Cityscape

[jgsz]

The Record has an article on Carl Rieder, an architect who designed many of the public buildings in Kitchener-Waterloo.   In the article, some prominent local residents praise his work.  I respect their opinions but most of Rieder's buildings don't impress me.  Perhaps it was the style of 50s or 60s but I find the buildings institutional and cold.  If I were to blame anyone, if blame is the correct word, I would zero in on Mies van der Rohe.  His "less is more" mantra is alienating. 

I started this thread because I don't think Rieder's architecture belongs in the hall of fame or the hall of shame.  They just exist.

[panamaniac]

Mid-century architecture is not everyone's favourite these days.  Many of Rieder's buildings were institutions, so their being "institutional" doesn't strike me as a problem.  Some of his local work, like Eastwood Collegiate (before the addition), KPL, and Highland Road Baptist are very good buildings, imo.  In any event, in terms of local architects/architecture, he's on a very short list of memorable names, so it seems appropriate to remember him and his contributions.  

From the Record article:    


Discovering Carl Rieder

Wednesday, March 30, at 7 p.m.

Grand River Room, WalterFedy,

675 Queen St. S., Kitchener.

Admission free for ACO members, $8.50 for nonmembers.

Pre-registration required via http://rieder.eventbrite.ca. People can join ACO online at www.aconwr.ca/membership-2/E

[kps]

Event was already full when jgsz posted.

I'm a fan of interbellum modern styling, but not mid-century, not just in architecture. Things took a sharp turn for the worse, for reasons I don't understand.

[ac3r]

Modernist architecture...it's love or hate. I always liked the library, though.

However I'm saddened you dislike Mies van der Rohe hah. I love the simple International Style he often worked with and modernism in general, although it was sort of hijacked and pushed in the wrong direction within capitalism. Philosophically it was all a part of the modernist movement (in aesthetics, philosophy, etc) which sought to reject the need for romanticism and idealism. Whether that ended up being a good thing or a bad thing is another topic, though! That less is more (as you describe) goes back further than him, however. One of the most famous pioneering works would be Walter Gropius' Staatliches Bauhaus school, which is amazing.

[tomh009]

Some of the early modernist architecture is simply fantastic. van der Rohe, Gropius, Aalto, Corbusier and others: I try to make a point of seeing their buildings on my travels.