ARCHITECTURAL

CRITICISM
CRITIC WRITER : ADA LOUISE HUXTABLE
 Architectural Criticism
■ ARCHITECTURE CRITICISM IS THE CRITIQUE OF ARCHITECTURE. EVERYDAY
CRITICISM RELATES TO PUBLISHED OR BROADCAST CRITIQUES OF BUILDINGS,
WHETHER COMPLETED OR NOT, BOTH IN TERMS OF NEWS AND OTHER
CRITERIA.
■ IN MANY CASES, CRITICISM AMOUNTS TO AN ASSESSMENT OF THE
ARCHITECT'S SUCCESS IN MEETING HIS OR HER OWN AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
AND THOSE OF OTHERS. THE ASSESSMENT MAY CONSIDER THE SUBJECT
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOME WIDER CONTEXT, WHICH MAY INVOLVE
PLANNING, SOCIAL OR AESTHETIC ISSUES. IT MAY ALSO TAKE A POLEMICAL
POSITION REFLECTING THE CRITIC'S OWN VALUES.
■ AT THE MOST ACCESSIBLE EXTREME, ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM IS A BRANCH
OF LIFESTYLE JOURNALISM, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF HIGH-END
RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS.
ADA LOUISE HUXTABLE (NÉE LANDMAN; MARCH 14,
1921 – JANUARY 7, 2013) WAS AN ARCHITECTURE
CRITIC AND WRITER ON ARCHITECTURE. IN 1970 SHE
WAS AWARDED THE FIRST EVER PULITZER PRIZE FOR
CRITICISM. ARCHITECTURE CRITIC PAUL
GOLDBERGER, ALSO A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNER
(1984) FOR ARCHITECTURAL CRITICISM, SAID IN
1996: "BEFORE ADA LOUISE HUXTABLE,
ARCHITECTURE WAS NOT A PART OF THE PUBLIC
DIALOGUE. "SHE WAS A GREAT LOVER OF CITIES, A
GREAT PRESERVATIONIST AND THE CENTRAL PLANET
AROUND WHICH EVERY OTHER CRITIC REVOLVED,"
SAID ARCHITECT ROBERT A. M. STERN, DEAN OF THE
YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE.
ADA LOUISE HUXTABLE WORKS:
 MS. HUXTABLE WAS THE AUTHOR OF 11 BOOKS. “FOUR WALKING TOURS OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE IN
NEW YORK CITY” (1961), INCLUDED A CHARACTERISTIC CRITIQUE OF THE PAN AM BUILDING, WHICH WAS
THEN BEING BUILT DIRECTLY BEHIND GRAND CENTRAL. (IT IS NOW THE METLIFE BUILDING.)

 RATHER THAN AESTHETICS, MS. HUXTABLE FOCUSED ON HOW THE TOWER WOULD ALTER THE SCALE OF
PARK AVENUE, ADDING “AN EXTRAORDINARY BURDEN TO EXISTING PEDESTRIAN AND TRANSPORTATION
FACILITIES.” SHE CONTINUED, “ITS ANTISOCIAL CHARACTER DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS THE TEACHINGS OF
WALTER GROPIUS, WHO HAS COLLABORATED IN ITS DESIGN.”

 WHEN THE TIMES NAMED HER A CRITIC, MS. HUXTABLE WAS WORKING ON A SIX-VOLUME SERIES ON NEW
YORK CITY ARCHITECTURE. ONLY THE FIRST VOLUME, “CLASSIC NEW YORK: GEORGIAN GENTILITY TO GREEK
ELEGANCE,” WAS PUBLISHED, IN 1964.

