Architectural controversy nearly caused Scully to leave Yale in ’99
Vincent Scully spent an entire lifetime at Yale: first as a student, then as a professor for over six decades. But a debate over the partial demolition of the Yale Divinity School in the late 1990s almost caused Scully to sever ties with the University.
In 1996, when Yale made public plans to demolish four structures at the back of the Sterling Divinity Quadrangle as part of the Divinity School’s renovation, Scully sent an impassioned letter that October to University President Richard Levin.
In the letter, Scully said the demolition of the buildings was “beneath Yale.” The...
Though it would seem impossible, my respect for Professor Scully has again increased.
He has stated: "Just constitutionally, I think we should adjust to buildings. That's much more humane. We shouldn't demand that buildings fit our needs perfectly." http://www.yale.edu/opa/arc-ybc/v33.n13/story7.html. This fits with a rejection of the rigid claims of determinism of Modernism and it's totalitarian notion of "toughness": "One of the myths Modernism used to have was that you should be tough with buildings. Modern buildings age quickly, so you should have the guts to tear them down in 20 years, which I think is ridiculous. We expect our buildings to outlive us. It's very important. The continuity of what we build in cities goes back to the very first cities of mankind. The idea fundamentally is that architecture should be permanent." Id. Here, however, Professor Scully is being tough where it makes sense, against a needess, heedless destruction.
I have come to appreciate Professor Scully's humanity and sensitivity more and more over the years.