How Famous Landmarks Could Have Looked

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The text discusses various famous buildings and monuments, highlighting alternative designs and interesting facts behind their construction, showcasing the creative process and decision-making that shaped iconic structures around the world. Different rejected designs and proposed ideas shed light on the complex and often ambitious visions that architects and designers had for these landmarks, providing insight into the evolution of these structures and the creative challenges faced by those involved in their creation.

Insights

  • The Eiffel Tower almost became a massive granite lighthouse with bright lights for nighttime visibility, selected from 700 other designs.
  • Mount Rushmore's original plan included more than just presidents' heads, aiming to depict America's entire history, but was scaled back due to Gutzon Borglum's ambitious vision.

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Recent questions

  • What was the rejected design for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris?

    L'Elephant Triomphal

  • Who proposed a Mario Kart-like bridge design for Tower Bridge in London?

    FJ Palmer

  • What was the original intention behind the Statue of Liberty's design?

    Represent Egypt

  • Who judged the competition for the design of the White House?

    George Washington

  • What grand design for the Washington Monument was scaled down due to funding issues?

    Robert Mills

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Summary

00:00

"Rejected Designs for Famous Landmarks"

  • The Eiffel Tower was almost a giant lighthouse made of solid granite with bright lights for visibility at night, among 700 other designs considered before its final selection.
  • An alternative design for the Capitol Building featured a bald eagle-shaped weather vane, which was rejected in favor of William Thornton's grandeur and beauty design.
  • A rejected design for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was L'Elephant Triomphal, a 33-foot tall elephant monument with a spiral staircase into its belly and a complex drainage system.
  • Mount Rushmore was initially planned to include the bodies of the presidents and the entire history of America, but was eventually scaled back due to Gutzon Borglum's ambitious ideas.
  • Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor, began constructing a black Taj Mahal across the river from the original white one, aiming for symmetry, but the project was abandoned due to family conflicts.
  • Alternative designs for the new World Trade Center included Foster + Partners' sun-blotting design, Shigeru Ban's unique proposal, and Richard Meier and Partners' five-tower interconnected design.
  • Rejected designs for the Lincoln Memorial included a giant pyramid and a Greek Parthenon-style building, with the most extreme being the Lincoln Ziggurat, a 100-foot tall tiered pyramid.
  • FJ Palmer proposed a unique figure-eight Mario Kart-like bridge design for Tower Bridge in London, featuring retractable sections to allow ships to pass without disrupting foot traffic.
  • The Statue of Liberty was originally intended to represent Egypt, as Auguste Bartholdi was inspired by Egyptian carvings during his visit in 1855, leading to the creation of the iconic American symbol.

15:20

Architectural designs altered by financial constraints

  • Auguste Bartholdi designed a statue called Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia, 86 feet tall on a 48-foot pedestal, representing Egypt's industrialization.
  • The statue was intended for the Suez Canal but was repurposed due to financial constraints, becoming the Statue of Liberty.
  • The White House's design was chosen through a competition judged by George Washington, with James Hoban's design ultimately selected.
  • Thomas Jefferson, a founding father and architect, submitted a design for the White House competition but lost, later making improvements while president.
  • The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, almost had an art installation called Exo-Burj, turning it into a giant mirror, but financial issues prevented its realization.
  • The Washington Monument's original grand design by Robert Mills was scaled down due to funding issues, ending up shorter than envisioned.
  • The Sydney Opera House almost had a brutalist design by Joseph Marzella but was ultimately built based on Jorn Utzon's more playful and distinctive design.
  • Architect R Buckminster Fuller proposed a giant glass dome over Manhattan in the 1960s for regulated temperatures and cost savings, although the project was never funded.
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