Symmetry for Posterity

I recently found this Civil War memorial in Newburyport’s Atkinson Common. I’d driven by the city park countless times but never entered.

I like the architectural symmetry of the memorial (and of the entire park as evident in this 1908 photo) as it evokes a sense of tranquility.

Without symmetry, writes Witold Rybczynski in a recent Slate article, all those angles and squiggles start to look the same.

Symmetros is a Greek word, and ancient Greek architecture used symmetry as a basic organizing principle. As did Roman, Roman-esque, and Renaissance. Indeed, it is hard to think of any architectural tradition, Western or non-Western, that does not include symmetry. Symmetry is something that Islamic mosques, Chinese pagodas, Hindu temples, Shinto shrines, and Gothic cathedrals have in common.

When you consider many city parks are strips of grass or asphalt with swing sets and port-a-potties, it is refreshing to see a carefully designed park that screams symmetry and serenity for future generations.

No related posts.

Comments: