Much has been made in the media over the last 24 hours of the staging for tonight's historic and highly-anticipated speech by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. The ancient greek temple-inspired architecture, which will serve as the backdrop for this event, has created quite a stir among media types, most notably those inclined to support a third Bush-Cheney term to be lead by universally admired senior citizen Senator McCain.
More below:
Investigative reporter Matt Drudge, who recently rose to prominence after breaking the Bayh/Vice President story, shouts from his content-thin blog "TEMPLE OF DEM ON MOUNT O-LYMPUS", while equally respected journalists such as Laura Ingraham proclaim the stage a proper setting for the official deification of soon-to-be President Obama. Blogger Michelle Malkin, in uncharacteristically partisan fashion, also chimed in, calling the design "Temple of Doom" and predicting that "thousands of worshipers will kneel before the temple and raise their hands dutifully in the Magical O".
It is, of course, perfectly easy to understand all of the skepticism surrounding this curious design choice. On the surface, any sane individual would have a hard time accepting how classical greek architecture wouldn't stand perfectly at odds with a political speech, particularly one of the most important political speeches in this decade. After all, this rare form of architecture has been seldom revived in the United States, so it is natural to understand how certain individuals could have a problem with its use in a setting such as this.
I've included a photo of this fascinating and bewildering structure:
Well, after a thorough investigation on my behalf, many of you will be surprised to find out that greek inspired architecture, or "greek revival" as it is often called in elite circles, has actually been used, albeit in very rare circumstances, as inspiration in American architecture. Please review the photos below which reveal a few examples of this rare design form. While it is true that the majority of these buildings and settings are unfamiliar to most Americans, they still reveal that the movement is indeed not entirely dead, and after this evening may even find a place in American politics after all.
The White House, Washington DC
The Capitol Building, Washington DC
The New York Stock Exchange
The Texas State House
The California State House
Monticello, Virginia
The Stage at the 2004 GOP Convention, New York