Ala. Building Can't Shake Swastika Shape (Picture-WOW)

[underpants]

Source: AP

DECATUR, Ala. (AP) — From the ground, the Wesley Acres Methodist retirement home looks like any other building. But fly over in an airplane, and the outline is unmistakable: It's one big swastika.

Prompted by complaints from a Jewish activist, the agency that owns the government-funded building is planning to alter its shape to disguise the Nazi symbol. The move comes just a few years after a $1 million design modification meant to quiet similar complaints from a U.S. senator.

Wesley Acres provides government-subsidized housing for 117 low-income people ages 62 and above. Most have no reason to suspect their hallways take on a sinister shape.

The one-story building, designed in the mid-1970s and completed in 1980, underwent a $1 million alteration in 2001 with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development following complaints by Democratic Sen. Howell Heflin, who has since died. But the addition of two wings did little to hide the offensive shape, and in some ways accentuates it.

The latest push to rid the landscape of the broken cross shape follows complaints from Avrahaum Segol, the same Israeli-American researcher who last fall helped publicize a swastika-shaped barracks at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. The Navy said it would spend about $600,000 to alter the building, which opened in the 1960s, but the work has not yet been done

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gtBtqvX-pRybOul3_ZI3N7hz4nFgD8VD6MHG0

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This aerial photograph taken Wednesday, March 12, 2008, shows the Wesley Acres retirement home in Decatur, Ala. Prompted by complaints from a Jewish activist, the agency that owns the government-funded building is planning to alter its shape to disguise the Nazi symbol.
(AP Photo/Jay Reeves)

[gulfcoastliberal]

1. Swastika's seems to be a common (gov't) building theme:

[underpants]

2. Window space? Accident?

Boys from Brazil?

[Infinite Hope]

29. What is that? n/t

[rateyes]

3. Must've been a skinhead who designed that facility. nt

[Captain Angry]

4. To be fair.

There aren't a whole lot of options on how to expand a structure on a fixed property size.

You can build up, which isn't practical in some climates or soil conditions.

You can lose the windows by building in between the buildings, and break fire code in many cases.

Or, you can spread out in a very unfortunate design to maximize the use of the land you have available to you.

[underpants]

5. Yes that is true

but no one ever caught this on the design table?? or did they just figure they would pass it through and no one would notice?

Inexpensive air travel, who knew?

[enlightenment]

7. There's an old saying - "when you hear hoofbeats, think

horses, not zebras."

There are enough logical explanations for this building design without having to leap into conspiracy theory territory.

Nazi Germany appropriated the design for their own use. It's been around for a very, very long time, across numerous cultures. It is a regular, repetitive, design that is pleasing to the human eye because of that regularity. The "Greek Key" is another example of a regular, repetitive design. Nazi Germany could have appropriated that one instead. It's just a design, not a secret code.

[underpants]

8. I am learning so much here

I have seen the left spinning schwastika in religous ceremonies in some mid-asian (don't know what you call it) area faiths.


I didn't know about Greek Keys-yes I could see how they could have adopted that.

[14thColony]

10. It is a very ancient symbol

Not only is it the Greek Key, but it's found in Native American cultures, Asian cultures, other European cultures. The Nazis simply grabbed it and used it; they didn't invent it. Until the 1930s it had no negative connotations at all. It was The Running Man, The Wheel of Life, or the Wheel of the Sun, depending on the culture. The Finnish Air Force used as their national symbol on their aircraft starting in 1918, long before Hitler's Nazi Party existed. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Finland_roundel_WW2_border.svg). And I've seen it engraved into a 3rd Century Roman silver serving plate in the British Museum. I think it more likely that this symbol, being so ancient and so universal, somehow triggers something deep in our psyche, something having nothing to do with the Nazis or the Holocaust. Perhaps it is so common because of a subconscious pre-disposition to create it. Few other symbols are found across so many human cultures, so there must be some explanation besides The Boys From Brazil on the loose.

[RaleighNCDUer]

23. And besides all that, it is architecturally a very practical design.

It maximizes window space and courtyards, covers the area very efficiently without overcrowding it.

The connotations are unfortunate, but not necessarily evil.

[XemaSab]

48. There's an interlocked Swastika design on the ceiling of the atrium

to the Supreme Court. :P

[SpiralHawk]

35. The Nazi swasticka, and this building, rotate against the Sun

It is a reversal of and ancient sign, bud ju ju -- When rotating Sunwise the symbol can, and often does represent the Whirling Rainbow...Sweet Medicine.

[alfredo]

26. Greek Key image

[pokercat999]

45. Exactly and to spend tax dollars to "correct" the design

for no other reason than it's offense to someone is ridiculous. My solution don't fly over it if you don't like it.

[Winterblues]

31. Bull

There is nothing wrong with building a rectangle. It does not have to be shaped like a swastika Or if having windows is all that importand a square within a square.

[Tesha]

32. A square within a square doesn't off the same kind of emergency egress.

In the swastika shape, all windows open to the
unobstructed "outside"; easy egress and easy access
for the firefighters.

Tesha

[Captain Angry]

42. Thank you.

That's all my point was. It's a very unfortunate design. But short of seeing the original plans and knowing if there'd been expansions, or if this is the original layout, it's all speculation.

Anything is possible, but it is FAR more likely that this was just how the building grew than a deliberate design for anti-Semitic purposes.

[Mojorabbit]

6. This was a potent

symbol way before the nazi's used it. I say take back the sun sign.

[Greyskye]

9. Yep. It used to be a Religious and decorative symbol:

It was used in Hinduism, Roman Catholicism, Buddhism and Jainism.



Wiki has a good write up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

[underpants]

14. LOVE the Native American basketball team photo

[cosmicdot]

11. similar thing in San Diego

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=259x4617

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/46586

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. Big deal, looks like an efficient use of space, Thank gawd it doesn't look like a *agina or a *enis

.
.
.

If it's a functional design, and efficient, who cares what it looks like?

Taken to a limit,

years down the road the shape of a Pentagon will be considered evil.

Maybe it already is?

[underpants]

13. Yeah thank god it's not that

[ConcernedCanuk]

16. LOL - took a few seconds, but I got it.

.
.
.

[quiet.american]

15. For all the "pooh-poohing" this really doesn't look like it could happen by accident.

Given that this is a government building built with taxpayer funds, I think it's a disgrace that it is shaped in the form of a Nazi symbol. Yes, we know the symbol has other esoteric meanings, but since WWII, it has one dominant meaning -- Nazi-ism. That this building would be approved at any level of government in this country is disgusting.

[BigDaddy44]

18. Disgusting?

Please. So an architect was trying to use space efficiently. I highly doubt anyone said "hey, lets piss of the jews by making a swastika shaped building, and that people will only notice if they fly over!!" I save my outrage for more egregious behavior. And for what its worth, I highly doubt the good folks at the Wesley Acres Methodist retirement home had any intent to offend anyone.

[quiet.american]

21. A swastika is the only method available to use space efficiently? Please.

I would bet money that if any architect in New York came up with a swastika-shaped building because it was the ONLY way they could think of to use space efficiently, there would be massive demonstrations against it.

Also, I never said the building was built to "piss of the Jews," but that this building was allowed to go forth shows a stunning lack of judgment on someone's part. I still find it disgusting. I would also bet money you wouldn't find any Nazi-shaped buildings in Germany today.

[BOYLANE]

17. silly

This is just silly. If someone wants to make an issue about swastikas, then make one about the ones carved into the court house in Birmingham, Alabama. They're there big as life when you go in the front door. The building was built pre WWII before the symbol was perverted.

[spinbaby]

34. It was used by the Boy Scouts

And a week or two ago, I was at an auction where one of the items was a child-sized quilt done in a clown-print fabric neatly stiched into swastikas. People forget that before the Nazis, the swastika was perfectly innocent.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

19. Navy Seals training building in San Diego ...............

[9119495]

20. The swasitika is an ancient Hindu good luck symbol...

Yeah I know the context has changed but Hitler did steal it from the Hindus.

[onehandle]

22. This is obviously covert Nazis at work.

Just like all of those Nazi Hindus and Native Americans.

"Nazis. I hate these guys."

[Psephos]

24. Big effin deal. From the same category as Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich.

I'm *SURE* the architects wanted to flash a secret Nazi symbol to all overflying aircraft.

:eyes:

[Megahurtz]

25. How fucking stupid, really.

It's just a shape of a building. You can't see it from the ground. Who cares about the shape? Ridiculous.

[saigon68]

46. political correctness run amok

[DemocratInSoCal]

27. Why The Shock? This Is A Dictatorship After All. nt

[hippywife]

28. You know...

as soon as I saw that I said "retirement facility." I work in one. It's not shaped like that but still there's something about it that I knew what it was before reading the article.

[Homer Wells]

30. The one thing I want to know...

Is the shape of this building causing an outbreak of Nazism among the old folks who are living there???

There are soooo many things wrong with our country at this point in time, I Really do not think that the particular shape of this building in Alabama is going to cause the down-fall of our nation..

that will happen because of the actual Nazis who are in charge of Amerika at present.

:argh:

[Politicub]

33. Sometimes a building is a just a building

Big whatever on this one. Instead of all of the hand wringing about the building's shape, how about some attention placed on improving care for the residents?

[Radio_Lady]

36. Can't get too worked up about a building... mass murder, however, is very disturbing: (PHOTO)

[Radio_Lady]

37. Interesting discussion at Google Sightseeing ---

http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/09/27/the-swastika-building/

[Mackay]

38. Here is a photo of the designer

<>

[WinkyDink]

41. Bwahahahaha!!

[tuckessee]

43. Ach, mein fur-er!

Your vill ist mein kommand, herr Grosse Katze alles zeit!

Today das litter box - tomorrow das world!

Ein lap, ein petting hand, ein Purrer.

Heil Hairball!

[gatlingforme]

49. hasn't this (Bwahahaha, ) thing gone out of fashion yet< ? , I mean

aren't we over this particular expression and have been for about 20years.? hmmm, I bet you are a male about 24yrs of age and college educated - almost. Just a thought.

[daleo]

39. If this is such a wonderful architectural shape

Why aren't all low rise apartment complexes laid out this way? There have to be very many ways to avoid this symbolism.

Granted, it is an ancient symbol, but this is the modern era and we can't wish away the connotations. It wouldn't be hard to correct this - for example build a couple of breezeway type roofs, making the southwest and northeast quadrants complete rectangles. Some artful landscaping (e.g. hedges, trees, would also do the trick).

[OKthatsIT]

40. Why do you let Hitler Steal this sacred symbol?

You people give him a symbol that has been a sacred symbol to many around the world.

I think it's time to reclaim what was NEVER HIS.

[JCMach1]

44. Shouldn't have outsourced the architecture to India where Swastika is a symbol

of life...

[Freedom Train]

47. Maybe it's really a Buddhist and not a Methodist retirement home?

Jokes aside, there is probably more poignant concerns for that Jewish activist to spend his time on. That $1 from the Dept. of Housing could've been put to much better use helping poor people, and now they're going to pour more money into it?