Architectural Magnets

By Mike Pierry Jr.
Special to the Herald Courier
Published: November 23, 2008

Build It (Boldly) And They Will Come

In the larger world, the catchphrase “Build it and they will come” has morphed into the newer “The Bilbao Effect.” Stunning, unconventional-looking new buildings are being erected in communities not necessarily on the beaten path. The Guggenheim Art Museum in the Spanish coastal city of Bilbao is an extraordinary titanium steel-clad structure, designed by the architect Frank Gehry that has made that city in the Basque region of Spain a must-do destination for world travelers.
Other cities worldwide now seem to be trying to outdo each other in emulating Bilbao. Shanghai, Singapore, London and Dubai come to mind with their odd-looking towers and entertainment complexes. However, traveling long distances is not really necessary, for there are many examples of prominent architect’s vision much closer to home.
Columbus and New Harmony, Ind. are towns where famous architects were chosen to design buildings and churches in the later part of the 20th century. Recently, we drove up through Kentucky and Ohio and witnessed the Bilbao effect emerging in several of their respective cities.

COVINGTON, KY.
Sweeping up out of the bluffs overlooking the Ohio River, the residential high rise “Ascent” (by the architect who has been selected to design the replacement structure for the ill-fated World Trade Center towers in New York) is a blue and white sail that changes form when viewed from alternate compass points. It offers occupants a distinct perspective down to the historic John Roebling suspension bridge (opened in 1867) and across the water to the skyline of Cincinnati, Ohio.

CINCINNATI, OHIO
The campus of the University of Cincinnati is chock-a-block with new, innovative structures that surround the sports stadiums. Among the most notable are The Conservatory of Music, The Tangerman University Center, The Steger Student Life Center, The Linder Athletic Center, The Campus Recreation Center and The Arnoff Center for Design & Art. Also, adjacent to the University Hospital on the East Campus is the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies by the Bilbao architect, Frank Gehry.

COLUMBUS, OHIO
College campuses seem to be getting increased attention as successful alumni make large contributions toward new facilities.  Ohio State University, just north of downtown Columbus, is such a beneficiary with the new Knowlton School of Architecture, the Wexner Center for the Arts and the less than 3-year-old Recreation and Physical Activity Center. This most recent addition came in at a cost of $153 million.
The Architecture School building, clad in Vermont marble “shingles,” accommodates close to 600 undergraduate and graduate students.
AKRON, OHIO
You will not be prepared for your first sight of the Akron Art Museum. This winged, stainless steel, aluminum and glass miracle seems to have dropped into staid, old downtown Akron from outer space. And yet, it has been integrated with the museum’s existing 1899 building without missing a beat. On the day we visited, window-washers, utilizing large mobile man-lifts, both outside and inside, were at work cleaning the glass walls – no small task considering that much of the front of the bulding slopes at a 45-degree angle.

CLEVELAND, OHIO
This city has been busy transforming its lakefront (Lake Erie) into a national treasure. By the new stadium for the Cleveland Browns football team are a firefighters’ memorial and an environmental education facility complete with a 150-foot wind turbine electricity generator. These striking structures are sometimes overlooked and overshawdowed by the adjacent structure: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
This building, a tribute to historic popular music personalities, combines all the major solid geometric elements, i.e., cube, cylinder and pyramid, into a seemingly compact shape that turns out to be quite spacious inside. Funky art objects hang in the light-flooded first level and escalators lead down and then up to the exhibits focusing on all of the musicians that anyone can ever hope to recall.

TOLEDO, OHIO
The Toledo Museum of Art main building is a classic museum design that was popular 100 years ago. It is a stately structure, and therefore the new additions to its campus are certainly surprising. Attached to the main building and covered in green and blue glass, is the University of Toledo’s Center for Visual Arts. Directly across the boulevard that the museum fronts on is the Glass Pavilion, an extraordinary repository for the museum’s art glass collection. The pavilion itself is a double-walled glass work of art in its own right.
In addition, the Glass Pavilion houses glass-blowing facilities that are on-going all year long with demonstrations performed several times a day for groups of visitors.
There are many reasons to seek out architectural gems. Their contents and purposes – i.e. art exhibits and educational opportunities – or mainly just to admire and enjoy the new bold creations of the world’s most gifted architects.

WANT TO KNOW?
Architects of the buildings are listed:
Covington, Ky.: The “Ascent,” Daniel Libeskind.
Cincinnati, Ohio: Steger Student Life Center, Moore Ruble Yudell; Campus Recreation Center, Morphosis; Linder Athletic Center, Bernard Tschumi; Vontz Center for Molecular Studies, Frank Gehry.
Columbus, Ohio: Knowlton School of Architecture, Mack Scogin Merril Elam; and Physical Activity Center, Antoine Predock.
Akron, Ohio:  Akron Art Museum, Coop Himmelb(l)au.
Cleveland, Ohio: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.
Toledo, Ohio: The Glass Pavilion,  Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawaand Ryue Nishizawa.

MIKE PIERRY JR. is a photographer and an avid traveler.