Category Archives: Art and design

Tiverton pulls plug on “Glen”

Posted on July 22, 2015 by David Brussat

“$100M Glen project dealt blow after residents rally” is the headline on Patrick Anderson’s story in today’s Providence Journal reporting that the Tiverton City Council voted 5 to 2 not to grant its developer, the Carpionato Group, a slew of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gehry’s Ike vs. the nation

Posted on July 22, 2015 by David Brussat

The New York Times’s editorial “Battle Over Eisenhower in Washington” falsely poses the debate over Frank Gehry’s proposed memorial for Dwight Eisenhower as pitting Ike’s grandchildren against World War II veterans. This is not so. The Gehry design is at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Bibliotopia in Tiverton

Posted on July 21, 2015 by David Brussat

Tiverton, which faces the twin threat of a mega-retail/residential development and a new casino amid its charms, may rejoice that it has a beautiful new public library under its belt. When the design was shown to me several years ago … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Art and design, Development, Rhode Island | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Save Europe’s oldest street

Posted on July 20, 2015 by David Brussat

I blogged on the fate of Winchester, England, Europe’s oldest main street – home of the Winchester Cathedral made famous in song – several years ago. Since then the activist group Winchester Deserves Better has been fighting the scheme (they … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Other countries, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hari-kari for Ha-Ha bowl

Posted on July 18, 2015 by David Brussat

Zaha “Ha-Ha” Hadid’s design for an Olympic stadium for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo has been controversial since Japan was selected to host the games in 2013. Now Hadid’s proposal has been axed by Japanese officials. You might almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Art and design, Development, Other countries | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

“Up from Ugliness” at NYT

Posted on July 17, 2015 by David Brussat

Here is what I wrote about a New York Times column before learning it was published not recently but in 2011. Sigh. Well, the points do remain valid. * * * Ross Douthat, a regular columnist at the New York … Continue reading →

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

Redesign this awful garage!

Posted on July 17, 2015 by David Brussat

The proposed garage above is part of a project that is to feature a Rhode Island state nursing school housed in a Beaux-Arts former electric plant. South Street Landing, as the project is known, will also have offices for Brown … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lincoln Center blowback

Posted on July 17, 2015 by David Brussat

New York’s mammoth Lincoln Center has in recent years seen the demise of the New York City Opera – after its director cancelled a season of popular operas and replaced it with “modern” operas – and the near demise of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Providence, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

De Botton’s sore bottom line

Posted on July 16, 2015 by David Brussat

Alain de Botton, who wrote a rollicking book a while back called The Architecture of Happiness, has produced a video, “The Ruin of London,” expressing his horror at what is happening in the favorite city of the super rich. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Other countries, Urbanism and planning, Development, Architects, Video | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Reverend, grace and Grace

Posted on July 15, 2015 by David Brussat

Had a very nice talk by phone with the Rev. Jonathan Huyck, of Grace Episcopal Church, and he assured me not just that nothing was set in cement regarding the design of a proposed new parish hall (possibly of glass), … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment