The (W)rapper in Culver City, Los Angeles

I don’t know about you, but I find great architecture to be very near the pinnacle of human civilization. A testament to our abilities and ambitions. A way of capturing the ethos of our time in semi-permanent, or permanent, form.

I tend to cringe at modern and post-modern architecture, though *some* examples are brilliant. I also understand that architecture is fluid, and because of such, acknowledging the past, present, future, and the discombobulated seems to happen regularly. While I might prefer classical and historical design elements, urban planners and urban demands might dictate the need for something else.

I remember a building I hated in college – the Carpenter Center. It was built by Le Corbusier (Swiss-French architect, lived from 1887–1965), with the collaboration of Chilean architect Guillermo Jullian de la Fuente.

The Carpenter Center for Visual Arts, Harvard.
*This is the only building designed primarily by Le Corbusier in the United States, and one of only two in the Americas.*

The Carpenter Center puzzled me, but at least it was placed amongst the timeless heritage of Cambridge, buffered by history. While it was concrete and imposing, the architect was widely noted for his elements of genius. Despite my disagreement with his aesthetic legacy, Le Corbusier was not vacant of passion.

Nevertheless, enter LA’s latest creation, the (W)rapper. Styled as such and apparently decades in the making.

From Dezeen – “American architect Eric Owen Moss has completed the (W)rapper office tower in Los Angeles, which was named for a structural support system that covers the facade. Moss, who leads Eric Owen Moss Architects and has been planning the tower for decades, recently completed the 235-foot (72 metres) structure in Los Angeles.”

*The art criticism of Chadwick Hagan is not reflective of the Hagan Family Foundation or Hagan Arts Trust. However Hagan Arts Trust is a deep believer of the importance of classical principles and perspectives.

Published by CH