Basement Whatever

I think Disney and Las Vegas are the closest the USA gets to the monumental architecture style seen throughout Rome. Monumentalism is architecture designed with massive scale, made to awe the viewer with symbolic power (usually as a symbol of the state). Monumentalism is everywhere in Rome. It’s in Catholic cathedrals. When confronted with monumental architecture, you feel humbled and human, overwhelmed by the style’s colossal proportions and power it projects.

There is some monumental architecture in the United States (Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore). But unlike Rome, there is no single city filled with monumental architecture, designed to make you gasp at every turn.

What do we have that does that? Disney World and Las Vegas. The buildings produce awe due to their audacity. Each corner, particularly in Disney, brings into view a new, curated vista to impress you.

But in the USA, this does not project state power, nor does it humble you. It does the reverse. It humbles itself, invites you. You’re welcome to spend more because of the spectacle, which is for you, and certainly not for itself.

I can’t think of any cities that consistently use monumental architecture to project state power. I think the USA uses monumentalism to project logos and invite the viewer into consumption. I don’t know if this is an evolution (the viewer is welcomed, invited, elevated) or a de-evolution (the viewer is a product, the state is degraded, the individual is elevated above the common good).

But I am pretty sure the USA does not use monumental architecture to serve state purposes the way imperial Rome did. If I’m missing something, let me know.