When I clicked on Google on Tuesday, I realized that it was the 126th anniversary of the birth of famed “less is more” architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. There are two iconic Mies van der Rohe buildings in Baltimore, one of which I passed every day on my way to the office.
The most well-known of the two buildings in One Charles Center, a building which started the renaissance of downtown Baltimore in the 1960’s.
One Charles Center is a 24 story office building, with an exterior curtain wall of dark brown-finished aluminum, and grey glass. It’s an eight-sided building, although not octagonal, but to fit the building site. 
It’s a stark contrast to some of the older, more elaborate buildings surrounding it, but because of the tall, elegant columns supporting the building, it fits the space and appears almost airy from street level. One Charles Center was built in 1962 and renovated in the 1980’s and again in the 1990’s when it was returned to it’s original design and condition.
The other building is an apartment building, Highfield House, located in one of Baltimore’s most posh neighbourhoods, filled with beautiful old homes, and lawns with not a blade of grass out of place.
Again, this building sits on a series of column, with the ground level open and airy, and of course, with a central lobby filled with Barcelona chairs. On the north and south sides of the lobby, there are open areas, giving the building a lightness. Read about one of the units that’s for sale, here.
When Highfield House was built in 1964, a major concession was made to appease the surrounding neighbourhoods – the building needed have a strong horizontal line, accomplished by designing column-to-column windows, making the building seem shorter than its 15 floors. 
Happy Birthday, dear Ludwig!
I first heard the less is more creed from a graphic artist in the early 1980s. Saw the google cartoon -did not recognize,nor did I google the name -- thanks for the page two- the rest of the story!
ReplyDeleteHi Meg, I love Mies Van de Rohe.. When I lived in New York, I worked next door to the famous Seagram's Building on Park Ave. I think that this particular building must be the most beautiful in all of New York. Mies' genius endures. Thanks. Mary
ReplyDeleteAmazing man, he designed a fab building at 2450 Grand Ave here in Kansas City right in the epicenter of Hallmark Cards Headquarters and Crown Center.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
The 2012 Artist Series
I used to work in the Charles Center building, on the 2nd floor from the top. It was so fun to walk into a fantastic building every day...though I have to admit, around 3 PM, when the sun started really streaming in the western windows, my little workspace got very, very hot.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, dear Ludwig. What design you brought us. Thanks for the heads up, Meg. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteThats where my friend in Baltimore lives that I visit up there! It's a great building -too bad he's moving. His apartment sold IMMEDIATELY (unlike mine)
ReplyDelete