[vandelay]

De gustibus non est disputandum, but that critic does the textbook error of criticizing a traditionally influenced building for not being modern and not being traditional enough. What makes this building, and a lot of Stern's buildings work so well is that it's not slavishly orthodox to modernity or traditionalism, but cuts a path that integrates both, which is why they work so well in their context. Look at the last picture in the Inquirer slideshow, the building links the modern skyscrapers and highrises with the traditional architecture of the square.