Category Archives: Architecture History

What’s next for the Frick?

Posted on June 8, 2015 by David Brussat

The news reported by the New York Times’s architecture writer, Robin Pogebrin (“Frick Museum Abandons Contested Renovation Plan“), leaves me with mixed emotions. Over time, my skepticism grew regarding the traditional addition proposed for the Frick. The house was designed … Continue reading →

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Lisbon’s coach catastrophe

Posted on June 6, 2015 by David Brussat

Malcolm Millais, author of the explosive Exploding the Myths of Modern Architecture (2009) sends sad news from Portugal. Lisbon’s delightful and elegant Coach Museum, long the nation’s most popular museum, had been housed in a perfectly lovely building of impeccable … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Blast from past, Other countries | Tagged , , , | 69 Comments

7 brides for 7 buttheads

Posted on June 5, 2015 by David Brussat

A breathtakingly gargantuan amount of balderdash was published by the New York Times today in “Seven Leading Architects Defend the World’s Most Hated Buildings.” The architects have all talked to Alexandra Lange. The first is the hardest sell – the … Continue reading →

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Parsing historic and historical

Posted on June 4, 2015 by David Brussat

Many older cities greet drivers with highway signs that say, for example, “Entering Historic Providence.” The capital of Rhode Island was founded in 1636, and the state’s youngest municipality, West Warwick, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013. Every city and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Development, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Enigmatic at Bletchley Park

Posted on June 3, 2015 by David Brussat

My ongoing investigation of the alleged widespread dislike of Victorian architecture at some point in the past – which I dispute – led me to this passage from Enigma, by Robert Harris, a novel about the quest to decipher the … Continue reading →

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Garden party in Providence?

Posted on May 31, 2015 by David Brussat

Enjoyed giving a tour of Providence to Gibson Worsham and family this morning, before the rain set in. My son Billy and I awaited the Worshams, Gibson and Charlotte, of Richmond, and their son Steve (“Bubba”), a first-year grad at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Photography, Providence | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

A monument to courage

Posted on May 29, 2015 by David Brussat

A newly proposed memorial, called the Monument to the Courage of Those Who Suffered During the Atlantic Slave Trade, was the project for students in Prof. Nathaniel Robert Walker’s Architecture of Memory course in the Art and Architectural History Department … Continue reading →

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Up, up, up in time and space

Posted on May 28, 2015 by David Brussat

Get on the elevator to the observatorium at 1 World Trade Center and you’re in for the ride of your life. Up, up, up – ascending not just through space but through time. An animated display on the walls of … Continue reading →

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“Disposable Architecture”

Posted on May 27, 2015 by David Brussat

Architect Jenny Bevan, of the Charleston firm Bevan & Liberatos, gave a TED talk called “Our Disposable Architecture” in that fair city on Tuesday. She spoke about sustainability in architecture, essentially pointing out that whatever you may think of this … Continue reading →

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Hopeful video from ISIS?

Posted on May 27, 2015 by David Brussat

Here is a three-minute video apparently from ISIS entitled “ISIS Vows Not To Bulldoze Palmyra Architecture (Only Statues),” with a text translated on-screen. The authenticity of this statement has not been confirmed but is considered likely. The Blouinartinfo Blogs article … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Other countries, Preservation, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments