Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art presented an exhibition by Brooklyn based photographer Chris Mottalini on Saturday, which details the existence of modern ruins throughout the country.
"After You Left, They Took It Apart" is comprised of 21 photographs detailing the downfall of three modern houses in Rhode Island, Florida and Connecticut.
The demolished homes were built by Paul Rudolph, Auburn alumnus and skilled architect known for his linear, perpendicular designs.
"We are showing a small selection of works of a larger group of photographs that he has done," said Dennis Harper, curator of collections and exhibitions at JCSM.
Harper said the gallery, available until April 17, shows contradictory connotations, as older architecture is expected to collapse.
Seven photographs of each house show different views of the damage, starting with a wide view of a mansion in seemingly great condition.
"The last photographs show the extent of the interior damage to the home, which is surprising," said Andrew Henley, education curator at JCSM.
Mottalini came across the subject matter by chance when he was asked to photograph an abandoned 4,200 square-foot house in Westport, Conn., on the eve of its destruction in 2006.
"That photo compelled him to follow this line of investigation," Harper said.
The Micheels House was the first of more than 100 Rudolph houses photographed by Mottalini and is one of three on display in Auburn.
Henley said it is important to observe the kinds of mansions that are being left to fall apart.
"The architectural style of the houses fell out of favor as people opted for more marketable, bigger mansions," Henley said.
Another house, The Cerrito House, was destroyed during a planned relocation from Watch Hill, R.I., to New York in 2007.
"The restoration costs would have been in the millions," Henley said. "Some of these gorgeous houses were left vacant for many years before destruction."
Henley said instead of a romanticized view of the homes, Mottalini has tak-
en it to a level much about destruction and consumerism.
"I love to have a postmodern house like that," Henley said, "yet someone can look at the same house and say, 'Let's build a new one.'"
Henley said the houses were abandoned or demolished when they were no longer trendy.
"One of the reasons I wanted to show these works is because of the close connection to Auburn," Harper said.
Harper said there is an abandoned fraternity house in Auburn that has been in a state of neglect for quite some time, among other houses.
"There is a group of concerned architects working to preserve it," Harper said.
Rudolph, who died in 1997, began his innovative work at Auburn while earning an undergraduate degree in architecture.
While overseas during World War II, Rudolph discovered the "Sarasota Modern" style of hip bungalows that he brought to the east coast, Henley said.
"These are futuristic houses with clean, precise detail," Henley said. "They were made to be the opposite of ruins."
For more information, visit jcsm.auburn.edu.
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