2007年NPR美国国家公共电台四月-In 'Nickel's Chicago,' a Lost City's Lost

Historic preservationists are often passionate¹ in their zeal² to keep the wrecking³ ball from beloved buildings. One man even died in the process. Richard Nickel spent years with his camera, documenting and arguing against the demolition⁴ of buildings in Chicago. 35 years ago Nickel died trying to preserve in pictures a building by architect Louis Sullivan. A new book of his black and white photographs has just been published. From Chicago, Edward Lifson tells us about Nickel's life.

In the 1960's and early 70's, architecture photographer Richard Nickel watched the demolition of so many buildings by Louis Sullivan and other masters turn of the century architects that he wrote, I look forward to the day, when I never have to enter a wet, charred⁵, smoky building again.

A few of Louis Sullivan's buildings still stand here, such as the State Street Department Store, with its windows framed by swirling⁶ metal ornaments⁷, celebrating the growth of seeds and leaves and trees. And the celestial⁸ Auditorium⁹ Theater still presents music and dance. But after World WarⅡ, such buildings fell like leaves in autumn, to make space for a new way of life. That's when the young photographer Richard Nickel started trying to preserve on film what he felt society was losing.

The new book of black and whites was co-edited by Michael Williams and Richard Cahan, who says the chronology of the book tells a story.

It's like watching a train, as a long train goes by you, // you see the cars as you get the rhythm of the train. You stop looking, and then when the caboose comes by, all of a sudden, you take a close look, because that's the last moment you // see the train, and part of the beauty of his pictures is that these buildings are about to go under, you will never see them again.

While in Chicago photographer Joel Meyerowitz has picked up a copy.

I am astonished , I am pleased these guys are really good photographers.

Meyerowitz also has photographed lost buildings and people and culture, at Ground Zero in New York.

His pictures are eloquent¹⁰, beyond in words . They show us the greed, the corporate¹¹ greed that infects our cities and has made them less livable, terms of how they blot¹² out the light and reshape our urban experience. And he didn't use any tricks as guide, he let his heart guide him.

And his fury, says the Nickel book's co-author, Richard Cahan. I think he saw that something was wrong, and he wanted to change it, but he knew that the forces were way too great to change it.

By day, Richard Nickel would picket¹³ in front of buildings slated¹⁴ for demolition. He would write angry letters at night, and he would sneak¹⁵ into the buildings when the wreckers had gone home. Architect and preservationist John Vinci would often join him to photograph and salvage¹⁶ Louis Sullivan's unique organic ornamentation.

We never thought about it as dangerous, we had other close calls, but nothing like what happened.

On a gray April morning in 1972, Richard Nickel, 43 years old, went by himself into Louis Sullivan Stock Exchange. He did not return home that night. John Vinci and other friends spent a couple of days looking for Nickel in the Stock Exchange rubble¹⁷.

And it was raining and damp, and we were, you know, walking around, saying Richard, Richard, no Richard. Then we found his camera and his hat, I think, and his suitcase.

Part of the building had collapsed¹⁸ on him. It took four weeks to find his body. Richard Nickel never completed the photograph catalogue he wanted to compile of all of Louis Sullivan's buildings. And they continue to be torn down.

But Sullivan himself said, form ever follows function. That's true of cities, too. If their goal is to look forward and foster commerce, then you could argue, who needs an old Louis Sullivan building.

So John Vinci was asked, what is the lesson of Richard Nickel's life.

Oh, gosh, the lesson of Richard Nickel's life, um, you need to be careful when you go into a building that's being torn down.

Vinci saved his friend's negatives, more than 11 thousand of them, and he started the Richard Nickel Committee and Archive. It displays fragments of Louis Sullivan buildings and original photographic prints. The Archive is in the basement of an old Victorian greystone, on a nice North Side street, while on which they are tearing down old buildings to build condos. From NPR news, I am Edward Lifson , in Chicago.

You can see examples of Richard Nickel's architectural photos, plus a self portrait, at NPR.org,

You are listening to All Things Considered from NPR News.

1 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

2 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

3 wrecking   

破坏

参考例句：

• He teed off on his son for wrecking the car. 他严厉训斥他儿子毁坏了汽车。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Instead of wrecking the valley, the waters are put to use making electricity. 现在河水不但不在流域内肆疟，反而被人们用来生产电力。 来自辞典例句

4 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

5 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

7 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

9 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

10 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

11 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

12 blot   

vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍

参考例句：

• That new factory is a blot on the landscape.那新建的工厂破坏了此地的景色。
• The crime he committed is a blot on his record.他犯的罪是他的履历中的一个污点。

13 picket   

n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫

参考例句：

• They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
• Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。

14 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

15 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

16 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

17 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

18 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。