Model of the new PATH terminal at the WTC site in NYC.

I was reading the Sept. 1 issue of The New Yorker last night, and came across a profile of the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.  He’s arguably the most in-demand architect in the world right now, with his spectacular bridges, train stations, museums, and concert halls achieving near-instant landmark status upon completion (or sometimes even before).  I was struck by his humble, no-nonsense attitude about what he does, and more specifically, about how his work affects people other than the commissioners or himself:

I like doing [train] stations, because they are the home of everybody, and because you are providing a beautiful moment in the life of people who work so hard; I am not a food producer, I am not a doctor; I am an architect, and I use my work for a sense of philanthropy, and not for any glory…This is a Stoic concept: to stay in the middle, which permits you to be free from the ambitions of the high, and permits you, through your liberty, to deliver something to those who don’t have anything.

Click here for a slideshow of his current and past projects.

In a stunning turn of events, an ‘angel’ donor who wishes to remain anonymous has donated a staggering $100 million dollars to fund a purpose-built hall for symphonic music in Portland.

The Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has been attached to the project, which is due to break ground on a plot of land near the Memorial Colosseum in mid-2010.

The Oregon Symphony will not only be the primary tenant, but will own the hall through a separate foundation, to which another donor has pledged an endowment to ensure that the hall’s upkeep and expenses will be covered in perpetuity.

Oregon Symphony President Elaine Calder, when checked for comment, said only “check the date”.