Portraits in Architecture

Major funding for

Portraits in Architecture

Thomas Beeby is provided by the University ot Notre Dame School of Architecture through the the Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust. >> DID YOU HAVE A TRAIN SET WHEN YOU WERE A KID? >> OF COURSE I HAD A TRAIN SET WHEN I WAS A KID. HAD AN H-O TRAIN SET. I LIKED TO MAKE THE BUILDINGS. CHEERIOS HAD FRONTIER TOWNS WHERE YOU COULD MAKE LITTLE BUILDINGS FOR FRONTIER TOWNS, AND SO I DID THAT TOO. I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN ARCHITECT. >> ARCHITECT TOM BEEBY'S CHILDHOOD TRAIN SET WAS SMALLER THAN THIS LARGE PERMANENT EXHIBIT AT CHICAGO'S MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. THIS TRAIN SET FEATURES A MODEL OF CHICAGO, THE CITY WHERE BEEBY LIVES, WORKS, AND OFTEN BUILDS. >> AT CORNELL, WE WERE UP ALL NIGHT DOING THE STUPID THINGS YOU DO IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL. WE FOUND OUT THE ONE THING WE HAD IN COMMON WAS WE ALL MADE LITTLE RAILROAD BUILDINGS WHEN WE WERE LITTLE CHILDREN. DOLLHOUSE MENTALITY, WHICH ALL ARCHITECTS HAVE, MINIATURE BUILDINGS. IF YOU CAN ACTUALLY SUSTAIN YOUR CHILD FANTASY IN AN ADULT WORLD, YOU CAN DO AMAZING THINGS. >> BEEBY HAS HELD ONTO HIS CHILDHOOD FANTASY AND SHARED IT BY CREATING BUILDINGS FOR ALL OF US TO USE EVERYDAY. >> WE'VE DONE LIBRARIES. WE'VE DONE MUSEUMS. WE DID THE HARRIS THEATER. WE'VE DONE BUILDINGS THAT TEND TO HAVE A PUBLIC COMPONENT OF SOME FORM OR OTHER. >> AT A PUBLIC BUILDING, YOU HAVE A BUILDING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RICHEST GUY IN THE WORLD CAN GO INTO AND THE POOREST GUY IN THE WORLD CAN GO INTO, AND THE BUILDING CAN GIVE THEM EQUAL TREATMENT. >> IT'S KIND OF A STAGE FOR THE THEATER OF PUBLIC LIFE. >> ACCESS IS FOR EVERYONE. >> IT IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL THAT WE HAVE PLACES IN THE CITY WHERE EVERYBODY-- >> US, EVERYBODY-- >> LITTLE, LITTLE KIDS, TO REALLY OLDER-- >> LIKE THE EVERYDAY PERSON, THE EVERYDAY WOMAN, THE EVERYDAY CHILD-- >> CAN CONGREGATE-- >> A CHANCE TO-- >> --ENJOY OUR SORT OF SHARED EXPERIENCES. >> BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CULTURAL SORT OF ATMOSPHERE THAT A CITY IS. >> I THINK PERSONAL HISTORY IS PART OF IT. PEOPLE'S MEMORIES OF THE CITY AND WHAT IT MEANT TO THEM, I THINK IS ACTUALLY AN ASPECT OF ARCHITECTURE WHICH IS IMPORTANT. >> I CAME HERE FOR MY NINTH BIRTHDAY PARTY AND THAT WAS THE BIGGEST DEAL TO ME. >> WHEN I WAS A KID THAT'S ALL THAT WE DID COME TO, ALL THE MUSEUMS. >> THESE BUILDINGS, THEY'RE REALLY ABOUT PEOPLE TO LIVE IN, TO LOOK AT, TO WORK IN, TO PASS BY. >> THEY DO MAKE A VESSEL THAT ALLOWS A COMMUNITY TO PERFORM AT A HIGH LEVEL. >> IT'S AN AWESOME BACKDROP. >> JUST OUTSIDE CHICAGO'S DOWNTOWN IS A REFURBISHED COMMERCIAL LOFT BUILDING THAT'S HOME TO TOM BEEBY'S FIRM, HBRA ARCHITECTS. >> SO YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A LITTLE TOUR? >> SURE. >> WE SET OUT TO MAKE THIS FILM ABOUT TOM BEEBY AND IT WAS ABOUT TOM. AND HE SAID, NO NO NO - INTERVIEW MY PARTNERS, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ALL ABOUT ME. