Stephen Gerard Dietemann Design

“In the early 1960’s, the New York State government was in need of office space in Albany. At that time, the city was suffering a deterioration of its downtown. Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller embarked on an ambitious building program… to make Albany the most beautiful capitol city in the world.”

excerpted from “The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire Plaza / All the things it is…All the ways to enjoy it…”

Okay, I know that the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Plaza (heretoforth referred to as the Empire Plaza) is in Albany and while Albany is close by it isn’t in the Berkshires. Frankly, given its proximity I am always a little amazed at the number of people I meet in the Berkshires who have never been to Albany or who avoid it, sometimes proudly. To those people I ask your forbearance; I take you there now because the Empire Plaza is such a wonderful object lesson in what can go wrong with any large scale project – particularly government projects. Unlike a smaller development which can be ignored, massive civic projects are often unavoidable. Furthermore in a democracy such projects are meant to reflect our values and worldview. That’s why the Empire Plaza is worth some scrutiny.

The Empire Plaza was completed in 1978. Wallace K. Harrison was the architect and he worked at the behest of an ambitious and powerful governor, Nelson Rockefeller. Rockefeller admired Brazilia, the massive city-building project in Brazil and he viewed the sprawl and messiness of Albany suspiciously. The resulting design was always viewed as an odd fit with Albany and there was considerable criticism of the project at the time. Despite the criticism it is remarkable, and disturbing, how closely the Empire Plaza finally reflected Rockefeller’s vision. Nevertheless, once completed he could not have enjoyed the project’s initial reviews. “Stylistically, the Albany Mall leaves one not knowing whether to laugh or cry,” was one critic’s assessment of this massive project. Another critic described the Plaza as, “a compendium of clichés of modern architecture”. But critiques focusing on style largely miss the point here. By its nature, style is nothing if not temporary. It represents a culture’s momentary acceptance of a specific aesthetic, and that acceptance often reflects only the consensus of the reigning cognizanti. Unfortunately, as is the case with the ‘Lee Outlet Village’, debate regarding stylistic validity usually serve only to distract consideration from issues far more important in assessing a project. The reason I wish to revisit the Empire Plaza is to analyze what it says to us about the fundamental relationship between ourselves and our government, a discussion not often undertaken by anyone including architects. The question that must be asked is not whether there are problems of style here – there clearly are – but rather does the Empire Plaza succeed or fail as a physical representation of who we are and what we believe about ourselves politically?

So what does the Empire Plaza say to us and about us? First, by ignoring the topography and placing stark, repetitive towers on a flat, impervious base set higher than most of the surrounding, older buildings, it says, bluntly, that it – government -- is above and apart from the populace it purports to serve. It almost appears to assume a defensive position, as if concerned with attack from the outside. By largely ignoring the design of the surrounding buildings it further reinforces this vision of separation. Second, the absence of human scale and the almost martial nature of the repetitive towers presents a vision of featureless - faceless? - government. Like football players whose individual humanity is purposefully concealed beneath identical helmets, padding and uniforms, the very idea of a humane, interactive government is challenged here. In short, the Plaza reflects a vision of government and governed inimical to a truly democratic vision. Those who would defend it by way of the Greek Acropolis as historical precedent for democratic government should consult with their history textbook to be reminded just how few residents of Greece at the time of the Acropolis were permitted to participated in that “democracy.” The Empire Plaza’s pristine vision of government architecturally seeks to avoid the messiness of an actual democracy. It is no wonder that an ambitious politician might find it a seductive solution.

So who’s to blame here? It is clear that this project was largely the brainchild of two men, Wallace Harrison and Nelson Rockefeller. Interestingly, earlier Harrison had worked with Rockefeller on another enormous project, Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, a successful joint venture by any measure. Unlike the Empire Plaza, it neither turns its back on the city nor seeks to place itself above or apart from it. In short, it accepts the challenge of the enormous human complexity the city presents.

Now, of course, both Rockefeller and Harrison are gone, but the fruits of their labor should always remind us to watch our leaders. The Empire Plaza proves that the architecture of government is far too important to be left to the politicians.