Category Archives: Urbanism and planning

More grace in glass additions

Posted on July 14, 2015 by David Brussat

In researching glass additions worthy of downtown Providence’s Grace Episcopal Church, I came across the image above of the Royal Opera House (formerly Covent Garden), designed by Edward Middleton Barry and completed in 1858, with its elegant glass addition followed … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Failure of grace alert!

Posted on July 13, 2015 by David Brussat

The Providence Journal reports today in “Age and Grace” that Grace Episcopal Church, in downtown Providence, plans as part of its restoration to add a new glass addition. This festered within me all day, and so I went downtown to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Art and design, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lists and lists of restaurants

Posted on July 11, 2015 by David Brussat

Providence has a reputation for fine dining and restaurants that grow old and increasingly beloved. Le tout foodie Prov is mourning the announced closure, on Aug. 9, of the Rue de L’Espoir. But as GoLocalProv.com’s story “Restaurants That Are Sadly … Continue reading →

Posted in Art and design, Blast from past, Books and Culture, Development, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Let Tiverton be Tiverton

Posted on July 8, 2015 by David Brussat

A very large retail and residential development proposed for Tiverton by the Carpionato Group has advanced through several stages of town review and approval without, so far as I can find online, any indication of what the place would look … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Development, Preservation, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

At cross purposes in R.I

Posted on July 7, 2015 by David Brussat

What is wrong with this picture? The Providence Journal published a front-page story, “R.I. pursues the perfect pitch.” State officials seek a “‘top notch’ marketing team to set Rhode Island apart, encourage more visitors and convince people that the Ocean … Continue reading →

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

A high-rise schimflexicon

Posted on July 6, 2015 by David Brussat

H.L. Mencken assembled and published Menckeniana: A Schimflexicon, in which he collected all the abuse of his writing that he could find, mostly from newspaper reviews of his books. I have set myself a much easier but less amusing task … Continue reading →

Posted in Architects, Architecture, Art and design, Books and Culture, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Providence’s own High Line

Posted on July 5, 2015 by David Brussat

Providence’s new linear park, named for East Bay Bike Path founder George Redman (“Not a politician,” quoth Greater City Providence), opened in time for yesterday’s July Fourth fireworks. We drove to East Providence over the Washington Bridge, built in 1931, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Landscape Architecture, Photography, Preservation, Providence, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Monopoly, Hasbro, P’tucket

Posted on July 3, 2015 by David Brussat

Now that the film Monopoly has been announced by the game’s owner, Hasbro, headquartered in Pawtucket, R.I., one can imagine where it might be shot. Of course, the street names that make up the most memorable aspect of the game … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Book/Film Reviews, Humor, Rhode Island, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Helsinki Gugg goes glug glug

Posted on June 29, 2015 by David Brussat

After all that jumping up and down, with 1,715 entries from around the world, the competition to design Guggenheim Helsinki has coughed up a winner, by Paris-based Moreau Kusunoki Architectes, of decidedly modest design, “an indistinct jumble of pavilions faced … Continue reading →

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

Ugly Belgian House blog!

Posted on June 28, 2015 by David Brussat

I just spent some good quality time with the Ugly Belgian Houses blog. Its originator, who self-identifies only as “@hannes_BHC,” has only this to say to explain the blog: “Because most Belgian houses suck. Even mine. Seriously. My English sucks … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development, Humor, Other countries, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments