In 2005, Kansas City resident Laura Lloyd wrote a letter to the editor of The Kansas City Star. Lloyd said about the Bloch Building: "their awkward size and lack of grace is a source of dismay to more than a few Kansas Citians." Here's what she says now after taking a look inside. http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-596198.mp3
Kansas City, MO – (Laura Lloyd's letter to the editor, The Kansas City Star, January 28, 2005)
Nelson addition
How eloquently letter writers have described the problems with the current construction at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: tall, opaque glass "Butler buildings" crammed too close to the main structure. Their awkward size and lack of grace is a source of dismay to more than a few Kansas Citians.
What happened to the "lenses" of clear glass that were to be scattered attractively on the lawn, providing natural light for new, underground galleries?
I hope my concern reflects an amateur's lack of understanding of modern architecture. As it is, my powers of observation tell me the structures rising on the eastern side of the museum are an aesthetic debacle in the making.
Laura Lloyd