CONTEXT

More than a year ago, the building first came to my attention. As a reformed architect, these things jump out at me. My first reaction was the thought that this project was somehow perverse, considering not long ago, a "real" old structure, the Mrs. Baird's building, was demo'ed across the street from this very site. The recent history of Houston illustrates that we prefer new to old. As an architect who values the history of architecture, and as an artist who strives to foster the notion of innovation and free thinking, this dichotomy has always troubled me. The "look to the future, anything goes" attitude which has made Houston an exciting place to live is probably also responsible for its lack of respect for historic structures.

The marketing angle that Davis used to promote this project was a variation on previous projects, with the twist that this is a new "old" building. Of course, the purist, modernist architect in me was initially revolted at the dishonesty and superficiality of it all. The artist in me realized that this building just might be, as Dave Hickey says, one of those "objects of desire" that the citizens of Houston covet. In the 50s and 60s (Astrodome days) Houstonians were mavericks, but the world is much smaller today. We're not much different than the rest of America; we want our Disneyland's and our Main Street style shopping malls. We fantasize about an idealized past while demanding the comforts that modernity brings.

Davis hits the nail on the head in his own promo, "I think of lofts as romantic tomorrow's while apartments are like boring yesterdays." We want to forget about the meaning of yesterday, but dress up today in the clothing of the past. We want to shop at the fashion mall and pick out a pretty new dress. As the ultimate consumer society we are conditioned to be gratified by this activity. It's to difficult to demand more; just pick what's on the shelf and shut up. Sounds like a great way to control a society. As long as we are periodically satiated, we keep out of trouble, but I digress...

Randall says this is a really
heavy entablature!

Purse Building
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Cleft Palette
Metropolis-June'98
Heroes/Disclaimer
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Credits
This issue of Cleft Palette is made possible by a Creative Artist Grant funded by the City of Houston through the Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County.

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DISCLAIMER 2

My interest in the Metropolis project was stimulated by the opportunity to see what our hero, Randall Davis, values in historic architecture influenced by the value system of the market. At the time I first became familiar with this project, I didn't know who the architect was. I was more interested in the client (Davis) than anything else. While practicing architecture, I soon learned that, in most cases, the client determines more about a project than the architect; after all, the consumer is King. To my surprise, the architects turned out to be a previous employer of mine, Page Southerland Page. That being said, my motivations for writing this piece had nothing to do with that situation. I recognize that, like the majority of firms, they bring nothing to the design process other than a desire to satisfy the client.

ARCHITECTURE