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.

New Engand Diary

That it is easy to park on the wrong street of the same name one town over in New England is like saying that if you don’t like the weather in New England, wait five minutes and it will change. … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Salem’s Chestnut Street

Yesterday I took a house tour on Chestnut Street in Salem, Mass, sponsored by the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. Founded in 1626, Salem was the home of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The tour took us … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Photography, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

First onto 195 land

First reported this week in the Providence Business News, Johnson & Wales University has proposed the first new building to arise on land near downtown Providence freed by the relocation of Route 195. Predictably, it will be a sort of … Continue reading

Posted in Architects, Development, Providence, Rhode Island, Uncategorized, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Darrell Issa wimps out

A commenter on my recent blog updating readers on Frank Gehry’s proposal for a memorial to General Eisenhower points out that I relied on an incomplete report of what California Rep. Darrell Issa said of the proposal’s latest revisions. Since … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Art and design | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Column: Nameless building on Dorrance Street

Last week’s column, “The mathematician vs. the modernists,” was my last hurrah as an employee of the Providence Journal. I didn’t know that as I finished writing it around 9 on Tuesday morning. Otherwise I might have written something decked … Continue reading

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

Under Western Eyes

Here is a passage from Joseph Conrad’s book about revolutionaries of early 20th century Russia (though the book is mostly set in Geneva, a refuge for those feeling discomfort under the czar). Razumov, who has just met a fellow agitator … Continue reading

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In defense of Zaha?

It has emerged that news stories last June out of Qatar, where Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid has a commission to build a stadium to host soccer’s World Cup in 2022, falsely asserted that hundreds of itinerant construction workers had died … Continue reading

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WTC blues

The Guardian has published a lengthy article, “1 World Trade Center: How New York Tried to Rebuild its Soul,” by Jason Farago. He bemoans the lost opportunity of the World Trade Center. But he does not mention what that lost … Continue reading

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Guggensinki scandal?

It’s far too early to say whether the design for the proposed Guggenheim museum in Helsinki will prove scandalous in its design, but entries for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s first international museum design competition are due on Wednesday, Sept. … Continue reading

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Ike memorial update

Frank Gehry has agreed to remove the two smaller of three giant screens, or as he calls them, tapestries from his design for a memorial on the Washington Mall to Dwight Eisenhower. It appears that the central sculptural plaza would … Continue reading

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