Toronto Royal Ontario Museum | ?m | ?s | Daniel Libeskind

old boy said:
In a way I'm glad it's still controversial. The AGO was contemplated and built around the same time, but escaped the unrelenting scrutiny of the ROM build-out, fairly or not.
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Not quite. There was a time when Transformation AGO looked like a disaster and was subject to a lot of criticism, while in contrast the ROM seemed like an example of how a public institution should proceed with a revitalization project. AGO was criticized for what was (allegedly) a secretive process and for not getting a "real" Gehry, and don't forgot the whole brouhaha when Joey Tanenbaum went on the attack. ROM, in contrast, was sailing along. Not long thereafter, the roles were reversed, but AGO did encounter a lot of bumps in the road in the early days.
 
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I believe that they are tackling leaks.

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If you concede the interior is garbage then you concede the building is a failure. It was meant to be an addition to a museum, therefore functional. Designing something for pure spectacle is fine (Chicago's Bean) if it has no other purpose than to be a spectacle. The ROM desperately wanted a new building to:
a) better engage with the public
b) showcase a broader assortment of its collection
Given that the interior is garbage, as you've noticed, this building fails on both accounts.
 
pw20 said:
then you concede the building is a failure
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Actually, I do not.

Take the precise inverse of your assertion: if we had a building that was a dream inside -- everything everyone had ever hoped for; a revelation in engaging interior space -- but the exterior looked like 365 Church. Must I also then concede that building is a failure?

Obviously, the preference is always to have a building that excels at all its purposes but, sadly, those are too rare (in this city as in others). But that doesn't mean they're all failures, either. The ROM crystal's eye-catching form has, I would argue, undoubtedly helped the ROM achieve its goals (membership, tourist visits, etc.); for better or worse, spectacle matters somewhat in museums, and delivering on that is an important part of the design of a new exterior addition.
 
Well, it got all of you to spend the time talk about it online :D It might not be original, functional or well-executed, and it really didn't meet the expectations - but certainly is interesting enough to be talked about by those who don't usually care for such things, and get featured as an icon of the city. That got to count for something.

This city has a bereft of spectacles - the only regret is that it isn't much of one as it should have been.

AoD
 
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