Michael Graves has been a mystery to me for over forty years. Part of that might be attributed to my poor understanding of his brand of Postmodern architecture. Perhaps it was also his shape-shifting creativity across a range of design disciplines. Robin Pogrebin in the New York Times acknowledged this when she notably termed him:
One of the most prominent and prolific American architects of the latter 20th century, who designed more than 350 buildings around the world but was perhaps best known for [a] teakettle and pepper mill.
I confess to forcing a detour on a road trip to see his Portland Building—a reroute that was not appreciated by my travel companion. Years later, I bought a Graves-designed mauve colander from Target just because. So here we go with Architecture for the Soul—Michael Graves.
The Humana Building
Humana Building, Louisville - Mary Ann Sullivan
After a lengthy competitive process, Michael Graves was awarded the commission to design the Humana Corporation headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. I always understood that Graves's drawings for the competition were dazzling, and I envisioned this corporate headquarters as a monument as much as a building.
It was completed in 1985 to almost universal praise. A few parts of the work jumped out at even the most casual viewer.
Each side, or elevation, of the structure, was different, which may have been slightly disorienting to some.
The pink and red granite might have been considered flashy. Instead, I believe it contributed to the “corporate headquarters as monument” intention.
Different shapes, such as curvilinear elements, triangles, and squares, drew the eye.
A local Louisville media outlet, Broken Sidewalk, might have agreed by suggesting:
The Humana Building is a sensory overload of color, shapes, materials, and experiences. And Louisville is fortunate to have it.
The American Institute of Architects awarded the Humana Building its National Honor Award in 1987. Time Magazine called it one of the top ten buildings of the 1980s. Yet, in a stark example of the march of time, Humana announced in February that it would abandon the building and consolidate employees elsewhere.
American society tends towards an attitude of disposability. I hope that this Louisville landmark can be repurposed meaningfully.
The Portland Building
The Portland Building, Portland Oregon - Steve Morgan • CC BY-SA 3.0
Michael Graves was a member of a group known as “The New York Five.” It consisted of Graves, Peter Eisenman, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, and Richard Meier. They were the subject of a 1972 book, “Five Architects,” which put each of them on a path to a degree of fame in the architectural community. Roger K. Lewis, writing for the Washington Post in 1992, attempted to itemize their guiding principles:
Rejection of representational historicist imagery and ornamentation.
Spatial and geometric complexity.
Transparency and ambiguity -- blurring boundaries between rooms and between interior and exterior.
Use of planes and pure geometric volumes -- cubic and sometimes cylindrical; manipulation of two- and three-dimensional compositional systems -- such as grid patterns -- to modulate space, structure and surface.
Graves evolved from here to be the architect most associated with Postmodernism, a style that The Portland Building in downtown Portland, Oregon epitomizes. During my first visit, the building struck me as being out of place with its surroundings. This was also my sentiment with the previously discussed Humana Building. In stepping back from initial impressions, isn't it the avowed purpose of Postmodernism to not fit in with existing architectural styles? Katherine McLaughlin, in Architectural Digest, gives a few bullet points to help us better understand Postmodernism:
When it opened in 1982, this building was considered a breakthrough and a defining work of Postmodern architecture. The Phillip Johnson AT&T building in Manhattan had not yet opened, and for a moment, Michael Graves had the Postmodern stage to himself. I would argue that his lead role in Postmodernism would never be relinquished.
Buildings and ideas both require maintenance. In the case of the Portland Building, while justifiably lauded for design excellence, it had not aged as gracefully as it might have. Kristen Wells then a Project Manager for the City of Portland, said:
Because of the public perception of how dark and dreary this building was inside, there was an understanding that we absolutely had to correct that internal experience. As long as we kept the window frames roughly the same, the change in the color of glass would not be a problem.
In 2014, there was considerable sentiment to tear the building down. City Commissioner Dan Saltzman told a local media outlet:
We should basically tear it down and build something new.
In the end, Portland put together a design-build team consisting of the DLR Group architects and Howard S. Wright Construction Co. to assist them in redoing this city landmark.
