The Arcades Project - Operi

decisive impetus, within this period as a whole, for the revolution in artistic forms.
To build a palace out of glass and iron seemed to the world, in those days, a
fantastic inspiration for a temporary piece of architecture. We see now that it was
the first great advance on the road to a wholly new world of forms . ... The constructive
style, as opposed to the historical style, has become the watchword of the
modern movement. When did this idea make its triumphal entry into the world? In
the year 1851, with the Crystal Palace in London. At first, people thought it impossible
that a palace of colossal proportions could be built from glass and iron. In the
publications of the day, we find the idea of assembling iron components, so familiar
to us now, represented as something extraordinary. England can boast of having
accomplished this quite novel task in the space of eight months, using its
existing factories, without any additional capacity. One points out triumphantly
that ... in the sixteenth century a small glazed window was still a luxury item,
whereas today a building covering eighteen acres can be constructed entirely out
of glass. To a manlike Lothar Bucher, the meaning of this new structure was clear:
it was the undisguised architectural expression of the transverse strength of slender
iron components. But the fantastic charm which the edifice exerted on all souls
went well beyond such a characterization, however crucial for the program of the
futul'e; and in this regard, the preservation of the magnificent row of trees for the
central transept was of capital importance. Into this space were transported all the
horticultural glories which the rich conservatol'ies of England had been able to
cultivate. Lightly plumed palms from the tropics mingled with the leafy crowns of
the five-hundred-year-old elms; and within this enchanted forest the decorators
arranged masterpieces of plastic art, statuary, large bronzes, and specimens of
other artworks. At the center stood an imposing crystal fountain. To the right and
to the left ran galleries in which visitors passed from one national exhibit to the
other. Overall, it seemed a wonderland, appealing more to the imagination than to
the intellect. 'It is with sober economy of phrase that I term the prospect incomparably
fairy-like. This space is a summer night's dream in the midnight sun'
(Lothar Bncher). Such sentiments were registered throughout the world. I myself
recall, from my childhood, how the news of the Crystal Palace reached us in
Germany, and how pictures of it were hung in the middle-class parlors of distant
provincial towns. It seemed then that the world we knew from old fairy tales-of
the princess in the glass coffin, of queens and elves dwelling in crystal houses-had
come to life . .. , and these impressions have persisted through the decades. The
great transept of the palace and part of the pavilions were transferred to Sydenham,
where the building stands today;!! there I saw it in 1862, with feelings of awe
and the sheerest delight. It has taken four decades, numerous fires, and many
depredations to ruin this magic, although even today it is still not completely
vanished." Julius Lessing, Das halbe ]ahrhundert der 'Weltausstellungen (Berlin,
1900), pp. 6-10. [G6; G6a,1]
Organizing the New York exhibition of 1853 fell to Phineas Barnum. [G6a,2]
'OLe Play has calculated that the number of years required to prepare a world
exhibition equals the number of months it runs . ... There is obviously a shocking