--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Architecture traditionally has been the…" description: "\"Architecture traditionally has been the slowest of art forms. It was not unusual for great cathedrals to take centuries to complete, with stylistic cha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/martin-filler-11342_architecture_architecture-traditionally-has-been-the_926193.jpg" --- # Architecture traditionally has been the slowest of art… ![“Architecture traditionally has been the slowest of art forms. It was not unusual for great cathedrals to take centuries to complete, with stylistic changes from Romanesque to Gothic or Renaissance to Baroque as common as the addition of chapels or spires. But because the function remained the…” quote by Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/martin-filler-11342_architecture_architecture-traditionally-has-been-the_926193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/martin-filler-11342_architecture_architecture-traditionally-has-been-the_926193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/martin-filler-11342_architecture_architecture-traditionally-has-been-the_926193.jpg) > “Architecture traditionally has been the slowest of art forms. It was not unusual for great cathedrals to take centuries to complete, with stylistic changes from Romanesque to Gothic or Renaissance to Baroque as common as the addition of chapels or spires. But because the function remained the same, the form could be flexible and its growth organic.” [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Architecture evolves slowly, yet its purpose stays constant, allowing styles to adapt over centuries. **In simple terms:** Buildings change slowly but keep their core function. Key Takeaway Embrace flexible design that respects tradition. Themes architecture history adaptation art function Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - restoration projects - urban planning - heritage tourism - educational tours Key Concepts organic growth stylistic evolution cultural continuity Questions to Reflect On - How can new projects honor old purposes? - What balances speed and heritage? A Different Perspective Modern fast‑track construction can clash with historic pacing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Architecture Traditionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture-traditionally-1472556/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Baroque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baroque/) [Cathedrals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedrals/) [Cathedrals Centuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedrals-centuries-1472555/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Changes Romanesque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changes-romanesque-1472557/) [Chapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chapel/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Flexible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flexible/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Gothic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gothic/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Renaissance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renaissance/) [Romanesque Gothic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romanesque-gothic-1472558/) [Spires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spires/) [Unusual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unusual/) ## Related quotes > [Japanese architecture is traditionally based on wooden structures that need renovating on a regular basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadao-ando/japanese-architecture-is-traditionally-based-on-wooden-structures/) [Tadao Ando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadao-ando/) > [“Included in the Presqueville is the Cathedrale St.-Jean, a church built during medieval times, including both Romanesque and Gothic styles; its nave, with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-thompson/included-in-the-presqueville-is-the-cathedrale-st-jean-a-church-built/) [Jane Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-thompson/) > [It is the Late city that first defies the land, contradicts Nature in the lines of its silhouette, denies all Nature. 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It also meant a sense of that space which few people had experienced before –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/for-the-machine-meant-the-conquest-of-horizontal-space-it-also-meant/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [I waited for the train at Coventry; I hung with grooms and porters on the bridge, To watch the three tall spires; and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/i-waited-for-the-train-at-coventry-i-hung-with-grooms-and-porters-on/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“These spires above my house are doves, lifted by grace above the earth's eruption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-wright/these-spires-above-my-house-are-doves-lifted-by-grace-above-the-earth/) [Jay Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-wright/) > [The weathercocks on spires and housetops were mysterious with hints of stormy wind, and pointed, like so many ghostly fingers, out to dangerous seas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-weathercocks-on-spires-and-housetops-were-mysterious-with-hints/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Many men build as cathedrals are built-the part nearest the ground finished, but that part which soars toward heaven, the turrets and the spires,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/many-men-build-as-cathedrals-are-built-the-part-nearest-the-ground/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) ## More by Martin Filler > [Elevated locations imply elevated purposes, even in American cities departing as radically as Los Angeles does from the traditional planning patterns of the Eastern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/elevated-locations-imply-elevated-purposes-even-in-american-cities/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [The danger for any artist whose work is both recognizable and critically acclaimed is complacent repetition - the temptation to churn out easily identifiable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-danger-for-any-artist-whose-work-is-both-recognizable-and/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [Architectural kitsch is most common in the commercial pop vernacular - typified by the Big Duck of 1931 in Flanders, New York, a Long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architectural-kitsch-is-most-common-in-the-commercial-pop-vernacular/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [The Frankfurt Museum of Decorative Arts is a handsome building, which takes its cues from the riverside Biedermeier villa next to it, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-frankfurt-museum-of-decorative-arts-is-a-handsome-building-which/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [The most basic task of any museum must be the protection of works of cultural significance entrusted to its care for the edification and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-most-basic-task-of-any-museum-must-be-the-protection-of-works-of/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [Postmodernism came nowhere close in quality to Modernism at its apogee, not least because that later style wholly lacked the social impetus that animated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/postmodernism-came-nowhere-close-in-quality-to-modernism-at-its/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [One reason I've never been a fan of graphic novels is because a central aspect of literature for me has always been imagining what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/one-reason-i-ve-never-been-a-fan-of-graphic-novels-is-because-a/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [The truth be told, the World Trade Center was neither a very good work of architecture nor a very successful piece of urbanism. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-truth-be-told-the-world-trade-center-was-neither-a-very-good-work/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [During the modern period, the vanguard architect has usually relied on small residential jobs both to supply a steady income and to serve as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/during-the-modern-period-the-vanguard-architect-has-usually-relied-on/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [We take from the art of the past what we need. The variable posthumous reputations of even the greatest artists and the unpredictable revivals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/we-take-from-the-art-of-the-past-what-we-need-the-variable-posthumous/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [Masterpieces of art possess immense potential to advance a worldview that could help assuage the societal terrors posed by globalization, the most thoroughgoing socioeconomic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/masterpieces-of-art-possess-immense-potential-to-advance-a-worldview/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [The work that launched Snohetta into the architectural big leagues was their Oslo Opera House, which will certainly rank among the firm's highlights whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-work-that-launched-snohetta-into-the-architectural-big-leagues/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [There can be little question that the tall building presents one of the most difficult challenges to the architect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/there-can-be-little-question-that-the-tall-building-presents-one-of/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [The first half of the 1960s was the apogee of what might be termed the Age of Cool - as defined by that quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/the-first-half-of-the-1960s-was-the-apogee-of-what-might-be-termed/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) [Explore all 60 Martin Filler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) ## More Architecture quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [A man walks down the street. 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Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/london-from-the-architecture-to-the-culture-to-the-fashion-to-the/) [G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [Architecture is not a profession for the faint-hearted, the weak-willed, or the short-lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/architecture-is-not-a-profession-for-the-faint-hearted-the-weak/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. 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