NYT event listing for Children's Museum, Nov 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

■38 AR THE NEW YOKE TIMES, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16. 2003

ARCHITEClt^ae

Contiitued From Pace t

1 Mr. Childs of Skidnwre. Owings & Merrill, -Orf the tall and county iosider from Westches- .ter County, via Washington, perhaps best known for tte Time Warner Center at Co­ lumbus Circle; and Mr. Libesidnd, toe com- IS . pact and volubte iccmociasc from Poland, via toe Bronx, who captured tte world’s alten- Tion with toe Jewish Muaeum in Berlin. Bui .this Is far less important than the fact that Mr. Childs is working for a developer, Larry A. SUverstem, while Mr, LitesWnd is work­ ing. through state agencies, for the gover- ’flor. “What's different about Freedom Tower B is net that it involves a collaboralioo. even a collaboration of two star architects.'’ said Pref. Hilary Ballon, chairwoman of the art ^history and archaeology department at Co­ lumbia University, “but ratter It involves BS two masters, and it hasn’t been clearly .establbhed who’s in charge.” Hie most successful coUateratlons seem W (o have been those in which ite participant had a precisely defined role. It also helped if toere was someone in toe room, or wafting In the next room, with toe power to knock toeads together when necessary. ' i^B RockelePer Center ; In the 1939’5, John D. Rockefelter Jr. I “1 -played that part at Rockefeller Center, Tbou^ John R. Todd managed the project and hired its architects, there was never any AnxiW !Mewni<m/C5eSty tnaf^ dcwbi as to who was actually ai charge. ' “The architects cooperaied bn Rockefeller that damn thing agam. it put me in the The Lincoln : Center not because ihcy wanted to but be­ jmpliai for six nweths.” Center ieom, ai • cause they were paid by Mr. Rockefeller.'’ But if peace wasn’t achieved at tte United better mooienis • said Wallace K. Harrison, one of tte team of NaUteis, why expect it at an arts carter? While Harrison was working on toe Metro­ and worse. i eight- Giifif axrwng that group was R<ty»ond Above {ram left, * M. Hood, toe ideas man, who was toen enjoy­ politan Opera House, his partner. Max Abra- ing tte sporHght with bls American R^ator movitz, was working can Phllharnumic HaU. Edward ' : BuUdiiig and Daily News BuiWtog Reinhard Across the plaza, Mr. Johnson was designing Msthews, Rhilip-. ■& Hofmeister were tte office spedaltsis, the New York Slate Theater. The knife- John^n, Jo : :Harvey WUey Corbett was tapped in pan for wfotds^ Saannen was resp<Mi91ble for tte Vivian Beauowwit Theater, Pietro Beilusdu Miehtner, John \ “his abjhty lo translate architectural termi­ nology Into ripe and impressive stateoienu for the Juilliard School and Gordon Buiwhaft D. Rockefeller ' toat could be dangled before toe pr^ ami of SWdmore, Owings & Merrill for the Li­ li 3rd, 'Wallace K. I potential tenants.'’ Daniel Okrent wrote in brary and Moseum of toe Performteg Arts. X Harrison, Eero ■ “Great Forwoe- The Epic of Rockefelter “Each architect was responslbte only for Saarinen, 1 Center ' (Viking. 2003>. his own part of tte complex; each jeatousiy guarded his autonomy, yet wanted a say in Gottfcat i ' Because all of toe architects were Inwilved ■K

■to each of (he center’s buildings, it was his migbter’s work,” Ms. Newhouse wrote, Bunshaft, Man- ■ “Imperative that they eventually reach “The situation encouraged tte most negaU^ A bramoviiz and i agreement” to the design. Victorto New- kmd of compelJ to.'ene^s.” Pietro Belluschi.', houst wrote in "Waltocc K.'Harrises, Archi­ And it pranced a complex that — despite At lefi, Harrison • tect” (Rizzoli Interiiarional Fubikatlons, its undeniable midcenniry modernist charm (at head of < T989). In that sense, Rockefelter Center can — turned out far less sophisticated and suc­ be seen either as one of tte first big instaaces cessful tom it might have been. “Some' par­ table), Belluschi, .of architecture4)y-commlite€ or a case of ticipants in the devdopment of Lincoln Cen­ Johiti^n, i genuine coliaboration. "People are always ter tribute toe proWems to the weak role o< ' X Bunshaft, asking who designed Rockefeller Center.” Harrison, wlw refused to act as a strong Abramoviiz and, Harrisffii said. “Each of us answers, T did.’ ” leadi :r, as he had (tone in other projects,” Ptetfessor Balkxi said. “U takes a leader and I Saarinen. a cleat vision to make a coliaboraUoti woik.” Lii; v:. The OnRerf Natlons i'itf-.WabW%

