Author Archives: David Brussat

Unknown's avatar

About David Brussat

This blog was begun in 2009 as a feature of the Providence Journal, where I was on the editorial board and wrote a weekly column of architecture criticism for three decades. Architecture Here and There fights the style wars for classical architecture and against modern architecture, no holds barred. History Press asked me to write and in August 2017 published my first book, "Lost Providence." I am now writing my second book. My freelance writing on architecture and other topics addresses issues of design and culture locally and globally. I am a member of the board of the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, which bestowed an Arthur Ross Award on me in 2002. I work from Providence, R.I., where I live with my wife Victoria, my son Billy and our cat Gato. If you would like to employ my writing and editing to improve your work, please email me at my consultancy, dbrussat@gmail.com, or call 401.351.0457. Testimonial: "Your work is so wonderful - you now enter my mind and write what I would have written." - Nikos Salingaros, mathematician at the University of Texas, architectural theorist and author of many books.

Haussmanhattan Paris

The architectural historian and urbanist John Massengale, author of Street Design, sent to TradArch a most provocative email, with a photograph of the Municipal Building of New York City superimposed on a photo of the district of central Paris near … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Other countries, Photography, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

My new TB and PH blog

Starting on New Year’s Day my blog joins forces with the online website blogs at Traditional Building and Period Homes. Architecture Old and New will combine new essays with posts from Architecture Here and There. My monthly blog on the … Continue reading

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

Respite for an old hospital?

Providence’s City Plan Commission voted unanimously last week to reject Rhode Island Hospital’s plan to demolish the oldest remaining structure on the hospital campus, its Southwest Pavilion. That’s not the end of the story, unfortunately; the hospital (owned by the Lifespan … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture History, Development, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Flashmob lasers supertalls?

The rise of supertallsuperthins in Manhattan has driven upward the angst over skyscrapers, but who has given much thought to what it might be like to live in one – if anyone actually does. I see a run on the … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Development, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blackstone rebuffs bumps

Joan Slafsky sent me word this morning of a response by the city to the neighborhood’s expression of unified dismay at its plan to put speed bumps on Blackstone Boulevard. Here is part of the city’s letter: The City Traffic … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Landscape Architecture, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Twisted Sisters Prize of 2015

Architecture Here and There awards its first annual Twisted Sisters prize to critics Mark Lamster of the Dallas Morning News and Alexandra Lange of Curbed for their pairing off to produce “Architecture in Review 2015: The Good, the Bad and … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Art and design, Books and Culture, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beethoven’s architecture

Beethoven’s birthday was yesterday. He would have been 245 years old. Today is the anniversary of his baptism, the day after his birth. A vagueness of timing, however, did not fit into the architecture of his music. Goethe called architecture … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Books and Culture, Urbanism and planning, Video | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Update on Parcel 12 hotel

The civic leadership of Rhode Island and its capital, Providence, is using taxpayer dollars to initiate a series of development projects that may or may not be economically viable but will certainly undermine the city’s beauty – one of the … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Providence, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Where eagles darechitecture

This startling proposal of a supertallsuperthin residential tower showed up on TradArch the other day, sent by David Rau, who objects to the machined element of its ornament. His email set off a long debate about natural and unnatural materials … Continue reading

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

Speed bumps on Blackstone?

Speed bumps punish the innocent for the sins of the guilty. Most people do not speed down Blackstone Boulevard. I know. I’ve been behind many of them in my time. People who obey the law are the ones who suffer … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Landscape Architecture, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments