Grouch Development Inc.

From Architectural Week Magazine:

Creating an edifice draws on an almost mystical process of imagining and materializing something from nothing, of developing original thought forms and manifesting them in the physical environment. Swiss-born Mario Botta provides a unique perspective on this creative process. He is best known in the United States for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and is considered one of the world’s foremost architects for churches and museums.

Crap.

So many designs are mere pencils slipping on napkins.

Were architecture smart, landlords would be equitable. Land would share bounty. Effort would be our prize not our function.

Architects are whores.

I erected an expensive exhibit for the American Institute of Architects 1973 national convention at the famous Oakland Museum called “Americaville”, about 100′ by 60′ diarama of township and transportation in our 200 years.

After having the opportunity to build this exhibit with 10s of 1000s of historical artifact, records, photos and articles in research, it seemed to me that opportunism and patronage builds our cities.

Little was original. Less was designed. It was clear that neither architects nor designers were thoughtful, creative, or mystical. We fractured community and isolated commonwealth. Our cities suck.

Mystical.
Creative process.
Ha!

Cocktails build our cities.
Six inch shrimp maybe.
Hold that thought.