Capitol Architecture Redux

A lightweight dome atop a ponderous base.

I blogged about this subject before: the ugly state capitol building in Colorado and why it is not worth saving. Nevertheless, a fund drive is underway. Local columnist Tina Griego wrote an article praising the antique architecture. It was another opportunity to promote my lost cause. Here is my letter published by the Denver Post.

Official parking.

19 January 2012

To the Editor:

Tina Griego’s homage to the state Capitol pines for a relic that does not deserve salvation. 

Classical?

The facility was built when Colorado had a population one-tenth of what it is today. It is cramped, awkward, and an unworthy symbol for Colorado. Any nostalgia for the outdated building cannot legitimately be for the architecture. It is an ungainly historic mishmash. The wedding cake dome of flighty proportions sits unengaged with a weighty - though lackluster - base. Cars nuzzle up against its flanks because there is no plan to accommodate twenty first century needs like parking, pedestrian access, or the simple duties of governance.

Restoring the Capitol is a bandwagon without critics; it is assumed that opposition is akin to kicking your grandmother. Nevertheless, let me register as the first opponent to preserving our crumbling Capitol with this call: "Mr governor, tear down these walls!" Let’s not lockstep down preservation’s path before considering brighter alternatives.

Form over function.

Sincerely,

Michael Knorr, Architect