A Study of Iconic Architecture Via the St. Petersburg Pier
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The Endless Pier: A Study of Iconic Architecture via the St. Petersburg Pier by Kyle W. Pierson A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Liberal Arts Department of Humanities College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Major Professor: Thomas Hallock, Ph.D. Raymond Arsenault, Ph.D. Carol Mickett, Ph.D. Louis Simon, Ph.D. Date of Approval: July 11, 2014 Keywords: Florida Architecture, Iconicity, William B. Harvard, Sr., Inverted Pyramid, Architects, Palimpsest, Bauhaus, Modernism, Postmodernism Copyright © 2014, Kyle W. Pierson Dedication For Dave, who will always have my endless love. Acknowledgments Writing a thesis requires support from an intellectual community, friends, and family. I want to acknowledge them here. First, I am grateful to Dr. Ray Arsenault and Dr. Gary Mormino, who welcomed me into the Florida Studies Program. Thanks to this program, I now see every issue through the lens of a Florida Studies student — a useful backdrop for understanding American history. This project began with a paper I wrote for Dr. Louis Simon’s post modernism class. His course stimulated me to ask how architecture reflected cultural values. Dr. Thomas Hallock, my major professor, guided me toward deeper research and showed me how to apply theoretical ideas to my thesis. I am grateful to Dr. Hallock for his unwavering encouragement, his insightful questions, and his insistence on using primary sources, but most of all for expanding my mind. For their careful reading, friendship, and commitment to my project, I am deeply indebted to Thomas L. Brown and Rita Herron Brown -— thank you! My supporters also included my daughters, Katherine and Hilary; my friends, Deborah O’Hearn and Christine Melecci, each of whom encouraged me to reach this goal. Most of all, words cannot express my gratitude to my husband, Dave, without whose love, support, and patience this thesis would not have been possible. Table of Contents List of Figures ...................................................................................................... iii Abstract ................................................................................................................ vi Chapter One: The Endless Pier ............................................................................ 1 Heart-grabbing Architecture........................................................................ 9 The Two Edges of Iconic .......................................................................... 16 Iconic Architecture — and Architects ........................................................ 18 Iconic — or Distracting — Architecture? ................................................... 29 Chapter Two: The Essence of “Iconic” ................................................................ 34 Iconic in History ........................................................................................ 37 Required: An Enigmatic Signifier? ............................................................ 44 Florida Iconic............................................................................................. 46 The Iconic Index ....................................................................................... 54 The Future Test.............................................................................. 56 The Purpose Test .......................................................................... 56 The Culture Test ........................................................................... 57 The Emotional Test ....................................................................... 57 The Endless Pier....................................................................................... 57 Chapter Three: Electrifying Paradise................................................................... 59 Who Owns the Waterfront? ..................................................................... 64 i Chapter Four: From Disaster To a Dream ........................................................... 75 Building the Dream ................................................................................... 79 The Pinnacle and the Fall ......................................................................... 85 Was It Iconic? ........................................................................................... 91 Chapter Five: In Desperate Pursuit of a New Look ............................................. 94 St. Petersburg’s Starchitect .................................................................... 100 How Harvard Changed St. Petersburg ................................................... 105 The Inverted Pier .................................................................................... 110 Passé Before It Opened? ....................................................................... 114 Was It Iconic? ......................................................................................... 118 Chapter Six: On a Clear Day, You Can See Iconic ........................................... 124 Lessons Learned .................................................................................... 128 Iconic architecture must exemplify the special personality of its location......................................................................................... 128 Iconic architecture does not have to be extravagant. .................. 130 IA = S + E..................................................................................... 132 Only an iconic vision can lead to iconic architecture.................... 134 List of References.............................................................................................. 136 ii List of Figures Figure 1. The Lens ................................................................................................ 4 Figure 2. The Wave ............................................................................................... 5 Figure 3. The Eye .................................................................................................. 6 Figure 4. Stop the Lens ......................................................................................... 7 Figure 5. Make Lens Not War................................................................................ 8 Figure 6. The Chephren Pyramid in Egypt ............................................................ 9 Figure 7. The Eiffel Tower ................................................................................... 10 Figure 8. The Colosseum .................................................................................... 10 Figure 9. The Great Wall Of China ...................................................................... 11 Figure 10. The Taj Mahal .................................................................................... 14 Figure 11. The Quadracci Pavilion ...................................................................... 15 Figure 12. Geico Pyramid “Goof” Ad ................................................................... 16 Figure 13. Taj Mahal Lamp.................................................................................. 16 Figure 14. “Eiffel Tower Paris France Salt and Pepper Shakers”........................ 17 Figure 15. Cylindrical Silos in Saint-Romain-sur-Cher ........................................ 20 Figure 16. The Seagram Building in New York City ............................................ 23 Figure 17. Scene from the Pruitt-Igoe Collapse Series ....................................... 25 3 Figure 18. Sydney Opera House ......................................................................... 27 Figure 19. Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain .............................................. 28 Figure 20. Oslo’s Opera House ........................................................................... 31 Figure 21. “A Hearty Welcome from ‘St. Pete,’” circa 1935 ................................. 35 Figure 22. Rem Koolhaus .................................................................................... 41 Figure 23. The Public .......................................................................................... 43 Figure 24. Ronchamp, France ............................................................................. 45 Figure 25. The Fontainebleau ............................................................................. 48 Figure 26. Three Views of Florida Southern College........................................... 51 Figure 27. Sarasota High School......................................................................... 52 Figure 28. New College ....................................................................................... 53 Figure 29. F. A. Davis .......................................................................................... 60 Figure 30. Fisherman Posing with Catch on Railroad Pier .................................. 62 Figure 31. The Electric Pier, circa 1915 .............................................................. 63 Figure 32. Walter Fuller, St. Petersburg and Its People ...................................... 64 Figure 33. St. Petersburg Waterfront Plan, Around 1904 .................................... 66 Figure 34. Nolen's Waterfront Map ...................................................................... 68 Figure 35. Municipal Pier Damaged by 1921 Hurricane ...................................... 69 Figure 36. Watercolor Impression of The Vinoy Hotel ......................................... 70