History / Preservation

Friday Eye Candy: An Intimate Look at London's 19th Century Street Life
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.
Icon of Intellectual and Architectural History to Become "Virtual City"
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.

Ancient Ruins Become Refuges in War-Torn Syria
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.
An Argument Against “Skyscraper Phobia” in the Big Apple
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.
Sydney's Most Valuable Site Set for Preservation Battle
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.
Celebrated Critic's Campaign to Save NY Library Triumphs After She's Gone
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.

World's Oldest New World Globe Found on an Ostrich Egg
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.
LA Conservancy Makes Case for Landmarking City's Pioneering Modernist Homes
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.
Does a 'Palace of Parking' Deserve to be Preserved?
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?

Choice Slights from Frank Lloyd Wright
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.
Building on Assets Creates a Better Buffalo
Low interest rates and incentives from the state are helping Buffalo, NY to leverage its waterfront and extraordinary architecture to create a vibrant downtown, with historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects at center stage.
Battle of Legacies Strands One of Modernism's Most Important Houses
A house designed by pioneering modernist Eileen Gray, and later covered in murals by Le Corbusier, sits in preservation limbo as experts and officials debate whose legacy demands more respect in stalled renovations.
The Great 'What If': Cities Engage the Unbuilt
A spirit of reflection seems to be in the air across America this summer. Exhibitions in Chicago, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles catalog major projects that were never built and allow visitors to imagine what might have been.
The Modernist Home: Born and Razed in L.A.
Andrew Romano explores the ironic fate of the modest mid-century home in the cradle of modernist residential design, where a hot housing market imperils their existence.

Does Seaside Deserve a Rethink?
Often forgotten amid the Truman Show jokes and architectural disdain are the iconic New Urbanist community's contributions to planning history, and its many innovations. Two new works are helping to reframe how the Florida town is understood.
With Pedestrianization Plan, the Eternal City Looks to Ban a Modern Scourge
Mayor Ignazio Marino of Rome has banned private vehicles from Via dei Fori Imperiali, built by Benito Mussolini to link his palace in Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Initially open to buses and taxis, it will eventually be completely pedestrianized.
A Look at Roads Not Taken Provides Path for L.A.'s More Public-Minded Future
A new exhibition of the bold designs that were never executed in Los Angeles provides lessons for today's leaders and planners. By imagining a more public-minded path for Los Angeles, it provides the impetus for creating such a future.
Unrealized City Plans a Window on a Future That Would Not Be
Blogger Andrew Lynch’s collection of unrealized city plans is a catalog of could-have-beens.
The History of Modern Architecture Told Through Hollywood's Lens
Does an inordinate amount of your knowledge come from films? Then you might take pleasure in Zachary Edelson's romp through the past hundred and twenty years of architectural history as told through motion pictures.
MoMA Architecture Head Goes Back to School
Barry Bergdoll, the Museum of Modern Art's Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, has announced he is leaving the museum to take up a post at Columbia University. Over six years he curated a number of popular, and critically praised, exhibitions.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Planning for Universal Design
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New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions