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.

Perils of architecture school

Common/Edge is a website about architecture. All of the essays are written well, but many seem to try to have it both ways about the battle over style in architecture. So I’m not quite sure how Prof. Nikos Salingaros managed … Continue reading

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Shots of d’town living tour

Yesterday’s tour of downtown apartments highlighted just how Providence is ramping up for an influx of new residents with money for relatively high rents. The sheer number of units coming on line now and in the near future suggests both … Continue reading

Posted in Development, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

WaterFire on TV Monday

Barnaby Evans, the creator and mastermind of WaterFire Providence, informs me that it will star in a television show airing at 7:30 on Monday, June 12, on PBS Channel 36 in the Rhode Island area. The show is called “Weekends … Continue reading

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Sat.’s downtown living tour

Among the most delicious of downtown events, and well on its way to being a Providence tradition, is the tour of downtown apartments hosted annually by the Providence Foundation and the Downtown Providence Improvement District. This year’s Downtown Providence Living … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Development, Providence | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Smarting in Woonsocket

Grow Smart Rhode Island held its annual awards ceremony in Woonsocket yesterday. Before the awardees were celebrated at the Stadium Theater, Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt and deputy planning director Rui Almeida led a tour of the city’s awesome Main Street. The … Continue reading

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Manhattan puddle mystery

Here is a story worthy of the literary bent of the author of the book A Burglar’s Guide to the City.” Geoff Manaugh has a blog, wittily framed as BLDGBLOG. The letters seem to read “blog-blog” until you look at … Continue reading

Posted in Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Warp speed in St. Petersburg

Normally I’m leery of using fancy video techniques to film beautiful cities. Often the techniques undermine the focus on the beauty. Maybe that’s true in this case, “White Nights in St. Petersburg,” but the virtuosity of the work has totally … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Video | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

London bridges standing up

Yesterday’s terror attack on London Bridge follows by about two and a half months a similar attack on Westminster Bridge, four bridges east of London Bridge. Thirty-three bridges span the River Thames in Greater London. The most famous is Tower … Continue reading

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D’town PVDfest vids galore

We – not the editorial we but the family we, as in me, Victoria and Billy – visited PVDfest in downtown Providence this afternoon – whoa, Nellie! a lot going on! Downtown was jamming. More different types of people than … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Providence, Video | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

“Within Walking Distance”

Philip Langdon’s new book Within Walking Distance, published by Island Press, uses six examples of walkable communities to show how they are made. No, unfortunately they do not arise spontaneously, at least not anymore, not since the postwar era, in … Continue reading

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