Category Archives: Providence

Boogie nights in Providence

Posted on June 15, 2015 by David Brussat

Saturday night saw the culmination of the first annual Providence International Arts Festival, and your roving correspondent was there. With son Billy and superbuddy Maria Ruggieri, we parked and set off down wild Washington Street on our way to WaterFire. … Continue reading →

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Allan Greenberg’s classicism

Posted on June 5, 2015 by David Brussat

While the contagion of “global architecture” today dilutes the individual character of our cities, turning them into bland collections of interchangeable buildings, we now have voices offering a fresh choice: classical architecture based on local traditions and ideals. With the … Continue reading →

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

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

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

The Skeffingtonian legacy?

Posted on May 19, 2015 by David Brussat

Sunday, during a jog, the chief new owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox had a heart attack. Jim Skeffington’s death – may he rest in peace – thrusts his plan to move the PawSox to Providence into deep shadow. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Providence, Rhode Island | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

5th Ave., 8 BR, city view

Posted on May 5, 2015 by David Brussat

A friend who used to be a big wheel in Providence development circles, Lee Juskalian, keeps tabs through me (and others) on development around here (though he has lived in California for years). Lee, who now travels and surfs, has … Continue reading →

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Lord Jim’s “Skeffonomics”

Posted on April 27, 2015 by David Brussat

Last Friday, when the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission bowed to pressure and let new PawSox owners James Skeffington and Larry Lucchino address the commissioners in public, the wheels of cynicism started spinning furiously. On Monday, when I arrived at the … Continue reading →

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Long city planning grind

Posted on April 25, 2015 by David Brussat

James Fallows has written “Nice Downtowns: How Did They Get that Way?” for the Atlantic, about how active city downtowns arise not naturally or organically but are planned. He takes the example of Seattle, which was a hollowed-out reject 50 … Continue reading →

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Join my Jane’s Walk again!

Posted on April 24, 2015 by David Brussat

I will be giving my second annual Jane’s Walk waterfront tour of downtown Providence on Saturday, May 2, at 1:00 p.m. We will meet at the Crawford Street Bridge – the new and beautiful bridge, not the late, unlamented Guinness … Continue reading →

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

More new crap at Brown

Posted on April 22, 2015 by David Brussat

Brown apparently regrets its beauty and wants to be among the ugliest schools in the Ivy League. This is the only conclusion that comports with the fact of what it builds on campus. The latest is the Applied Math Building … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Development, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments