Project Mountain Bell -- interactive art / peaceful protest

[PixelPixie]

On Sunday, September 27th at 10 am the International Styled Mountain Bell Building designed by Modernist Alfred Newman Beadle at 3rd St. & Earll Dr. will be imploded by explosive charges. Modern Phoenix will be there to document the event, just as it has been the last few years.

The following cubicle-friendly posters may be downloaded and printed out, or enlarged for actual poster and t-shirts to display at the event. We cannot stop this demolition, so we encourage you to download and personalize your own PDF or GIF of the poster to create your own text message to express your thoughts on this event to be shared in your cubicle or via twitter / myspace / facebook.


Download Illustrator PDF for posters and vector alteration. Right-click and save GIF for web sharing.


Download Illustrator PDF for posters and vector alteration. Right-click and save GIF for web sharing.


Download Illustrator PDF for posters and vector alteration. Right-click and save GIF for web sharing.


Download Illustrator PDF for posters and vector alteration. Right-click and save GIF for web sharing.



What to do next:

Download Illustrator PDF for posters and vector alteration with a message of your own. Right-click and save GIF for personalization and web sharing. Feel free to sign your work or not. The ModPhx logo and CC license must remain.


Modern Phoenix message board members may post a file attachment right here, in this message. Simply create your own riff off the artwork provided, save it as a GIF, reply to this message and find the UPLOAD ATTACHMENT button to include your revised artwork.

Tweeters can also use hashtag #beadledemo. Facebook users may post a link at the Modern Phoenix fan page. Or just email your revision back to alison@modernphoenix.net if you have no clue what to do.

Enjoy the process, and looking forward to your contribution.

Alison


Artwork licensed Creative Commons 3.0 BY NC SA. Share, alter and attribute!

[HooverDam]

I know its important that we save historic buildings, Phoenix has knocked down far too many, but this one really wasn't special. "International" style buildings are awful, why bother building a building that can be plopped down anywhere? How much imagination did a glass cube really take? Especially in the desert, its not fitting. It also had horrible interaction with the street. I haven't seen any renderings of the Senior housing complex thats going to replace it, but theres a chance we may get something superior.

[Na]

Thank you HooverDam I agree and apparently the interior was pretty toxic so that even if the building was not destroyed but, rehabilitated ....(?) it would probably take years to overcome renter or buyer fear before the building could be occuppied. I for one would need a lot of convincing and facts from objective "outside" professionals (not owners) before I would ever want to occupy an interior space at that property.

Can you imagine a company occupying and then having to deal with employee law suites in the event that someone was ill and wanted to sue their employer AND the building ownership? (even if bogus?) Commercial real estate is ripe with real and bogus law suite situations. Ask any architect, designer, contractor or service provider who consults in commercial properties and must carry various required insurance. We've all walked that narrow edge of being pulled into a law suite. Its not fun, its not fair and its a very real and expensive threat.

So, I really don't think this particular situation is specifically about NOT liking how a commercial building looks as much as it is an issue about "public safety". There are more important "aesthetic" battles to fight out there.
N.

[PixelPixie]

If you are tweeting be sure to tag your Mountain Bell Building Demo photos as #beadledemo on Sunday.

Find me and you might receive a limited edition commemorative cubicle poster. ModPhx orange square buttons for everyone, too!

[susiefish]

Where are you guys going to be? We were thinking of watching it from one of the hills in Steele Indian School park (to avoid the dust) but if there's going to be a ModPhx gathering, I'm there!

[PixelPixie]

I am aiming for SW corner of Catalina and 3rd street area, as close as they'll let me get. Matthew is all over the place including on top of some garage. The hill in Indian School is a good idea.

[mdsalen]

I can completely understand where you all are coming from that this wasn't a very interesting building. I had the same inclination the first time I saw it. However, after spending some time really studying it, I found so much beauty in its proportions, reflections, and stature along the street that I felt it was possibly the best of Beadle's large buildings.

The question of whether it needed to be demolished is unanswered by the (typically) lousy reporting by the Republic. Was it unsafe? Was it less expensive for a developer to start from scratch? Maybe.

But the building itself, like so many pieces of existing architecture (important or not) could have had a second life (or third or fourth or...) with some sensitivity and creativity. I doubt the owners of this building put much true creative effort into figuring out what this building, or its frame, could have become. And that is a shame, because even just the frame was interesting on its own- a skeletal language of typical high-modernism, still in perfect proportion, and ultimately showing its structure with perfect transparency.

I subconciously have chosen to see the destruction of this building as a large format art installation about modernism, as well as how conciously PHX destroys its history: The building WAS beautiful at one time (stark, pure, and nearly in-human), then it was left alone, became shoddy, was reduced to its bare structure, and then destroyed. Each stage was sadly beautiful in its own way. Hopefully we'll learn to creatively save our treasures in the future. But perhaps it was too pure and stark to gain enough admirers around to save itself. Beadle might have grumpily understood its appearance wasn't for everyone.

[matthew]

…ultimately showing its structure with perfect transparency.

Interesting insight, Matt. I had not thought of it that way.

It's a shame the second building was never built. I wonder if the outcome would have been the same if the entire plan had been realized. I don't know anything about the circumstances of why the second building was never built. Do you (or anyone else) know anything about why it did not happen?

[mdsalen]

I don't know why it was never built- maybe it was just a master plan idea for the future. But it would have made the project so much more interesting- though just as (or even moreso) inhuman in scale. But more powerful. That image of the two buildings that he produced sticks in my head like superspray 90.

[HooverDam]

Not building the 2nd building in a proposed development is sadly just the Phoenix way. Seems like every building up and down Central was originally supposed to be 2 or 3.

[modeddie]

Thanks Allison, I missed this post. I thought about walking to the demolition, but was too distressed about it. I do applaud the art-protest: "It's only rational" is on my screen-saver/desktop rotation. I don't like t-shirts, especially those with slogans--but am happy to wear modphx-inspired ones.

[PixelPixie]

I am glad you got the Only Rational piece. Matthew thought it was to ambiguous. I liked it because it was perfectly ambiguous. You can apply it from both sides.

[YuriArtibise]

Sad that they were in such a hurry to demolish the building, yet aren't willing to finish the job.

Update on Qwest Builing Demolition/Clean-Up

The former Qwest building at the corner of 3rd St. and Earll Dr. was imploded last year on September 26, 2009 with a condition that debris was to be removed by the end of December. The property owners are now in default of this demolition permit and the City has formally contacted the insurance company to collect on the performance bond. During this administrative process, we will insure that the property remains secure for the safety of residents.

We will keep you posted as the performance bond process progresses. In the meantime, if you notice any suspicious activity on the property, I encourage you to contact the Phoenix Police Department (602-262-6151) and my office (602-262-7447).

[matthew]

man, there is nothing good about this story…

[PixelPixie]

I took this photo about 3 weeks ago for our round-up at
http://www.modernphoenix.net/beadlearch ... inbell.htm
What a total disaster.