After three years and tens of thousands of dollars (of debt) of school, I realized that Architecture's base is rooted in conspiracy, deception and corruption. I don't mind, I'm sure that architecture as a profession has advanced to a point where its origin doesn't matter. However, it is my belief that in order for that origin to not matter, we have to at least address and note those deeds mentioned above that are so rooted in the culture of architecture today.

While the role of architect has been around longer than history is recorded, we can actually pinpoint a time when the term "architect" thrust itself into vocabulary. It was Vitruvius, who was so mystified with the Parthenon on the Arcopolis in Greece, who invented the word from the Greek arkhitekton (arkhi: chief; tekton: builder). In school, professors, lecturers and visiting architects claimed that arkhi meant "first", in essence downplaying the obvious hierarchical leanings of the profession. But we know that architects were not the first builders, since humans had been "building" their own homes for thousands of years before civilization was ever thought of. Arkhi meant chief, or master, and we can see that concept at play in the very building that the profession is rooted in: the Parthenon.

Once again, this isn't a critique of the building, or the architecture, or the culture surrounding the Parthenon. But just as to understand Greek democracy by realizing that very few people were allowed to participate (at best, only white men who had land), to understand the Parthenon, we have to realize why it was built, and it's safe to say that it wasn't about religion.

The Parthenon that we know today isn't the original Parthenon. The first one was destroyed in 480 BCE by Persians upset by Athens' foreign policy of Colonization. The Greeks finally defeated the Persians by 479 BCE, and they just loved the fact that a "free" society defeated a society ruled by a king. But it was Pericles, an Athenian politician who's height of power lasted from 461 - 429 BCE, who pushed for the rebuilding of the whole acropolis, beginning with the Parthenon. Just for the record, Pericles helped gain political power by giving away land which didn't belong to him.

At this point in time, the Greek Poleis were joined together in a federation called "The Delian League". But although it was a federation, Athens pretty much ruled the League (the Greek name is actually better translated to "Athenians and their Allies"), probably due to their wealth and power (military might). The reason for the League was to use the common fund, contributed by each Polis, to defend against Persia. But for the time being, Persia had yet to attack again, and the money was piling up. For some reason, the kitty was moved to the Acropolis at Athens, which kind of upset and annoyed the rest of the Greek Poleis.

It was also around this time that Pericles began pushing for all of the Greek poleis to chip in to help rebuild the ruins of the Acropolis. None of the other poleis, however, wanted to finance Athenian pride, so they refused to chip in. Eventually, Pericles decides that the endeavor is too important for him and the Athenians, so he finances the project himself. However, this means that he merely plunders the reserves of the Delian League that were conveniently stored on top of the Acropolis. It must be remembered that Pericles was not a religious man, and was rarely heard to mention anything about Athena or the other gods and goddesses; he was mainly known for his pride of Athens as a city. So when we imagine the Parthenon sitting atop the Acropolis, we have to remember that it wasn't religious intent that built it; it was pride and deceit.

But, disregarding the amoral financier, what about the artisans who actually built it? Weren't they led by the spiritual and metaphysical concept of order on earth to represent the order of the gods? While we don't know too much about the contractor, Callicrates (Kallikrates), or the architect, Ictinus, we do know a little about the artisan who oversaw the entire construction: Pheidias. Pheidias was actually the most famous artist of his time. He acted as supervisor of all architectural and artistic works for the Acropolis and constructed a forty-foot high sculpture of Athena. However, he was also known for not believing in the gods, and even running with a crowd known as atheists. He also placed the figures of Pericles and himself in the shield at Athena's foot, which led to more accusations of impiety. Later, he was indicted for stealing gold and ivory from the statue.

(Oh, so how was the Parthenon destroyed again? Remember how Athens defeated the Persians? Remember how Athens stole from the other Greek Poleis? Well, in 404 BCE, Persia helped Sparta defeat Athens in the Peloponnesian war, in which the Parthenon was blown up.)

What does this mean for Architecture today? Brooklyn's President is trying to get the famous Frank Gehry to create a building for the controversial Nets Stadium project in Brooklyn. I'm biased, so I see it as being offered a "Gehry" for the right to destroy an economically growing neighborhood in Brooklyn and put up a brand new huge monolithic sports stadium. It's a money grab conducted by the financier, in this case a man named Bruce Ratner (not to mention that the citizens of Brooklyn will be financing much of it as well), and the politician Marty Markowitz who is selfishly boosting his pride by trying to complete something that has been his vision ever since he can remember. In this instance, the architecture is nothing. It's merely a carrot to dangle, since the name "Gehry" conjures up visions of neighborhood revitalization and tourism dollars. But that's only because people who are going on vacation see the name "Gehry" and think to themselves, "I'll have to go see that building, since it's a Gehry."

I happen to like Frank Gehry's work. I'm not sure if it's intellectual, but I don't really care about that all the time. His buildings are fun and whimsical, and when I see them I remember how when I was a kid I thought that in the future we wouldn't live or work in squares and boxes. However, I'm glad I know enough of architectural history to realize that what's being played out in Brooklyn is as old as architecture itself. Give the people an image, a symbolic offering, and if you're a politician or financier you can dangle that image just long enough to make a few quick bucks at others' expense.