Saving the Cyclorama
Slideshow by Matt Chaban
Jason Hart, co-founder of the Boston-based CUBE design + research, insists there are many ways to save Neutra's building, and buildings in general.
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The Cyclorama in Repose
Richard Neutra's Cyclorama, one of his most prized buildings, is located on the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Its future is in doubt, as the National Park Service would like to demolish the it.
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Preservation as Retention
Typically, preservation focuses narrowly on retaining a building as is or with minimal intervention. Jason Hart believes designers must do more.
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Preservation in Pieces
The building in question can be viewed as a kit of parts, full of potential.
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Preservation as Informant
In this scenario, the building continues its original purpose, to guide visitors through the landscape, though now, divisions between the two break down and it become a piece of the surroundings.
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Preservation as Informant
The building becomes a waystation, a marker, signaling what it once was but also what came before it, all with a deft hand.
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Preservation as Addition
Often, new pieces are added to old buildings, but why not invert the formula? In this case, the main hub of the Cyclorama is combined with a nearby museum.
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Preservation as Addition
The old building finds new life in this unexpected setting, reviving both while creating new opportunities in the process
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Preservation as Remant
The most artful and atemporal approach renders the building a ruin of sorts, but one that still carries cultural and aesthetic importance, and it is far better than a full demolition.