This article was originally posted on DenverPost.com on May 3, 2004.
Daniel Libeskind returned to Denver last week to check on the
progress of a $90.5 million addition to the Denver Art Museum under
construction at the former intersection of West 13th Avenue and
Acoma Street.
The New York City-based architect oversaw the design of the
building, which is expected to open in 2006. But most of his time
now is devoted to the coordination of a master plan for the
reconstruction of the World Trade Center site.
The Denver Post asked Libeskind about the museum addition and his
life in New York.
Q: What is your sense of how things are going on the new building?
A: Oh, fantastic. We are on budget. We are ahead of schedule. And
the site is looking fantastic.
Q: Have there been any surprises as this has gone along?
A: No. I think an architect has to know what they are constructing.
If they are surprised, they are doing something wrong. My surprise
has been how much excitement this site has for the people who are
working on it. I spoke yesterday to a couple of people working. There’s one guy
who asked for a transfer. He was a crane operator in Florida, and
he saw the drawings and said, “I want to be back into bolting.”
And another guy who was about to retire told me he didn’t want to
retire. He wanted this to be his project.
Q: You’ve been out here a lot. I’ve been surprised that you’ve been
able to squeeze so many visits into your schedule.
A: For an architect, this is probably the most exciting – to see a
building really go up. When it’s finished, it’s finished. Then it’s
out of your hands. It begins its life. But right now, it’s such an
exciting time to see a building go up. And it’s fantastic.
Q: What was it like having the design and construction of your New
York apartment splashed across the pages of New York magazine?
A: Lucky for me, I’m too involved in other things to care about my
closets and my little kitchen, so I was able to trust it to a
friend. And, of course, building something in New York, even
something small is not so easy. We were supposed to move in
November, and I think we’ll maybe be lucky to move in June. But
it’s been a lot of fun. And it’s a wonderful place, I think.
Q: You have become this celebrity figure in New York. Has that
gotten in the way of your work?
A: I’m approached by a lot of people all the time. They approach me
with care. They want to know how things are going. They care about
ground zero, the memorial, the site and the building. That’s a very
moving experience. What happened at ground zero belongs to every person in the world,
and we should not be surprised that people truly, really care. I
don’t take it as celebrity. It’s not about the glorification of
architecture. It’s about people wanting to say, “This means a lot,
Mr. Libeskind, do your best for me.” And that’s my job.
Critic-at-large Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or at
kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
