Category Archives: Architecture

Our pushy American tongue

Posted on June 27, 2017 by David Brussat

As a proud owner of one of the several editions of H.L. Mencken’s The American Language, I was tickled to see him cited in an essay about how, after a battle of centuries, American English has conquered English English. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lovely Venice, lovely video

Posted on June 26, 2017 by David Brussat

I want to go back. To Venice. Ahhh. And to a degree, this Expedia video provides the cheapest, fastest and perhaps the most intensely beautiful way to go. Not that being there is not the best. It is. But few … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Video | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Tragic London tower lesson

Posted on June 25, 2017 by David Brussat

The Grenfell Tower that burned in London, costing several score of lives, offers lessons that we can and will again fail to heed. No building can be perfectly fireproof, and no ladder truck can reach beyond 20 stories anyhow. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Mozart, music, architecture

Posted on June 23, 2017 by David Brussat

I’m reading a biography of Mozart by Marcia Davenport, published in 1932. It is excellently written. Of course, Mozart is famous for writing the most enchanting music without crossing out notation on his manuscripts in the least. That is because … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Video | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Too late to squash-bust it

Posted on June 21, 2017 by David Brussat

The alien spaceship being erected on the Moses Brown School campus facing Hope Street telegraphs its strangeness to everyone who passes along that stretch of Hope. Two sets of angled girders thrust akimbo toward Hope, like the wings of a … Continue reading →

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WaterFire crib opens today

Posted on June 19, 2017 by David Brussat

Barnaby Evans, the creator of WaterFire Providence, toured me through the new WaterFire Arts Center yesterday, mere hours before its ribbon-cutting scheduled for 10:30 this morning. The sun played hide and seek with the clouds at 4 yesterday, finally letting … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Market town, New Zealand

Posted on June 18, 2017 by David Brussat

Not so long ago, I wrote a blog post and received a comment in reply from “leveveg.” (I am not sure that’s his name, or even whether he’s a he.) Anyway, I visited his Norway-based website, dedicated to sensible urbanism, … Continue reading →

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

Antidote to gentrification

Posted on June 17, 2017 by David Brussat

The other day, in “Mehaffy on ‘gentrification,” I posted on that sensitive subject, directing readers’ attention to a post by urbanist Michael Mehaffy, “Beware of Voodoo Urbanism,” on the blog Livable Portland. In a comment on my post, Steven Semes, … Continue reading →

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Tower on State House lawn

Posted on June 15, 2017 by David Brussat

And for no good reason. Grok this, fellow Rhode Islanders: The state wants to place a new transit hub along with a tower on land near the State House, possibly right on the State House lawn. The original proposed site … Continue reading →

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

Mehaffy on “gentrification”

Posted on June 14, 2017 by David Brussat

All change is bad. Take gentrification. Gentrification is when rich people suddenly take a liking to a poor part of town, move in, raise property values, and force longtime residents – that is, the poor – to move out. Right? … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments