List Art Building, Brown University

During our visit to Providence, RI, we passed through Brown University, I noticed an interesting building. After checking on the internet, now I realize that it is actually the List Art Building designed by Philip Johnson in 1971.

The building has the shorter face along the street and the entry is a dramatic triple-height arcade. The building is very modern in style and alignment of the exterior concrete panels reinforces that simple look. However, I feel that the window extrusions on the top level and the bay windows in the mid-levels conflict with the clean modern look, 

List Art Building and adjacent building

Another thing that stood out to me is the way the List Art building attempts to relate to the Beaux-Arts Classical architecture next door by being the same height, similar scale, and close material color. This is a good way to relate to the context, but I feel like it has been overplayed.

Boston Public Library Addition

Connection to original building

I can give you countless numbers of examples but the most recent one that I had actually been to in person is the Boston Public Library. This was an additional to an original building that also had Beaux-Arts style architecture. Similar scale and material palette, but the addition is a modern expression of geometry that contrasts the classical architecture of the existing building. Architects should discover other ways in which the new creatively interacts with the old. And such as in the case of the Boston Public Library, find new innovative ways to connect buildings when they are physically attached.