Just over a year ago, Snøhetta released plans for its revamp of the former AT&T Building (1984), designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. Reaction against the design was strong. Actions to oppose it were swift. And by the summer, the 34-year-old tower was designated a landmark—among the youngest buildings to receive such a designation—thwarting Snøhetta’s vision to replace the rose Stony Creek granite cladding at the base with a scalloped glass curtain wall.
In the meantime, critics debated the actual value of the building—from a design perspective. Sure, its place in the canon of architectural history as the first Postmodern skyscraper was secure, but was it ever really any good?
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