At tte United Naritas, by contrast. Le Corbusier wound up saying.'T didn't.” Rep­ The World Trade Center with it In one way or another. Besides Mr. master f^an tor the sire. Skidmore, ser’ing fy altering it (The public hag no role lo play; resenting France on an international <fc3|^ ■ Austin J. Tobin, the txecutive dtr«:tor of Libeskind and Mr. Childs, SanUaso Cala­ as an umbrella for a kMK» collaboraiive of Mr. Childs’s design tewret.) - hoard that was convened in 19^7 and head^ the Port Auttertty, was just that person ra trava, Norman F^er, Punublko Maki and architects and artists, dropped out a mojuh Mr. Libesfcmd. nwanwhtie, regards hiii Harrison, the temperaxnentaJ Le Corbu- the original ixade center project, with Nelson Jean Nouvel have all b^ tapped. More later to work oxclusivety for Silverstein concept for the Freedom Tower as Mtegrai sier qincitly showed his contempt for the and: David Rodtefelier both in the back player-s will emerge Wi when p; Pre^Ries. In February 2003, Mr, Liteskind w the overall vision:^ theTrade center site, process during a meering In which “he tore grtbad And the vision was unaratoguously spective raemnrial designs go O^h display to was awarded the planning contract. Hls plan oiw ttot has embraced by every scheme except his own from the aniadated by Guy F. Tozzoll, head of (he Ite Winter Garden at Battery Park City. came complete with a l.T7W«« skyscraper the public. As such, he had insists that B hoardiwm wahs in an «Mraorrfinaiy fit. of authorlly’s world trade department, when he And to a month, the world wdi see the that Mr. Pataki caUed the Freedom Tower. should be the basic framework ots whj<* ^age aad fm^rawon,” Ms. Newhouse wrote. (Old the reluctant architect, Minoru Yama­ result of the new round of designs tor me Despite Mr, SUverstoin's public endorse­ Skidmore makes refinenieiits, CMugh benow > Though Le Corbusier Is credited with the saki, m 1962; “President Kennedy is going to Freedom Tower by Studio Daniel Lfl>eskite ment of the plan, he wanted little to do with may be wUUng to split the difference by slender and spatially isolated Secretariat, he put a mao on the mooiL You’re going to ate Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. If they Mr. LibesJdnd's particular towr design, in allowing Skidmore to morph the design wltfe was so disturbed by aileraiioiffi to Ite plan figure out a way to build me the tallest si^ceed, they will have overcome consider­ pan because Mr Libesklod — shades of that drawn up by Mr. Childs. ; that he jMiblldy disavowed the aftritsitton, bulWtt^ in tte world” able odds. “The ctsiflict between Libeskiwl Yamasaki —• had never before bwUt a sky­ When Govenwr Pataki gave them their saying he bad been “striped of all his rights, The trouble was that Yamasaki had never and Childs reproduces toe conflict between scraper. So be gave, the job to Mr. Chdds. deadline last month, he elfeetively told the Without conscience and without pity.” He tMiilt any more of a skyscraper thwi toe 30* Pataki, Mie wants an Iconic tower to echo the saying that “whatever Is (tone here will architects that, from now on, he was their also lost bls fi^s v'Uh RairistHi. who bisist- story Michigan Cwia^idated Gas Building in asymmetric salute of ibe Stame of Llteriy, clearly involve Dan as part of a peer gre^p to and SUverstesn, who warns to maximize rent­ ensure tte quality of (he design.'’ client. And he Invited them to feats of grfeaX- on reductog the hortzontal area of the Detroit Someone was needed ’‘who knew the »ess by aumfroiiog (he collaboration ^be­ Conference Budding by putting It «b (wo Ins and outs of New York building cod^ and able floor space ” Profes^^r Balton said. “U An effort to clarify matters in July result­ tween Mies van dcr Rcdte and Philip Jolwsoa ^vels and on fe>rgoing tte use of overbangirg union rules,” with a shop la^e and experi­ makes sctise tor Ubeskmd and Chfkte to bold ed in Ite ctesignaiion of Scidruore as "design 'Min screens on the facade of the Sewelarlat. enced enough “to <to toe drafting of toe their ground un?v it’s resolved who’s In architect and project manager, leading a on (he Seagram Building, Yet the governor ■ Harrimi’s victories came at a high cost, thousands of pages of deialled construction (toarge of Freedom Tovrer: toe governor or project team that will design (he lower.” stepped shy of saying who shnuW play Mie^ he lecQunted when describing (he decU documei^s.” James Glaiiz aadEnc 14)ionof the developer. Thetr power struggle is being Studio Daniel Liteskind, already toe “mas­ the undisputed cre^w force, and who 3toi>makiDg process at the design board; The New York Timer wrote in “City in the displaced onto the architects The idea that ter plan arcbiteci” for the trade center, should play Mr, Joltnsen, whose role at Sear­ dWe got up to the last minute and rim into a Skj The Rise and Fall of tte World Trade toe architects can resolve their differences would be "collaijcrating archiiect during the gram was vUai but subsidiary i dead eud. One haff believed in one thurgand CenhCT” (Times Books, 2003). (hrougfi a bargaining process, os if this were concept and schematic design phases'’ and a Until someone makes uUt distinciloa one haW In another (tung. I toe* the bill by Thal firm was Emery Roth & Sona, The a later negation, Is roi’^iided.” ■‘full member of the project learn” working more exphcic. Mr Childs and Mr. Llheskind die horns and made the decision. ‘Youil hate collalx>railc»i turned out so congenially, Rich­ Mr, Ltbeskind is actually working heto tor on Freedom Tower. Got that? may caitinue to struggle. Bui given clearly me for this. I said, aiwJ I was ngiu, Le ard Roth Jr. said, that Yamasaki and the SiMrstein Pruperlies on ite Freedom Tow­ They didn’i. iteflned roles, Mr. Roth said, almost anything O)rbuster hasn't spokro to me since ” Roths later joined voluntarily to work on a er and, in hfe overarching role as master site As Mr. atilds Interprets II. be is the lead is possible. He recalled producing the coif * project for the Defense Department to struetjon drawings lor the Portland Publte planner, for the Lower Manliaiian Develop- architect — more than just first, among ington, thou^ it was unbudt. meju Corporatton and (he Port Autoority ol equals — responsible for a coherent and ^ervicee Building of In Portland, Ore^ Uncoln Center New York and New Jersey. (wiguial design of his own that reflects Mr. by Michael Graves. “I was never a fan “This time f have refused to take that To compllcale matters further, Studio Libeslund’s plan but is not d1cto(ed by h. In posumodendsm and therefore, the busMint jwaltton,” Harrison saW in 1959. as he ap­ Grounc! Zero Daniel Libesktod and Sktomore. Owings & this view, Mr. Libeskind is not so much a didn't appeal to me,” Mr Roth allowed. “But proached the design of Lincoln Center with The new World Trade Center already has Merrill were briefly competitors. They were c^laborotor as a commutator who can cri­ we did the best job could to mate Mir five other architects. “I wonH go throu^ a half dozen promineai archweois associated b<«h named in December 2W2 to proper a tique toe Skklmore design without unilateral- chael's design wrk.”

they can live with. At toe Museum of Mod­ w» a patient ” da's star architects — Rem Koolhaas and By 30L1E V. IOVINE em Art, toe setup is fairly standard: famous ^Top-heavy Mr. Vinoly, of course, was a member of Herzog & deMeuron — on a boutique tartel oui-o? !own architect is attached to local (he Think team, the group of architects — for toe impresario Ian Schrager in the Easf HOUGH the ground zero maichup stalwart who will the job throi^ Mr, collabmations area ranging from Frederic Schwartz <rf Manhat­ Village was an instant media sensatlwi. But becween David M. CWWs and Dan­ Taniguchi said by e-raaO that he would have tan to Shigeru Ban of Tokvo — whose design the design never went beyote the widely iel Ubeskind Is the highesi-piirfUe preferred being the sole architect And recipe for disaster/ says lost out to Mr. Libeskind's in the final stages printed image ot a tattooed obdisk. : example, more ihan a few major Koha Pedersen Fox does imm normally see Ofthe ground zero competition. Even so, Mr. Jacques Herwg of the Swiss team Herzog ^llaboraiive archiiecturai efforts are now itself as second fiddle, Rafael VInoly, ground Viaoiy said, he'd rather “go back to playing & deMeuron said that his firm generally Liiider way in Manhattan. On West 53rd . “For collateratlons to wrk it is manda­ the piano” than share responsibiltcy as ex­ preferred joinmg forces with anists. rather ^ eet, Yoshto Taniguchi, the exacting Japa­ tory that one party work m support of the zero runner-up. ecutive architect. than architerts, so that “toe client ktew| nese modernist, is paired with the corporate other and not compete,” WHIiara Pedersen. Mr. Viftoly rum an office of l?0 people. who Is (he boss.” Still, he would welcome Ite Workhorse firm Kohn Pedersen Fox on (be a firm partner, said. “And so wheat we were Size Is part of his strategy to avoid undesir­ asked to take on the assignment by WoMA, For The New York Times building on chance to do it all over again with Mr', expaiis»n of the Museum of Modern Art. able collaborates, even, on large-scale Koolhaas because he is on the “same tevel SI raised questions in our mind. We are Eighth Avenue, Renzo Plano, based Is Eu­ projects. While it no doubt takes many ploy- Nearing completion at Columbus Circle, the rope, is the design arcbitcci and Fox & tntellecfualJy and artisUcaJly.” ; sTIme Warner Center by Mr. Childs contains de.sign architects, not proditerion ardu- .ers to.get anything built, Mr. Vinoly said tects.’* They setll^ for “executive archi­ Fowte of New York are calling btemselv^ that “working with other people is harder There is no architecture without collabo^ Rafael Vitely’s performance spaces for tect,” a relatively new title that lends verbal the coarchitects. according to a SfxAeiper- ration, said Mr. Koolhaas, tte Dutch archu ^iazz at Lincoln Center, nestled Inside like a than anything else in the worW and top* dignity to a i^ition somewhere between the son there. To confuse matters more, design heavy collahoraUons are a reetpe for disas­ tect who Is a guru to an eniire generacto of inarshraallow chick embedded within a starrlog rote of desiga architect and the publications usually refer to them as die ter.” uirellectualty aspiring architects, not tq chocolate egg. More recently. In a current (acilitaiors, known as the architects of ejtecutive architects, and sometimes name Tbe real problem, he said, is that ah loo mention research assistants. Mr. Koolhaas, ’Competition for a new tedding at the Cooper record. one, sometimes the ocher when referring to often developers opt for collaborations when who Is known to fly bio imperious r^es i.Tlon for the ^vancement of Art end Sci- According to RcAert Ivy. the editor In the architm of the MUdlog. The array of they canY mate up their minds about what over artistic Integrity, added that of course Bnce. Zaha Madid, (he London architect chief of Architecturai Record, the title has titles on tte job. Mr. Ivy adrahted, “is ihey really want. He described the perform- it works only if toe partners involved are Renown for explosively fragmented forms. come into curreacy receittiy and reflects a beginning to sound like a menu.” ence spaces for Jazz a- Lincoln Center at aestoetic equals as well. Mr. Koolhaas at- iias matched up with Beyer Blinder Belle, a change in' the way architects do business. Not surprlshig^y. these partnerships are Oahimbus Circle not as a collaboralloo but hibutod the tetel coUaboratton’s ultimate ^rm whose name has become synonymous “K IS oof just a eu{Aenilsm/* he sato, add­ often awkward and fraught with lenston. To as a building (vested witbis a buUdkig — a failure not to toe eexmomy, as was suggested ■wiib underachieving since Its plans for ing that while “architect of record” implied Mr. Viholy. the Manhattan architect, the situation (hat was forced on the project by at the time, nor to a rumored falling out with ground zero were rejected by toe public. a subsmi^t role to toe so-called design prospect of having to collaborate on a single Ructolph Giulbmi. then mayor of New York, •Mr. Schrager. I « As collahoracfons tecome so much a part architect, “executive architect sug^ts an building widi arbiter ambitious archhect to provide the corporate behemoth with a Insiegkl, Mr. Kooba^ said. “Perhaps of business as usual', architects are strug­ active, InfontKd daily presence” that might woi?d be, he said, akin to “asking two sur­ pubf'e amenity. having toe two gf us ingether to one rocjo) gling to figure out terms of engagement that include contributing to the design. geons to share (;be-scalpel when operating Downtown, (be 2091 collaboration of Fra- was (Ov overwhelming for tte client.” D I 1

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