Modernity
Pictured above is the Old San Antonio National Bank Building next to the
other buildings on its block. Here you can see a difinite contrast between
the Victorian architecture of the late 19th century and the squared, modern
architecture of the the early and mid 20th century. In John Ruskin's "The
Stones of Venice," Ruskin describes the superiority of the Gothic architecture
to the rising modern architecture, stating that modern is boring and offers
no emotion. While I tend to disagree with Ruskin, the contrast between
the modern and the Gothic is apparent.
Downtown San Antonio is great place to see this contrast, because there
are many Victorian buildings still standing. And amongst these Victorian
structures are many of the even more modern glass buildings, such as the
Bank One building which can viewed directly opposite the Old San Antonio
National Bank Building. One example of such a Gothic building is the Catholic
Church for St. Mary's Catholic School, also downtown. Here, Ruskin's "steep
gables" and windows with "pointed arches" are very clear and obvious, as
described on the Victorian Gothic
page. Also, the view in this picture will allow a contrast between
the old and the new.
