The New York Times had an article today about the new Barclay's Arena, which makes use of Cor-ten steel cladding. It was being presented as if it were something new and exciting, but the best example of its use was, and always will be (in the opinion of towers of ilium) the John Deere headquarters. Designed by Eero Saarinen in the late fifties, and constructed in 1964, the structure is a monument to the values and history of the company and an icon of high modernism. It's detailing is quite complex and the exposed steel structure is in wonderful violation of fire codes, but no one's complained yet.
An art history professor at Williams pointed out how the building is "machine in the garden" in the complete sense of a phrase coined by scholar Leo Marx. It embodies natural decay, but subverts that decay to preserve its unique and deeply human character. It has the patina of a ruin, but a timeless function as shelter--or as a temple to commerce and industry--those most sacred pillars of the American religion.
Towers of Ilium hopes that its new, bombastic tone is going over well with its broad audience. If not, please let us know.
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