 IN IT, SHE EXTOLLED NOT JUST LOVELY GREEK REVIVAL TEMPLES BUT ALSO MONGRELIZED HOUSES FROM
THE EARLY 1800S. “THEY RANK AS ‘STREET ARCHITECTURE’ RATHER THAN AS ‘LANDMARKS,’ ” SHE SAID.
“THEIR VALUE IS CONTRAST, CHARACTER, VISUAL AND EMOTIONAL CHANGE OF PACE, A SUDDEN SENSE OF
INTIMACY, SCALE, ALL EVOCATIVE QUALITIES OF ANOTHER CENTURY.”
 HER INTEREST IN PRESERVATION DID NOT MAKE HER AN ENEMY OF MODERNITY. IN “THE TALL BUILDING
ARTISTICALLY RECONSIDERED: THE SEARCH FOR A SKYSCRAPER STYLE” (1984), MS. HUXTABLE SAID THE
GLASS CURTAIN-WALL SKYSCRAPER, EPITOMIZED BY THE WORK OF LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE, OFFERED
“A SUPERB VERNACULAR, PROBABLY THE HANDSOMEST AND MOST USEFUL SET OF ARCHITECTURAL
CONVENTIONS SINCE THE GEORGIAN ROW HOUSE.”
 WHAT INFURIATED HER WERE “AUTHENTIC REPRODUCTIONS” OF HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE AND
“SURROGATE ENVIRONMENTS” LIKE COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG AND MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITIES LIKE
THE DISNEY COMPANY’S CELEBRATION, FLA. “PRIVATE PRESERVES OF THEME PARK AND SUPERMALL
INCREASINGLY SUBSTITUTE FOR NATURE AND THE PUBLIC REALM, WHILE NOSTALGIA FOR WHAT NEVER WAS
REPLACES THE GENUINE URBAN SURVIVAL,” SHE WROTE IN “THE UNREAL AMERICA: ARCHITECTURE AND
ILLUSION” (1997).
 MS. HUXTABLE’S LAST BOOK, IN 2008, WAS “ON ARCHITECTURE: COLLECTED REFLECTIONS ON A CENTURY
OF CHANGE.” AND HER LAST COLUMN, PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL ON DEC. 3, 2012, CONCERNED THE
IMPENDING RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ELIMINATING THE CENTRAL STACKS.
TYPICALLY ENOUGH, IT WAS TITLED, “UNDERTAKING ITS DESTRUCTION.”
 ULTIMATELY, HOWEVER, WHAT ANIMATED AND SUSTAINED HER WERE NOT THE MISTAKES BUT THE
TRIUMPHS. AS SHE SAID OF NEW YORK CITY IN THE TIMES IN 1968:
 “WHEN IT IS GOOD, THIS IS A CITY OF FANTASTIC STRENGTH, SOPHISTICATION AND BEAUTY. IT IS LIKE NO
OTHER CITY IN TIME OR PLACE. VISITORS AND EVEN NATIVES RARELY USE THE WORDS URBAN CHARACTER
OR ENVIRONMENTAL STYLE, BUT THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE REACTING TO WITH AWE IN THE PRESENCE OF
MASSED, CONCENTRATED, STEEL, STONE, POWER AND LIFE.”
 THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

■ THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY HAS A PLAN TO

SAVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, IMPROVE EFFICIENCY,
AND REVERSE THE CUTBACKS THAT HAVE BEEN
PLAGUING IT.
■ BY SENDING LITTLE-USED RESOURCES OFF-SITE
(AFTER ALL, MOST PEOPLE USE THE LIBRARY FOR
ITS ONLINE RESOURCES THESE DAYS), THE
LIBRARY WILL CONSOLIDATE THREE LIBRARIES
INTO ONE MID-MANHATTAN BRANCH, RENOVATING
THE BUILDING WITH A STREAMLINED, EFFICIENT
DESIGN - COURTESY OF FOSTER + PARTNERS - TO
CREATE "THE LARGEST COMBINED RESEARCH AND
CIRCULATING LIBRARY IN THE COUNTRY."
THE FIRST ARGUMENT, WHICH MANY CRITICS HAVE MADE, IS THAT
THE PLAN ROBS THE LIBRARY OF ITS PRIMARY PURPOSE: MAKING
RESOURCES READILY ACCESSIBLE. AS MS. HUXTABLE POINTS OUT,
IT’S A QUESTION NOT OF THE QUANTITY OF PEOPLE USING
RESOURCES, BUT OF THE QUALITY OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE:
“THE LIBRARY'S EMBRACE OF THE FUTURE IS COMMENDABLE; IT
HAS BEEN ON THE FRONTIERS OF CHANGE IN TECHNOLOGY AND
PRACTICE FOR SOME TIME. BUT SOME OF THESE NUMBERS ARE
MISLEADING. A RESEARCH LIBRARY IS DEVOTED TO THE
ACQUISITION, MAINTENANCE AND AVAILABILITY OF COLLECTIONS
OF AMAZING RANGE, RARITY AND DEPTH, MUCH OF WHICH WILL
NOT BE CONSULTED FOR DECADES, HAVE NOT BEEN DIGITIZED AND
PROBABLY NEVER WILL BE. IF WE COULD ESTIMATE HOW MANY
WAYS IN WHICH THE WORLD HAS BEEN CHANGED BY THAT 6%, THE
NUMBER WOULD BE FAR MORE MEANINGFUL THAN THE TRAFFIC
THROUGH ITS LION-GUARDED DOORS.
THE LIBRARY'S OWN RELEASES, WHILE SHORT ON DETAILS,
CONSISTENTLY OFFER A ROSY PICTURE OF A LIVELY AND POPULAR
"PEOPLE'S PALACE." BUT A RESEARCH LIBRARY IS A TIMELESS
REPOSITORY OF TREASURES, NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST
MEASURED BY HEAD COUNTS, THE CURRENT ARBITER OF
SUCCESS. THIS IS ALREADY THE MOST DEMOCRATIC OF
INSTITUTIONS, FREE AND OPEN TO ALL. DEMOCRACY AND
POPULISM SEEM TO HAVE BECOME HOPELESSLY CONFUSED.”
THE NY PUBLIC LIBRARY - A NEW YORK INSTITUTION
AND ARCHITECTURAL ICON DESIGNED BY CARRERE
AND HASTINGS IN 1911 -PLANS TO DEMOLISH
SEVEN FLOORS OF STACKS (SENDING 2 TO 5
MILLION VOLUMES TO NEW JERSEY) IN ORDER TO
CONSOLIDATE THREE SEPARATE LIBRARIES AND
MAKE ROOM FOR A NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART,
COMPUTER-CENTERED FACILITY, DESIGNED BY
FOSTER + PARTNERS.

