An American Architectural Comedy.

An American Architectural Comedy.
by Rory Braddell

Standing in the elegant Huntington Park on the top of San Francisco's Nob hill, one will find a small replica of the Notre Dame cathedral. This miniature, which is dwarfed by the vast buildings that surround it, is remarkably similar in design to its Parisian ancestor. It has a central circular rose window flanked on either side by square bell towers. However, unlike Notre Dame which is made out of stone, Grace Cathedral is in fact constructed of reinforced concrete beaten to achieve a stone like effect. It was constructed over the years 1928 to 1964 and like many other neo-gothic buildings in the United States it incorporates notions of traditional architectural heritage with modern architectural technique. This mismatch of stylistically divergent ideas calls to mind the word “bricolage,” which is defined as something that is constructed with the use of whatever materials or styles that come to hand. Past and present are mixed in a sort of timeless edifice, merging histories, creating a pastiche that exudes its own artificiality. This feeling is emphasised by the artificial splendour of the main doors, which are a true to life replica of Ghiberti's Baptistry doors in Florence. To anyone with any artistic sensitivity it is clear that the outside of Grace Cathedral demonstrates the use of two entirely different types of architecture. The finest examples of Gothic and Renaissance architecture are married together in one building. Similarly the mix and match effect is carried forth inside Grace Cathedral. Real items, such as a thirteenth century Catalonian crucifix and a sixteenth century silk and gold Brussels tapestry, give a certain edge of credibility to an austere sense of past and history. However, the stained glass windows, which depict modern heroes such as Albert Einstein, undermine even this. Not only are different styles mixed, but also the distinction between what is “real” and what is “fake” is no longer discernable. Real elements are surrounded with an attempt to recreate and reconstruct history in an effort to make real what is not there.

Grace Cathedral

Another such structure is Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach, which appears to be a combination of various Italianate architectural features. As we look at this steel and concrete construction we cannot help asking ourselves if this also is a fake replica of antiquity. Standing on the nearby Coit tower we can look down at the same church and it is evident from this vantage point that the facade is the only part of the exterior of the church that emulates the Renaissance model.

Saints Peter and Paul Church

What is barely concealable is the attempt to recreate the past and invent a new fictive culture which is essentially missing in the American tradition. One can project the notion that America is land without history in the sense that Europeans know it. In order to create a sense of grandeur the European heritage is faked in reinforced concrete. Another example worth mentioning is the Palace of Fine Arts. This construction is the only remaining part of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, which was a magnificent world exposition including many spectacular buildings constructed of inexpensive materials. It symbolised the reconstruction and wealth of San Francisco in the era following destruction by earthquake and fire in 1906. The surviving Palace of Fine Arts consists of a central neo-classical style rotunda, which is flanked on both sides with arc shaped open-air structures supported by elaborate Corinthian columns. This is a very good example of an attempt to create a mythologized view of the past. Unlike my previous examples, this construction is not modelled on an existing building and was actually inspired by Piranesi Baroque etchings and the romantic paintings of the Swiss artist Böcklin.