--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beauty or beast, the modern skyscraper is…" description: "\"Beauty or beast, the modern skyscraper is a major force with a strong magnetic field. It draws into its physical being all of the factors that propel a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_architecture_beauty-or-beast-the-modern-skyscraper-is_447171.jpg" --- # Beauty or beast, the modern skyscraper is a major force… ![“Beauty or beast, the modern skyscraper is a major force with a strong magnetic field. It draws into its physical being all of the factors that propel and characterize modern civilization. The skyscraper is the point where art and the city meet.” quote by Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_architecture_beauty-or-beast-the-modern-skyscraper-is_447171.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_architecture_beauty-or-beast-the-modern-skyscraper-is_447171.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f46/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_architecture_beauty-or-beast-the-modern-skyscraper-is_447171.jpg) > “Beauty or beast, the modern skyscraper is a major force with a strong magnetic field. It draws into its physical being all of the factors that propel and characterize modern civilization. The skyscraper is the point where art and the city meet.” [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Skyscrapers embody modern civilization’s magnetic pull, merging art and urban life. **In simple terms:** Skyscrapers blend art and city energy. Key Takeaway Recognize their cultural impact. Themes architecture urbanism art Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical descriptive When to use this quote - city planning - design education - tourism - real estate development Key Concepts magnetic attraction symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How do skyscrapers shape city identity? - What responsibilities do architects have to society? A Different Perspective Their environmental footprint can be problematic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Skyscraper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-skyscraper-3909522/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Factors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factors/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Magnetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnetic/) [Magnetic Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnetic-field-601730/) [Magnetic fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnetic-fields/) [Majors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majors/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-civilization/) [Modern Skyscraper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-skyscraper-3909520/) [Skyscraper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skyscraper/) [Skyscraper Major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skyscraper-major-3909521/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) ## Related quotes > [When a chess player looks at the board, he does not see a static mosaic, a 'still life', but a magnetic field of forces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/when-a-chess-player-looks-at-the-board-he-does-not-see-a-static/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I would not give my rotating field discovery for a thousand inventions, however valuable... 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Like wayward electrons, they can spin away from their initial orbit and enter a wider magnetic field.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lehman/words-can-have-no-single-fixed-meaning-like-wayward-electrons-they/) [David Lehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lehman/) > [“The only bit I have pictured in any detail is the music (maybe 'The Book of Love' by the Magnetic Fields. Or Johnny Cash's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/the-only-bit-i-have-pictured-in-any-detail-is-the-music-maybe-the/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“Next my guide explained that we would travel to Erie on an underground high-speed vehicle called a "floater," which ran in vacuum through a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/next-my-guide-explained-that-we-would-travel-to-erie-on-an/) [Gerard K. 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It is the transition from understanding quantum reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludmila-morozova-buss/quantum-technology-is-no-longer-theoretical-the-quantum-revolution-is/) [Ludmila Morozova-Buss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludmila-morozova-buss/) ## More by Ada Louise Huxtable > [No matter what an architect may be at home, he becomes a monumentalist when he comes to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/no-matter-what-an-architect-may-be-at-home-he-becomes-a-monumentalist/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [There are two kinds of people in the world - those who have a horror of a vacuum and those with a horror of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-those-who-have-a-horror-of/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [One of the most basic human instincts is the need to decorate. 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Everyone, because there are so many things about gigantism that we just don’t know. The gamble of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/who-s-afraid-of-the-big-bad-buildings-everyone-because-there-are-so/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Symbol and metaphor are as much a part of the architectural vocabulary as stone and steel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/symbol-and-metaphor-are-as-much-a-part-of-the-architectural/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Every generation tailors history to its taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/every-generation-tailors-history-to-its-taste/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [The New York Hilton is laid out with a competence that would make a computer blush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/the-new-york-hilton-is-laid-out-with-a-competence-that-would-make-a/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Every age cuts and pastes history to suit its own purposes; art always has an ax to grind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/every-age-cuts-and-pastes-history-to-suit-its-own-purposes-art-always/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Good architecture is still the difficult, conscientious, creative, expressive planning for that elusive synthesis that is a near-contradiction in terms: efficiency and beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/good-architecture-is-still-the-difficult-conscientious-creative/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [The perennial architectural debate has always been, and will continue to be, about art versus use, visions versus pragmatism, aesthetics versus social responsibility. 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