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? >> YOU KNOW, YOU HIT THE THING RIGHT ON THE HEAD. THAT WE BELIEVE IN THIS SORT OF MYTH OF THE SORT OF SINGULAR GENIUS, RIGHT? >> IT'S THIS WHOLE CELEBRITY CULTURE OF ARCHITECTURE THAT I THINK IS ACTUALLY DAMAGING TO THE PROFESSION. >> HE'S YOUR BASIC WASP MODERNIST. HE'S VERY SHY. >> TOM'S VERY HUMBLE AND HE BRINGS SO MUCH TO THE TABLE BUT VALUES EVERYONE'S OPINION. >> HE HAS A QUIET CHARISMA. >> IT'S IMPORTANT FOR AN ARTISTIC LEADER TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR IDEAS HAVE SOME RELEVANCE. >> MIES USED TO SAY THAT HE DIDN'T CARE IF THE CLEANING LADY HAD A GREAT IDEA, HE'D USE IT. SO THAT'S SORT OF A-- >> HE'S ALSO FUNNY, WHICH DOESN'T HURT AT ALL. >> BUT WE LOOK FOR HER SKETCHES. >> IT COMES ACROSS EVEN IN HIS SARCASM YOU KNOW, THAT HE'S COVERING UP. HE DOESN'T WANNA REVEAL WHO HE REALLY IS. >> MOST REALLY GOOD ARCHITECTS ARE CONTROL FREAKS. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. >> HBRA WORKS IN A WIDE RANGE OF STYLES, BUT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR MASTERY OF TRADITIONAL AND CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE. LIKE THEIR WORK REMAKING THE INTERIOR OF A GEORGIAN REVIVAL STYLE HOUSE ON CHICAGO'S LAKE SHORE DRIVE. IT WAS BUILT IN 1911. >> WHAT WE'VE HAD TO DO IS REINVENT TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE IN CONTEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION METHODS, SO EVERYBODY'S INVOLVED IN FIGURING OUT HOW TO DETAIL THESE THINGS SO THAT YOU ACTUALLY CAN BUILD THEM IN TODAY'S WORLDS. >> SO ON THE FIRST FLOOR TYPICALLY YOU HAVE... >> WE FIGURED OUT HOW TO BUILD THEM FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU BUILD A MODERN BUILDING. >> NO ROOM IS ANY WIDER THAN ABOUT 18 FEET. SO THERE'S A CHALLENGE TO THAT. >> HERE AT YALE UNIVERSITY, HBRA'S NEWLY BUILT ENTRANCE TO AN UNDERGROUND LIBRARY THEY RENOVATED LOOKS AS OLD AS ALL THE OTHER NEO-GOTHIC BUILDINGS ON CAMPUS. THE FIRM ACTUALLY PROPOSED FOUR POSSIBLE DESIGNS TO HARMONIZE WITH THE HISTORIC SETTING. >> ALL OF THEM WERE PLAUSIBLE. >> INCLUDING THE MODERN ONE. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> YES. IT WAS MINIMAL, INVISIBLE. THAT HAPPENS TO BE ONE APPROACH IN A HISTORIC SITUATION TO NOT DISRUPT IT ALL. >> ANOTHER NEW HBRA BUILDING THAT LOOKS OLD IS THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE IN TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA. YOU'D BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING IT'S BEEN THERE FOR MILLENNIA. >> TUSCALOOSA. >> TUSCALOOSA. >> NOW THAT IS A CLASSICAL BUILDING. >> THAT'S A CLASSICAL BUILDING. >> SERIOUS PIECE OF CLASSICISM. >> SORT OF A STRAIGHT GREEK TEMPLE. >> WHERE IS THE LIFE? WHERE IS THE SPONTANEITY? >> INCREDIBLY THOUGHT OUT AND BEAUTIFULLY DETAILED. >> THE BUILDING IS KIND OF AUTHORITARIAN REPRESENTATION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT IT HAS A KIND OF DIGNITY AND REPOSE. >> AND OLD IS NEW IN A CHILLY CORNER OF NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT TOO. BEEBY AND HIS PARTNERS TOOK A PLAYFUL APPROACH TO TRADITION WHEN THEY DESIGNED THE HOLE IN THE WALL GANG CAMP FOR ACTOR PAUL NEWMAN. >> FEELS LIKE WE'RE IN THE WILD WEST HERE. >> YEAH, THIS IS OUR MAIN STREET. ALL THESE WERE BASED ON KIND OF WESTERN STOREFRONTS. >> DOES THE