Part THREE! Modernism and History

This is a picture of downtown Plattsburgh.  On the right is an obelisk built in 1926 celebrating Plattsburgh’s (and the nation’s) military victories; on the left is City Hall, which was built in 1917.  Like much of the architecture downtown, these are examples of the “Classical Revival Style” that dominated city planning from World War I (1914) to roughly 1930 in America. The obelisk draws from (revives) Greek/Egyptian monument traditions (there are also Roman military friezes around the base), while City Hall recalls the Greek pantheon.

The historical society is looking for a tour guide to teach people about this time period (the 1920s) in American history and how this architecture represents the major concerns/interests of this period.  As a modernist scholar (and Willa Cather fan), you know this is your one shot to set the record straight!!!!---

     * to explain once and for all what the 1920s interest in “revival” was really like,

     * what were the traditions/times that artists sought to recover, 

     * how the “Classical Revival Style” reflects or doesn't(!) the energies of the
            1920s.    

Use Cather’s work as your jumping off point; a very good answer will draw on her text, as well as consider the ways other artists (or schools of artists) would have responded to Euro-classical monuments celebrating military victories and government in America.

You can frame your address as a fiery speech or a well-reasoned letter to the editor.