Inset B Inset C Inset D
( continued from page 25 ) concept fail .
Often regarded as a style borne of post-World War II optimism , MCM architecture draws on the work of the German Bauhaus movement ( 1913-1933 ) and Frank Lloyd Wright ’ s uniquely American design , the Prairie Style . The migration of Bauhaus ideas to North America during and after World War II and the storied career of Lloyd Wright influenced many well-regarded mid-century modern architects . Both design philosophies , and the subsequent MCM style , championed function over form . Generally regarded as modern designs from 1945-1969 , MCM architecture championed new ideas in the post-war optimism , such as open spaces and new technologies , embracing the idea that in rational design , stripped of unnecessary elements , form would follow function .
The EPMAB , an exemplar of MCM design , stands in contrast to the current local landscape of medical architecture , overrepresented by Transitional and Brutalist styles , that says very little to the occupant ( at least nothing that one would want to say to a patient ). Typical elements of MCM style include clean lines , a relative lack of ornamentation , copious natural light through large windows , mixed natural and man-made materials , and open designs . Embodying the ethos of MCM design , the EPMAB is a layer cake of long , clean lines , engaging the sloping plot of land with multiple elevations and entrances ( inset A ). The original main staircase with floating stair treads and vertical steel supports ( inset B ) maintains the long lines in the interior .
The clean and simple lines of the EPMAB structure convey , even today , a sense of modernity while certainly standing in contrast to the complex situations and conversations taking place within . The
form , while austere by design , is alluring in a way that is bereft , by comparison , in many more recent local medical structures .
Simple geometric forms , natural materials and color form the decorative foundation of MCM design . Ornamentation is not absent , but simplified . A most obvious example on the EPMAB is the large Caduceus on the front facade , a sleek and angular interpretation of the original , floating on a curtain of royal blue aluminum ( inset C ). The blue color block adornment is repeated on the exposed brick of the partially subterranean auditorium walls fronting Eastern Parkway . The walls are veneered in three shades of blue glazed brick and adorned with decorative breeze block ( inset D ). These materials are instantly recognizable as mid 20th century , but are better appreciated understanding the novel use of the new materials at the time of the buildings construction . Brick no longer had to be the color of its raw clay and concrete could not only be structural , but decorative .
Demonstrating the use of large windows and abundant natural light in MCM design , the adjacent port cochere with entrance walls and doors of floor to ceiling glass , provided an open space for both automobile and natural light access to building , both emerging innovations at the time . Contrasting the natural light at the entrances and core public spaces of the EPMAB , the use of indirect lighting in the interior halls is a clever and unique feature in the building . Certainly dimmer than contemporary standards , the interior halls exude a calm air when transitioning from public spaces to private offices in the building , with indirect light emanating from backlit fixtures and signage above doorframes ( inset E ).
Natural materials , fieldstone ashlar pattern walls that seamlessly run from the interior to the exterior framed by large windows , are a hallmark of the lobby core on each level ( inset F ). Ashlar pattern walls utilize both clean lines and the inherent allure of natural ma-
26 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE