Comments on: Clinton Presedential Mobile Home

Clinton Presedential Mobile Home

thisisdrew — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:01:06 -0800

From the vantage point of my office window, one might wonder: "Presedential Library, or world's largest mobile home?"
This part of the country hasn't seen modern architecture like this, Newsweek lamented....the Clinton presidential library is an architectural tour de force that introduces the Midsouth to a structure more significant than anything it's ever seen. ..but from the vantage point of the Interstate 30 bridge, to the average columnist or cross-country trucker, didn't it kind of look like a trailer?"

For Arkansas, the grand opening of the center — which houses the Clinton Library — will be one of the biggest events in the state's history. All former presidents and President Bush will attend.

By: grimley

grimley — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:11:14 -0800

why are people so hatin' on contemporary architecture? this is not only Clinton's thing, but also Polshek's, who has essentially retired from his practice and this will be his last building. If there's anything tacky about it, it's that Bill wanted a recreation of his Oval office in there - essentially throwing Revival Classicism into the mix. A few people from my office have been and think it's a good building. Not a great building, but a good building. I think the main point I have here, if there is one, is that people - in general - don't spend time with buildings. The architects have spent years designing and refining. Drive-by criticism just doesn't cut it for me. Go and take a good look at this thing before making judgments. Hopefully the reporter in question will take his last sentence to heart.

By: keswick

keswick — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:14:59 -0800

Because contemporary architecture is neither beautiful or practical? I just want to know if the museum will have Clinton's old El Camino with astroturf in the bed. Nee-ha!

By: whoshotwho

whoshotwho — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:17:00 -0800

How are we going to get rid of the homeless in time for the library to open, though?

By: thisisdrew

thisisdrew — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:17:10 -0800

I agree. It's a pretty amazing building. Just a little bit too familiar looking for most of us Arkansans though.

By: picea

picea — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:23:42 -0800

Looks to be set on a butt-ugly, desolate stretch of land. Is it just the time of year that makes it look so drab?

By: grimley

grimley — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:37:05 -0800

they are developing a 27 acre park around it. most construction sites - especially one this big - are pretty desolate. give it a few years.

By: contessa

contessa — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:46:45 -0800

Nevermind the building, I want a poster-sized copy of this picture. Ahh, those were the days. I know one thing for sure, any cat worth its salt would scratch the shit out of Bush.

By: jfuller

jfuller — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:47:35 -0800

> why are people so hatin' on contemporary architecture? Don't follow you. It looks like a trailer, we like trailers, what's to hate?

By: Blue Stone

Blue Stone — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 08:54:43 -0800

That's the builder's prefab, right? Where's the actual library?

By: grimley

grimley — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:10:00 -0800

true enough, jfuller. as long as I get an airstream one of these days. though the author of the article seems to make the reference, shall we say, sarcastically.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:10:43 -0800

Sure it's ugly, but on the bright side, it's gonna take one hell of a tornado to blow that bad boy around.

By: brownpau

brownpau — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:28:42 -0800

Hey, at least it's not an OCAD. Now there's an eyesore. (Or worse, a Gehry.) [ducks]

By: normy

normy — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:30:51 -0800

It's not ugly. It's not beautiful, but it's not ugly. It's more interesting to look at than most buildings in the Midwest.

By: alumshubby

alumshubby — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:40:07 -0800

Yeah, it does sort of look like a mobile home, but then, at UT, we used to joke that the LBJ Library looked like a sarcophagus.

By: alumshubby

alumshubby — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:42:14 -0800

Oops, meant to link to this picture.

By: Irontom

Irontom — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 09:58:45 -0800

I'm with keswick. Not about all modern architecture, but certainly about this particular building.

By: grimley

grimley — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 10:19:34 -0800

keswick's criticisms of the building are that it is neither beautiful or practical. While we can argue on the beauty of it - and I don't think that it's particularly beautiful - how upon looking at a couple of photographs can one discern that the building isn't practical? because it cantilevers? does it fail as a library? or a reference center? does it leak? is it detailed well? what about the construction? did the contractor and subcontractors perform to the specification as outlined by the architectural and engineering team? (and brownpau, predictably i like the OCAD building. and have been to it to make sure).

By: rhyax

rhyax — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 10:41:03 -0800

The LBJ library does look like a sarcophagus, but it's still pretty. And I like the Clinton one too, I don't care what no one says!

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 10:51:37 -0800

Who hates contemporary architecture? I don't, but I tell ya what, I do hate it when expensive buildings for "important" patrons get FAR MORE CREDIT than they deserve. Polshek isn't god. The only reason this is his last building is because he FAILED to go out on his D-Day museum idea, which he designed to look like a WW2 era HELMET. Even his drafters laughed at it. Polshek is WAY overrated, and he and Clinton were in each other's mutual thrall when they signed their contract---Clinton because he's an ex-Prez, and his patronage boosted Polshek by LOTs, and vice-a-versa because Polshek got lucky with that Museum of Natural History addition (which was a brilliant appropriation of Louis Boullée's 19th c. design.) Polshek's a big ass-kisser---I've met him a lot of times---nice guy (for a barker), but unless you've got rich relations he won't remember you. Yeah, i'll take Gehrey any day over Polshek. At least he tries something new, technically if not intellectually. The more interesting question is, what about Prez. Bush's liberry? He doesn't read, and he won't let anyone look at his papers, so programmatically, there's an issue. What about a big rectum with his face turtling out of it? Then you could PUNCH IT. And oh yeah, the link to the freeper site was HILARIOUS.

By: keswick

keswick — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 11:01:43 -0800

Here's an example of why most contemporary architecture sucks.

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:06:42 -0800

keswick, you are confusing shitty construcution practices with bad design. leaks do not a deficient architecture make. I know architects blame shit on contractors all the time, but seriously, europeans do not have half the bullshit craft problems we do in this country.

By: pandaharma

pandaharma — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:48:06 -0800

I grew up in Little Rock but haven't lived there for 15 years. I'm glad to see downtown finally revitalizing. I used to go there, to the river park, with my friends from the city's miniscule goth / punk community, all the time, and we'd walk through the deserted streets imagining ourselves as extras in some post-apocalyptic schlock. Speaking of pointless memories, this reminds me of election day, 1992, when the streets of downtown were filled with tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people, in a Mardi Gras-esque victory party with Clinton giving a rousing (tho too-long) speech, a smattering of protesters, happy drunks, and this wonderful feeling of optimism that finally Reagan was left far behind us and things would start changing for the better. So much for that idealism, but thanks for the great post.

By: thomcatspike

thomcatspike — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 15:50:07 -0800

world's largest mobile home?" What's the problem, it doesn't look like a shack or a mansion. Since it's still being built, would have been nice if the article’s writer had shown the architect’s full vision of it.

By: keswick

keswick — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 20:11:51 -0800

I didn't have the URL at work, but I pretty much agree with everything this guy has to say regarding contemporary architecture.

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Tue, 09 Nov 2004 17:57:38 -0800

DEEEEWWWWWDDDDZZZZ!!!!! IT'S THE BRIDGE TO THE FREAKIN' 21ST CENTURY----BUT IT GOES TO NOWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH! _{I am so alone.} /sob.