Mr. Poimiroo

Cultural Tourism

The Architectural Attraction: How Great Architecture Attracts Tourism

By John Poimiroo, Principal, Poimiroo & Partners

It was late in the day in Switzerland and, when the phone rang, the only person in the office picked it up. He happened to be the world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava. Calling his office was someone from the Northern California town of Redding (pop. 90,000) who hadn't considered the time difference. The caller explained to Calatrava that Redding was in search of an architect to design a footbridge and that Calatrava had been recommended as someone he should call. Despite his celebrity, Calatrava was not put off by the na"ive approach. Rather, it (and the prospect of placing one of his great bridges in a rural location that was virtually devoid of other structures) intrigued him. In 2004, Calatrava's soaring Sundial Bridge opened and was an immediate sensation. Suddenly, Redding was no longer a place to pass through on the way elsewhere. It was the destination.

Great architecture did this. It is a phenomenon that has been termed the Bilbao effect after the Basque borough of Bilbao opened a titanium-sheathed museum designed by Frank Gehry and became in an instant one of Spain's most visited attractions. In the year the Guggenheim Bilbao opened, it had 1.4 million visitors and in the ten years since, ten million have visited... proving the effect was no fluke. Redding experienced nowhere near Bilbao's visitation, though for Redding it was transformational none the less.

Both cities experienced a newly refined identity because of being associated with great architecture. Its hotel industries have also benefited. ilbao's tired tourism infrastructure has since changed from dreary to trendy. Likewise, Redding's hoteliers are in the process of establishing a district to beautify the street where many of Redding's largest hotels are located. And, Sundial Bridge has become an unofficial town square where Redding citizens meet, stroll the bridge's illuminated glass deck at night and show off to visiting relations.

That great architecture does this is not surprising. What is surprising is that analysts are so often skeptical of it. And yet, to read reports from those who questioned the sanity of the Guggenheim Bilbao or Sundial Bridge's costs, one has to wonder whether they ever considered how long man has been traveling in search of great edifices. No doubt Neolithic people were dazzled by the temple of Hagar Qim on Malta (reputedly the world's oldest structure) when it was completed... they had to see it, visit it and be in it.

Why, as early as 2,400 years ago, Herodotus and Callimachus of Cyrene had developed "must see" lists for travelers which we know today as "the seven wonders of the ancient world." And, their lists were compiled from various travel guides that had existed for years. So, let's once and for all put to bed the idea that exciting architecture doesn't pay. It does and in many tangible and intangible ways.

Within the past decade, many of the nation's leading museums and concert halls have hired starchitects the likes of Gehry, Calatrava, Libeskind, and Taniguchi to create singularly stunning structures that, like massive titanium magnets, attract visitors to them. So, too, hoteliers are renovating landmark buildings in major cities into new use as signature hotels. Branded destinations are exporting their architectural concepts abroad. Historic hotels have gained a following of passionate guests.

Concierges commonly direct their guests to participate in organized and self-guided architecture tours. Even smaller destinations hype the distinctive character of their buildings. Clearly, something is up.

The frustrating thing is that it's hard to quantify. There is a massive volume of anecdotal evidence that great architecture attracts tourism, but little to define how it does so or to what extent returns from it can be forecast. There's just too much that's variable and so we're left to consider "the Bilbao effect" not as an economic law, but as a curious reality supported by numerous examples.

So, left with that, let's look at those examples. Of all America's architectural attractions, Las Vegas may be the most uniquely American concoction. The dry desert surrounding Las Vegas is hardly exceptionally scenic (although I anticipate we'll hear the contrary from its admirers).

When it was born as a destination, the first hotels were modest oases, places to escape, relax and play that made this inhospitable landscape desirable. To adorn these oases and differentiate one from the other, whimsical signage and neon were added. Downtown Vegas was a grid of blinking, flashing, moving boxes, adorned with lights but otherwise nondescript. Then came The Strip, with its themed resorts evocative of Rome, Egypt, Camelot, Paris, Treasure Island and New York.

Unlike other destinations where their hotels facilitate opportunities to experience the place, Las Vegas' hotels are the destination. Visitors walk from one hotel to another, just to see them. "The make it a point to see other hotels while they're here," explains Ms. Pope. Academics have taken note of this. The earliest recognition of Las Vegas as architectural attraction was by Venturi, Izenour and Brown who wrote, Ms. Pope describes, "the architectural tome Learning From Las Vegas." Since then such American institutions as the Smithsonian and the Chicago Institute of Arts have organized tours to Vegas to look at its architecture.

