Something about the Nature of Architecture: The History of the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library

Artwork

Friezes above Rudolph Reading Room

Somewhat controversial among Rudolph's interior design choices was his decision to include old teaching tools from the Beaux Arts era in his otherwise modern building. Plaster casts of the Parthenon's frieze, Donatello, Della Robbia, Assyrian reliefs, and Ionic capitals attached to rods, were just some examples of this. These ornaments are also some of the most persistent components of Rudoph's interior design. Many of the decorations, including the portions of frieze in the Rudolph Reading room, are exactly where they were first placed.

Rudolph admitted that his display was meant to stimulate debate, but also demonstrate a scholar's necessary commitment to history: "It is, of course, easy to criticize the use of plaster casts, but I believe that the purist arguments against using them are outweighed by the effect of their presence in a building devoted to learning" (Rohan, 106).