Category Archives: Architecture

Review: ‘Making Dystopia’

Posted on November 2, 2018 by David Brussat

[Review by David Brussat of Making Dystopia, by James Stevens Curl. Oxford University Press. 592 pages. U.S. publication date Oct. 23, 2018.] *** Modern architecture has hoaxed the world for well over half a century. Charlatans bred the founding modernist … Continue reading →

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Halloween in Providence

Posted on November 1, 2018 by David Brussat

Last night’s Halloween trick-or-treat scene near our little house on Providence’s East Side showcased the charms of our more modest nook of the Blackstone neighborhood. On account of its evident friendliness, our district is usually mobbed by families from other … Continue reading →

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How the Gothic got haunted

Posted on October 29, 2018 by David Brussat

Here’s an interesting article, perhaps a day early, on the history of Gothic architecture – you know, with the pointed arches and towers reaching for the sky. All haunted houses are Gothic, are they not? Some say haunted houses are … Continue reading →

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‘Dystopia’ on sale in U.S.

Posted on October 25, 2018 by David Brussat

On Monday, Making Dystopia, by British architectural historian James Stevens Curl, officially went on sale in the United States. I am mere pages away from its completion and will review it soon. It offers a comprehensive study of a monstrous … Continue reading →

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A little off the top for Fane

Posted on October 23, 2018 by David Brussat

Monday night’s public hearing into the Fane tower at City Hall barely seemed to push the needle one way or the other on whether to permit its developer, Jason Fane, to ignore the 100-foot height limit on the Jewelry District … Continue reading →

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Buildings that go extinct

Posted on October 22, 2018 by David Brussat

Here is an interesting article in The Baffler, “The Archivists of Extinction,” by McMansion Hell blogger Kate Wagner. She focuses her microscope on folks who collect and post photos of old Kmarts, Toys ‘R’ Us’s, and the like, which are … Continue reading →

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Is architecture charming?

Posted on October 20, 2018 by David Brussat

Although it says nothing of architecture, an essay by Joseph Epstein on charm causes me to wonder whether architecture can be charming. His essay, “Life’s Little Luxury,” in The Weekly Standard, is discursive, that is, it rambles round, making its … Continue reading →

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Stop Fane tower on Monday

Posted on October 18, 2018 by David Brussat

The good guys will have another opportunity to denounce the bad guys on Monday at a 5:30 p.m. public hearing of the ordinance committee of the Providence City Council. I refer, naturally, to the proposed 600-foot Hope Point Tower by … Continue reading →

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North vs. South on Benefit

Posted on October 16, 2018 by David Brussat

After a couple of centuries dodging various bullets, including the College Hill Study of 1959, Benefit Street has come under the wing of a new organization called the Mile of History Association. It held its first annual meeting Sunday in … Continue reading →

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Learn from Lombard Pozzi

Posted on October 12, 2018 by David Brussat

Thursday evening I attended a lecture on the late Bristol architect Lombard Pozzi, who died in 2013. Lombard Pozzi – what a great name! More than anyone else, Pozzi is responsible for Bristol’s having managed to remain true to its … Continue reading →

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