North Carolina’s Newest Wonder: The NCMA
I’ve had very few experiences in which I’ve been overwhelmed with the physical beauty of a man-made landscape. Seeing the new building at the North Carolina Museum of Art was just that, and then some.
The Passing of a Legend, an Opportunity Lost
Catalano in 1974. Image courtesy of News & Observer Publishing Co.
Almost ten years ago, Raleigh lost one of the most impressive and forward-thinking houses the world has ever seen: The Catalano House. It was the first warped plane structure in America, and it inspired a generation of young architects to explore new ways of constructing the spaces we live, work, and play in.
A little over a week ago, the world lost the brilliant architect who was the namesake of the house. Eduardo Catalano died at the age of 92.
An Intersection of Architectural Masters
In early 1959, the world-renowned architect Edward Durell Stone formally abandoned the International Style of modern architecture with the unveiling of the new U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. Commenting on the new face of the America overseas, Frank Lloyd Wright declared: “It’s the only embassy that does credit to the United States.†Although very well received both then and now, it also put him on a path that would distance him from his peers in the community.
The inspiration for the North Carolina’s new Legislative Building came directly from the new embassy. At the time, the style was labeled as “Decorative Romanticism” and was a lightning rod for attention, both then and now.
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