The Writer’s Room at the Betsy South Beach and FIU’s School of Architecture held a lunchtime presentation by architectural historian Keith Eggener last Thursday, January 25th 2013.
Keith Eggener, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Missouri, presented his essay, “The Demolition and Afterlife of Baltimore Memorial Stadium” to a group of students and faculty over lunch.
He explained how buildings/architecture create collective memories in the public even after demolition. Eggener compared the emotions from saying good-bye to a love one, to that of letting go of a building where memories were created. He described that, “we tend to think of architecture as solid, stable, enduring, something that at its best will outlast us and possibly say something about us to future generations. Demolition makes powerfully evident the vulnerability, the mortality, of all things standing.”
During his lecture, students had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with Eggener his background in architectural history.
We want to thank The Writer’s Room at the Betsy South Beach and look forward to more collaboration in the future.