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From: lauf-s <lauf-s@xxxxxxxxxxx>
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Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 19:26:14 -0400
John, I do know John Lawson, but I haven't spoken with him in years. In
fact, I had several conversations with him just as I was beginning to
formulate Quondam (Fall 1996). Lawson was no doubt one of the top designer
within the so-called "Philadelphia School", and I wanted to document the
work of the Philadelphia School via Quondam. Lawson and his partner Rolin La
France (architect and photographer of the famous picture of the Vanna
Venturi House with Vanna sitting in front of it) are in possession of
several sets of Mitchell/Guirgola working drawings that the now
MGA(rchitects) no longer wanted to keep. I wanted to use some of these
drawings to construct 3d models of two early unbuilt Mitchell/Guirgola
works.
I spoke with two of the Park rangers at Independence National Park, and both
immediately said they "hate" the current Liberty Bell pavilion, but they
also both agree that that building has some of the nicest panes of glass
anywhere. One ranger even said one could probably put in a bid for the glass
before its demolished. He said, "You'd be surprised at how much is sold
off." I replied, "Oh, I know all about how the Federal government "sells
off" stuff, like National Park land.
There is one new visitors pavilion now open, a block north of the Liberty
Bell. John, in all honestly, inside it's everything you've let us know you
despise, and then some. I don't like it either. I looks and functions just
like the "public" parts of Franklin Mills (Outlet) Mall (in far northeast
Philadelphia). No barricades though.
