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we don't need another hero from Theodore Whitten, Katherine Cassidy, Jonah Pregerson, Mark Watanabe, Kok Kian Goh, Brendan Moran, Rebecca Katkin, Cara Cragan, and Meaghan Lloyd, New Haven, CT As students at the Yale School of Architecture, we would like to take exception to Marc Wortman's article ("The Hero Takes a Fall," October 1998). Readers should know that Wortman selectively reported the story and took students' words out of context, rendering them--and ultimately his thesis--effectively untrue. The "gloom" and "lack of energy" that Wortman describes is not how we characterized the school to him. The Yale we know is progressive, intense, and complex. It's a place of serious student involvement, where every year students work together to design and build a house, something that is rare in architectural education. Students also play a part in choosing the school's visiting critics. (This semester, studios are being led by cutting-edge structural engineer Cecil Balmond and visionary architect Raimund Abraham, both of whom were brought here as a result of student activism.) It is surprising to see Metropolis, which portrays itself as trend-setting and progressive, revert to the racist and sexist Fountainhead ideal of the "hero" as a model for architecture and architectural education. Over the past several years, Yale has promoted a new, antihero model, one which supports diversity in backgrounds, experiences, and visions. Regrettably, the pluralism that is perhaps the school's greatest strength has been poorly promoted. The negative perception of Yale is simply due to a lack of savvy publicity. Hero worship may mark Yale's past, but it is not a part of its present, and hopefully will not be a part of its future. If the hero has fallen, then so be it. But Yale has not fallen, despite what some say. alma matters from Robert Venturi, Philadelphia, PA For the record, I was never a student at Yale; my degree from the school is an honorary one ("The Hero Takes a Fall," October 1998). I was, however, the Davenport Professor of Architecture there in the 1960s, when Denise Scott Brown and I taught the Learning from Las Vegas and the Learning from Levittown studios. Even with the best intentions, it is easy to get history wrong. divining providence from David S. Morton, New York Lisa Prevost writes that "empty storefronts, doughnut shops, and junky discount stores" give downtown Providence a "depressed feel" (Visible City, October 1998). I agree that empty storefronts are downers, in part because space is wasted that could be used to temporarily house the homeless. But only a narrow, elitist urbanism would judge as depressing anything other than artists' lofts and galleries. Even more depressing than doughnuts is the prospect of people confined to the city's periphery because they are interested in bargains and not the fine art on display in the salons of Providence's cobblestone streets. Competitions: from Metropolis Rado and Metropolis invite you to design a watch for Rado with the materials they use: titanium, high-tech ceramics, diamonds, and crystal sapphire. Metropolis welcomes letters to the editor; the writer's name and city will be included. Short letters are more likely to be published than long ones; all are subject to editing. Letters can be sent to 61 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010, or by e-mail to edit@metropolismag.com. |
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