In Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, last January, on the anniversary of the devastating earthquake, the Iron Market (Hippolytus Market), a cast-iron structure from the late 19th century, was inaugurated after reconstruction. He, like many similar "products", was produced in France. It was supposed to become a train station in Cairo (!), But ended up in Haiti. Its two halls were adapted for trade, but the main thing in the market is its intricate main entrance with a clock and paired minarets over 20 m high.
Back in 2008, one of the halls was badly damaged by fire, and an earthquake did the job. The market seemed to be destroyed, but Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien, owner of Digicel, one of Haiti's leading cellular operators, allocated $ 12 million to save it and brought in British architect John MacAslan to lead the project. A significant part of the structure had to be rebuilt from steel structures, including the roofs of the halls (total area - almost 2000 m2, height - 10 m), they also received new supports and X-shaped trusses, which should save the structure in the event of a new disaster. It took a lot of work to reconstruct the entrance; in particular, the watch had to be sent to the original manufacturer in France for repair.
But the market was able to open by the scheduled date to show the people of Haiti that, despite the very difficult situation in the country, the situation will improve. O'Brien took over the management of the market for the next 50 years, and also planned to open several smaller bazaars in the capital: this should at least partially streamline life in Port-au-Prince and make life easier for local merchants.
The famous skyscraper of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the Sigrem Building, on the other hand, remains aloof from any turmoil. It attracted public attention for another reason: it lists the richest people in the United States, if you count by post offices. Like many other high-rise buildings in New York, this tower has its own zip code, namely, according to the zip codes, one of the public organizations ranked the places with the highest average income of the population, based on public tax reports.
The Seagram Building is an office tower, but the American taxpayer can indicate any convenient address for obtaining tax documents. Therefore, among those whose income is on average $ 13.9 million per year (data for 2007), there can be both businessmen working there and millionaires, whose affairs are managed by companies that have offices there.
Another monument of "heroic modernism" that can benefit from being close to rich people is the Ero Saarinen's TWA terminal at New York's Kennedy Airport. The last decade has gone by stormy for him: in 2001 TWA went bankrupt, the construction went to JetBlue, which needed a larger and more convenient terminal - and the 1962 structure did not meet the safety requirements imposed after September 11, 2001.
The threat of demolition loomed, but the new terminal was eventually built nearby, and the old one turned out to be of no use to anyone. It was restored and asbestos removed with funds from the Port Authority of New York, but, apart from an art exhibition held there once, no use was found. But now there is an idea: officials are looking for a developer to build between the Saarinen building and the JetBlue terminal of a 150-bed boutique hotel. The TWA terminal will play the role of its lobby with expensive shops and restaurants, since the architect has provided space for them. Although some issues of “adjustment” pose a potential danger to the monument, the “elitism” of the program guarantees maintenance and little wear and tear.
But not all buildings of modernism are appreciated by the public equally: the demolition awaits a high school in Weyland near Boston, built by Walter Gropius' The Architects Collaborative in 1960 (albeit without the participation of the master himself). For its time, it was one of the most advanced schools - with a campus-type plan, where first 6, and then 8 buildings for various purposes were located. Of these, only the track and field arena will be retained, the rest will be replaced with an uninteresting, almost standard design - but with more spacious rooms, modern wiring and without asbestos. The school administration considered that it was too expensive to reconstruct the old building: it would be easier to build a new one. However, such a decision is nothing new for the United States: for similar reasons, the Michael Reese Hospital, built according to the general plan of Gropius and under his leadership, was demolished in Chicago (at the same time, the earlier hospital buildings were also destroyed - at the beginning of the 20th century), and more spectacular than in Weiland, the Riverview School in Sarasota by Paul Rudolph - and Norman Foster was trying to save her.
But to end on an optimistic note: The World Monuments Fund, a New York-based non-governmental organization that has published a biennial list of the most endangered architectural and historical monuments since 1965, has joined forces with the Dutch government-run Prince Claus Fund. Their Cultural Heritage Emergency Program received $ 500,000 from both founders. Both organizations have always been involved in saving monuments, but funding was often lacking, so together they can work more successfully. The first objects of assistance have already been selected: medieval fortress-monasteries in Bhutan - Trashigang-dzong and Drametse-Lakhang, unique residential buildings at the turn of the 19th century in Haiti and the Lubuk-Barech mosque (17th century) and the neo-Gothic monastery of St. Leo (1903) in the Indonesian city of Padang: they have all been affected by recent earthquakes. The fourth on this list is the Pakistani section of the Indus Valley: in the near future, thousands of Neolithic rock carvings will be flooded there when the Diamer Bhasha Dam is launched. Funds are needed for the compilation of their inventory and possible salvation.
