“It’s a genuine copy of a fake Dior.”
—Comedian Alan Sherman (1962)
Early this month, the owners of Philip Johnson’s AT&T building, now under consideration for protection from New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, began to demolish the tower’s monumental lobby. Those in favor of saving the 1984 post-modern icon were caught by surprise. Though a landmark designation would be for the exterior only, the controversial plans by Snøhetta for renovating the base of the building are under review and seemingly would be affected by changes to the existing lobby. Yet this latest flap is just one more distraction from a much larger question: Is the original architecture of the AT&T building even worth saving?
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