The first thing that came to mind when I read “A New Idea in Architecture? No New Buildings” by Thomas de Monchaux was that writers for periodicals, whether published on paper or the web, don’t usually choose their own headlines, so Mr. de Monchaux might not be responsible for the somewhat misleading title. He is …
270 Park Avenue, a late-1950s skyscraper, is currently being demolished. The picture above shows the south side of the building at street level. Those two sentences are just about the only thing that I can say that are undisputed fact, as everything else on this topic is either politically and architecturally fraught or is speculation …
Another cast-iron facade, this time on Murray Street. It’s a variation of the weird Neo-Grec style, with arches that still have some arch to them. The paint is heavy enough that it’s hard to see the bolt heads that confirm it’s iron but the long rust stain makes up for that. If you zoom in …
“For Churches, a Temptation to Sell” by C. J. Hughes is a good overview of the issues involved with old religious buildings and preservation. The specifics in the article are related to the real estate pressures in New York, but the general themes are applicable far more broadly. In short, there are a group of …
I know I’ve discussed this before, but it can’t be said enough: reuse of buildings is good for the natural environment as well as the cultural environment. Will Hurst at the Architects’ Journal (UK) recently published a manifesto called RetroFirst. I recommend reading the whole thing: the goals and ideas make perfect sense even though …
