Title card: Who Built this Place?: The Once and Future Landmark
Thelma, “she of the nimble fingers,” introduces the documentary
Bunker Hill Monument and the adjacent statue of Dr. Joseph Warren, an American patriot, at the Boston National Historical Park in Charlestown, Massachusetts
Robert M. Morgan, Chairman of the Government Center Commission
Dallas officials begins arrangements to build a new city hall designed by I. M. Pei and approved by Mayor Erik Jonsson
Off to San Francisco, California
John R. Beckett, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Transamerica Corporation
Atlanta, Georgia
Boston Mayor John F. Collins congratulates two Columbia University architecture professors, Gerhard Kallmann and Michael McKinnell, for winning the open competition for a new City Hall
Back in Dallas, city officials argue over a budget for Pei’s design
Back in San Francisco, the Transamerica company announces moving location across the street. They seek to build a 55-story headquarters building on Montgomery street.
Architect Micahel Pereira speaks about the pyramid design
Activist and manufacturer Alvin Duskin protests the new high-rise building
Back in Atlanta
In Boston, construction for city hall begins
A “message of interest” demonstrates the battle between Transamerica and anti-pyramid activists
Back in Dallas, I. M. Pei presents revisions, and arguments over the budget persist
In San Francisco, Public Relations manager for Transamerica recounts the construction planning process
Back in Boston, builders finally complete the new City Hall
Architect Richard L. Aeck discusses the design for a new Citizens and Southern Bank in Atlanta
The new Citizens and Southern Bank in Atlanta
In San Francisco, the Transamerica Pyramid opens it’s doors on March 28, 1972
On September 19, 1969, Mayor Kevin White turns on the fountain of the new Boston City Hall
Footage of pedestrians enjoying the new Boston City Hall
On August 14, 1972, construction on Dallas’ City Hall begins
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Written, produced and directed by Dallas filmmaker Samuel Hudson, this 1972 television documentary takes a look at the nature of urban landmarks. The film provides several examples, including the Boston City Hall, the San Francisco Transamerica Pyramid, the Dallas City Hall, and the Atlanta Citizens and Southern Bank. From planning to constructing, the process of creating an iconic structure is less than straightforward, and often times, architects, city officials, and concerned citizens are at odds. However, the buildings are built, and locals either love or hate them. The Once and Future Landmark is the second episode of the PBS documentary series called Who Built This Place? Award-winning composer Paul Alan Levi wrote the ragtime piano score, performed by actress and narrator, Helena Humann. Along with Humann’s commentary, the score holds the somewhat fragmented structure all together.
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