SHERIFF'S SYMBOL HAVE SOME BULLET HOLES IN IT? >> IT MIGHT, IT MIGHT. >> IN WARMER WEATHER, HOLE IN THE WALL IS A WESTERN STYLE CAMP FOR SERIOUSLY ILL CHILDREN. PAUL NEWMAN SAID HE WANTED IT TO BE A PLACE WHERE THE KIDS COULD GET A BREAK FROM THEIR TROUBLES AND, IN HIS WORDS, RAISE A LITTLE HELL. >> PAUL ACTUALLY TOLD TOM, "WHENEVER YOU HAVE THE "OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOMETHING "MORE THE SAME OR MORE DIFFERENT." >> "...ALWAYS MAKE THEM MORE DIFFERENT", WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY WHAT ARCHITECTS DON'T DO. THIS TOWN WAS THIS KIND OF FANTASY PLACE WHERE KIDS GO. IT OBVIOUSLY HAD A MEDICAL ASPECT TO IT. IT HAD TO NOT LOOK LIKE IT. IN A WAY WE WERE ALL TRANSPORTED INTO BEING LITTLE KIDS, BUILDING SAND CASTLES OR SOMETHING. >> DID YOU PLAY WITH LINCOLN LOGS WHEN YOU WERE A KID? >> ABSOLUTELY. >> JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE TOM BEEBY PEGGED AS A TRADITIONALIST, YOU FIND OUT HIS FIRM CREATED THE STRIPPED-DOWN MODERN HARRIS THEATRE FOR MUSIC AND DANCE IN CHICAGO. BEEBY SAYS HE DOESN'T IMPOSE A STYLE ON HIS CLIENTS. INSTEAD, HIS WORK IS A RESPONSE TO WHAT THEY NEED. >> THE GOALS OF AN ARCHITECT ARE TO BUILD THINGS FOR PEOPLE. AND THIS ALL HAS TO DO WITH PEOPLE'S INNERMOST FEELINGS AND HOW THEY WANT TO BE SEEN. AND IT OUGHT TO FUNCTION FOR THE PEOPLE WHO USE IT. >> TOM BEEBY GREW UP IN OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, A CHICAGO SUBURB FAMOUS FOR ITS ARCHITECTURE AND ITS PREEMINENT ARCHITECT, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT. >> MY GRANDFATHER DID WORK WITH FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT. >> MR. WRIGHT LIVED AND WORKED HERE FROM 1889 TO 1909. THAT'S THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS OF HIS CAREER. >> BEEBY'S GRANDFATHER WAS AN ENGINEER WHO WAS AT THE FOREFRONT OF CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION. >> WE LIVED NEXT DOOR TO A FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HOUSE. I REMEMBER LOOKING DOWN OUT OF THE BEDROOM WINDOW AT THE ROOF AND THINKING HOW DARK AND SINISTER IT LOOKED DOWN THERE. I HAD THE SAME MEMORY OF UNITY TEMPLE AND THINKING THAT THIS IS REALLY A SCARY PLACE. SINCE THEN, I THINK IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE BUILDINGS IN THE WHOLE WORLD. >> WHAT HAPPENED? HOW'D YOU CHANGE? >> I WENT INSIDE. I JUST REMEMBER THAT, OF SENSING THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD A KIND OF AURA ABOUT THEM. >> BEEBY IS TAKING HIS YALE UNIVERSITY ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS TO OAK PARK FOR A LOOK AT FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S UNITY TEMPLE AND OTHER BUILDINGS. BEEBY TEACHES AT YALE FOR A SEMESTER EVERY TWO YEARS. >> I ALWAYS BRING THEM TO CHICAGO BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A KIND OF ETHOS ABOUT CHICAGO THAT IS REFLECTED IN THE ARCHITECTURE. >> CHICAGO HAS A REPUTATION AS THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE SKYSCRAPER AND HOME TO GREAT MODERN ARCHITECTS. >> LOOK AT LOOP, LOOK AT WRIGHT, LOOK AT EVERYTHING. >> IS THERE ANYWHERE ALONG IN ONE OF THESE PLACES WHERE YOU WILL SAY TO A STUDENT, NOW MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT