Monthly Archives: March 2021

Rebuild Penn Station update

Posted on March 29, 2021 by David Brussat

First voiced publicly by architect Richard Cameron, the plan to rebuild New York’s Pennsylvania Station as conceived by the firm of McKim, Mead & White remains in the chaotic mix of plans to renovate the existing station. The beauty and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development | Tagged , , , , , | 17 Comments

Richard H. Driehaus, R.I.P.

Posted on March 24, 2021 by David Brussat

Richard Driehaus, who died suddenly at age 78 of a cerebral hemorrhage at home on March 9, was beloved among architects and historic preservationists for his stewardship of old buildings, especially the relatively unsung treasures of his native Chicago. The … Continue reading →

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Save secret park in Lisbon

Posted on March 22, 2021 by David Brussat

One of the worst things that can befall a dear old municipal park and garden is for “preservationists” to ride to its rescue. First, it may not be in need of rescue. Second, the preservationists are likely to want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Landscape Architecture | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

How architecture evolves

Posted on March 16, 2021 by David Brussat

Here is a quotation about the evolution of architecture from “The Biological Fallacy” of Geoffrey Scott’s The Architecture of Humanism (1924): Decadence is a biological metaphor. Within the field of biology it holds true as a fact, and is subject … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Providence on suicide watch

Posted on March 12, 2021 by David Brussat

Each time news emerges of another plan to renovate Kennedy Plaza, Waterplace Park or other sites in downtown Providence, it gets worse and worse. Now there are plans costing upwards of $140 million to reconstitute Kennedy Plaza, remake Waterplace and … Continue reading →

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St. Florian switches on cottage

Posted on March 9, 2021 by David Brussat

Last night’s special meeting of the Providence Historic District Commission to consider the dear little cottage at 59 Williams St., off Benefit, shows that the city’s process for development projects can work. Last year, a developer proposed moving the 19th … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

After Biden nix Trump E.O.

Posted on March 5, 2021 by David Brussat

Architecture is a huge field of human endeavor. Along with the planning of cities and towns, and the arts and crafts that enter into civic beauty, it forms the stage on which the human comedy is performed. For millennia, our … Continue reading →

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TAG 4: Classical gears up

Posted on March 2, 2021 by David Brussat

TAG 4, the fourth Traditional Architecture Gathering since the first, held in in Charleston, S.C., in 2015 for members of the TradArch listserv, happened on Zoom this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, sponsored by the Classic Planning Institute. Some 600 … Continue reading →

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