Early Architectural Photography 1966-69

Italy, Scandinavia, Brazil, Argentina, Romania, Israel

Reviewing architecture photographed fifty years ago raises an important question: what is the meaning of these images for the reinvention of the post-pandemic 2020s?

The 1960s was a revolutionary decade. The protests against the Vietnam war became global. The women’s liberation movement entered into high gear. The civil rights movement had some legislative gains. President Kennedy, Bob Kennedy, and Martin Luther King were assassinated. And for the first time, we saw our planet from outer space. We became aware of the Earth’s limited resources.

During this time, before discovering Wright and Pellegrin, our architecture heroes were Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto. They set the direction of architecture in post-WWII Europe, Le Corbusier with a social agenda expressed through planning and design, and Aalto by braking away from dogmas towards a more organic architecture. These and other architects such as Giovanni Michelucci, Hans Scharoun, Frederick Kiesler and Oscar Niemeyer conceived spaces at a human scale with their eyes closed, without the help of CAD-3D renderings. They created poetry and experimented with forms made out of basic materials and low budgets.

Traveling Across italy 1966-69

Traveling 1967

Traveling 1968

LEARNING ARCHITECTURE BY SEEING

In 1966 we were a newlywed twenty-one years old couple coming to Rome from Israel to continue our studies in architecture. Studying history of architecture with Bruno Zevi influenced our desire for leaning-by-seeing. Photography helped to observe attentively.

We bought our first semi-professional camera, a 35 mm Exakta RTL 1000, and started to explore Rome with our friend Bernard Legé, also a student of architecture. Moving around with his Citroen Deux Chevaux, we visited many of the city’s landmarks spaning in time two thousand years. We also traveled together throughout Italy and hitchhiked from Rome to cities like Siena, Florence, Bologna, Milan, Turin, and Venice.

In 1967, shortly after the end of the Six-Day War, we flew to Israel. After spending a couple of weeks exploring Jerusalem and a long drive throughout the West Bank, we flew to Istanbul. From there we traveled by train throughout Romania.

In 1968 we bought a VW Bug and headed towards Scandinavia. Crossing Switzerland, and Germany, we met with Bernard in Copenhagen and continued together to Sweden and Finland, to see many of Alvar Aalto’s works. Along our path, we also visited and photographed other remarkable works of architecture. On the way back to Rome, we visited some of Le Corbusier’s masterpieces: the Ville Savoye, Ronchamp, La Tourette, the Unite habitation in Marseille.

ITALY 1966 – 1969

Roma - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Roma - Teatro di Marcello - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Roma - Santo Stefano Rotondo, AD 483 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Roma - San Carlino, 1646 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Roma - Mixed-use in via Romagna, 1965 - Pasarelli Studio - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Piazza del Quirinale, 1583 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Roma - Quirinale Steps - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Roma - Quirinale - Salita di Montecavallo - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Florence - View - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Florence - View of Santa Maria del Fiore - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Florence, Arno River - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Florence - San Miniato al Monte, 1018-1387 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Florence - Santa Maria Novella, 1420 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Florence - Santa Croce, 1443 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Florence - Palazzo Pitti, 1458 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

San Giovanni Battista, 1963. Architect: Giovanni Michelucci -© R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Pisa Cathedral, 1092 -© R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Pisa Tower, 1092 -© R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Ravenna - San Vitale, 547 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Ravenna - Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, 505 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Milan Cathedral, 1386-1965- © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Venice -St Mark's Basilica, 1092 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Venice - Santa Maria della Salute, 1631-1687. Architect: Baldassare Longhena © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Vicenza - Teatro Olimpico, 1585. Architect: Andrea Palladio - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Venice - Il Redentore, 1592. Architect: Andrea Palladio - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Pisa - On top of the tower -© R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

THE TRIP OF 1968: AALTO AND LE CORBUSIER

Imatra - Vuksenniksa Church, 1958. Architect: Alvar Aalto - © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights Reserved

Imatra - Vuksenniksa Church, 1958. Architect: Alvar Aalto - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Paimio Sanatorium, 1933. Architect: Alvar Aalto - © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights Reserved

Villa Mairea, 1939. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Otaniemi - Undergraduate Center, 1965. Architect: Alvar Aalto - © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights Reserved

Otaniemi – Undergraduate University, 1965. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

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Otaniemi – Undergraduate University, 1965. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Otaniemi – Undergraduate University Chapel. Architect: Heikki and Kaija Sirén © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Säynätsalo Town Hall, 1949. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Seinäjoki – Aalto Center, 1960-68. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Seinäjoki -Lakeuden Risti Church, 1960. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Muuratsalo Island – Experimental House, 1949.Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Muuratsalo Island – Experimental House, 1949. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Jyvaskyla University, 1959. Architect: Alvar Aalto – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Cemetery Chapel, Finland – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Helsinki – Municipal Theater – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 1958. Architect: Vilhelm Wohlert and Jørgen Bo – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 1958. Architect: Vilhelm Wohlert and Jørgen Bo – With Bernard Lege and Babsi – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Helsinki – Art Nouveau – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Copenhagen – Grundtvig Church, 1926 – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Brussels – Architect: Victor Horta – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

The Hague – Kunstmuseum, 1935. Architect:Hendrik Petrus Berlage – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Amsterdam – Stock Exchange, 1903.Architect: Hendrik Petrus Berlage – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Delft – Technical College, 1964. Architect: Van den Broek and Bakema – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Poissy – Villa Savoye, 1931. Architect: Le Corbusier – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Ronchamp -Chapelle Notre-Dame du Haut, 1955. Architect: Le Corbusier – © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Éveux -Sainte Marie de La Tourette, 1956. Architect: Le Corbusier - © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights

Marseille - Unité d'habitation, 1952. Architect: Le Corbusier - © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights Reserved

Firminy - Maison de la Culture, 1965. Architect: Le Corbusier - © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights Reserved

Paris - Maison du Brésil in Paris, 1959. Architect:Le Corbusier and Lúcio Costa - © R&R Meghiddo 1968 – All Rights Reserved

ARGENTINA AND BRAZIL – 1967

Buenos Aires -Bank of London and South America, 1966. Architect: Clorindo Testa and SEPRA -© R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Buenos Aires – Rioja Housing Complex. Architect:Flora Manteola, Javier Sanchez Gomez, Josefina Santos, Justo Solsona, Carlos Sallaberry, and Rafael Vinoly, 1969-73.

Buenos Aires - National Library of Argentina (completed in 1971) - Architect: Clorindo Testa - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Brasilia - Square of Three Powers, 1960. Architect: Oscar Niemeyer - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Brasilia - President Kubitschek Monument, 1960. Architect: Oscar Niemeyer - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Brasilia - Planalto Palace, 1960. Architect: Oscar Niemeyer - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Brasilia - Itamaraty Palace, Foreign Relations Ministry, 1960. Architect: Oscar Niemeyer - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Brasilia under construction - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Brasilia -© R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Sao Paolo - Art Biennale - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Rio de Janeiro - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

ROMANIA 1967

Bucharest - Stavropoleos Monastery Church, 1724 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Suceava - Moldovita Monastery, 1537 - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Romania - Unidentified church - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

ISRAEL 1967-69

Old City of Jerusalem -© R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Jerusalem - Benei Hezir Tomb - St. james - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Jerusalem - Zechariah Tomb - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Hebron - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Hebron - Cave of the Patriarchs - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Hebron - Tomb of Isaac - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Jerusalem - Shrine of the Book, 1965. Architect: Frederick Kiesler - © R&R Meghiddo 1967 – All Rights Reserved

Jerusalem - Kennedy Memorial, 1966. Architect: David Resnick - © R&R Meghiddo 1977 – All Rights Reserved

Monument to the Negev Brigade - Artist: Dani Karavan - © R&R Meghiddo 1969 – All Rights Reserved

Tel Aviv - Hadar Dafna Offices, 1964-68. Architect: Ram Karmi - © R&R Meghiddo 1969 – All Rights Reserved

Kfar Shmaryahu Synagogue. Architect: Morris Segal - © R&R Meghiddo 1969 – All Rights Reserved

Today we have more tools and information than we are capable of digesting. What we need is humane strategic thinking capable of confronting the challenges that lay ahead of us. I hope that some of the following images may be inspiring.