www.quondam.com/03/0269.htm

From: Stephen Lauf
To: design-l@lists.psu.edu
Subject: Re: of castles, fortifications, etc.
Date: 2004.02.13 12:44

Great stuff. I never read any books on symbolism before; I will now, however. Thanks Brian--much better than Disney.

Lots of things zipped through my mind while reading:
castles, Ludwig II, reenactment, Otto in a Schloss (ie, the German for either castle or lock), schizophrenia in a lock-box.

New Jerusalem, Bryn Athyn Cathedral (or Church of the New Jerusalem), Academy of the New Church, Glencairn, Cairnwood -- all local (to me) architecture built with Pitcairn (the local 'Rockefellers') money -- I can't readily go to Bavaria anytime I want, but that's not case with Bryn Athyn, eg, whenever Otto and I go for a ride after dinner on Saturday nights, we travel right through the heart of Bryn Athyn--for a few years now I call it "a little land of reenactment."

[Bryn Athyn is indeed a true Gothic (constructed) Cathedral in that all the stones are held together with gravity alone, perhaps the only true Gothic Cathedral built entirely in the 20th century. Although still large, it is nonetheless somewhat diminutive in that its scale is something like 2/3rds or 3/5ths the average Gothic Cathedral. The overriding symbolism of this Church goes un-noticed by most--nothing in the design is straight, level or exact; column spacing is always slightly off, all walls slightly bow, there is a slight curve of everything, especially to whatever looks straight. Only God is perfect.

The administration building of the Academy of the New Church is a very early Mitchell/Giurgola building, whose design somewhat reenacts the design of Kahn's unexecuted Goldenberg House, which was to be build on a site just couple miles down from Bryn Athyn.]

Louis Kahn's unexecuted Domincan Motherhouse of St. Catherine de Ricci is chock full of symbolism--today, 13 February, is the feast of St. Catherine de Ricci. I guess I'll visit Elstowe (for the first time) today, and then maybe go take pictures of the castle at the quondam Beaver College.

the Egyptian walls of hieroglyphics and the Berlin Wall of graffiti.

the metabolic urbanism of contemporary Israel.

the secret symbols of Piranesi's Ichnographia Campi Martii.

it is a real joy to still see cedar trees growing in a place long ago called Cedar Grove.

««««

»»»»