Sunday, January 18, 2009

The Sophomores of Genius

Below are pictures -- captured from Google Earth/Maps, which show various views of the Marcel Breuer designed Atlanta-Fulton Central Public Library; a building which county commissioner Rob Pitts called ugly, AJC writer Alan Judd called "an eyesore...with a scarcity of windows", Library System Director (John Szabo} called a fabulous brutalist (while all the same pulling every penny of the library's funding, advocating to have it emptied, sold or abandoned). With John Szabo going further still to lament "the building and the spaces inside have never been entirely embraced by Atlanta and Fulton County residents" as if he actually took the time to request a formal survey of how residents actually do feel about the site.

He didn't.

How could he, as he and his colleague Rob Pitts were too busy rushing through a gargantuan plan to build something exponentially more expensive, yet only 17% larger -- when the existing site is already 260,000 sq.ft. standing 8 stories tall.

Brilliant! Give these guys a Nobel Prize!

Still Szabo and Pitts had plenty of hubris to smear around, with Rob Pitts, who -- implying that the still young 28-year old architectural site has outlived it's purpose -- was quoted by Alan Judd as saying "Times have changed...We do need something that is more futuristic."

Yea, that's what we need; a new 300,000 sq. ft. library @ $550-$1000 per square foot.

It's like...damn -- I coulda had a V-8.

Well, there you have it. Apparently these are three geniuses...John, Rob, Alan; neither of which are architects; neither of which are art historians; neither of which has curated a modernist exhibition. But all of whom are perfectly happy to waste taxpayer dollars.

Enjoy the pics.