Hollein's masterpiece from the '60ies - the Retti shop
Designing and building a tobacco shop is not quite a proper, political correct commission - anyway - Austria's only Pritzker Prize winning architect did it: In 1992, Hans Hollein designed a tobacconist's shop at Stefansplatz, a top location in Vienna. It is not his only shop in the city center. Most prominent Hollein shops are the jeweler's shop Schullin (1972), Christ Metek's boutique, Reti’s candle shop (1965) and of course the Haas House. At least in Vienna, these shops are retail architecture classics of postmodernism.
the original Hollein design (left) - and its destruction (right)
But now, the Austrian Tobacco Industry (now owned by Japan Tobacco, JTI) wants to get rid of the tobacconist's shop. Apparently, the iconic tobacco leaf has not attracted enough smokers. The owner argues, however, that the shop has been used as a trainings-facility for handicapped people and was not practical in the current design.The proposed after-Hollein design scheme shows an doorless facade, welcoming smoking addictive customers. Surely functional but an architectural affront - especially at this address. Couldn't they have just widen the entrance?
the new proposal for the tobacconist's - what an ugliness!
Surprisingly, after most parts of the facade have been demolished, the shop got an "preservation order" - most part of the lately demolished facade has to be reconstructed. (even politicians are now on the case - [ger] - http://www.schicker.at/?p=2227)
Is building preservation of contemporary architecture the only way to prevent building-owners from their own destructiveness?
There needs to be more public notices online, like on Google maps or something when they touch something over 30 years old.
ReplyDeleteThis notion preservation has come up in discussions I've had before. It seems the general rule, or so I've gleaned from the gossip, is anything over 25 years old and still functioning is sustainable enough to merit consideration of historicization of the project. But thats in the states...where we tend to demolish and rebuild on a whim.
ReplyDeleteI'm an architect and on the city's Landmarks board and we review demolition permits for everything 50 years old or older. But that leaves along of the great mid-century modern stuff unprotected from developers who are willing to scrape beautiful but smaller modernist houses. We tag other buildings as Structures of Merit to help slow down the demo proces, but it is not always successful.
ReplyDeleteI think the sentiment and idea of preserving these old buildings is one that has it's heart in the right place, but sometimes putting these things in the hands of preservation societies is like creating a monster shrouded in several impenetrable layers of irrational bureaucracy. If you have never attended on of these sessions or spoken to anyone who made the decision to purchase one of these buildings you owe it to yourself to have a well rounded perspective on the matter.
ReplyDeleteAnswering to your last sentence question: Yes. Unfortunately in the modern version of capitalism this is the only way. Maybe that's why we are in such a "good" economical shape today...
ReplyDelete