THAT, SEE THAT. >> VERY RARELY. I ACTUALLY DON'T DO THAT. I THINK PEOPLE JUST OUGHT TO LOOK AT THINGS. THEN YOU SORT OF HAVE TO LET PEOPLE ABSORB IT THEMSELVES. IF YOU TELL STUDENTS THAT EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL THEY'LL IMMEDIATELY BE SUSPICIOUS. THE IDEA OF DIRECT DIDACTIC TEACHING IN LOOKING AT ARCHITECTURE ISN'T ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL. >> BEEBY IS GOOD AS A PARADIGM. >> HE SETS A STANDARD. >> HE'S LIKE A PARENT. YOU'RE A ROLE MODEL AS A PARENT. >> WHY DON'T WE START OVER HERE. >> BACK IN NEW HAVEN AT YALE, BEEBY LEADS HIS GRADUATE STUDENTS THROUGH A REVIEW OF THEIR RECENT WORK. >> SO I ASK THEM A LOT OF QUESTIONS. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK? WHERE IS THE MECHANICAL SYSTEM? DO YOU THINK THE GLASS IS OUTSIDE THE STRUCTURE? I ASK THEM WHY THEY'RE DOING THINGS. AND WHAT IS ALL THIS NOW, THIS IS ALL. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO NEXT IS, THAT'S ONE MY, YOU KNOW-- IT'S SOMETHING WORTH THINKING ABOUT. >> IT'S VERY MIDWESTERN AND UNDERSTATED. >> BUT IN THE END, THEY ALL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT. >> THE PERFECT BOX-- >> THE PERFECT BOXES. >> --IS WHERE I STARTED FROM. >> THESE STUDENTS WERE EACH DESIGNING A HOUSE? >> THEY'RE DESIGNING A HOUSE. >> A SMALL HOUSE IN CHICAGO. >> I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT A HOUSE IS ACTUALLY BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN THEM AND YOU'RE A PERSON. HANSEL AND GRETEL. SO YOUR LAST YEAR IN GRADUATE SCHOOL, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DESIGN A HOUSE. >> MOST OF THE STUDIOS ARE DESIGNING GIANT BUILDINGS-- >> GRAND SCHEMES OF MILLIONS OF SQUARE FEET-- >> WHOLE CITIES-- >> IN SOME FOREIGN COUNTRY. >> WHATEVER. >> I DON'T DO THAT. SO WHAT DO YOU DO NOW, LIKE THIS TIME OF YEAR? IN CHICAGO TODAY, IT WAS ZERO. >> IN WINTER IT DOES NEED TO BE HEATED. >> I ASK THEM, "WELL, WHAT KIND OF RUG DO YOU GOT IN THIS ROOM?" YOU KNOW, SO THIS IS ALL, IT'S LIKE NEWS TO THEM THAT BUILDINGS HAVE RUGS. >> AND HE ATTRACTS STUDENTS, WHO SUDDENLY MUST SAY TO THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO GET A JOB. I MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING. >> THE ORIGINAL IDEA I THINK IS QUITE STRONG. BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE IT SO IT'S TOTALLY IMPLAUSIBLE AS A PLACE TO LIVE, I THINK IS THE RISK. IT'S GOING TO BE PERFECT, OK? >> BEEBY'S FOCUS ON PRACTICAL REALITIES GOES BACK TO THE 1980S WHEN HE WAS THE DEAN HERE. >> WHEN HE WAS THE DEAN, HE MADE THE DARING OBSERVATION THAT ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THE SCHOOL WAS TO ACTUALLY TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO BE ARCHITECTS. >> BUT BEFORE HE WAS DEAN, OR EVEN A TEACHER AT YALE, HE WAS A STUDENT. THEN AS NOW, THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE WAS HOUSED IN THIS BUILDING. IT'S NAMED FOR PAUL RUDOLPH, THE YALE DEAN WHO DESIGNED IT IN THE EARLY 1960S AND WHO WAS ONE OF BEEBY'S TEACHERS. >> HE WAS ALL THE RAGE. I THOUGHT HIS WORK WAS INCREDIBLY SORT OF ENERGETIC AND ARTISTIC. >> RUDOLPH ATTRACTED THE MOST IMPORTANT ARCHITECTS OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION, BUT ALSO SOME OLDER ONES. >> HE WAS VERY DEMANDING. >> HE WAS A KILLER. >> HE TOOK NO PRISONERS. >> HE WAS THE HARDEST TEACHER I EVER HAD. AND BY THE WAY, THE BEST. >> THE STUDIO WAS PRETTY OPEN-ENDED. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE DISCIPLINE. YOU KNOW I WAS LOOKING FOR SOME RULES AND HE SORT OF WAS DODGING THIS. AND THEN HE SAID, "WE KNOW THERE ARE NO RULES IN ARCHITECTURE." AND SORT OF "NEXT." THAT WAS THE END. SO THAT WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT. >> DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? >> NO, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. I DON'T THINK PAUL BELIEVED IT EITHER. >> AN EARLIER TEACHER WHO INFLUENCED BEEBY AS DEEPLY AS RUDOLPH WAS COLIN ROWE. ROWE TAUGHT AT CORNELL WHERE BEEBY GOT HIS UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE. >> COLIN ROWE DID KEEP HISTORY ALIVE AT CORNELL. >> ENCOURAGED TO LOOK AT HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE-- >> MAINLY CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE IN ITALY. >> --AS A REPOSITORY OF A BODY OF STILL VALID IDEAS. >> BEEBY'S FORMAL EDUCATION RAISED AS MANY QUESTIONS AS ANSWERS. AND HE TRIED TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS THROUGH WRITING. >> TOM WRITES BRILLIANT MEDITATIONS ON HISTORY. HE'S A SCHOLAR ARCHITECT. >> AFTER FINISHING GRADUATE SCHOOL, BEEBY HAD TO DECIDE WHERE TO START HIS PROFESSIONAL LIFE. >> I ALWAYS THOUGHT CHICAGO WAS SORT OF MY HOME SORT OF DOWN DEEP FROM WHEN I WAS A KID. >> BUT HIS CURIOSITY ALSO INSPIRED HIS CHOICE. CHICAGO WAS A HOTBED OF MODERNISM, WHERE LEGENDARY ARCHITECT MIES VAN DER ROHE HAD USHERED IN THE ERA OF GLASS AND STEEL BUILDINGS. BEEBY WAS SKEPTICAL OF MODERNISM. SO HE DECIDED TO GIVE IT A TRY. >> THERE WAS NO ALTERNATIVE. IT WAS CONTROLLED BY LARGE COMMERCIAL FIRMS. WHO DID-- >> CRAPPY COPIES OF MODERNISM. >> BUT IT WAS A STRANGLEHOLD FOR YOUNG ARCHITECTS. >> AND NOBODY EVER QUESTIONED IT. AND THEN-- >> NOBODY EVER QUESTIONED IT? >> NOBODY EVER QUESTIONED IT. >> BEEBY STARTED WORKING AT THE LARGE COMMERCIAL FIRM WHOSE WORK HE RESPECTED THE MOST, C.F. MURPHY. THERE, HE HELPED DESIGN MIESIAN BUILDINGS IN THE STYLE OF THE MASTER. >> AND HE APPEARED TO BE MIESIAN, LET'S SAY. >> IT'S A STARTING POINT TO PUSH AGAINST. >> IF YOU WEREN'T A HARDCORE MIESIAN, YOU WERE S---T. >> THIS COLLAGE SIGNALED THE BEGINNINGS OF A PALACE COUP. >> THEY WERE REBELLING IN CHICAGO. >> IT'S BY STANLEY TIGERMAN, WHO TITLED IT, "TITANIC." >> THIS SORT OF ICONIC IMAGE OF CROWN HALL KIND OF SINKING INTO THE LAKE THERE. >> MIES VAN DER ROHE'S CROWN HALL AT THE ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, HOUSED THE ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL MIES LED. >> THE TITANIC COLLAGE IS BRILLIANT. THE FINAL AND VISIBLE SYMBOL THAT IF CHICAGO ARCHITECTS WERE GOING TO SURVIVE AND NOT JUST BE THIRD GENERATION MIESIANS, THEY HAD TO KILL THE FATHER. >> I MEAN THEY WERE BOMB THROWERS. >> SO THE IDEA WAS, HOW DO WE CREATE A SHIFT IN THE ARCHITECTURAL CULTURE IN CHICAGO? >> AND THEN WE EXPANDED TO THE CHICAGO SEVEN. >> THE CHICAGO SEVEN WAS A GROUP OF ARCHITECTS ENLISTED BY STANLEY TIGERMAN TO WAGE PHILOSOPHICAL WAR AGAINST THE ARCHITECTURAL