Tag Archives: Providence

“America’s Urban Future”

Posted on April 21, 2014 by David Brussat

Vishaan Chakrabarti, a partner in the New York starchitect-wannabe firm SHoP (yes, the now almost mandatory ridiculous name), has nevertheless written an excellent piece about urban/suburban trends for the New York Times. It suggests that the feds should shift away … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Column: Dr. Downtown’s stroll with Dr. Street

Posted on April 17, 2014 by David Brussat

Dear Dr. Downtown: Please tell us about your “walkabout” last weekend with the author of Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns — Strolling in Stratford. Well, the doctor thought that Dr. Street (aka John Massengale, New York … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Architecture History, Humor, Preservation, Providence, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blast Past: Biltmore nose job

Posted on April 12, 2014 by David Brussat

As mentioned in my last column about the Dean Hotel, the Biltmore almost received a sockdologer right in the kisser back in 2003. I condemned it as a “nose job for the Biltmore” in a column back then, and it … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Art and design, Blast from past, Preservation, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Past blast: Lost house found

Posted on March 25, 2014 by David Brussat

Here, a blast from the past to whet readers’ whistles for my upcoming column listing the best lost buildings in downtown Providence. This, however, is about a lost house on College Hill, whose ghost I lived next to for six … Continue reading →

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Two to watch in Providence

Posted on March 17, 2014 by David Brussat

While some people in Providence are upset that the owner of a big house at 200 Hope Street, by Russell Warren, across from the Wheeler School, is to be broken up into apartments, and with no intent to alter the … Continue reading →

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Column: The easy way to build on R.I.’s assets

Posted on March 13, 2014 by David Brussat

Almost all cities and states have policies intended to strengthen their economies by building on their assets. Most fail because they reject easy strategies and embrace difficult strategies. Two recent Commentary pieces in The Providence Journal address this issue: “Wise … Continue reading →

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Leon Krier’s tale of post-carbuncle London

Posted on March 5, 2014 by David Brussat

Here is Leon Krier’s piece, “Sustainable Architecture and the Legible City,” just published in Britain’s Architectural Review. Krier recalls the atmosphere in London architectural circles after Prince Charles’s speech denouncing an addition to the National Gallery as “a carbuncle on … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture History, Other countries, Providence, Uncategorized, Urbanism and planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Eric Daum: Gloria Dei, in Providence

Posted on March 3, 2014 by David Brussat

I here reprint a lengthy and extraordinarily erudite, and elegant, essay by my friend and fellow board member of the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. It was originally published on my Journal blog and … Continue reading →

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Blast from the past: America’s got architecture!

Posted on January 30, 2014 by David Brussat

In my weekly column, called “Architecture critic, heal thyself!” and posted this morning, I referred to the elephant in architecture’s living room. That is the fact that most Americans prefer traditional to modern architecture. Among other evidence for this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Architecture Education, Blast from past | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Curse of the ‘Creative Capital’

Posted on January 17, 2014 by David Brussat

The rebranding of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) as the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation (RICC) is complete, and a complete dud. This is the government agency that’s supposed to get the state economy growing again to produce jobs … Continue reading →

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