Historic Films Stock Footage Archive: NT-3103

13:23:13 0.52	Color Bars
13:23:24 11.01	Blank
13:23:30 17.83	Title Slate: The Eleventh Hour - Show #103. Unbuilt New York
13:23:39 26.17	Blank
13:23:53 40.96	From WNET New York graphic.
13:23:59 46.03	Funding for The Eleventh Hour by announcer. Charitable orgs overlay The Eleventh Hour (darkened) graphic.
13:24:09 56.38	Show opener
13:24:31 78.2	Tilt down view of studio, Host Robert Lipsyte sitting on chair next to unknown (yet) guest.
13:24:33 80.5	Host Robert Lipsyte in turtleneck and jacket welcomes viewers, announces show and introduces himself. He speaks to viewers about the architecture of New York and the architectural "plans that never got off the drawing board". He introduces tonight's topic and introduces guest, Architect, Elliot Willensky.
13:25:09 116.64	Pan out from Host Lipsyte to Willensky seated next to him and then announces to an off site segment. They both turn and look at small tv screen next to them.
13:25:30 137.4	Aerial of New York City as it is seen surrounding Central Park. Lipsyte narrates.
13:25:36 143.21	A rendering of same aerial view of the city but with a highway going through the middle of Central Park.
13:25:40 147.17	View of New York City West Side, circa 1946, POV helicopter
13:25:51 158.17	Front entrance Carnegie Hall 1980's with window cards announcing upcoming shows - New York Youth Symphony on December 11, 1988, others obscured.
13:25:55 162.34	Aerial looking down on top of Carnegie Hall and other surrounding buildings. Overlay - rendering of potential giant red skyscraper and Life Magazine headline "A Red Tower Replacing Carnegie Hall"
13:26:03 170.6	POV helicopter hovering over a 76 acre vacant area on the upper west side of NYC, circa 1988-89.
13:26:10 177.38	Same 76 acre area in upper west side NYC, but with a rendering of Donald Trump's PROPOSED "Television City" featuring 8,000 luxury apartments (narration by Lipsyte) and the world's tallest building.
13:26:18 185.4	Cutaway back to studio pan out from small TV to Lipsyte and guest Elliot Willensky, Co-Author, AIA Guide to NYC.
13:26:21 187.97	INTERVIEW - Willensky Robert Lipsyte: what is it with you architecture always messing with perfect things like Central Park or Carnegie Hall? Elliot Willensky Only some architects mess with perfect things. Robert Lipsyte What's in their minds? Elliot Willensky I guess what's in their minds is that architects are trained in this country and elsewhere to express their own very personal point of view. And it's only been very recently that architects have been doing things other than that, considering how what they want fits into the context of what is and what might be in what others want. Robert Lipsyte What drives it money. Elliot Willensky I think what drives it in the architects mind is ego in the developers mind, prestige in the finances, mind, perhaps money. But architects really think of themselves as artists, don't they? I think so. Good architects do. Yeah. Not the people who work for Trump. Oh, I don't think that that's a way to characterize people one way or the other. Robert Lipsyte How would you characterize the people who've thrown up Trump Tower that people have thrown up so many of the things in the city? Elliot Willensky I think that I can't characterize them as individuals, I think that working for Trump must be a very exciting experience. He must be a very demanding client and every architect has to deal with the realities of the world, what the client's brief is, and whether it can be financed and whether the city will provide Robert Lipsyte any this turns an artist into a hired gun. Elliot Willensky no. Architects have always been artists and architects. I don't think I've ever been hired guns. But I think there has been a conversation all through civilization between the architect and someone who commissioned the architect to do something, and that conversation is what makes culture. Robert Lipsyte Okay. Well, let's look at some architectural plans that are really not so much real proposals, as they are kind of political performance. Art. They are fantastic schemes that get us to look at the city and our lives in the city in a new way.
13:28:05 292.25	Host Lipsyte breaking away from interview for a segment on architectural plans in New York City, plans or "political performance art" that allow people to look at the city in a new way.
13:28:21 308.5	View of NYC bridges with a rendering by architect, Raymond Hood, of his idea of placing apartment buildings on the bridges.
13:28:39 325.98	Aerial of Manhattan with a proposed climate controlled glass dome over Mid-town proposed by architect, Buckminster Fuller i 1968 (to protect against pollutiona and atomic radiation.
13:28:56 343.88	Map of New York metropolitan area with a disappearing Manhattan (proposed by Robert Grosvenor in 1975.
13:29:05 352.27	Fade in to the studio, Lipsyte and Willensky looking at small television.
13:29:07 353.97	INTERVIEW CONTINUES - Willensky Robert Lipsyte: Let me ask you about Buckminster Fuller in in the lay person's mind when you think of visionary architects or architects, as commentators. He's the first person that that jumps to mind among architects in the field. Was he for real? Was he a visionary was an artist? Was he a wack? Elliot Willensky Oh, I think he was very much for real. He wasn't an architect. But he's very much for real and was very creative individual. But many of his creative ideas, were ideas that were either too far ahead of our time, or perhaps not ever to see reality. There's nothing wrong with that. He certainly contributed many fruitful ideas that did see reality and perhaps influence many people as a result, Robert Lipsyte do you think an architect has any real responsibility other than to be an artist and to follow his or her vision? Elliot Willensky I think that one of the things that distinguishes architects from artists is that they have a very real responsibility, both ethically and in law. And I think again, that's why architecture is the special art it is. It isn't music, it isn't even frozen music. But it is that very special art. And I think unfortunately, in our culture, people are not as familiar with the meaning of architecture as art, as they should be. I think the more familiar more conversant with music with painting with writing, Robert Lipsyte but it is a frozen art when it's when it's up there.
13:30:35 442.86	Host Lipsyte announces three Architects coming up but cuts to a segment on "some New York fantasies from the fevered pages of Spy Magazine"...
13:30:48 455.93	Woman hailing a cab in New York City, looks up at sky and waves to the clouds where a hovering helicopter appears with the words "off duty" on its underbelly.
13:31:04 471.36	Film transitions to scene of traffic jam at night in NYC - huge movie screen hovering above the traffic
13:31:20 487.11	Film transition to downtown NYC financial center, World Trade Towers buildings in view, with rendering of a huge ferris wheel in between them.
13:31:35 502.29	Sunset over Hudson River, west side of New York with view of New Jersey on other side - silhouette of two people looking over river to Jersey but now a huge reflector reflecting the New York skyline is seen, obliterating the view of Jersey.
13:31:50 517.63	Blank
13:31:51 518.38	The Eleventh Hour graphic
13:31:55 522.04	Wide shot The Eleventh Hour studio with Host Robert Lipsyte sitting with four male guests.
13:31:57 524.14	Host Lipsyte Introduces guests: Lebius Woods, Internationally known for his futuristic urban landscapes; Michael Sorkin, Former Architecture critic Village Voice now working on a model city; Unknown Man in a Welders Mask(?).
13:31:57 524.97	INSERT INTERVIEW: Robert Lipsyte Lebbeus woods, internationally known for his pencil drawings of futuristic urban landscapes. Michael Sorkin, former architecture critic of the Village Voice now working on a model city which will be exhibited later this month at artists space and Tribecca, and a man in a welder's mask. Is this guy with you? Michael Sorkin Yes, yes, he Robert Lipsyte is he What does he represent? Michael Sorkin Well he has been advising us since the inception of our project. And we're not altogether certain what he represents. Although we have speculated along three lines, one, he may be the site of our project. Second, he may be our collective conscience. And third, he may be the living embodiment of the fact that architectural plans no matter how visionary and profound depend on the contribution of 1000s or millions of people who work anonymously, and without recognition Robert Lipsyte This is all very cute, but looking at the way he's dressed, his shoes, his his suit and the way you're dressed. I would I would kind of think he's the money man. I think that he's the guy behind every architectural project in New York. Now, before we look at your proposal for the Trump site, let's look at the Trump site. It's the last big piece of undeveloped land In Manhattan Lebbeus. Michael, maybe you could tell us what we're looking at? Lebbeus Woods Well, it's a beautiful site, first of all, and I think one of the attractions to the site is its physical beauty, maybe not the sort of beauty that would be acceptable in every living room in America, but the industrial ruins, the, the old tunnels, the old rail yards, there's something majestic about them. And it's not just a nostagia, something physical. It has to do with a play of forms, with with all kinds of textures, and subtle colors that we don't really find, maybe in polite society, but exist on this site. So my reason for being interested in it was, first and foremost, because of this physical beauty. Michael Sorkin There are other reasons that we're interested as well, one of them is the long history of the site, both as a kind of place of entry of goods and the history of New York. Second, every architect obviously grows lusty on seeing a site of that magnitude in such a situation. Also, there is a history of the site that has to do with a series of truly grotesque proposals that have been made to date. And finally, the image you're seeing now is an image that juxtaposes the site with a previous vision of an idea about what the city of the future is going to look like. And I think that we were reacting very strongly to that part of the site's content and Robert Lipsyte that tell us exactly what we're going to see in your vision of the site Time Square. Tell us tell us about it. Michael Sorkin Well, you're going to see some proposals that we have made for this site. The proposals are, as you will see, very speculative, very theoretical after their fashion. The visual imagery is accompanied by a series of texts. Robert Lipsyte In the spirit of Jonathan Swift and Mad Max is Thunderdome. The vision of Lebbeus Woods Michael Sorkin, John Young, the scientific shantytown, they call Time Square.
13:33:19 606.68	Pan in on tv screen to the proposed Donald Trump construction site - artistic shots of different steel girders and industrial ruins standing alone against an orange sunset sky, old rail yards.
13:33:46 633.73	A tire floating in marshy water
13:33:53 640.12	The 'bones' of an abandoned structure with high rises in bkdg.
13:33:56 643.13	Other broken down and abandoned structures, railroad tracks on the west side of Manhattan late 1980's. Pan out from the rise of the West Side Highway overlooking an area of broken down structures. Narration by architect touting the physical beauty of it.
13:34:15 662.71	Pan out from a complex of huge apartment high rise buildings of at least 15-20 stories, mostly windows - stark and unattractive buildings and overlooking the West Side Highway.
13:34:34 681.49	Tilt down on the studio where discussion continues.
13:34:37 684.34	Wide shot of the studio. Host Lipsyte introduces next segment, a short documentary film, "Voices of Times Square" on the vision of the architects, Lebbeius Woods, Michael Sorkin and Elliot Willensky and their proposals on Times Square.
13:35:07 714.02	Host Lipsyte introduces next segment, a short documentary film, "Voices of Times Square" on the vision of the Architects, Lebbeius Woods, Michael Sorkin and John Young and their proposals on Times Square.
13:35:20 726.96	Film opens with narration on a homeless man hanging around by a pile of garbage, and another homeless man sleeping in a doorway. it
13:35:34 741.26	Film cuts to black and white renderings about New York City, structures, how people live.
13:36:12 778.96	Film cuts to a slate: Michelin Guide to New York City 2010 Edition Timesquare***
13:36:18 785.32	Film continues with narration and renderings of the architectural scheme for New York City's West Side. /renderings of the area in ruins and odd depictions of the people and life.
13:37:42 869.89	Black.
13:37:46 873.65	Slate from continuing film: Letter from Neville Sharp to Colin Standish. January 11, 2010
13:37:51 878.86	film continues- more abstract renderings and narration about Times Square.
13:39:09 955.97	Fade to dark.
13:39:11 958.5	Back in the studio with Lipsyte and architect guests.. INTERVIEW Robert Lipsyte Okay, I like that a lot. But I read The Fountainhead I saw The Towering Inferno. I know what architects is supposed to do in the society, it seems something kind of very self indulgent about all that. What do you got in mind? Lebbeus Woods Well, what is self indulgence, I mean, what we set out to do here was to examine the real human possibilities for the site, not simply to invoke a lot of architectural imagery. That's why at least half of those images are images of people, of places that don't necessarily talk about architecture, per se. So I don't find it self indulgent, I think it's exploring Robert Lipsyte Wait a minute, this is a city. This is a city that needs houses for people to live in. This is a city that needs people like you guys going to the South Bronx, going to Brooklyn, and creating places that people can live in, instead of, you know, cute science fiction. Michael Sorkin Let me contextualize this for a moment. One of the things we're reacting to Yes, with the fact that this site is the property of the very Prince of self indulgence, who proposes to erect a monument to himself 150 stories high on this very site. Robert Lipsyte I've interviewed this man, and he's not as animated as that. You're, you're invoking Donald Trump. Michael Sorkin We are invoking Donald Trump, who we consider to be, Lebbeus Woods can we just invoke Donald Trump immediately goes down, I don't think I don't think Donald Trump is important. And I think what is what is important is the future of this city. And this site, being a kind of ruin and his present state, which has been studied and re studied 100 times at least, for development into some sort of megalith of capitalism needs to be explored as a site for human use for for human life, as we understand it in New York, specifically New York. And so what we set out to do, and our conversations into the drawings was find a way to express the energy in life in New York, Robert Lipsyte by putting in danger, and Lebbeus Woods that's part of it. Its not only the danger it's the diversity is the complexity is Robert Lipsyte to crop up itself of its own, it doesn't seem to have to be Lebbeus Woods We're not putting danger in it. The danger element, you can't draw, I can't draw dangerous, Elliot Willensky but it's pretentious to say that you will insert these things, the Time Square that we know was not planned to have that inserted, it evolved cities evolved time is what Michael Sorkin Well isn't exactly our point. Elliot Willensky I'm not certain it is time is one of the critical issues you have here an individual who is the anonymous, whatever you want to call him. But time plays a role. The architect cannot establish everything that will be even through such beautiful images as you've created. Michael Sorkin We couldn't agree with you more. And indeed, I think that we proposal is not about the inscription of these images, we've proposed images that are in effect impossible. And that I think, is our message to not bother about architecture Robert Lipsyte If it's impossible why not Michael Sorkin Let me get back to the question of danger. Danger is something I mean, we see what is happening in the Current Time Square. And that's one of the reasons that we've elected to call our project Times Square. And one of the things that's happening in Times Square is people like our late friend here, and his ilk, attempt to associate the idea of the dangerous with the, what the Empowered class is considered to be undesirable elements. In fact Times Square, which is a place of recreation for for people, Times Square, which is a place of diversity and energy is being wiped off the face of the earth. And the argument that is presented in order to enable developers to appropriate this property, which is the scene of an incredible unpredictable diversity, something we celebrate the argument behind which they advance is the idea that it is, quote unquote, dead Dangerous. We would like to propose something that is dangerous to that mentality. Robert Lipsyte Elliot, you're a preserver. Elliot Willensky Yes. Robert Lipsyte Would you preserve Time Square this kind of slime alley that it's become, Elliot Willensky I think to call Times Square slime Alley is to forget, again, time Times Square used to be a place, which was the great living room, the great recreation room for everyone in New York City. And what we see in Times Square today is not as important because it's Time Square, it's important because it reflects the nature of the city and how it has changed. I learned a lot about being civilized, I hope I'm civilized to this day, in Times Square by meeting people I would never meet in any other place, with my family with my mother. And Father. I think that was a wonderful thing for a city to have it no longer has, you're talking about. I'm talking about the years between 1940 and 1950 Robert Lipsyte worked in Times Square in the late 50s and 60s, and it was a tough place. And it's a dangerous place as it is Lebbeus Woods now can I interject something? I think that we have a short amount of time. And it's important to understand where we were coming from on this project. I think that we can debate Times Square and danger and all of these factors for hours on end. But what was important for us because we are parts of an architectural profession that is involved in these proposals for luxury housing on this site, and other types of kind of greed based proposals, we wanted to to use the instruments of architectural design drawing text, to say that there is another way to project an idea of the future onto this site other than the usual sort of plan section elevation, the technical drawings that architects normally distancing themselves from all the social issues. By producing only technical documents, we tried to produce, whether it's for good or ill, whether it works or it doesn't work, we tried to produce a more human, a broader idea through our text and drawings than the normal architect does. So in that sense, it was an experiment in architectural design, that encompassed a much broader idea of the architects responsibility, the architects task, his skills, and so on. Robert Lipsyte If we called it commentary. Would we come closer to what it really is? Lebbeus Woods Only in the sense that any plan for the future is loaded with a certain amount of bias or a certain point of view? Robert Lipsyte Are you proud to be an architect to be called an architect or stuff that's being thrown up? Lebbeus Woods No, well I'm not proud of that stuff. No. And I detest most of it. And in fact, that's why most of my work is involved with paper architecture, if you will Robert Lipsyte you're not getting to build what you want to know. Lebbeus Woods Well, what I want to build is is not profitable for the people who, in our society today have the money to build Robert Lipsyte this guy is not giving you any money. Lebbeus Woods I don't want his money as a matter of fact, and I wouldn't accept it, Robert Lipsyte you wouldn't know why not. Lebbeus Woods Because he would control the ends that it would produce. Not the city, not the people of the city, not the architect, he would control it. And I don't think that he is wise enough. Or others like him, he's just one of many. There are many others who are less celebrated, Robert Lipsyte We are going to have to leave it there. the people who have the money don't often have the dream.
13:46:49 1416.46	Host Lipsyte ends interview and cuts to another look at the proposed Trump site under the West Side Highway.
13:47:10 1437.11	Pan out from a sort of scenic view through trees of the Hudson River to steel girders of the West Side Highway and down to the ground.
13:47:17 1444.58	Boy carrying long wooden sticks places sticks on chairs under bridge.
13:47:29 1456.78	Wide shot cement wall covered in graffiti, man standing amidst garbage, steel beam in foreground.
13:47:35 1462.05	Homeless man walking under highway, garbage everywhere, traffic is heard. With narration
13:47:42 1469.9	Homeless Black woman, with wool hat, scarf, sweater, standing near chain link fence speaking to unseen unknown interviewer about how she has lived homeless for five years and has taught
13:49:59 1606.26	Host Lipsyte thanks guests, announces the show and introduces himself. Show ends.
13:50:12 1619.25	Credits over scenes from the program.
13:50:29 1636.28	Funding by announcer. Charitable orgs overlay The Eleventh Hour graphic
13:50:57 1664.6	End Reel.