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Originally Posted by dc_denizen

neoclassicism annoys me. if you brought back an Ancient roman or Greek, they would ask, why the wholesale copying and expropriation of our architecture, can't you come up with your own style?

it's also so pervasive - europe and the US are full of 19th century greek temple style buildings designed to look 2000 years old.

they would probably be more interested in modernism and gothic architecture.

This, too. So many of our buildings have acanthus leaves on them? Have you ever seen an acanthus mollis? Probably not! The museum down the street from me has Corinthian columns on it (because, you know, Corinth is located on the north shore of Lake Superior) and they stay there in full bloom even when it's -40° with the windchill.

Traditional architecture has character and has the ability to define a place as unique from other places.

Might as well rename the planet to "Corinth" then! Because their columns are everywhere! Or at the very least, make an attempt to plant acanthus everywhere.

What's really sad is that, we can carve any plant we want into those columns. You could carve holly and oak into them in England, except they didn't even into the building that the queen, the personification of and symbol of authority of the state, lives in. Or use the fleur-de-lis in France, except no—l'état, c'est moi. L'edifice? C'est grec !

I know there are a few buildings that did use local plants carved into the capital instead of acanthus, but typically they don't bother. For some reason, we must cap off every column with either papyrus scrolls, acanthus leaves, or nothing. And god forbid the column isn't either a smooth or fluted cylinder! Square columns? Hideous and too modern! Two half circles with voids instead of bases and capitals? Not allowed!!!!

And the ironic thing, is that that last building; this building:



Every architectural component, from the spacing of the columns to the materials used to build it to the particular colour of the glass to the height of the building, the terraced garden between the porch and the street, the way the porch extends beyond the main building to frame a vista specific to this location, you want to make the argument that this building, designed under the guidance of one of Canada's most well known and established modern architects in his era, could be put anywhere in the world, and belong??

You couldn't even put the building on the next block over and make it work!

And yet this building:



This classical building, this building constructed in an architectural style that, and I quote:

has character and has the ability to define a place as unique from other places.

Ontario built 3 of them in 1929.