Reconstructing such an architecturally significant and locally sensitive building would never be easy. Three major things needed to be remedied.
The building had been leaky almost from its inception.
The interiors were considered dark and uninviting.
The city employees using it were not crazy about the work environment.
Without getting too deeply into the technical details, a unitized curtain wall was installed over the existing structure, replicating Graves's colors and original design intent. This system also provided superior technical performance regarding moisture resistance and natural lighting. Interior reprogramming and space planning also improved natural lighting, benefitting building users. Publicly accessible event space helped to change the “mood” of the building through art exhibitions, etc.
Portland Building 2020 - after renovation - Sally Painter
No restoration of a work as famous as the Portland Building can please everyone. When completed in 2020, this effort was no exception. In closing, enough people were pleased that Carla Weinheimer of the DLR Group said this:
This building has a wholeness about it. There’s more integrity in how it’s representing the City of Portland. Now, the design really expresses who they are.
Consumer Products Design
Michael Graves designed thousands of products for brands such as Alessi, Dansk, Disney, Stueben, and Target. However, his work for Target and its mass-market audience seemed to draw what I consider to be unjust criticism. Almost certainly, Graves was the first premier architect to design for a brand that catered to a demographic seeking value. This is significant since it draws a clear line between Graves's designs for Target and the work of previous prominent architects/designers.
For example, Eero Saarinen created the Tulip Chair for Knoll. Alvar Aalto designed furniture for a company he started. The work done by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller furniture remains a design standard. The point is that those products were both fashion-forward and premium-priced. Let’s look at a few of Graves’ best-known consumer products.
The Graves's cooperation with the Italian high-end kitchenware manufacturer Alessi set his product design career into motion. The chairman of the company, Alberto Alessi, said this:
The kettle 9093 was the progenitor of the 'family' of objects that Graves helped to grow year after year, developing his own sensitivity toward a less intellectualized design, a softer one with respect to the European object
Alessi - Kitchen Timer
Alessi Kitchen Timer, 1992 - Michael Graves Design
Alessi - Carafe
Alessi Euclide Carafe, 1993 - Sailko CC
Target - Corded Telephone
Target Black Corded Telephone, 2000 - Target
The Graves - Target cooperation began in 1997 when Target hired him to design the scaffolding for work to be done on the Washington Monument. Since most scaffolding is not designed by world-renowned architects, the Michael Graves Design office offered an explanation:
Target was opening its first store near Washington, DC. To make a big splash and to contribute to the new market, Target’s marketing team, led by Bob Thacker, partnered with the National Parks Service. Target paid to restore the Washington Monument. Target hired Michael Graves to design the scaffolding for the project. The design challenge was to bring lots of attention to the monument during the restoration and to find a way for the important, iconic structure to appeal to visitors and locals during the multiyear restoration.
Thus began a partnership that ultimately yielded a bounty of interesting consumer product designs.
Target - Toaster
Target White Toaster, 1989 - Michael Graves Design
In 2003, a spinal cord infection left Michael Graves paralyzed and in a wheelchair. We learned more about how he handled this professionally from an informative website, facingdisability.com:
During his rehab, he was surprised to discover that he could not turn on a faucet, open the medicine cabinet or reach the electrical outlet to plug in his electric shaver. His response was to dedicate himself to the design of hospitals, rehab centers, hospital furnishings and housing for disabled people, including wounded veterans.
Michael Graves passed away in 2015 at the age of 80. He was a “must-see architect” in the early and mid-1980s for anyone interested in design. A “starchitect” of the first order before that term was a thing. As the face of Postmodernism during that period, he suffered the slings and arrows of architecture critics, perhaps more than was deserved. The fact that his version of Postmodernism has not survived intact over the last forty years probably works against his inclusion on a Mount Rushmore of architects. So be it. But the fact remains that he dared to test himself. A budget-constrained municipal building in Portland, Oregon. A corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. Disney branded hospitality work. High-end product design. Mid-market product design. Accessible design. He managed them all with flair and perhaps even some fire.
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Thank you for sharing . I love being educated by your writings! So inspirational¡