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.

Lurking behind this facade

Behind this stern but elegant classical façade – in Bucharest! – lurks one of the most astonishing and effective mixtures of the old and the new that I have ever seen. And the fact that it is a bookstore, restored … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Books and Culture, Development, Other countries | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

An idea for visual pushback

Architecture, along with almost every other major human endeavor outside of food and music, is largely visual in its effect. Traditional architects rely on the appeal of their work to the eye as they try to push back against the … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Restore Macintosh’s GSA

I am pleased and indeed almost amazed that Rowan Moore, the Guardian’s architecture critic, has emerged in favor of restoration of the Macintosh Library that was the greatest loss in the fire last May at the Glasgow School of Art, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Other countries, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

‘The Hidden Light of Objects’

The fragility of culture, even of culture wrought in the hardness of masonry, is one of the themes of the ten short stories in Mai Al-Nakib’s first book, The Hidden Light of Objects. The second story, “Echo Twins,” is set … Continue reading

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

The Cotton District

Originally posted on Architecture Here and There:
The Cotton District, in Starkville, Miss. (This and all photos below by Sara Hines) Not sure how this place eluded my classical radar, but Starkville, Mississippi, home of Mississippi State, has a neighborhood…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The human classical genome

Nathaniel Walker, newly minted architectural historian and professor of same at the College of Charleston, recently joined the TradArch list and launched into debate on the vital issues facing architecture’s future. In discussion with others on the list, who were … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Save the Yale Club!

The title above could as easily have been “Save the Roosevelt Hotel!” or for that matter “Save Grand Central Terminal!” “Save the Chrysler Building!” might also be apt. Or it could be “All is lost!” … “Or maybe not!” could … Continue reading

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

PoMo in revival mod(e)?

It was sort of a meh moment for me to learn a few moments ago that the Portland Building, the postmodernist icon by postmodernist starchitect Michael Graves, will be preserved. News a year or so ago of its proposed demolition … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Snow graces Providence

Here are a few shots I’ve taken over the years during and after snowstorms in downtown Providence. To read the text accompanying the photos, please visit my slide show at GoLocalProv.com, entitled “Dr. Downtown’s Snowy Providence.” I’m not sure I’m … Continue reading

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

Nuff said at Kennedy Plaza

Above are the bicycle stands chosen for and installed at the “new” Kennedy Plaza, in Providence. Below are the bicycle stands approved (but not yet funded) for the city of Charleston. Which design represents the more advanced aesthetic?

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