Author Archives: David Brussat

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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.

Catesby Leigh’s WWI faves

The Washington critic Catesby Leigh has an excellent write-up of the World War I memorial designs in the National Review, “National World War I Memorial: The Judges Got It Wrong.” He mentions two proposals that were entered but for various … Continue reading

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

Behead the Islamic State

It may have been the beheading of Khalid al-Asaad, known as Mr. Palmyra, a retired professor and protector of antiquities at Palmyra, that pushed me over the edge a few days ago, and I’ve been mulling the idea with further … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Books and Culture, Other countries, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The R.I. Holocaust Memorial

Yesterday saw the dedication of the Rhode Island Holocaust Memorial, remembering the more than six million Jews murdered by Hitler and the Nazis, plus the many who escaped, including those who moved to and made a new life in Rhode … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Landscape Architecture, Providence | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Corbu, Paris and Pinceau

Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of Le Corbusier, founding villain of modern architecture and to this day still its leading hero. He died in a swimming accident off the Mediterranean coast where he had vandalized the seaside … Continue reading

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Why we fall back on parks

My post yesterday after the debate in Providence between proponents of a park or a ballpark along the Providence River, even though the waterfront is “festooned” with parks, elicited this eye-opening response from James Howard Kunstler, the celebrated critic of … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Landscape Architecture, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

River “festooned with parks”

I attended tonight’s panel discussion, sponsored by Leadership R.I., on the Providence waterfront – park vs. ballpark – and was startled to hear myself quoted in the first question from the moderator. He cited the “blog by David Brussat, who … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Latest projects in Providence

Above are two maps of Providence before and after the relocation of Route 195, opening up about 40 acres for development between downtown and the Jewelry District. Toward the top of the map you can see the Providence River curve … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Landscape Architecture, Preservation, Providence, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Visiting beautiful Guatemala

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza recently visited Guatemala at the invitation of the Central American nation’s commerce secretary. Elorza – whose family hails from Guatemala – hopes to have persuaded the national airline to schedule regular flights to T.F. Green State … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Other countries, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Figurative statue at Loyola

Walter Arnold’s sculpture of Father Arnold Damen, S.J., has just been installed at Loyola University, in Chicago, and the sculptor reports that returning students are already taking selfies with it, which he considers a sign of a work’s success in … Continue reading

Posted in Art and design, Books and Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Children and architecture II

A commenter, reading in a recent post (“Children and architecture,” Aug. 8) on this blog an excerpt from a column I wrote for the Providence Journal in early 2001, asked to see the rest of the column, so here it … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Art and design, Blast from past, Books and Culture, Providence Journal, Urbanism and planning | Leave a comment