Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A senior American architect involved in the design of a planned ballroom at the White House praised St. Petersburg’s architecture and cultural heritage during a public exchange with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), saying the Russian city’s ballrooms had influenced his work.
Rodney Cook Jr., commissioner of the US Commission of Fine Arts and the architect overseeing the White House ballroom project, told Putin he had been visiting St. Petersburg for three decades and considered it one of his favourite cities.
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“I love the city, and I’ve been coming here for 30 years,” Cook said after being invited to address the audience during a SPIEF session. He also drew parallels between St. Petersburg and his hometown of Atlanta, describing a “great kinship” between the two cities.
Cook noted that Atlanta was largely destroyed during the American Civil War, while St. Petersburg endured immense devastation during World War II but survived the Nazi siege. He praised the city’s resilience, saying it had overcome destruction through “resolve and grit” as well as culture and music.
Recalling a performance of composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony that he had requested during his visit, Cook said St. Petersburg had preserved its spirit through its cultural legacy.
“Not only did you fight it off with resolve and grit, but you also did it with culture and music,” he said.
The conversation later shifted to the planned White House ballroom. Asked whether his visit to St. Petersburg would influence the project in Washington, Cook said Russian architecture had already shaped his design thinking.
“I have already been inspired by St. Petersburg ballrooms in my lifetime and have done a lot of work in your cathedrals and your palaces. So the answer is yes,” he said.
Cook also conveyed greetings from US President Donald Trump, saying he was encouraged by developments discussed during his visit and looked forward to further conversations between officials in Washington and Moscow.
Putin welcomed the remarks and thanked Cook for his comments about St. Petersburg. In a light-hearted exchange, the Russian President asked the architect to pass along his greetings to Trump and joked that Cook should convey “the goal I scored back” to the US president in a friendly manner.
The interaction stood out as a rare display of cordiality between American and Russian representatives at SPIEF, highlighting cultural and architectural links despite broader tensions between Washington and Moscow.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
