The Atheneum
200best ES
Richard Meier
1979
Type
Cultural
Tags
landmarks, in the park, spaces of encounter, 200Best
Visitability
Allowed
Description
This small building is the gateway for visitors to New Harmony (Indiana), a town acquired in 1825 by Robert Owen to implement an urban utopia based on Fourier’s phalansteries. The building is located close to the town, serving as a gateway for visitors arriving by the river. A path through the meadow marks the entrance to the town, to which it leads progressively and without interruption along a continuous architectural promenade. Along the ascending path, the broken planes that make up the perimeter allow visitors to observe the landscape as they walk through the exhibition spaces. At the end of the path, as in Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, visitors reach the roof terrace, where they feel they have arrived at their destination, ready to head for the large ramp leading to New Harmony. This building is an example of Richard Meier’s architectural language: although influenced by Le Corbusier and the modern movement, Meier uses formal elements more freely, creating fragmented spaces and blurring the indoor outdoor boundary.