[MassHistPres] vandalism at the MFA

[elaine ostroff.org]

I support the Clearing house data idea and suggest that it include examples of best practices in accessibilty in historic preservation. "Big names" and smaller names as well, tend to be ignorant of imaginative architectural solutions that honor the historic qualities and provide equitable access. There is something about accessibility requirements that turns off the designerly responses and turns on boiler plate cut and paste compliance.

The late Bill Smith of the Massachusetts State Historic Commission had an extensive collection of good accessibility solutions in historic settings. I wonder if that can be made available on a website? I wonder if it can be unearthed? I asked about his collection shortly after he died (some years ago) and there was something going on that made it impossible to look at that time.

Also a couple of Historic sites are included in a small collection of Case Studies in Universal Design on the Institute for Human Centered Design website. Check out: http://www.universaldesigncasestudies.org/ . In the left hand navigation bar there are categories, including 'Historic preservation.'

Elaine Ostroff, Honorary AIA
Founding Director, Institute for Human Centered Design [Adaptive Environments]
Westport, MA




From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Tristram Metcalfe 3
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 5:22 PM
To: Karen Gray
Cc: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] vandalism at the MFA

Kudos for the complaints,,,,

Its not surprising at all to see callous comprehension of the best values in historic aesthetics. Superlative Preservation is still a steep learning curve in our profession. Too often those with talent in rhetoric but not in aesthetics,, or those who've made big names and can overwhelm committees to cave them into their ignorant whims of low grade preservation.

What may be needed is a better nation wide clearing house data base of past preservation discussions on a list of so called "bad design". It would be available to the next committees to choose their designer. It would be word of mouth logic. To avoid liability and not defame those in the data base it would be only existing public record lists and & blogs discussions such as this forum.
To be fair and also allow the best knowledge to prevail over possibly shallow complaints, it is important for the designers to also be able to add rebuttals to the data base with explanations for why things such as that horrendous solid railing error occurred. Id like to know.

Potentially all that would have been required was a see thru glass or very thin neutral color steel railing likely with less cost,, then money saved could improve the other accessible features.

Tris Metcalfe
Northampton

On Jul 22, 2011, at 11:05 AM, Karen Gray wrote:


It is ironic that the chief complaint so far is seems to be what was done to make the building handicapped accessible.   I recently escorted a visitor through who was in a wheel chair, and we found the interior accessibility quite poor, even disgraceful!

Karen Gray

On 7/22/2011 10:29 AM, Dennis De Witt wrote:
Agreed!

Those completely gratuitous diagonal stone walls cutting off the bases of that magnificent colonnade reflect an unimaginable lack of understanding and appreciation of a magnificent work of architecture.

It is difficult to image who is more at fault, the architect, who should not conceivably have been that illiterate, or the client whose sole raison d'être should be the preservation of our cultural heritage.

Those ramps are the equivalent putting duct tape across the Boit Brats' feet.

IMHO Dennis De Witt


On Jul 22, 2011, at 10:11 AM, rthenr at comcast.net<mailto:rthenr at comcast.net> wrote:


I am disappointed to learn that The Boston Preservation Alliance has given a Preservation Achievement Award for "New Construction in Harmony with Boston's Built Environment" to The Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The alterations made to the Fenway entrance by British architect Sir Norman Foster disrespect Boston architect Guy Lowell's original and splendid Ionic colonnade by adding two handicapped access ramps with solid parapets which cut diagonally across the facade and hide the bases and lower parts of many of the columns. This unsettles the entire Fenway elevation and reduces it to a mere backdrop for the celebrity architect's  intervention.

Samuel R. Blair, AIA




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