Rebuilding Icons

I stumbled across an old article last week that prompted me to do a big of research on a rather interesting concept that has been occurring in Europe for some time now, the concept of rebuilding lost architectural treasures.  There have been some find examples of buildings that have faithfully recreated their original concept and essence that had been lost.  This trend seems to be confined more so to Europe since many historic buildings were lost to the bombings in WWII.  I wonder however, why this concept hasn't caught on in America.  We have of course not lost the treasures Europe lost to bombings, we lost our treasures through the modern development concepts of the later 1940s and 1950s.  Another reason Americans haven't reconstructed their lost buildings is perhaps due to the age of our country.   Since our treasures were generally only built in the last 150 years or so and Europe's treasures are often much older, perhaps we don't consider ours to be of substantial value to reconstruct or restore.  We seem too often to be a society that is proud of it's modern ways, yet holds to more traditional values, just not so much in the way of architecture.  Perhaps in another 100 years we will appreciate our history more and our communities will have a much more impact and voice when it comes to demolition or preservation.  A few examples to consider:

The Alte Kimmandantur, located in Berlin, Germany, was originally built in 1795 and was used as the residence of the governor.  The building was heavily damaged in the bombing of WWII and in the 1950s the remains of the ruins were cleared and eventually a more modern building for the foreign ministry was placed in the same spot and it was torn down in the mid 1990s.  Once the land had been cleared the government gave the land to a company under the pretense that they reconstruct the missing palace.  The reconstruction had to be done purely on photographs since plans were lost in the war.  Built at a estimated cost of 20 million euros I  would say that completed project does nearly look like it has always been there.  Critics however contend that this is an example of trying to "Disneyfy" Berlin.  

It seems in Germany this is a popular practice as there have been several other buildings that have been reconstructed.  The Frauenkirch in Dresden is another example of a building that has literally risen from the ashes.  A 17th Century church that was destroyed in 1945 as part of the war bombing.  The building was in ruins and the stones lie in the center of town for the next 45 years over arguments as to whether to rebuild or not.  The decision was taken to rebuild and began in 1993.  Exterior reconstruction was completed in 2004 and with the exception of the dome, the church was rebuilt using the original stones in the original locations (with the use of a brilliant computer program).  The entire project cost 180 million euros but was clearly worth it.

 The stones are blackened from the fires that destroyed the church giving a wonderful contrast to old and new which will continue to blend seamlessly as time progresses.

The Braunschweig Palace from 1841 was bombed in the war but mostly survived.  However in 1960 it had still not been repaired from the war and was it was decided that it should be removed and the grounds were made into a park.  In 2004 there was a need for a shopping center and the decision was made to build on the castle grounds and reconstruct a facade of the palace to what it had looked like including existing remains of the demolished palace.  Construction began in 2005 and by 2007 the mall with 150 shops and 20 restaurants was opened to the public.  It was not an exact replica on the exterior, however as it did not include the back of the palace or the apparently famous rotunda.  There are some interior rooms that represent the facades intended purpose, but there is no hiding that this was purely built as a commercial space.  How would you feel walking into a grand palace and being greeted with a Starbucks and trendy boutiques?

Herrenhausen Palace was also destroyed in the war and is being rebuilt to be used as a convention center in Hannover.  It is set for completion in 2012

 1895 postcard above and below the architectural renditions.

Potsdam City Palace is another one that is being rebuilt.  The palace was bombed in the war and lie in ruins until the 1960s when the site was cleared of the debris.  With assistance of the Prince of Wales it was decided to rebuild the palace but with a much simpler design sense without much baroque embellishment. The estimated cost is $200 million dollars.

Another amazing example is the Warsaw Royal Castle.  The castle is many aspects of 18th and 19th century architectural and alterations. The building was  Of course during the war it was severely damaged and in 1944 the Germans ordered it to be blown to so that no trace of it could be left.  Then in 1971 the decision was to reconstruct the palace as it had been using photographs and replicate it as close as possible.  Work completed in 1984.

Lastly one other palace is proposed to be reconstructed if funds can be pooled.  Tuileries Palace in Paris France.  Tuileries once was the 4th wall so to speak of the Louvre.  Where there is simply open park space now was once the spot of Tuileries Palace.  The palace was a stunning structure was constructed in the 17th Century, but was sadly destroyed in 1871 by an uprising.  The building's bits were sold off and have landed all over including Corsica.  Since 2003 there has been much discussion in the French government to rebuild.  The effort is needed many say to expand the Louvre's collection and to be able to properly display its artifacts.  Interestingly enough all the furniture and contents of the palace had been removed prior to the fire and there is a vast archive of photos and drawings of what the palace was.  The proposal had been to have none of the project paid for by the government as the estimated cost would be in excess of 200 million euros.  To date there is still effort to start the rebuilding, but nothing has occurred on site yet.

The fire above and below what the original complex looked like with the Louvre and Tuileres as one.

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