Monthly Archives: September 2014

Henry Reed’s Philadelphia II

Posted on September 30, 2014 by David Brussat

Here are more shots from Philadelphia, not all of which will be strictly to the taste of Henry Hope Reed, the honoree of a symposium held at the Franklin Inn Club there on Saturday. The photo above shows the late … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Photography, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Henry Reed’s Philadelphia

Posted on September 29, 2014 by David Brussat

Your far-flung correspondent was in Philadelphia (five-hour train ride) to attend, speak at and report on the Henry Hope Reed legacy symposium sponsored by the city’s chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. It was a delightful and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Photography, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Henry Reed in Providence

Posted on September 26, 2014 by David Brussat

Here, as part of this blog’s Blast from the Past feature, is a column from more than a decade ago when Henry Hope Reed visited Providence. The tourmaster got a tour from yours truly. Tomorrow, Philadelphia will host a symposium … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Blast from past, Providence | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Column: A Henry Hope Reed chrestomathy

Posted on September 25, 2014 by David Brussat

One of my favorite books is A Mencken Chrestomathy, H.L. Mencken’s own favorite essays by himself (a chrestomathy being a selection of choice literary passages, often intended to teach a language). Reading Mencken, who wrote for the Baltimore Sun in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Books and Culture | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Separated at birth?

Posted on September 23, 2014 by David Brussat

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Norman Foster, separated at birth! Just look at them. Nose? Check. Eyes? Check? Chin? Check. A pair of suits with a yen to gesticulate. But on the other hand, maybe not. One was old … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Humor | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Hawthorne and architecture

Posted on September 22, 2014 by David Brussat

In his masterpiece (and my bible) The Golden City (1959), Henry Hope Reed cites a character, Holgrave, from Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables, in describing early attitudes toward innovation in architecture. He has Holgrave, a daguerrotypist, say to his inamorata, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Books and Culture | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Monty Python’s architect skit

Posted on September 21, 2014 by David Brussat

Originally posted on Architecture Here and There:
As a reward for making it through the last few posts I offer this skit, from YouTube, of Monty Python making fun of architects by speaking truth of them, perhaps – since humor…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Issa beats wimp rap?

Posted on September 20, 2014 by David Brussat

I may have to retract Rep. Darrell Issa’s Cosmic Wimp-Out Prize, doled out by this blog just a week or so ago. My original post, “Ike memorial update,” described the latest iteration of Frank Gehry’s proposed memorial to General Eisenhower. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

In defense of ‘starchitect’

Posted on September 20, 2014 by David Brussat

I rise to defend not the practice of starchitecture or the starchitects who perpetrate its follies on an innocent public. But the word starchitect has come under attack for the very reason that I like the word and use it … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Column: Scotland back to its roots or nae

Posted on September 18, 2014 by David Brussat

Scottish voters decide today whether Scotland will be independent or continue its 307-year relationship with Great Britain. Whatever it decides – and the last polls were too close to call – its cultural hegemony over its own appearance will remain … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment