Point Reflections

During this time period we see several ideas that deal with reflection. This ranges from architecture styles to reflections of self and nature as well as reflections upon economic times in this country. For example we see in the Red house a return to the reviving of traditional style houses. When designing this house Kent drew upon elements of design from past styles and reflected them through his work. Even in the Marquand Residence in New York there is a sense of reflection on past styles because this place of residence somewhat “smashes” different styles together. Even in the Richardsonian style of architecture we see a Gothic revival in buildings such as the Trinity Church, which is similar to churches that have been created before over in Europe like the Salisbury Cathedral. We see that the idea of creating something totally new during this time period is invalid. Most of the ideas that are seen are those that reflect on ones that have come before, and either add to or combine ideas in order to design something that has a new view to it.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity_Church,_Boston,_Massachusetts_-_front_oblique_view.JPG


Furthermore we began to see a reflection of man and nature through out this time period. In fact during this time craftsmanship became an important factor when it came down to design. There were some people that felt that the machine was the way to go and lead to the future of design, however some people felt that man made items and hand crafting were important and these were the believers in the Arts and Crafts movement. One of the pioneers of this movement named Charles Ashbee gave same clarification on what the idea behind this movement was when he stated “ We do not reject the machine, we welcome it. But we desire to see it mastered.” With this in mind it makes it evident that those who were firm believers in the idea of hand crafting, were only reflecting on and celebrating the craft and intimacy of and work.
During the major growth of the second city Chicago, the World’s Colombian Exposition was a large reflection of both the architectural and economical growth of this country. While the city of Chicago was all about cutting edge and exciting new designs. The Worlds Fair was a time to celebrate and honor the discovery of this country by Christopher Columbus. With this idea the architects who did the buildings wanted to stick with a more classical design that was closer to the Beaus art style. This was very symmetrical, balanced, and done on a grand scale. However the irony in this situation is the fact that the ones who designed and built the buildings were from New York. Even though Chicago had the opportunity to host the World’s Colombian Exposition it was in fact New York who was able to establish its dominance as the countries first city, by designing the white city. " Wealthy American aristocrats seek to establish an identity of social prominence based on European opulence, as reflected in their elaborate mansions and furnishings."(Harwood 346) This is exactly what New York did, they took advantage of this opportunity in order to subtly incorporate the fact that while Chicago may be the new economic hot spot; New York was the original and still remained the trail blazer for Chicago.



http://www.teslasociety.com/beautifulnyc.htm