Page 72 - Demo

70Elevators as artManson, Clinton Co. (651.03)When John and I began our search for Indiana%u2019s older grain elevators, I was struck by how much they resembled massive works of art. The concrete ones, consisting of 4 or more silos, had smooth sides seamlessly merged together into a visually appealing composition. Those made of wood were artistic arrangements of variously sized rectangles and triangles%u2014all sheathed uniformly in gray, corrugated metal. Although well past their prime, each was a striking combination of basic geometric shapes and solids%u2014all joined together into a functional and useful whole. It was easy for me to see how these buildings, first introduced over 100 years ago, had strongly influenced 20th-century design.The idea that a grain elevator could change the thinking of an architect or designer, may seem pretty unlikely to some people. After all, when these newly invented structures started popping up on the American landscape, they were generally thought of as radical departures from good taste. In fact, they were often considered eyesores because their height competed with the really %u201cimportant%u201d buildings%u2014courthouses and churches. In a time when Victorian gingerbread was prized, their starkness and lack of architectural adornment had no merit whatsoever. Yet, by the end of World War I, fancy pediments and decorative facades were out of fashion and much simpler designs began to take hold. Known as Modernism, this unadorned style was heavily influenced by the principle %u201cless is more.%u201d So, how did this come about? Well, in the early 1900s, photographs of new American grain elevators began reaching Europe. As did images of new factories, filled with conveyors and assembly lines. These massive industrial structures stirred the imaginations of cutting-edge designers. To them, these buildings were not monstrosities. They saw them as examples of a dynamic, technological energy%u2014and symbols of the new century. One of the most influential was the architect Walter Gropius.