SMALL AT LARGE

THE COLISEUM IN ROME BEING THE MODEL, THAT HAS NOT BEEN MATCHED. A TOTAL EVENT THAT CONSUMED THE SOCIETY FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS.

THE BIRD CAGE IN THE LAST OLYMPICS WAS THE RAGE THAT BROUGHT A POWERFUL IMAGE TO THE GAMES, RECENTLY IT IS SUFFERING WITH NEEDS OF MAINTENANCE, THE BIG CONCERN AFTER THE GAMES ARE OVER, IS WHETHER THE STRUCTURES REMAIN VITAL?

STADIUMS ARE THE CHURCHES OF OUR ERA, THE MAJOR SCALE BUILDINGS THAT EVERY TOWN NEEDS. THE OLYMPICS BRINGING THE WORLD TOGETHER.
THEY ARE A COMPLETE PERFORMANCE WHICH HAS NOT BEEN CAPTURED BY THE MEDIA YET. A TOTAL HAPPENING OF THE POPULOUS INTERACTING. I HAVE BEEN PRICED OUT, ALONG WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULOUS.

AT 32 YEARS OF AGE IN 1969 I DID THE DETROIT STADIUM PROPOSAL WHILE I WAS LIVING ON MULHOLLAND DRIVE IN LA. AT THE TIME I WAS TAKING AN INDUSTRIAL RENDERING COURSE AT UCLA.

MORT PERSKY, THE EDITOR OF THE DETROIT FREE PREE, SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT MAGAZINE . THAT CAME OUT WITH THE SUNDAY PAPER, CALLED AND ASKED ME TO DO A STADIUM ISSUE FOLLOWING THE VERTICAL ROAD AND KERN BLOCK ISSUES I HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE FOR HIM.

AERIAL VIEW LOOKING EAST TO CENTRAL DETROIT ON THE DETROIT RIVER

THE SITE WAS DOWNTOWN WHERE THE CITY MEETS THE RIVER, WEST OF KOBAL HALL THE PISTONS’ BASKETBALL ARENA AT THE TIME ON THE DETROIT RIVER.

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MORT PERSKY, THE EDITOR OF DETROIT MAGAZINE, THE SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT OF THE DETROIT FREE PRESS NEWSPAPER, HAD ME DO A CURTIN CALL , AFTER THE KERN BLOCK ISSUE, WITH A MASS TRANSPORTATION CONCEPT.

MORT PUT ME ON A PANEL WITH THE LOCAL TRANSPORTATION POWERS INCLUDING CONSTANTINOS DOXIADIS, THE RENOWN GREEK CITY PLANNER CONSULTANT WHO WAS ADVISING DETROIT AT THE TIME. HIS DAUGHTER WENT TO CRANBROOK WHILE I WAS THERE, AND I HAD SHOWED HIM MY VERTICAL CITY.

I WENT TO ONE OF CONSTANTINO’S PRESENTATIONS, IT WAS THE ERA OF OVERLAYS. STARTING WITH THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM, ROAD SYSTEM, GROWTH PATTERNS, POWER SYSTEM, OPEN SPACES, DENSITY , AREA USES, RAIN PATTERN, ETC.TO FUTURE GROWTH. BY THE TIME HE GOT DONE, EVERYBODY WAS READY TO GIVE HIM THE KEYS TO THE CITY. THE POWER OF INFORMATION. BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE FOR ME. THERE IS A LOT OF MONEY TO BE MADE FROM STUDIES THAT GO NOWHERE. DOXIADIS WAS PROPOSING GOING UNDERGROUND WITH TRANSPORTATION SPEEDS UP TO 1000 MILES AN HOUR, A MODULAR UNIT IN YOUR BASEMENT THAT CAN WHISK ONE AWAY.

THIS WAS AN ERA THAT ANYTHING WAS POSSIBLE, DREAMS AND TECHNOLOGY WERE COMING TOGETHER. BUT WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE POLITICAL AND CULTURAL ADVANCEMENTS WERE NOT KEEPING UP WITH THE REALISTIC TECHNOLOGICAL ACHIEVEMENTS.

GLIDING ALONG ON THE MOVING WALKWAY

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HIGH RISES ARE THE CROWN OF THE WESTERN SOCIETY.  WHO CAN MAKE IT TALLER? WHO CAN MAKE IT SENSATIONAL? WHO CAN MAKE IT A SYMBOL OF SUCCESS? HIGH RISES HAVE REPLACED THE CATHEDRALS OF OLD AS TOUTING THE SUCCESS OF A CITY.  THE DUBAI SOM TOWER BEING THE LATEST ONSLAUGHT OF MAJOR HIGH RISE MONUMENTS.

MY BREAK CAME WHEN I WORKED FOR THE DETROIT CITY PLANNING ONE SUMMER IN 1966, WHILE TAKING MY MASTERS AT CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART WITH AN ELIEL SARRINEN SCHOLARSHIP UNDER GLEN PAULSEN.  GLEN RECOMMENDED ME TO CHARLES BLESSING THE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING.  CHARLES WAS ROMANTIC AND LOVED MONUMENT VALLEY IN ARIZONA AND WANTED THE  BEAUTY THE VALLEY  TO COME TO DETROIT.  MY ASSIGNMENT WAS THE NEW CENTER AREA NEXT TO THE FISHER THEATER AND GMC WORLD HEADQUARTERS. ANOTHER BLOG.  I DID TWO HUGE INK RENDERING OF MY SCHEME THAT CAUGHT THE EYE OF MORT PERSKY, THE EDITOR OF DETROT MAGAZINE, A SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT OF DETROIT FREE PRESS.  ONE OF THE TWO MAJOR PAPERS IN TOWN, PART OF THE KNIGHT EMPIRE.

MORT’S CONCEPT WAS TO GET INVOLVED WITH CITY ISSUES AND MAKE AN IDEAL PROPOSAL TO PUSH THE THINKING AHEAD.   WE WERE THE PERFECT FIT.  FOR A COUPLE OF HUNDREDS BUCKS HE WOULD GET A MIND BLOWING PROPOSAL,  AND I WOULD GET MY EGO FED WITH THE PUBLICITY.  ALWAYS THINKING A MAJOR CLIENT WOULD COME MY WAY AFTER SEEING THE PROPOSALS. I AM STILL WAITING FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

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