THE LIBRARY REASONS THAT SINCE THEIR HAS

BEEN A 41% DECREASE IN THE USE OF
COLLECTIONS OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, AND AN
INCREASE OF USE OF ONLINE RESOURCES, THAT
THE $300 MILLION PROJECT WILL ELIMINATE
SUBSTANTIAL, UNNECESSARY OPERATING COSTS
(SAVING THE LIBRARIES SOMEWHERE BETWEEN $7
AND $15 MILLION DOLLARS).
THE SECOND ARGUMENT, UNIQUE TO MS. HUXTABLE,
IS THAT THE PLAN WILL INVOLVE OVERLY COMPLEX
AND EXPENSIVE ENGINEERING. AFTER HAVING
STUDIED THE SYSTEM OF STACKS, WHICH ACCORDING
TO HUXTABLE “LITERALLY HOLD [THE READING ROOM]
UP,” SHE STATES THAT DEMOLISHING THIS
“ENGINEERING LANDMARK” WOULD BE A HUGE
MISTAKE:
“ AFTER EXTENSIVE STUDY OF THE
LIBRARY'S CONCEPTION AND
CONSTRUCTION I HAVE BECOME
CONVINCED THAT IRREVERSIBLE
CHANGES OF THIS MAGNITUDE
SHOULD NOT BE MADE IN THIS
LANDMARK BUILDING. RESTORATION
AND RETROFITTING WOULD BE EASIER
AND CHEAPER THAN SUPPORTING THE
READING ROOM WITH THE
ENORMOUSLY COMPLEX AND
EXPENSIVE ENGINEERING NEEDED
DURING DEMOLITION AND
RECONSTRUCTION.”
ARGUMENT #3
MOREOVER, MS. HUXTABLE CLAIMS THAT THE ARCHITECTURAL/CULTURAL
IMPORTANCE OF THE BUILDING IS UNDERVALUED BY THE PLAN. IF THE NEW YORK
LIBRARY NEEDS A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY, WHY NOT LET FOSTERS PARTNERS
CREATE THEIR OWN NEW STRUCTURE, RATHER THAN FOR EVER ALTERING THE
EXISTING BUILDING?
“THIS IS A PLAN DEVISED OUT OF A PROFOUND IGNORANCE OF OR WILLFUL
DISREGARD FOR NOT ONLY THE LIBRARY'S ORIGINAL CONCEPT AND DESIGN, BUT
ALSO THE FOLLY OF ALTERING ITS MEANING AND MISSION AND COMPROMISING
ITS HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY. YOU DON'T "UPDATE" A
MASTERPIECE. 'MODERNIZATION' MAY BE THE MOST DANGEROUSLY MISUSED
WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE."

