and experience this storied place. That movie, the 1987 Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin en Deutsche) is one of those films that is truly 'of its moment'


Its hard to explain the feeling of the late Cold War to those who were not there – that pervasive sense of melancholy, knowing that at any moment the world might literally end. The 1980s were a time of reaction – rejection of the malaise of the 1970s, the cold heart of Brutalism architecture, the disarray of the post-hippie era of institutional destruction. There was a resurgence of industry, finance and culture… What the 1960s & 1970s had destroyed, the 1980s began to rebuild.


So this movie, and this column, in a bleak black and white, centered upon people attempting to live normal lives in an unnatural state – caged by a wall, trapped in a city whose ruins from war still lingered 50 years on… whose scars were as yet unhealed… this movie is my touchstone for that era. The Siegessäule is the unwitting co-star to the ‘angels’ over the city of Berlin.


This landmark has had many lives: Symbol of Prussian military greatness, moved to be a part of Hitler’s proposed grandiose Germania rebuild of the city, then appropriated by Wenders to great effect for his love letter to Berlin. Nick Cave shows up and adds his plaintive voice to the mix, and for some inexplicable reason so does Peter Falk – acting the part of Columbo once again.


So, I got there yesterday… and this is what I found…

*sigh* The Victory Column is undergoing a massive restoration... and I am denied.

20+ years after the fall of the Wall, the column is being restored. There is an allegory here dealing with the resurgence of Berlin after the devastation and destruction that has been heaped upon it over the last few centuries... especially the last one. I'm almost sad that its taken me this long to get here - as if I missed the Berlin I thought I knew... the gritty, claustrophobic city is long gone, swept away in the almost overnight removal of the wall.


Potsdamer Platz, a wasteland in the era of the film, is now a sparkling new place trying to stitch the two halves of the city together again. And yet.... Potsdamer Platz is inauthentic. The 1960s church next to the bombed out Kaiser Wilhelm Cathedral is inauthentic.


Berlin is an ancient organic being with prosthetic attachments that simply do not quite fit.


Time will heal that of course - but between the melancholy sepia toned monochromatic world of Wenders and the shiny bright future to come is a moment when its not yet all working. For me, as a city planner, its a fascinating moment to witness, and yet my soul yearns for  the city on the screen... a city full of memories, scars and decay. The angst has seemingly gone with the zeitgeist....


Of course, I knew full well the changes hat have happened here since 1987 - and was prepared for them all... but this one place seemed timeless - it has survived so much ... I assumed I would be able to climb to the top and commune with that sculpture and privately relive those moments Wenders has immortalized in film. But no, I am to be denied that small moment. And when I return, the column will be all shiny and new - like the rest of Berlin, I feel as if I'm just a few moments too late.


Note: The first photo is not mine, I ganked it from the web using Image Search.

AWESOME & AWFUL - Marriott Marquis Atlanta

BOTH: The Marriott Marquis Atlanta has a lot of positive things going for it - absolutely non of them at ground level. Three sides of this block sized development are simply as inhospitable as one can make a blank wall of concrete. I even had a hard time finding the egress on the east side (facing the Hyatt) and only  stumbled upon it by accident.

So, on the AWFUL scale this hotel provides 3 block faces with 2 - 3 stories (depending on the elevation) of blank concrete and a total disconnect from any pedestrian realm. It was so bad I didn't even bother taking any pictures. Add to this the multiple skybridges and lack of obvious ways to find the street, and you have the usual Brutalism era hatred of the ground level, save access for automobiles and trucks.

The auto entry itself is pretty cool (see pic just below) but even this space is a bit oppressive for the average pedestrian.

Now, on the AWESOME side of the equation, we consider the soaring interior spaces the architect created... One cannot help but be impressed with the volume, the tapering balconies and the glass roof, 48 stories above. 1663 rooms and suites ensure a population guaranteed to fill the cantilevered Pulse Loft bar and the sail-like Pulse lobby bar. It obvious the interior decor has been tastefully and expensively updated in the recent past. If only the architect and the planners involved had given the same love to the ground level surrounding the hotel, this building would be long regarded as one of the best in Atlanta.

Sadly, the era in which this was constructed dictated that it was not to be so.

More photos on their website.

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AWFUL: The Horrors of the Atlanta Merchandise Mart

AWFUL: The Atlanta Merchandise Mart is 3 blocks of consumerism and serves boutiques and retailers across the region... that said, the buildings it occupies are pretty ugly and do nothing to serve the city in which they landed. Oh, and what about a window or two?

The ground level of all 3 blocks has nothing but blank walls and a few sad trees. The skybridges keep the buyers and sellers out of the city entirely. It seems there are 8 or 9 blocks interconnected in such a way as to connect at least 3 hotels to the Mart and once inside, its not very easy to find a way to get to the street level - kinda like not being able to find a way out of a casino in Vegas.

I do have to say that I like the RoboCop style round staircases on the corner, and the building is, in spite of its shortcomings, a bit of modern sculpture that typifies its era in a strong way. Its a great thing to learn from and never repeat.

AWFUL. Alachua County Courthouse. Implode & recycle please.

AWFUL. Truly one of Downtown Gainesville's most horrible moments. This massive ungainly lump of post-lego block design has it all. This is the Alachua County Courthouse, Family & Civil Division.

• Three elevations calculated to prevent pedestrians from approaching it?  Check!
• Gigantic slabs of poured concrete that say: "Fortress - Keep Out!" ?  Check!
• A massive deficit of glazing on the side facing the downtown plaza?  Check!
• An entry that is hard to locate and singularly unimpressive and uninviting?  Check!
• Vast slabs of pebble textured concrete, to complete that hideous 1970s ambiance?  Check!
• Prominent location so you can't ignore its massive ugly bulk?  CHECK AND MATE!

In short, this is the single most hideous building in the downtown. It contributes nothing to the streetscape, and exhibits all of the very worst habits of 1970s architecture. Plus, it eats up one side of the most visible public space in downtown. Of course, the downtown plaza is a horror in and of itself, but we'll deal with that one another time. 

Pedestrian view from a prominent corner in the downtown. Breathtakingly awful in its composition.

This plaque fingers those responsible for this carbuncle on the face of downtown. May the shame of Craig Salley & Associates never be forgotten. Oh - and this firm still exists. Check out their website to see the kind of structure these guys are proud to occupy.


Added: Now that I've checked out their website, it seems they have graduated to public schools that look like cheap strip shopping centers.


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