Category Archives: Architecture

The streets of New York

Posted on May 9, 2019 by David Brussat

I was in New York on Monday to celebrate James Stevens Curl’s laureateship, bestowed by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s 2019 Arthur Ross Awards, at the University Club of New York, for his book Making Dystopia, now high … Continue reading →

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Hits every nail on the head

Posted on May 5, 2019 by David Brussat

Peter Franklin, at the website UnHerd.com, has written “The hideous spread of ‘spreadsheet’ architecture: It’s time to rise up against the uglification of our cities.” It knocks the ball out of the park. I have read many great articles on … Continue reading →

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Curl’s American lecture tour

Posted on May 3, 2019 by David Brussat

Professor James Stevens Curl, author of the pathbreaking Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and Survival of Architectural Barbarism, will be visiting on our side of the pond to receive a Ross Award from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. … Continue reading →

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How to rebuild Notre-Dame

Posted on May 1, 2019 by David Brussat

Right out of the box, France announced an international competition to determine whether and how to rebuild the roof and spire of Notre-Dame, destroyed by fire on April 15. French President Emmanuel Macron wants the job done by 2024, in … Continue reading →

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Ban glass and steel in NYC

Posted on April 29, 2019 by David Brussat

That’s really what New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, said. He called for a “ban” on glass-and-steel skyscrapers. But that is not what he actually meant. That idea would never fly in Manhattan. The mayor’s handlers are already walking … Continue reading →

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Calm before the Fane storm

Posted on April 26, 2019 by David Brussat

A quiet – or a quietus, as a friend from Boston might put it – reigns over the architectural landscape in Providence. Nobody is certain whether the city’s smackdown of the proposed Fane tower design trumps the authority of the … Continue reading →

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Spirit of Benefit Street

Posted on April 24, 2019 by David Brussat

By happenstance, much of my yesterday was spent on or near Benefit Street, long known as Providence’s Mile of History. The intersection of Benefit and College streets must be among the most beautiful in the history of the world, to … Continue reading →

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Flèche of Viollet-le-Duc

Posted on April 21, 2019 by David Brussat

The lost spire of Notre-Dame must be rebuilt, but how? An international design competition has been announced to decide how to rebuild it, whether as it was or as “adapted to techniques and challenges of our times.” These last are … Continue reading →

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Rubbers meets the Rhode

Posted on April 19, 2019 by David Brussat

Senate President Dominick “Rubbers” Ruggerio has introduced legislation in Rhode Island’s General Assembly to bar cities and towns from bothering the developers who want to screw this state’s localities and their citizens. Ruggerio was dumbfounded by the meanies of the … Continue reading →

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Notre Dame redivivus?

Posted on April 16, 2019 by David Brussat

Notre Dame lives! Monday was pure concentrated stress and sadness – the horror! – watching the spire teeter and fall, then seeing the fire creep along what remained of the roof toward the betowered west façade, and then, as flames … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments