Monthly Archives: April 2014

Blast past: A Warren warning

Posted on April 29, 2014 by David Brussat

During Saturday’s preservation conference in Warren, while listening to speaker Mark Fenton remind us that Warren fended off a Walgreens long ago, I was reminded of a column I wrote in 1997 about how the megadrugstore tried to plop one of its pug-uglies … Continue reading →

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Gdansk after a rain

Posted on April 27, 2014 by David Brussat

Gdansk, Poland (from a set of very lovely photographs sent by e-mail with no apparent address).

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My upcoming Jane’s Walk

Posted on April 27, 2014 by David Brussat

My first Jane’s Walk, one of seven in Providence May 2-4, takes place this coming Saturday. It is free and open to the public. Jane’s Walk is an annual global city touring festival in which citizens volunteer to guide tours … Continue reading →

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Painted girl evolves

Posted on April 26, 2014 by David Brussat

Here, courtesy of Gizmodo.com, is an intriguing stop-action video of a girl, a dozen or more cans of paint and a camera. Very amusing, and delicious. She’s a lovely girl, apparently named Elvis, and I post this under the rubric … Continue reading →

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Parthenon’s “Deep Frieze”

Posted on April 25, 2014 by David Brussat

Daniel Mendelsohn’s essay about the Parthenon (and what the Parthenon “means”) in the April 14 issue of The New Yorker made a deft grab for my heart. Ever since I demonstrated my ability, in grade school, to sit and listen … Continue reading →

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Arnold and Alice

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David Brussat

The Arnold Building had a serious fire in, I think, 2007. Its owner, Pat Cortellessa, who once ran for mayor against Buddy Cianci, lacked sufficient insurance to undertake repairs. This past year the Arnold was taken by eminent domain and … Continue reading →

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Eyed by Anne Boleyn

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David Brussat

Here is a passage from Bring Up the Bodies, the second, following Wolf Hall, of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy (the third is yet to be published) on Henry VIII’s romantic life. In this passage, seen from the perspective of protagonist Thomas … Continue reading →

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Column: Build a real memorial to Eisenhower

Posted on April 24, 2014 by David Brussat

The horizon keeps receding for Frank Gehry’s notion of what a memorial to Dwight Eisenhower should look like. The other day his design was rejected by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) for narrowing the view corridor down Maryland Avenue … Continue reading →

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Philip Johnson’s Nazi decade

Posted on April 23, 2014 by David Brussat

Here is a brave piece by Matt Novak for the Paleofuture page of Gizmodo, reprinted at Archinect. It is about the designer of two buildings on the campus of Brown University, in Providence: the Albert and Vera List Art Building … Continue reading →

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“America’s Urban Future”

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David Brussat

Vishaan Chakrabarti, a partner in the New York starchitect-wannabe firm SHoP (yes, the now almost mandatory ridiculous name), has nevertheless written an excellent piece about urban/suburban trends for the New York Times. It suggests that the feds should shift away … Continue reading →

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