ESTABLISHMENT. TOM BEEBY WAS ONE OF THE CONSPIRATORS. TIGERMAN NAMED THE CHICAGO SEVEN AFTER THE ANTI-WAR PROTESTORS TRIED FOR RAISING HAVOC DURING CHICAGO'S 1968 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION. THE CHICAGO SEVEN ARCHITECTS SHOWCASED THEIR SUBVERSIVE DESIGNS IN EXHIBITIONS. >> SOMEHOW THIS WAS THE BATTLE OF DAVID AND GOLIATH. AND IT MADE WONDERFUL PRESS. >> THE 1978 CHICAGO ART AWARD FOR THE OUTSTANDING GROUP SHOW GOES TO CHICAGO SEVEN. PARTICIPATING ARCHITECTS WERE THOMAS BEEBY, LAURENCE BOOTH, STUART COHEN... >> THE CHICAGO SEVEN WAS PART A REBIRTH OF ARCHITECTURE AS AN ART. THAT ARCHITECTURE WAS ABOUT THE ART OF EXPRESSING THINGS. NOT NECESSARILY THE ART OF CONSTRUCTION. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT POST MODERNISM WAS TRULY ABOUT. >> WE WANTED TO OPEN UP THE CITY TO DIFFERENT STRAINS OF THOUGHT OTHER THAN THE HARDCORE PURELY MIESIAN STRAIN. >> THE FIRST CHICAGO SEVEN SHOW WAS HELD AT AN ART GALLERY. >> THE FIRST THING THAT THE CHICAGO SEVEN DID WAS THE HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY. >> AND EACH OF US DID THE DRAWING OF A HOUSE. AND BEEBY DID THESE INCREDIBLE DRAWINGS THAT HAVE AURA. BEEBY DRAWS LIKE A M---------R. >> HE DREW THEM ON YELLOW SKETCH PAPER, WHICH IS JUST JUNK. AND THEN THEY WERE COLORED WITH WHAT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY NEW PRODUCT. >> AT THAT POINT THEY MADE SPRAY MAGIC MARKERS, THAT I'M SURE THEY'D KILL YOU IN THE END. THE YELLOW TRACING PAPER DOESN'T ABSORB THE LIQUID, SO IT WORKS. >> THEY TOOK ON AN INCREDIBLE KIND OF TRANSLUCENCY. >> I CAN STILL SEE ALL THE FLORA AND FAUNA THAT HE DREW. >> THEY WERE GORGEOUS. >> LUSH, VERY LUSH, YEAH, YEAH. >> THAT WAS A WAY I THOUGHT YOU COULD ACTUALLY FREE ARCHITECTURE, MAKE BUILDINGS THAT WERE MORE EMOTIVE. >> AND LOOK WHAT BEEBY DID WITH THE FLAG, BEAUTIFUL, LYRICAL. >> A FUNERAL MONUMENT FOR A SIGNIFICANT PERSON OR INSTITUTION RIGHT. OVERTLY SYMBOLIC. >> BEEBY'S DRAWING OF A FLAG DRAPED SKYSCRAPER WAS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CHICAGO SEVEN'S FINAL AND MOST AMBITIOUS EXHIBITION. THE SHOW PROPOSED ALTERNATE DESIGNS FOR CHICAGO'S LANDMARK TRIBUNE TOWER. >> AND WE ASKED THE ARCHITECTS OF THE MOMENT... >> FRIENDS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD. >> AND IT WAS AMAZING THAT OTHER PEOPLE WERE INTERESTED THAT WERE OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO. >> CESAR PELLI, FRANK GEHRY-- >> BUT FEW LIKE TOM DID IT LYRICALLY. CAUSE BEEBY DRAWS LIKE A M----------R AS I SAID AND WILL ALWAYS SAY. >> BY THIS POINT BEEBY NEEDED TO FIND A WORKPLACE WHERE HE COULD BREAK FREE OF MIESIAN MODERNISM. HE LEFT C.F. MURPHY TO BECOME DESIGN CHIEF AT THE SMALL FIRM THAT EVENTUALLY BECAME HBRA. THERE, HE STARTED BLENDING TOGETHER MODERN AND TRADITIONAL FORMS IN BUILDINGS LIKE SULZER REGIONAL LIBRARY IN CHICAGO. >> SYMBOLISM HAS A PLACE IN ALL THESE THINGS. I MEAN I THINK PEOPLE HAVE TO READ THE BUILDING CORRECTLY. WITH TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE IT'S EASIER FOR AN ORDINARY PERSON TO UNDERSTAND IT. >> SULZER BEGAN TO CONVEY A MESSAGE ABOUT CLASSICISM, ALBEIT A SORT OF POSTMODERNIST LEVEL OF CLASSICISM. >> HE HAS CURVES. >> THE WINDOWS ON THE SECOND FLOOR