European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Airilin p4i1is a amps photos by Peter Jaeger opposing views the Eiffel Tower top photo glimpsed Over the shoulder of an old statue and the massive Grande Arche of la defense. By Don Tate staff writer ask someone of exquisite taste to discuss with you the essence of Paris and you May be in for a discourse on the fragrances of various Fine French perfumes. But that is the wrong answer. The last time your reporter saw Paris was in the late 80s, when the world was t so Bright and Gay. It was april but the weather was Rainy Gray and As cold As the hairs on the Back of Marie Antoinette s Lily White neck As she waited for the Guillotine to come whispering Sweet nothings. Thus it was with grave doubt that your reporter took on the assignment of reporting the alleged Blooming of springtime 1990 in Paris. It would probably be the most miserable budding of Spring in French history. Quot it will probably rain the whole time Quot said a cheery soul. Wrong. Quot extraordinary Quot exclaim two elderly parisians out for a stroll. Quot the Best for this time of year that Ever we be the warm winds blow in the Sun bursts out full of fire and crackle like a can can dancer prancing along the Seine the Trees and streets come alive with color sidewalk cafes suddenly Bloom skirts Rise dangerously legs kick out and if Paris in t the kissing capital of the world Napoleon did t Wear a funny hat. And yet there is said to be a beast Loose a a horror on the prowl trying to consume the City of Light. Its Shadow creeps near the classic Art and heroic sculpture Falls Over bronzed horses and gilded Angels skulls around the great Bridges climbs Over the tall Beautiful Chimney de old houses with the Iron balconies and Zinc and Lead roofs descends sniffing and menacing into the sunniest gardens of Paris. You can hear the horror remarked upon in the staid Lovely Luxembourg gardens which have not yet been invaded by the beast. Traditionalists who sit about in the Sun and Chat and read and play chess and kiss the afternoon away under the statues of Noble French who helped build the wondrous Paris of the Ages lift their Heads and sigh. Quot yes a beast. A you can feel the breath of the beast at the Edge of the excavation across from the louvre. To make space for an underground parking at the Carousel grounds where Napoleon once ran his horses they Are digging Down through layers of civilization says archaeologist David Coxall. Old fortresses Bones and pottery dating from medieval and roman times Back to the Iron age Are being unearthed for the parking of cars. Coxall assistant director of the excavation gazes Down into the diggings and says Quot it s sad a not Only what is happening to the skin of Paris but to the soul of what Pray is happening to the soul of Paris Quot yuppies Quot grimaces this Lover of things old touching his Temple As if trying to push Back some pain. He says the beast called Yuppie is trying to eat Paris up. Coxall a briton who has lived with and loved Paris for Many years says the struggle for Dominion of new is. Old is nowhere More dramatic than in the City Ernest Hemingway called Quot a moveable but the picnic is nearly Over says the archaeologist with a shake of his head. Quot people come looking for the myth but the old parisians have been pushed out to the suburbs. The workers artists can t afford Central Paris anymore. The students Don t live in the latin Quarter anymore. It s office space now. It really started in the late 60s. Quot the yuppies and the tourists and the traffic have taken it Over. It s become a very upper Middle class town dedicated to Money and that s the Way the politicians seem to want though truly monumental places Are probably Invulnerable to Radical change and some like the louvre Are being expanded a Wing under restoration will make it the largest museum in the world Slick bars and fancy eateries with big prices and Little character fast food joints glitzy boutiques and new buildings Are replacing the quaintness of Many less famous old structures he says though the facades of Many Are being saved. Coxall acknowledges that being Yuppie sized is not All bad. Quot they want a More modern functional Paris. They want a clean Paris. But also a tourist Paris. They also want the Best places to live and Are willing to pay a Fortune to have them. Quot these people a relatively Young without children highly paid with enormous acquisitive appetites a change the character of the place. Traditional Street life is disappearing very very quickly. There Are vestiges of the old spirit some places you still feel it but the flavor is dying. It s Money Money Money. not far from the Pont neuf a the name Means Quot new Bridge Quot but it is the oldest Bridge Over the Seine a is the Section w hich once housed the belly of Paris the City Market. It was full of life voltage earthy rhythms a Bull Market in sights sounds smells and ambience. By contrast the multilevel 40,000-Square meter Glass and aluminium shopping and entertainment Complex that replaced it seems cold and Tacky. Quot and sterile Quot grumble traditionalists at what they consider wrecking Ball carnage. Some do More than grumble. A my god unbelievable they Tore it Down those idiots those Bubble Heads Quot snorts a returning worshipper of an older Paris. Quot Why tear such places Down in those Days they really made things with in those Days they built buildings Quot that spoke to you told stories Quot a traditionalist says. There were saints and sinners and epic struggles etched in Stone. They created Bridges that were an adventure to see architecture that was a feast for the Eye. They made such great old shops and restaurants and galleries and hotels. Mary Ryder a new yorker who runs an antique and interiors shop in Paris laughs and says of the yuppies Quot they Don t really care about the age of something. They will buy anything that looks Good. They Are facade oriented. It does t have to be really old As Long As it looks she fondly remembers the Days of the 40s, Quot when we came to Paris with $50 in our pockets and had a great Quot it s changed a lot even the restaurants in new York Are better now. But there s still something about Paris. I still catch my breath crossing the Seine. I can t Ever remembering catching my breath crossing the East another american who has lived in Paris a Long time stresses that in places tradition must give Way to practicality Yuppie or otherwise. Quot some of those Good old places people talk about had t been touched in 150 years and were falling apart Quot he says. Quot urine stood in the hallways. Wires stuck out of the Walls. You could t make a Telephone Call. Nothing touching up Paris is of he says. But in the Quarter of Western Paris known As la defense see pages 12 and 13he and others say there has been an atrocity committed. The Skyline of la defense can be seen from the Eiffel Tower. From that distance it could be Dallas. But who needs Dallas in Paris up close it does t look like Dallas. It looks like. It is difficult to describe what it looks like but probably More like the planet Mongo than Dallas. And nothing like the grand old Paris. One building shaped like a giant accordion looks More like you should play it than work in it. Another seems to have been inspired by an Ocean wave cresting. Another by several tubes of stuck together purple Blue and Brown camouflaged toothpaste. Other shapes look like great shining Glass Chrome plastic steel and aluminium blocks triangles spheroids. A piece of Art in the big Square looks like a Metal preying mantis. Some buildings follow More regular skyscraper lines but the piece de resistance the dominating aesthetic Triumph of la defense is reputedly the configuration called the Grande Arche. The Grande Arche is a huge hollowed out Marble lined cube with 87,000 Square meters of office space inside. One learns that it is As wide As the champs Elysee and that All of notre Dame including the spire could fit in there. Quot i Don t think All of notre Dame including the spire would want to be fitted in there Quot says a traditionalist fighting Back regurgitation. The Grande Arche designed by danish architect Johan Otto von Spreckelsen is supposed to symbolize an open window to the world. But the window seems rather clogged up. The strange Entrance makes it appear As if some errant winged thing or monstrous Parachute got Hung up in the window. The outside elevators Rise like big bubbles through what appears to be temporary scaffolding or outside plumbing. Compared to that other Arch the one denoting Napoleonic Triumph two Kilometres away Johan Otto von Spreckelsen s creation seems to Many observers to belong less to Paris than to Star trek. Nevertheless. Quot i think it is pretty incredible Quot one Yuppie ish visitor marvels. Quot not Many structures make me feel that in defense of la defense he passionately Points out that Paris has needed a Chic Ultra modern area continued on Page 6 the old new april 12, 1990 stripes Magazine 5
