Exhibit of the futuristic New York City that never was

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/10/05/exhibit-of-the-futuristic-new.html

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I am reminded of Unbuilt America which is a fun book. https://www.amazon.com/Unbuilt-America-Forgotten-Architecture-Jefferson/dp/089659341X

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I think the Fuller photo represents the Housing Bubble.

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If that’s so they’re gonna need a bigger bubble.

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Fuller was optimistic. 1960, you know.

:slight_smile:

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Am I doing this right?

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I wouldn’t mind imprisoning midtown Manhattan.

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“Buckminster Fuller created this striking 1960 overlay photograph “Dome Over Manhattan” in 1960.”
I’ve seen it before, but I could have sworn it was from 1960.

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New York that never was? Or New York that isn’t yet?

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The future in reality was much simpler:
Just build a bunch of big-ass condos everywhere.

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Brought to you by: General Electric’s ‘Home of the Future’!
“It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow!
Shining at the end of every day!”…

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“Dome over Manhattan” was created by architect and engineer Thomas C. Howard of Synergetics, Inc for an exhibition for the Museum of Modern Art in 1959. At the time MOMA had a garden exhibition “3 Structures by Buckminster Fuller” which included an octet truss designed and built by TC Howard of Synergetics, Inc., a radome by Geometrics, Inc, and a tensegrity mast designed and built by Shoji Sadao and Edison Price. When the curator of the museum realized Buckminster Fuller did not design any of the work; he merely patented it, MOMA offered to exhibit work by these associates of Buckminster Fuller. The “Dome over Manhattan” was one of the pieces exhibited by TC Howard. (several different versions were displayed. When the show ended, TC gave the art to Bucky and when Bucky died his heirs sold his belongings to Stanford University; much of which is actually property of Synergetics, Inc and TC Howard’s original work. Bucky was neither an architect nor an engineer. He was a lecturer and patented anything and everything. - Synergetics, Inc historian and TC Howard’s daughter

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