For Immediate Release: January 15, 2010
Media Contacts: Johanna Weber

Parking Garages: Beauty or the Beast - Media Advisory

WHAT
As soon as there were cars, there was a parking problem, and cities responded both by finding ways to fit cars into old structures and inventing a new building type made specifically for automobile storage. As the parking garage's building type evolved, innovative engineers explored the best ways to lay out parking places and create structural systems to accommodate both cars and people. In "Parking Garages: Beauty or the Beast," Ned Cramer will examine some of the world’s most famous architects’ designs for parking structures by looking at plans, models, and final projects from familiar names, including Santiago Calatrava, LeCorbusier, and even Frank Lloyd Wright. The illustrated talk will challenge the field to transform this humble form into works of beauty.

This lecture complements the exhibition House of Cars: Innovation and the Parking Garage, which will be open for viewing, that explores the unique relationship between parked cars and the built environment and encourages visitors to see these familiar structures in a whole new way. It is the first major exhibition to explore the parking garage and open conversations about parking’s role in our society and innovative parking solutions for the future.

WHERE
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001 (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line)

WHEN
Monday, January 25 / 6:30 – 8:00 pm
$12 Museum members & Students with valid ID; $20 Non-member. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability.

CONTACT
Johanna Weber, jweber@nbm.org, 202.272.2448, ext. 2458.

SPONSOR
The presenting sponsor of House of Cars: Innovation and the Parking Garage is the National Parking Association.

The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and planning. Chartered by Congress in 1980 and open to the public since 1985, the Museum has become a vital forum for exchanging ideas and information about the built environment through its exhibitions, education programs, and publications. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Museum Shop. Café. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.www.nbm.org.