Blog Post 8

https://www.archdaily.com/119384/ad-classics-carpenter-center-for-the-visual-arts-le-corbusier

Harvard University’s Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts is one of the most important structures in America. Despite being on the National Register of Historical Places, the Cambridge Historical Commission has not given the building landmark status nor is it located in a Cambridge Historic District. Designed by Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, the Carpenter Center is the only structure by the revolutionary architect in the United States. 

https://www.archdaily.com/119384/ad-classics-carpenter-center-for-the-visual-arts-le-corbusier

The monolithic-like use of concrete and the implementation of Le Corbusier’s signature cylindrical load bearing columns known as pilotis create a uniquely vertical structure. A ramp that flows through the heart of the structure from Quincy street to Prescott street invites pedestrians to be curious. This architectural choreography designed by Le Corbusier embodies a sense of civic engagement by welcoming visitors in a surrounding built environment that exudes exclusivity. The majority of the buildings recognized as Cambridge landmarks and in a Cambridge Historic District have colonial roots with Georgian and Neoclassical elements of architecture. 

https://www.archdaily.com/119384/ad-classics-carpenter-center-for-the-visual-arts-le-corbusier

Le Corbusier’s modern structure lacking ornamentation is a departure from the neighboring buildings of Harvard University and Cambridge. The large glass windows and the unusually shaped volume of the structure blur the distinction between the indoor and outdoor space. The Carpenter Center reflects a transition sparked by arguably the most influential architect of the 20th century. Furthermore, it was one of the last buildings he designed and Le Corbusier was never able to see it in person due to his deteriorating health. The structure was a culmination of a lifetime of revolutionary thought and a manifestation of novel design principles that have inspired architecture around the world and in Harvard Square. Thus, Le Corbusier's Carpenter Center should be recognized with landmark status by the Cambridge Historical Commission.