History / Preservation

A 2,300-year-old Mayan pyramid at the Noh Mul site in northern Belize was recently bulldozed "to make fill for roads," reports Brad Lendon.

May 14, 2013 - CNN

In advance of a new PBS documentary on America's architectural history, Architectural Record is soliciting votes for the building that most influenced life in the United States.

May 10, 2013 - Architectural Record

After weeks of blowback to a controversial plan by MoMA to demolish its acclaimed neighbor, the museum announced that its newly hired design consultants will be allowed to consider integrating the former Folk Art Museum into its expansion plans.

May 10, 2013 - The New York Times

C.J. Hughes looks at the $40 million conversion of the historic Loray Mill in Gastonia, North Carolina into a mixed-use retail and residential complex. Federal and state tax credits are providing the incentives for investors to back the project.

May 9, 2013 - The New York Times

Before there were Safeways and Sam's Clubs, public markets served as the cultural and culinary anchors of towns across the United States. Many were also fine pieces of architecture. David K. O’Neil looks at 10 of the best that have been lost to time.

May 6, 2013 - PPS Placemaking Blog

Chuck Wolfe summarizes a major tenet of his new book and suggests we risk ignoring the back story of urban forms and functions by failing to truly understand the traditional relationships between people and place.

May 5, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

The consultants developing a master plan for L.A.'s historic Union Station have unveiled four design concepts for the station that seek to accomodate high speed rail and improve passenger amenities.

May 3, 2013 - Daily News Los Angeles

A private collection of 38,000 historical maps has been added to the Digital Public Library of America, reports Rebecca Rosen, making it more accessible to researchers and anyone interested in the history of their community.

May 2, 2013 - The Atlantic

Soon to be unveiled plans for a $650 million redesign of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art by Pritzker Prize winning architect Peter Zumthor "would rank as one of the most significant works of architecture to rise in Los Angeles," if completed.

May 2, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

A new exhibit explores the role that tile masons Rafael Guastavino (father and son) played in embellishing many of America's greatest landmarks of the last century. Grand Central Terminal, Carnegie Hall, and the NY subway all exhibit their work.

April 30, 2013 - NPR

As central cities become prized by young professionals and the companies that want to lure them, it behooves states to recognize the value of the historic buildings that bring unique character to workplaces and urban environs, writes Kaid Benfield.

April 29, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard Blog

With their flexible open spaces, right angles, and expanses of glass, mid-century modern houses are coveted by those homeowners with a keen design sense. And, as Projectophile illustrates, it's best if those homeowners don't have children.

April 26, 2013 - Projectophile

In a scathing op-ed for The New York Times, architect Robert Stern challenges the city's drive to densify East Midtown without paying the requisite attention to preservation, infrastructure, and the elements that give vitality to great cities.

April 23, 2013 - The New York Times

Despite a decade of gentrification, New York "oldest streetscape" still retains enough of its historic character to warrant recent listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Sam Roberts explores the "palimpsest of New York City history."

April 21, 2013 - The New York Times

As golden age of train travel came to an end, the fate of the world's train stations became unclear. But by utilizing their grand, flexible spaces, creative designers have found a variety of ways to keep the relics relevant.

April 20, 2013 - Flavorwire

Distinguished critic Paul Goldberger decries the Museum of Modern Art's recently announced plan to demolish the neighboring American Folk Art Museum. Meanwhile, social media campaigns are organizing opposition to the plan.

April 20, 2013 - Vanity Fair

Thanks to the Erie Canal, Buffalo was once one of the most prosperous cities in America, with the architectural gems to prove it. The renovation of several historic landmarks is giving the city a reason to be hopeful about its future.

April 19, 2013 - The Boston Globe

Sam Dillon eulogizes architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez, who helped transition Mexico "from a mostly peasant society into a modern industrial state," as much with his political skills as his technical skills.

April 18, 2013 - The New York Times

The retirement of Buenos Aires's beloved wooden train cars are emblematic of the city's struggle to preserve its physical heritage amid underinvestment, widespread demolition, and uninspired redevelopment, reports Emily Schmall.

April 17, 2013 - The New York Times

Rather than continually build new towns on the outskirts of today's cities or struggle with creating a sense of place in newly constructed environments, could we resurrect old settlements to connect the old with the new?

April 17, 2013 - Humanitarian Space