Monthly Archives: April 2016

Shubow speaks this Saturday

Posted on April 18, 2016 by David Brussat

Reminder: Still possible to hear Justin Shubow’s lecture in Boston this Saturday. Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society and a leading proponent of classical architecture, is also a leading opponent of modern architecture. He and his organization, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Techno-narcissist Kunstler’d

Posted on April 17, 2016 by David Brussat

James Howard Kunstler’s latest Eyesore of the Month, which I reprint from his blog Clusterfuck Nation, had to be the winner of this year’s ridiculous eVolo Magazine architecture contest. And so it was. Only the ugliest and the stupidest entries … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Development, Humor, Landscape Architecture | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Kley: Trials of the pedestrian

Posted on April 16, 2016 by David Brussat

This sketch, called “The Train,” by Heinrich Kley was probably etched in about 1910 to judge by the auto, by the fashionable attire of the alligator, or by the era in which Kley was publishing his more curious work. The … Continue reading →

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Beauty and the bore

Posted on April 14, 2016 by David Brussat

Several people have sent me “The Psychological Cost of Boring Buildings,” by Jacoba Urist in New York Magazine. The title hooked me, of course, but her essay hardly went down like an oyster. First, I am distrustful of “studies,” especially … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Skandalkonzert vindicated?

Posted on April 13, 2016 by David Brussat

A post on the website Artlark, “Skandalkonzert: The Battle for Modernism,” describes a riot that had classical concertgoers in Vienna battling amongst themselves in the pits and with the musicians and the even the composers. Pieces by Schonberg, Weber and … Continue reading →

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I’ll second that emotion!

Posted on April 12, 2016 by David Brussat

The collection of parents who wait for their kids’ school bus every morning and afternoon at our corner on Hope Street testifies to the greatness of the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in Fox Point. This afternoon the line “I’ll second … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Books and Culture, Humor, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The politics of preservation

Posted on April 11, 2016 by David Brussat

Gail Wiesner is a real-estate agent in Raleigh, N.C., who, a couple years ago, raised concerns about a modernist addition to a neighbor’s house in her Oakwood neighborhood, a designated historic district. A more recent example, now resolved in court, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Providence, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

John King, read your words!

Posted on April 10, 2016 by David Brussat

John King is the architecture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. I met him maybe a decade ago at a conference and have followed his criticism since. This latest piece, “SF skyline’s new LinkedIn addition built by, for New Yorkers,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shubow to speak in Boston

Posted on April 9, 2016 by David Brussat

Justin Shubow, president of the National Civic Art Society and a leading proponent of classical architecture, is also a leading opponent of modern architecture. He and his organization, along with the Eisenhower family, have led the fight against Frank Gehry’s … Continue reading →

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The periodic table of fonts

Posted on April 8, 2016 by David Brussat

Here, from a stable of tables courtesy of the Kuriositas website of oddities, is a periodic table of typefaces. This periodic table comes last in “Fun and Interesting Periodic Table Spin-Offs,” courtesy of the Save Best for Last Dept. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Books and Culture, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments