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 Flood
control, navigation, irrigation, water storage, and power — these
are the reasons for building the Hoover Dam. The dam is more than an engineering
wonder, however, it is also a work of art. This is due to the work of
Gordon B. Kaufman. A British emigrant who was known for designing residences
in Southern California, mostly in the Spanish colonial style. He took
the original engineering design, replaced the ornamentation, and streamlined
it, using shadows and plain surfaces to integrate the power plant and
towers into a unified design. The result is the dam as we know it today.
More
about the Hoover Dam:
- At
726 feet, Hoover Dam is the highest dam in the U.S.
- On
any given day more than 20,000 vehicles cross the Hoover dam.
- The
dam attracts over a million visitors each year from all over the world.
- The
Hoover Dam has a power generating capacity of over 2 million kilowatts.
- Construction began
in June, 1933. Dedication of the structure was in September, 1935.
- Style of architecture
is streamlined, modern, or art deco.
 Terrazzo
floor designs were done by Alan Tupper True, from Denver, Colorado.
He also integrated the colors used in painting the turbine housings,
overhead cranes, valves, and even the door knobs.- Alan Tupper True
was inspired by Native American design and colors. The patterns, borrowed
from Southwestern Indian patterns, echo centrifugal themes, which relate
to the turbines in the power plant.
- Oscar J.W. Hansen
won a contest to create the sculptures at the dam. These include the
“Winged Figures of the Republic” with the bald eagle floor
design, the Compass and Zodiac, the plaque honoring the men who died
building the dam, and the base relief on the elevator towers.
- The “Winged
Figures of the Republic” represent, according to Hansen, “the
eternal vigilance which is the price of liberty.”
 Dennis
McBride, Collections Specialist:
“Having been born here and raised here, I’m very aware of
where my life comes from. How many people, where they live, can point
to a spot and say this is where the power comes from that turns on my
television and runs my computer, and this is where the water comes from
that I make my tea with and that I water my grass with? People live in
cities and don’t know where all that comes from. For me, knowing
that it comes from this spot and I can go there and I can see the power
being generated and the water being pumped, it gives me a great sense
of relief and safety.”
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