THERE ARE BETTER OPTIONS THAN TURNING THE LIBRARY INTO A HOLLOWED-OUT
HYBRID OF NEW AND OLD. THE RADICALLY DIFFERENT 21ST-CENTURY MODEL
DESERVES A RADICALLY DIFFERENT STYLE OF ITS OWN, DRAMATICALLY
CONTEMPORARY AND FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE RAPID
TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE. SELL THE SURPLUS FIFTH AVENUE PROPERTY AT 34TH
STREET. KEEP THE MID-MANHATTAN BUILDING; THE LOCATION IS PERFECT. LET
FOSTER PARTNERS LOOSE ON THE MID-MANHATTAN BUILDING; THE RESULTS WILL
BE SPECTACULAR, AND PROBABLY NO MORE COSTLY THAN THE EXTRAVAGANT AND
DESTRUCTIVE PLAN THE LIBRARY HAS CHOSEN.”
INTERIOR VIEWS
“THE CIRCULAR PLAN IS NOT ONLY CLEAR, BUT
HIRSHHORN
ALSO PROVIDES A PLEASANT PROCESSIONAL MUSEUM AND
SEQUENCE THAT GOES A LONG WAY…. THE
FORTRESS QUALITY OF THE HIRSHHORN SCULPTURE
SUGGESTS SOME RATHER OBVIOUS THOUGHTS
ABOUT THE NATURE OF HOUSING ART IN OUR TIME. GARDEN
BUT THE BUILDING’S ARCHITECTURE… IS LESS THE
PRODUCT OF A DESIRE TO MAKE A STATEMENT…
THAN IT IS A LOGICAL PROGRESSION IN ESTHETIC
DEVELOPMENT….” PAUL GOLDBERGER, THE NEW
YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 2, 1974.
IT IS KNOWN AROUND WASHINGTON AS THE
BUNKER OR GAS TANK, LACKING ONLY GUN
EMPLACEMENTS OR AN EXXON SIGN… IT TOTALLY
LACKS THE ESSENTIAL FACTORS OF ESTHETIC
STRENGTH AND PROVOCATIVE VITALITY THAT MAKE
GENUINE ‘BRUTALISM’ A POSITIVE AND
REWARDING STYLE. THIS IS BORN-DEAD, NEO-
PENITENTIARY MODERN. ITS MASS IS NOT SO
MUCH AGGRESSIVE OR OVERPOWERING AS
MERELY LEADEN.” ADA LOUISE HUXTABLE, THE
NEW YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 6, 1974.
“THE WHOLE COMPLEX HAS BEEN DESIGNED AS ONE
COMPOSITION… BUN SHAFT'S DESIGN IS NOT
CONCERNED WITH THE GRANDEUR OF THE MALL. IT IS
CONCERNED WITH THE GREATER GRANDEUR OF HIS
MUSEUM AND IT GIVES US AN AWFUL LOT OF BEAUX-
ARTS PAVEMENT AND POMPOSITY THAT NO LONGER
SEEM TO SUIT THE TASTE AND STYLE OF OUR TIMES.”
BUN SHAFT'S CONCRETE CYLINDER ‘FAILS AS
ARCHITECTURE.’
IN RESPONSE TO CRITICAL PROTEST AND
DESIGN REVIEW, THE SCULPTURE GARDEN WAS
LOWERED 14 FEET. HOWEVER, IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN AN ACT OF CIVILITY BEYOND THIS CHANGE
IF SOME GESTURE HAD BEEN MADE TOWARD
THE IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS, EITHER IN
SIMPLE RECOGNITION OR IN CHARACTER OF
DESIGN. THE UNBENDING RIGIDITY OF THIS
OPEN SPACE DESIGN IS SURPRISINGLY
INSENSITIVE TO ANYTHING EXCEPT ITS OWN
DIDACTIC ASPIRATIONS. (ONE REACHES THE
SCULPTURE GARDEN FROM THE BUILDING
EITHER BY TUNNEL UNDER JEFFERSON DRIVE
OR BY WALKING ACROSS THE. STREET.) IT HAS
NOT ONLY BEEN LOWERED; THE ORIGINAL PLAN
CALLED FOR IT TO INTRUDE TWICE FAR INTO THE
MAIL.
INTERIOR VIEWS
THANK YOU
SWATHI K- RA16112010095
AADIITHYA- RA1611201010045
MEGHA TANWAR- RA1611201010060
REFERENCE:
WWW.GOOGLE.COM
WWW.ARCHDAILY.COM
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/arts/design/a
da-louise-huxtable-architecture-critic-dies-at-
91.html?pagewanted=all