Reply to How did such beautiful infrastructure get built from 1900-1950?

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[quote=Anonymous]There's a design aesthetic issue as well.  Depending on your sensibilities, the mid-century architectural aesthetic for public buildings is often described as "brutalism".  Pretty sharp contrast to the types of art-deco buildings constructed earlier in the 20th Century.

I don't know the extent to which cost was a factor, but I don't think it was the main driver of the change in design.  While designs have changed to favor somewhat more organic appearances since then, ornate designs like Union Station and Grand Central are still not what people are designing today.

I think the PP talking about maintenance also has a point...and also there is simply less care put into a single building project nowadays regardless of costs.  Finally, it might have something to do with the values of the people doing construction.  Most projects nowadays are public-private, with much of teh decision-making authority in private hands. I think you still see some nice religious structures being built (for example there are some gorgeous newly constructed Mormon temples), but in general I think people don't value architecture as much anymore. That's starting to change as people become more aware of the impact the built environment has on other aspects of health and well-being, but it's a major attitude shift.[/quote]

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