Was The Hirshhorn Bubble A Brilliant Or Stupid Idea?

This morning, the Smithsonian Institute announced it would not create the long-proposed so-called bubble atop the Hirshhorn Museum because of increasing financial uncertainty. The rather unusual looking inflatable pavilion pictured above was to be a seasonal venue for musical performances and artistic displays, but as the cost ballooned to an estimated fifteen million dollars before storage costs, it started to lose momentum among fundraisers.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Hirshhorn Bubble was first designed four years ago by architects Diller Sofidio + Renfro. More than one million dollars was spent on trying to make the project happen, but in the end, it just didn’t work out to the delight of some and the supreme annoyance of others.

Not surprisingly, a bizarre project like this generated plenty of debate. On the one hand, some supporters thought the crazy, outside the box idea was exactly what the National Mall needed to add some pizzazz. Given its practical potential contributions and the fact that it could be taken down in the winter, some saw it as a true home run. On the other hand, however, many were never sold on this being anything more than an eye sore. There are other ways to create a musical venue with plenty of community space, and many couldn’t figure out why a better option wasn’t put forward.

What do you think? Was this now discarded bubble idea brilliant or stupid? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

This poll is no longer available.

For more questions of the day, head here