Most recently, theme has evolved to opulence. Says Erika Pope, senior manager of public relations for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, current trends are toward high style as epitomized by the iconic Venetian. "Stand in the midst of St. Mark's square," she says, "and you're truly transported to Venice. The proportions and details are exact." Las Vegas has also learned from Bilbao. The latest direction in Vegas is toward redefining its style, through the use of renowned architects. In a twist of the Bilbao effect, the new Lou Ruvo Brain Institute (a national center for the treatment of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases) will employ a classic Frank Gehry structure whose distinctive shape is designed to attract Las Vegas' visitors in order to gain their support for the Institute's research.

What's happening in Vegas is not staying in Vegas, however. Las Vegas hoteliers are now exporting their entertainment concepts. In Macao (now the world's largest gaming center), the Sands built a $264 million resort which, according to The Financial Times, was paid off in a year. Steve Winn followed by constructing the $704 million Winn Macao. The Sands countered by opening the $2.5 billion Venetian Macao. Those numbers are stunning, but when one considers how widespread is the investment of all hospitality enterprises in creating architectural attractions, gaming destinations represent a fraction of what's being spent.

In mature cities like Philadelphia, tax incentives encourage hoteliers to recycle old structures to new uses. The time-worn PSFS (Penn Savings Fund Society), one of the first examples of European modernism in America (1929 -1932) was refreshed as a dazzling Lowe's Hotel. The Roman Pantheon-inspired Girard and Mellon Bank building (1919) now has new life as the Ritz Carlton Philadelphia, the bank's impressive marbled colonnaded lobby providing a wow factor. Both hotels have placed the old banks' vault doors in their lobbies to provide nostalgic interest and architectural drama. "We hear more and more that travelers are tuned to wanting a hotel that is a destination. They don't want to spend their trip in a box," says Meryl Levitz, President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. In Philadelphia's case, architecture has always been a main attraction. So, it's in the blood of its hotels... think Independence Hall and the many examples of period Federalist and Georgian architecture. Think also about the orderly streets that William Penn laid out in what Philadelphians call a "green country town," their park-like streets and stylistic homes timelessly evoking the late 18th and early 19th centuries. "People often say, 'It feels so European here. We love the windows, the flower boxes... they just love walking around Philadelphia."

John P. Fullerton, president of Fullerton Diaz Architects in Coral Gables says "great architecture has been building tourist destinations for years." Consider the Coliseum and Frank Lloyd Wright's many structures in Oak Park, Illinois as inhabitable works of art. "Architecture strongly reflects the personality of a city and the feeling the city has toward people living there. After all, isn't that what visitors are looking to experience and get to know when they travel someplace new?" So, it is not about being Avant-garde, post-modernist or trendy, unless those styles naturally fit the destination's character.

Los Angeles' Century Plaza hotel, designed in 1964 by Minoru Yamasaki on the old 20th Century Fox movie ranch, is the penultimate reflection of Fullerton's proposal that architecture reflect urban personality. After all, only in LA would the expectation be that its grandest hotel be the "world's most beautiful" and not be considered to be hyperbole. This is the home of Hollywood, after all, where hype is expected. In the Century Plaza's case, however, the elegant crescent floor plan of this architectural attraction compares nicely to the most elegant gown worn on an Academy Awards red carpet and its management note that guests are aware of the hotel's heritage and the architectural history of other buildings within the Century City complex. LA has had a bit of an architectural renaissance of late, with the addition of Gehry's Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral of the Angels which stands, appropriately, praying over one of LA's busiest freeways.

In Denver, Daniel Libeskind took inspiration from the angular shape of the Rocky Mountains for the design of his titanium-paneled Frederic C. Hamilton building at the Denver Art Museum. Architectural heritage is not new to Denver. The city's 1893 Brown Palace was the first atrium hotel in the nation. Public art is everywhere, thanks to a requirement that 1 percent of any construction cost pay for public art. Denver's tourism industry has followed suit, adding an architectural beacons to the roof of the Hyatt, filling public spaces with local art at the Westin and a four-story blue bear at the convention center... each extending the impressions made citywide on travelers of Denver living a cultured life that's a mile high.

The most beautiful landscape in America demanded an architect and architecture that would complement and not compete with it. So, Julia Morgan created a collection of structures at Asilomar on the Monterey Peninsula that seem as natural to the landscape as the Monterey pines and cypress trees that forest its sandy bluffs. Guests seek out free, self-guided audio tours of the buildings or occasionally join the state park superintendant or "Morganophiles" on a guided walk.

America's largest home, Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina draws more than 1 million visitors "to experience the wonders of America's largest home," says Julie Hanser, vice president of attraction marketing there. "In addition to Biltmore's dramatic architectural features, the rich stories surrounding the design and construction of the house - from the way building materials were sourced and brought into the site, to the craftspeople who brought George Vanderbilt's vision to life - are what make Biltmore truly special," she adds.

Palm Springs celebrates its concentration of mid-century modern architecture with shops that support the style along its posh Palm Canyon Boulevard, on guided tours, in glossy coffee table books and in a festival. They have succeeded in competing with Las Vegas in attracting the creative class and X-gens in search of retro authenticity.

