Category Archives: Architecture History

More AIA “first issues”

Posted on March 6, 2016 by David Brussat

My friend Steve “The Philatecstatic” Mields has sent me more “First Issue” envelopes, this time celebrating the 100th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects. They are not as funny as the first-issue envelopes of the American Planning Association, with … Continue reading →

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Roots of the classical revival

Posted on March 5, 2016 by David Brussat

Here’s a passage from The Swerve, a 2011 book by Stephen Greenblatt on how the discovery of the lost poem “On the Nature of Things” by Lucretius helped spark the Renaissance. The passage has to do with handwriting, not architecture, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Book/Film Reviews, Books and Culture, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Reflect the Pan-Am Building

Posted on March 5, 2016 by David Brussat

Few things are, I believe, more ridiculous than the frequent claim that glass buildings “reflect their context” by mirroring their neighborhoods in their glass façades. It does not happen, or even seem to happen, except when the sun is just … Continue reading →

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Archaeology at Penn Station

Posted on March 4, 2016 by David Brussat

The website Untapped Cities has apparently been sending people out (or at least receiving reports from disparate individuals and then signing them up) to find parts of the old and beloved Penn Station in the bowels of the new and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Blast from past, Development, Interior Design, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Craco, abandoned in 1963

Posted on March 3, 2016 by David Brussat

This haunting film depicts Craco, Italy, abandoned in 1963 after landslides rendered it uninhabitable. Ancient ruins are, well, ancient ruins, and their mysteries pull on different chords of our hearts. Craco is a city – granted, an ancient one – … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Landscape Architecture, Preservation, Urbanism and planning, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Froma Harrop: Don’t bury our cities in megatowers

Posted on March 2, 2016 by David Brussat

An excellent rattling of sabres at megatowers was published in Sunday’s Providence Journal by Froma Harrop, my former colleague on the paper’s editorial board. Froma writes a twice-weekly syndicated column for Creators Syndicate on the full panoply of issues in … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Providence Journal, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Buildings that kill people

Posted on March 1, 2016 by David Brussat

I didn’t want to be the first to say this. Thankfully now Lance Hosey, chief sustainability officer and a principal of the design firm Perkins Eastman, has written “Buildings That Kill.” His piece ran yesterday on CommonEdge.org. He is identified … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Slice of Camelot lost to fire

Posted on February 29, 2016 by David Brussat

Last Thursday, Newport’s famous Bellevue Avenue lost its Stoner Lodge, across from Château-sur-Mer, to a fire probably caused by an accident resulting from its ongoing extensive renovation. The lodge was sold by the daughter of socialite Noreen Drexel in 2012. … Continue reading →

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Glide over St. Petersburg

Posted on February 29, 2016 by David Brussat

This astonishing video, posted on Kuriositas, of Russia’s capital under the czars is called “If You Never Wanted to Visit St. Petersburg, You Will After Watching This.” St. Petersburg recently celebrated its 300th anniversary as a city – it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Other countries, Photography, Urbanism and planning, Video | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Glide through Angkor Wat

Posted on February 28, 2016 by David Brussat

The website Kuriositas has a five-minute film of Angkor Wat, the Hindu-turned-Buddhist temple ruins in Cambodia. Filmmaker Tyler Fairbank, based in New York, shot the film using glidecam technology. The ruins seen in “The Temples of Angkor” and originally built … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Blast from past, Other countries, Urbanism and planning, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment