President's House memorial design criticized
As construction of the President's House memorial is poised to begin, sharp criticisms have been leveled at the architectural design, catching officials by surprise and focusing attention on purportedly historically inaccurate elements of the project.
The house's dimensions are incorrect, the arc of a bow window is distorted, and the building's now-infamous slave quarters are incorrectly located, the critics assert.
Some historians and members of a committee charged with reviewing the memorial's design and content say they are stunned by the vehemence of the complaints. Beyond that, they argue that the memorial - which it is hoped will open next July Fourth - is less about architectural detail and more about the difficult story of enslavement at the heart of the new nation.
And the architect says the current plan conforms to the house dimensions contained in various 18th-century plans and revealed in a 2007 archaeological excavation that exposed some foundations.
Edward Lawler Jr., an independent historian whose original research into the President's House focused attention on the Independence Mall site at Sixth and Market Streets in 2002, says inaccurate design changes have been made "in secrecy" and will undermine the authenticity of the commemoration.
"There have been many changes in the physical design," he said last week. "They are violating the documentary evidence, changing the dimensions of the building, changing things that the archaeology of two years ago proved to be true. . . . What bothers me the most is that the changes were made secretly. If they were made out in the open, we could fix it."...
Read entire article at The Philadelphia Inquirer
The house's dimensions are incorrect, the arc of a bow window is distorted, and the building's now-infamous slave quarters are incorrectly located, the critics assert.
Some historians and members of a committee charged with reviewing the memorial's design and content say they are stunned by the vehemence of the complaints. Beyond that, they argue that the memorial - which it is hoped will open next July Fourth - is less about architectural detail and more about the difficult story of enslavement at the heart of the new nation.
And the architect says the current plan conforms to the house dimensions contained in various 18th-century plans and revealed in a 2007 archaeological excavation that exposed some foundations.
Edward Lawler Jr., an independent historian whose original research into the President's House focused attention on the Independence Mall site at Sixth and Market Streets in 2002, says inaccurate design changes have been made "in secrecy" and will undermine the authenticity of the commemoration.
"There have been many changes in the physical design," he said last week. "They are violating the documentary evidence, changing the dimensions of the building, changing things that the archaeology of two years ago proved to be true. . . . What bothers me the most is that the changes were made secretly. If they were made out in the open, we could fix it."...