Preserving the Memory
[Images: Neues Museum, Berlin, interior, February, 2009, Jorg von Bruchhausen/Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz
via nytimes.com; Gloria Swanson at the Roxy Theater, 1960, Eliot Elisofon, thehollywoodart.com/10/01/08;
Fox Theater, San Francisco, main stairway, sfpl.lib.ca.us /Artwork: designslinger]
Our niece made a quick weekend trip to Berlin recently and visited Museum Island during
the 3 day preview opening of the Neues Museum. The lines were long and her time was short, so she didn't get to see the interior of the rehabilitated building, and I was looking forward to hearing about her impressions of the reimagined structure.
I've read a lot about the redo and architect David Chipperfield's decision to carve out a
new environment with the remnants of the building's bombed-out shell. Of the 5 museums that make up the island, this structure suffered the most damage during WWII bombing raids, and Chipperfield decided not to mask that historical fact, but to work with it. When I saw some pictures of the interior, I thought the museum looked beautiful, and I was surprised how another image immediately popped into my head.
I saw the picture of Gloria Swanson standing amid the rubble of the Roxy Theater in
New York several years ago, and the Neues Museum image reminded me of that dramatic image of Swanson. I thought about all of the amazing architecture that has been demolished due to changing land and social values, neglect, or the ravages of war. I also remembered a picture of a theater in San Francisco as a wrecking crane was demolishing the last parts of that building, and how beautiful it looked even as it was being torn down.
Eliot Elisofon's photograph of the Roxy didn't save the building, but it made enough of an
impression on me that I've stored it in my own personal memory bank all these years. The San Francisco Fox Theater no longer stands among the other facades along Market Street, but because of photography and library archives, we can look back and imagine the splendor of that old movie palace. Mr. Chipperfield on the other hand, has preserved the memory of a museum and its near total destruction, while creating a new, and visually exciting building out of the hollow shell of the old one.
I'm happy to say that we live in a world somewhat different from the early 60s when
the Roxy and Fox were pulled down. The general public is much more aware of the importance of our historical built environment, and the need to preserve that heritage. And while that iconic photo of Gloria Swanson looking glorious with the crumbling Roxy as her backdrop is a dynamic image, I'd still like to walk over to 50th and 7th Avenue and wander into the actual building. When we next visit Berlin, I'll relish the experience of strolling through the new Neues Museum, and try to remember to look at the art.
interior, November, 1943, SMB/Zentralarchive via nytimes.com; Fox Theater, San Francisco, main facade, 1963,
thehollywoodart.com /Artwork: designslinger]
Posted by designslinger at 3/19/2009 5:00 AM 
Categories: Architecture,History,Photography,Preservation
Tags: Roxy Theater Neues Museum David Chipperfield Berlin Gloria Swanson
Categories: Architecture,History,Photography,Preservation
Tags: Roxy Theater Neues Museum David Chipperfield Berlin Gloria Swanson
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