Pasadena, Calif. with its many Craftsman homes attracts so many visitors to tour the homes that the city famous for its Tournament of Roses also conducts a Craftsman Weekend, special events tours and publishes a brochure of 10 walking and biking tours. Pasadena's famous Greene & Greene landmark, the Gamble House, is so popular it gets more visitors that President George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. Even vernacular architecture, such as the collection of 40 Victorian, Georgian and Florida Cracker-styled cottages at Steinhatchee Landing Resort in Florida can keep travelers returning when it is in keeping with the destination and well-maintained.

"Gone are the days when guests would select a hotel based on access to a pool or free wireless internet. Now, discerning travelers demand anticipatory service, gourmet fine dining and, above all, spectacular ambiance," says Greta Peters of The Regent Bal Harbour. That's certainly true in Spokane where the landmark Davenport Hotel with its many elaborate ballrooms and elegant public spaces were reborn in 1987 at a cost of $38 million. Guests luxuriate in Elizabethan side chairs in the lobby or are impressed by the over-the-top Hall of the Doges.

Hoteliers are finding that encouraging a city's cultural development is good for business. After the remodeled New York Museum of Modern Art opened, 2.6 million visitors arrived, 60% from outside the U.S., of tremendous value to the city's hotels. No hotel sales staff could have attracted that business. It took the development of the architectural attraction for that to occur. Even small towns like Galena, Illinois find those visiting architectural attractions to earn more and stay longer. "Guests between 34 and 55 years old with household incomes greater than $75K rank history and architecture highly," says Liz Bulasko, a Galena spokesman.

Aubrey Almond of the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina adds that architectural value promises to keep his hotel viable for years to come. "...we have a 'hold' strategy (meaning that we don't just build hotels just to sell them), we think a lot about what we'll own in ten, 20 and 30 years."

Almond says the Proximity is "at the forefront of modern eco-design," with solar roof panels, the country's first regenerative drive elevator and extreme energy and water efficiency... features that helped the hotel become the first LEED platinum certified property in North America. Yet, despite its progressive design, the Proximity emphasizes its position within a city known for its architectural heritage. Nearly every major American architectural style, from "first period log houses through elaborate Italianate, Queen Anne, Prairie and period revival styles" can be found in Greensboro, says Almond, making it a compelling architectural attraction.

San Francisco may be one of the few cities in America where its scenic beauty overwhelms its architectural attractions. It and New York (Empire State Building) are the only cities in America with an architectural landmark listed by the American Society of Civil Engineers among the seven wonders of the modern world and yet San Francisco's landmark Golden Gate Bridge is just one element of an overall impression created by the city's hills, bay, climate, Victorian homes, Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, cable cars (technically an engineering attraction), the Transamerica Pyramid, islands, Palace of Fine Arts and grand hotels. San Francisco's scenic beauty simply absorbs architecture and keeps it from standing apart as the city's signature. But even in a city where individual architectural statements morph into a Zellig-like whole, "architecture is one of the top five reasons people visit San Francisco," says Tanya Houseman of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Bilbao effect seems to work best in places that lack a there. San Francisco is full of them. But, Milwaukee, well Milwaukee struggled to redefine itself until it created an architectural attraction. Dave Fantle, Vice President for Public Relations for Visit Milwaukee says it turned around Milwaukee's fortunes. "In the early 1990s, Milwaukee faced a fork in the road. Its downtown, like many in the Midwest... struggled to find its post WWII identity. Aging infrastructure constrained its growth. The economy, based heavily on manufacturing, was adapting painfully to global competition and automaton."

That's when Santiago Calatrava arrived on the Milwaukee scene. "Where others saw just another struggling rust belt community," Fantle explains, "he saw a city on the cusp of renaissance." The uplifting museum he designed for Milwaukee not only was an artistic and commercial success, but it helped Milwaukee redefine itself. Since the opening of the Calatrava-designed Milwaukee Art Museum, attendance increased 43 percent, generating a 44 percent increase in the museum's impact on the local economy, adding $20.1 million to the Milwaukee economy, much of that at hotels. Like Bilbao before it and Redding later, Milwaukee redefined itself as an architectural attraction and its hotels have profited.

John Poimiroo has had a 30-years in travel and tourism marketing and public policy. He directed marketing and public relations programs at ski areas, attractions, national and state parks, hotel companies and destinations. He was California's tourism director in the 1990s. He is credited for conceiving the California Tourism Marketing Act and helping shape the law authorizing California Welcome Centers. He assisted the chair of the President's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in establishing the California Cultural Heritage Tourism Council and continues as an advisor. Mr. Poimiroo can be contacted at 916-933-8860 or john@poimiroo.com Extended Bio...

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