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Plaza As Public Theatre Of Squalor
- United Nations Plaza became a center of visible homelessness, drug use, and public squalor soon after opening.
- Ben Tempton interviewed residents and workers who described daily scenes of needles, fights, and public defecation.
Halprin’s Grand Civic Vision
- Lawrence Halprin designed the plaza as a formal civic entrance with a 165-foot fountain and granite 'high Sierra' forms.
- He intended the fountain to capture tidal motion and invite people to move through the space.
Maintenance Undermined Design Ambitions
- Technical ambitions failed because maintenance and environmental realities undermined the fountain's systems.
- Pumps and chemicals caused malfunction and killed surrounding trees, degrading the intended experience.