History / Preservation

A new exhibition on Greco-Roman mapmaking at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in New York examines the relationship between geographic and metaphysical world views.

October 3, 2013 - The New York Times

This year's Stirling Prize, the highest honor awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects, has gone to Witherford Watson Mann architects for their deft renovation of historic Astley Castle, which was destroyed by fire in 1978.

September 27, 2013 - The Guardian

Gabrielle Esperdy explores the development of an online encyclopedia of American architecture — and argues that metadata is a crucial tool for future historians.

September 24, 2013 - Places Journal

Utah's San Rafael Swell is the scene of an energy showdown between conservationists who want to preserve this unique landscape (potentially a national monument), private oil and gas companies that want to drill there, and the BLM that has to decide.

September 23, 2013 - The New York Times - U.S.

A warehouse, electricity substation, and brutalist apartment complex are among the buildings recently granted heritage protection by the British government. Heritage designation for post-war architecture, however, remains contentious.

September 23, 2013 - The Guardian

Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood has been the focus of battles over gentrification for decades. Sarah Wesseler examines recent developments in the neighborhood in light of this history.

September 22, 2013 - Satellite Magazine

As the Tour Montparnasse turns 40, the much-despised office tower is getting a makeover. With a new lighting display and plans to replace its windows, the tower is trying to alter its image. But are the renovations likely to change perceptions?

September 19, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

Following up on their acclaimed guide to D.C., the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has published the "Landscape Architect’s Guide to Boston". Go beyond the Freedom Trail and discover what makes Boston a long-time urban innovator.

September 19, 2013 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

While the 2000-year-old quest to locate the submerged island of Atlantis continues to this day, plenty of cities have suffered the same fate. The futurist website io9 looks at several "once-majestic" cities now buried beneath the sea.

September 19, 2013 - io9

Writing for the blog of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Kaitlin O’Shea presents a brief history of the formal playground and explores the challenges of preserving these relics of our cultural history without compromising child safety.

September 19, 2013 - PreservationNation

In the decade before George Eastman developed film, photographer John Thomson and journalist Adolphe Smith published a series of influential magazines and books exploring London's street life. PetaPixel has collected some of the images.

September 13, 2013 - PetaPixel

After siting vacant for more than 5 years, AT&T's famous Bell Labs campus designed by architect Eero Saarinen will undergo a $100 million renovation aimed at creating a mixed-use center for Holmdel, New Jersey.

September 12, 2013 - The New York Times

Its unclear why the "dead cities of Syria" were abandoned by their residents 1500 years ago. But as photographs and a CBS News report attest, these remnants of a prosperous society provide a grim refuge for thousands of Syrians fleeing civil war.

September 10, 2013 - Kuriositas

Kenneth T. Jackson of the New York Times expresses his opposition to recent density concerns in New York City, which he believes are compromising its future as the world’s greatest city.

September 3, 2013 - The New York Times

With an election looming, the fate of one of Sydney's landmarks rests with voters as current Prime MInister Kevin Rudd suggests selling Garden Island should he be re-elected. Stephen Nicholls and Antony Lawes consider the site's future.

September 1, 2013 - Sydney Morning Herald

In the last column published before her death, pioneering architectural critic Ada Louise Huxtable railed against plans to irreparably alter the New York Public Library. In response to such criticism, the library has altered its plans.

August 29, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

A collector has discovered the world's oldest globe to depict the New World, which may have originated from Leonardo da Vinci's shop in 1504.

August 25, 2013 - The Washington Post

After nearly a decade of work, the Los Angeles Conservancy's Modern Committee has succeeded in getting 10 of the homes built under the aegis of Arts & Architecture magazine's Case Study House program onto the National Register of Historic Places.

August 24, 2013 - Curbed LA

The owners of a Weimar-era parking garage in Berlin that's beloved by modernist enthusiasts are seeking to have its landmark status revoked in order to tear it down. Will officials forgo an opportunity to preserve the German capital's recent past?

August 23, 2013 - The New York Times

In a 1957 book, author Selden Rodman collected conversations with 35 of America's preeminent artists and architects. The interviews with Frank Lloyd Wright are a font of choice quotes on topics from Le Corbusier to NYC's density.

August 22, 2013 - Brain Pickings