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Art deco Quote by Kevin Fedarko

“Three generations later, viewed from the standpoint of the digital age, a structure such as Hoover can appear to suffer from a kind of vulgarity of size—a thing so enormous and monolithic as to seem preindustrial, almost primitive. Like fascist architecture, that soaring wall of concrete, for all…” quote by Kevin Fedarko
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““Three generations later, viewed from the standpoint of the digital age, a structure such as Hoover can appear to suffer from a kind of vulgarity of size—a thing so enormous and monolithic as to seem preindustrial, almost primitive. Like fascist architecture, that soaring wall of concrete, for all its Art Deco adornments, can strike the postmodern eye as embarrassingly elephantine and childishly simplistic. Yet one only need page through the dam’s elegant blueprints to realize that this is a machine that, in its own way, is as sophisticated as a Boeing 747—a marvel of engineering, of mathematics, of human thinking, of vision, and, yes, of art. For all these reasons, Hoover is regarded by many civil engineers as one of America’s most impressive achievements. It may not be much of an overstatement to say that, along with splitting the atom and sending the Voyager spacecraft beyond the solar system, Hoover is the most remarkable thing this country has ever pulled off. Unlike””

Kevin Fedarko

About This Quote

Source Article: The New York Times, “The Hoover Dam’s Hidden Genius”, 2020

He contrasts the dam’s massive, primitive appearance with its sophisticated engineering, arguing its greatness rivals modern marvels.

In simple terms: Hoover Dam looks crude but is highly advanced.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden sophistication in massive structures.

Themes

engineering history perception

Mood

analytical curious

Type

historical technical inspirational

When to use this quote

  • tourism
  • education
  • policy making
  • infrastructure planning

Key Concepts

systems thinking architectural analysis

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does perception affect appreciation of engineering?
  • What can we learn from historic feats?
A Different Perspective

Public perception may overlook technical details.

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