If you lived in my city

[nevermore]

The whole preservation at all costs argument rings a little hollow. You don't need to preserve everything from an era to retain enough historical data to allow for future study.

This. Just because it's old doesn't mean it has intrinsic value.

I strongly advocate for restoration of Baltimore's rowhouses over demolition and re-building, but I certainly don't think that every rowhouse needs to be preserved, nor do I think that every artistic or decorative installation ever made needs to be preserved. Many just suck, some become eyesores, and some just lose relevance; removing them and replacing them with something newer is how cities evolve and refresh themselves. If you leave every little thing in place, never to be replaced, your city will stagnate.

Obviously, you endeavor to preserve the best examples of architectural styles, and historically significant landmarks, but you don't need to preserve every hackneyed mod-style installation (which this is-the fountain itself is both unoriginal and uninteresting, and the park area is an almost text-book example of half-assed public space design) in order to avoid "losing" the history or the culture of that time.

 

[thestrangequark]

Only in movies and tv series (Dark Angel comes to mind now), and I always hoped it was some kind of SFX.

How odd. It's probably Seattle's most recognizable landmark, a relic of the World's Fair

Well, I was only kinda joking about the SFX part: I've seen it on tv some times, but I didn't actually know where it was before I google it for this thread. I suppose that Seattle is not really high on the tourists' list in Europe: I will have real problems naming sightseeing places in the US outside NY, Washington and LA. No offense to your city, obviously!

Oh none taken -- I haven't lived in Seattle for nearly ten years. I was just surprised because there is fair amount of TV/movies that take place there.

 

[L1A1 Rocker]

If you lived in Hobart what would you like to see done to the fountain pictured below. Built in 1963, it is currently broken but could be fixed iand restored. Other people want to see it bulldozed and something else put in its place. I will include a poll with this thread.

Feel free to post photos of your city's (or county's landmarks) and tell us whether you like them or not.

LMFAO!!! It looks like a giant candle sconce!

 

[M'Sharak]

It doesn't look bad, when viewed from this perspective, but in the other photo, it does sort of resemble a spindle for spiking paid receipts, and putting it on stilts like that makes it look more like furniture. It also doesn't seem to have been designed to fit the location, based on your description (either that or the location no longer fits the fountain.) I'd think a redesign or outright replacement would be the best bet.

While we are talking about Hobart I might as well get people's opinion on a building that is currently nearing completion not far from the fountain.

It will house both our School of Medicine and the Menzies Research Institute.

That's actually kind of an interesting design, Who's the architect?

Which reminds me, there is a church in SF that looks like a giant washing machine agitator.

That would be the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, if I'm not mistaken. Really quite nice on the inside.

 

[Miss Chicken]

That's actually kind of an interesting design, Who's the architect?

According to this site the designers are Lyons Architects.

That site is interesting because it has monthly movies of the construction of the building.