This simple but elegant building is often described as Kahn's greatest masterpiece. In many ways it is the antithesis of monumental. Note, for example, the drive-in entrance below. The form is simple, using repeated units (which is characteristic of Kahn's works). The structure is comprised of a series of one-story barrel-vaulted spaces--units 100 feet long and 23 feet wide connected by eight foot channels which contain service elements. Six vaults in a row flank the four inner vaults. It is constructed of concrete and travertine. | ||
The street-side entranceSee additional views of Joan Miró's Woman Addressing the Public: Project for a Monument | ||
Distant and oblique views showing the six vaults | ||
Left and center: the south end with the sunken courtyard with Noguchi's basalt monolithsSee additional views of Isamu Noguchi's Constellation (for Louis Kahn). |
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The park facade entrance from the exterior and interiorIn this central section two rows of vaults are eliminated (leaving only four) |
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The vaults are separated from the walls by an arc of glass. See also views of the interior. |
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