LOOK A LITTLE BIT LIKE THE WORK OF KARL FRIEDRICH SCHINKEL, THE GREAT NINETEENTH CENTURY GERMAN CLASSICIST. >> AND MAYBE THERE'S A CUPOLA ON TOP. SO THERE BECOMES THIS WAY TO LOOK AT IT THROUGH THE LENS OF THE PAST. BUT YET IT STILL IS, BY MASSING AND BY FUNCTION, IT STILL IS A CONTEMPORARY BUILDING. >> WHEN A CONGREGATION IN A SUBURB NORTH OF CHICAGO NEEDED A SECOND SYNAGOGUE BUILDING, THEY ASKED BEEBY TO DESIGN IT. THEIR EXISTING BUILDING WASN'T EVEN TWENTY YEARS OLD AND WAS A BOLD, MODERN WORK BY THE ARCHITECT OF NEW YORK'S WORLD TRADE CENTER, MINORU YAMASAKI. >> SO YOU HAVE THIS MAGNIFICENT MAIN BUILDING. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BUILD ANOTHER BUILDING? >> BECAUSE OF ITS MAGNIFICENCE. IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S OVERWHELMING. WHEN THIS WAS BUILT, THE TRANSCENDENT WAS VERY IMPORTANT. NOW, THE IMMINENT, GOD'S PRESENCE IN THE GROUP, IS IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE. >> THE WAY BEEBY USES LIGHT HERE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN... >> BEEBY'S BUILDING WAS ANOTHER STEP ON THE ROAD LEADING HIM AWA FROM MODERNISM. >> THE CURVED SANCTUARY, THE LAYERED SPACE, THE CUBE INSIDE THE CIRCLE. ALL THAT HAD TO DO WITH SYMBOLISM OF SACRED BUILDINGS. >> AND HE RELATED TO THE RECOVERY OF TRADITION. I SUPPOSE THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD CALL AN ARCHITECT, THE RECOVERY OF CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE, WHICH HE WAS INTERESTED IN. >> WE'VE ALL FLIRTED WITH CLASSICISM. >> THIS INTERESTING DANCE BOTH WAYS. >> BUT BEEBY CAME OUT OF THE CLOSET-- >> FULLY REALIZED -- >> --AS A CLASSICIST WITH THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY. >> THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR, IS A CHANCE TO HAVE A MAJOR BUILDING IN THE CITY. >> WITH ITS POWERFUL, CIVIC PRESENCE. >> IN 1987, BEEBY HAD ENTERED A COMPETITION TO DESIGN AND BUILD A NEW MAIN LIBRARY FOR DOWNTOWN CHICAGO. HIS ENTRY WOULD GO UP AGAINST FOUR OTHERS. THREE OF THEM FROM BIG, FAMOUS CHICAGO FIRMS. >> THERE WERE ALL THESE VISUALLY EXCITING DESIGNS, AND THERE WAS THIS ONE, WHICH CLEARLY SPOKE TO A TIME THAT PASSED. >> ALL THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN CHICAGO UNTIL REALLY MIES ARRIVED WERE CLASSICAL. SO WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? HOW DO YOU BUILD A BUILDING SO SO THAT IT'LL LOOK LIKE A PUBLIC BUILDING AND NOT A KIND OF FUTURISTIC IDEA OF A LIBRARY? >> ON THE DAY THE WINNER WAS TO BE ANNOUNCED, EMOTIONS WERE RUNNING HIGH. >> THAT DOES LOOK LIKE PARIS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. >> THESE WEIRD RUMORS STARTED. SOMEBODY'D SAY, LOOK I KNOW WHO WON, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'D TELL YA. >> IT WENT BACK AND FORTH LIKE A PENDULUM. >> AND I WAS STANDING ON THE STAIRS OF THE CULTURAL CENTER AND THEN THEY CALLED OUT THAT WE'D WON AND IT WAS LIKE AMAZING. >> THIS WILL BE THE FINEST LIBRARY IN THE UNITED STATES FOR A LONG TIME TO COME. >> YOU'RE LIKE AWW GEEZ, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THIS GONNA DO? >> I'M QUITE PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED HERE. >> IT DOES ALL THE THINGS A LIBRARY OR A CIVIC BUILDING OUT TO