Victor Gruen: the socialist consumerist?

 After this week’s discussion about the impact of shopping malls on culture, I was curious about their roots. Why have I never heard of Victor Gruen? What are his values? What does he think of the suburban monsters he created? What I found was almost the opposite of what I’d expect. 

Victor Gruen was an immigrant architect from Austria before he arrived in the US in 1938 to escape German occupation. He had worked under socialist urban planners in Austria before venturing on his own doing fashionable storefronts. He made a smooth transition into designing posh boutiques on 5th Avenue and went on to design larger department stores across the U.S.. At the tail end of the Depression, his work helped usher in a new age for the American economy. His designs had a sophisticated European flair by incorporating open-air arcades and large window displays. He even joked that while Le Corbusier designed “machines for living,” his stores were “machines for selling.”

It wasn’t until 1956 with the Southdale Center that his urban planning roots merged with American capitalism to birth the mall. However, it was never meant to be the altar of American consumerism we know today. The original plan called for a town hall, police department, library and apartments; much more in-line with his socialist upbringing. Sadly his dream of a town center typology was dismissed and only the shopping mall was built. It was a smash hit and soon replicated over and over again. Gruen had birthed a new typology and was an iconic star; but how does he feel about having to compromise his vision?

Gruen latter regretted the projects,  and is even quoted as saying “I refuse to pay alimony for those bastard developments.” He became very anti-automobile for causing fragmented cities. he became an advocate for architects being involved in environmental planning and started a foundation to further public education about the new concept. He was upset that malls swallowed up large tracts of land for useless consumerism. “It is the unique accomplishment of our era that, for the first time, we are able to destroy faster than nature can replenish." 

I found this very interesting because often in studio projects we design large multi-faceted urban centers, only to have these civic dreams shattered in the real world when developers are less interested in big ideals and more into profit. What do you do if a client does not buy into your whole idea? Is a fractured part still worth it? How would the U.S. look if the Southdale developers had built his entire vision? Was the mall just an inevitable typology?