Slate | 18 October
2013
By J. Bryan Lowder
[…] Assuming that
your campus did have a Brutalist building, you’ve probably been told a lie
about it that goes something like, “Hideous, right? The administration chose
that design because it was good at preventing student riots and occupations.”
The notion, apparently, is that the style’s typically complex floor plans,
dazzling edifices, and oddly placed entrances would discourage those kinds of
activities. I’ve heard versions of this tall tale used to explain both the
International Affairs Building at my alma mater, Columbia, as well as the North
Academic Center at City College, looming as it does a few blocks from my home
in Harlem. Colleagues have heard similar apologies in reference to structures
at schools all over the place. For years, we’ve all passively accepted this
story; however, a little research shows that it is exactly that—a myth. […]