In November of 1994, as a reporter at this newspaper, I interviewed Friedrich St. Florian, the professor of architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. At the time, he was busy designing the exterior of Providence Place.
A native of Austria, St. Florian arrived in the United States in 1962, attending Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar. Since 1963, he has been a member of the faculty at RISD.
I remember that he wore a bow tie and that his office, on South Main Street, was quite cramped. I also remember how committed he was to his profession. His love for architecture was obvious. He looks at buildings and sees a purpose – a plan.
At one point, I asked him to name his favorite downtown building.
“The Superior Courthouse on South Main Street. I like it so much because it is a building that has a difficult task to fulfill. On one side, facing downtown, it has to deal with the much larger scale – the scale of downtown. Also, being a courthouse, it has to have substance. It is symmetrical and stately. …
“On the other hand, as it climbs up the hill and meets Benefit Street, it has to deal with an entirely different scale. The architect was so successful in that way because it so graciously allows itself to diminish in scale and become smaller at Benefit Street. Not only that, the architect introduced – coming down the hill – domestic features. Look at the twin chimneys. …”
St. Florian went on to describe in detail why buildings are built the way they are – and how history plays such a vital role in the process.
Ever since that interview, I tend to look at downtown buildings just a little bit differently.
I bring this up now because St. Florian is getting lots of attention these days. His latest work – nearly a decade in the works – opens to the public on Saturday afternoon, May 29, in Washington, D.C.
St. Florian has designed the $110 million memorial to the nation’s World War II veterans, on 7.4 acres on the National Mall, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
St. Florian should be proud of his accomplishment – of his place in history.
And Rhode Island should be proud to count him among our own.
And now, some random thoughts…
• One would hope that at least some lessons are learned as a result of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island saga, and in particular, the departure of the insurer’s former President and CEO Ron Battista. It seems to me that the general public does not have a big problem with executives pulling in high salaries. But when you start getting six-figure loans forgiven and perks like free acupuncture treatments, as has been reported, then the average Rhode Islander gets angry and wonders, “Shouldn’t he be able to afford that kind of thing on the salary he’s making?”
It’s about greed and expecting something for nothing. And that will lose you the support and sympathy of the general public every time.
• If anyone in the General Assembly has a grand plan for salvaging the 2004 legislative session, now would not be a bad time to break it out.
• If you hadn’t noticed, Rhode Island is in the midst of a real housing crisis. According to the Rhode Island Builders Association, Rhode Island added a little more than one-half of 1 percent to its total housing stock in 2003, which is 12.5 percent below the previous five-year average.
“Housing prices continue to increase faster than income,” said Roger Warren, the association’s executive director. Personal income in Rhode Island increased 25 percent from 1998 to 2003, yet the median sales price for a single-family home increased 87 percent from $122,600 in 1998 to $230,000 in 2003. Remember the term “starter home”? It doesn’t exist anymore.
• A couple weeks ago, the presidents of the University of Rhode Island, the Community College of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College signed a Joint Admissions Agreement that will make it easier for students who start out at CCRI to transfer to URI or RIC. The significance of such an agreement cannot be overstated.
The current state budget proposal calls for tuition hikes at all of our institutions of higher learning.
The cost of a college education – and specifically, the percentage that that cost represents with regard to a family’s overall income – is putting the dream of attending college out of reach for so many people, particularly the growing number of immigrants to Rhode Island.
This immigrant population is critical to the future of the Rhode Island economy. Making sure they have access to affordable education is a long-term investment that has to be made.
Agreements like this one are a step in the right direction and the presidents of all three schools – Robert Carothers, at URI, John Nazarian, at RIC, and Thomas Sepe at CCRI, should be applauded for making it happen.
• I just hope the three-game sweep of New York in April doesn’t turn out to be the highlight of the Red Sox season.
• Is it me or does Rhode Island seem to have an unnatural fascination with doughnuts?
