Culture: Kroiz Gallery

The Kroiz Gallery is located in a basement. Fortunately, it's also home to Penn's architectural archives, which must have provided the secrets to creating this light and airy gallery. Like the perfect essay assignment, this gallery is small and exquisitely formed. Staff are welcoming, letting you wander around in peace but willing to answer any questions that arise from the pieces on display.ÿThe current exhibition is on the work of Louis I. Kahn, former Penn architecture professor from 1957 to 1974. Kahn is responsible for the Richards Medical Research Building on campus. This building is his most widely acclaimed design, but sadly, his ability to "relate mechanical services to the total architecture" was lost on me. But the most absorbing parts of the exhibit were his urban remodeling plans, many of which were presented in the form of models. There are models of various buildings and towns scattered around the gallery, and, along with the photos of finished buildings, they help to cut through the dry architectural drawings. The Kroiz gallery is a hidden gem for most Penn students, and even if architecture doesn't light your fire, the modern reading room is a haven worth knowing about. A word of warning for Lego fans: don't start trying to re-arrange the models. The staff tend to frown on it.