"architecturally Significant!"

[marmer]

Architecturally Significant! The sign says so:

Hmm. In looking around the neighborhood, I might be more inclined to say that about this:

or this:

or maybe even this:

Children's Museum, too, though with the construction and Thursday night I didn't even try to get a decent picture.

Edited February 8, 2008 by marmer

[Dan the Man]

It it even possible to create an "architecturally significant" building with EIFS and low-grade aluminum windows?

Perhaps if the design is self-consious of its crapulence, and exploits it to make an ironic statement...which, sadly, is probably not the case here...

[Subdude]

A significant example of what not to do?

My all-time favorite example of misuse of the "architecturally significant" phrase was Hine's description of its Main Street parking garage that replaced the San Jacinto building.

[sevfiv]

Well, it is in quotation marks

[strickn]

'Significant' is technically a description of magnitude, not quality. I think we all know what that means in this case.

[marmer]

Heh. In Pearland there's a subdivision called "Pearland Farms" which claims (on its subdivision gates) to be "An Architecturally Historic Community." As far as I can tell, that means new medium-sized two-story houses with large front porches and more wood siding than brick. I guess maybe they could look a little like farmhouses, I mean, as compared to the Menil house or something, but it's a funny phrase.

[TheNiche]

It it even possible to create an "architecturally significant" building with EIFS and low-grade aluminum windows?

Of course it is. In the very same sense that politicians such as George Washington and Joseph Stalin were "historically significant", or that the concepts of Jesus Christ and Satan are "religiously significant", something that is either tremendously beautiful or a blight upon the landscape can qualify as "architecturally significant".

Having said that, this particular building does not qualify as anything in particular. It is "architecturally blah".

[Jax]

something that is either tremendously beautiful or a blight upon the landscape can qualify as "architecturally significant".

I guess that explains the statement about the Hines parking garage on Main!

Edited February 8, 2008 by Jax