DO BUT-- >> IT SENDS CHICAGO BACKWARDS... I SAID AT THE TIME ON TELEVISION THAT IT WOULD SET THE COURSE OF ARCHITECTURE BACK FIFTY YEARS. >> EVERYBODY ELSE WAS VERY UNHAPPY. >> I HATE IT. >> I DISLIKED IT. >> I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT IT. >> THERE'S A LOTTA EGO IN ALL THIS. >> I LOVE THE OWLS. >> ALL OF THAT STUFF ON THE ROOF WOULD SCARE SMALL CHILDREN IF THEY WERE TO LOOK UP. >> THE WINDOWS ARE TOO BIG. >> I JUST SORTA BLEW UP THE SCALE OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE BUILDING, TO GIVE IT THE SENSE THAT IT WAS A PUBLIC BUILDING. >> THREE OF THE FOUR FACADES ARE CLASSICAL AND THE FOURTH IS A MODERNIST GRID. >> AN EXPRESSION OF MODERN CONSTRUCTION WITH TRADITIONAL FORMS. >> A PURE CLASSICIST WOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT. I CAN'T SAY I HATE THE BUILDING. THE BUILDING WAS, IT'S LIKE BEING, BEING SLAPPED. WHAP. >> THAT'S FINE. BUT WE WON THE COMPETITION. >> I AM NOT GONNA SAY THAT I AM RIGHT AND BEEBY IS WRONG. BUT CERTAINLY, HE'S NOT RIGHT. >> I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE THIS BUILDING A LOT. AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT. >> I THINK I GET IT NOW IN A WAY THAT I DIDN'T GET IT THEN. >> IT IS FLEXIBLE, LIKE A MODERN BUILDING. >> NOT AT ALL A RIP OFF OF A 1890'S BUILDING AS I THOUGHT IT ONCE WAS. >> I THINK INSIDE IT'S VERY PLEASANT. >> IT'S A VERY RATIONAL AND PROPORTIONAL BUILDING. >> PROBABLY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PART IS THE GLASS ROOF SPACES ON THE TOP. >> I THINK THAT ARCHITECTURE, ANY ARCHITECTURE, IT CAN'T FULLY BE APPRECIATED UNTIL TIME HAS PASSED. >> SOMEBODY ONCE SAID THOSE WHO WALK IN ANOTHER'S FOOTSTEPS LEAVE NO PRINT OF THEIR OWN. WHAT CAN I TELL YOU? IF A MARTIAN DROPPED DOWN AND LOOKED AT THE WORK OF CLASSICISTS TODAY, WOULD THEY BE CONFUSED? YES, BECAUSE IT'S NOT OF OUR TIME. WHEN IT'S DONE BRILLIANTLY, IT'S GREAT. BUT IT'S NOT OF OUR TIME. >> AND I REMEMBER HIM GIVING A TALK HERE ABOUT HIS WORK AND HE TALKED ABOUT IT AND HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE "NOBODY TOUCHED IT, AN INVISIBLE HAND." THAT'S A RADICAL POSITION. >> IT'S ABOUT COMPLETELY CONTROLLING WHAT YOU SEE, LIKE A MOVIE, RIGHT? >> WELL IT'S MAKING A CONTRIBUTION TO THE PUBLIC REALM. IT'S BUILDINGS THAT PEOPLE CAN EXPERIENCE AND SEE AND THAT FORM A PART OF THE CITY OR IN THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY LIVE IN. >> IT'S NOT A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. IT'S NOT A COMMODITY. I MEAN I THINK ONE OF THE GREAT TASKS IS THAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO HAVE A KIND OF MYTHIC LIFE, AND THE BUILDINGS SHOULD REPRESENT THAT. THAT'S WHAT MAKES ARCHITECTURE AN ART FORM. >> SO IS BEEBY LOOKING, AS SOME OF US ARE, FOR TRANSCENDENCE? YES, IN HIS WORK HE IS LOOKING FOR IT. HE HAS THAT CAPACITY IN HIS SEARCH FOR AURA. >> TIME'S ON MY SIDE. I MEAN I THINK THAT PEOPLE HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO. MAYBE NOT WITHIN MY LIFETIME I DON'T KNOW. THAT DOESN'T INTEREST ME MUCH. Major funding for Thomas Beeby is provided by the University ot Notre Dame School of Architecture through the the Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust.