History / Preservation
Smart States Support Their Economies with Preservation Incentives
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.
Friday Funny: 15 Mid-Century Modern Death Traps
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.
Will Vitality Be Trampled in the Rush to 'Modernize' Midtown Manhattan?
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.
New York's Seedy History Hides in Plain Sight on the Bowery
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."
10 Rail Stations on the Road to Recovery
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.
Opposition to Planned Museum Demolition Grows
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.
Buffalo's Passion for Preservation Restores City's Cultural Relevance
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.
Leading Mexican Modernist Architect Dies at 94
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.
Buenos Aires Confronts its Crumbling History; But is it Too Late?
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.
Resurrecting Ancient Cities from the Dead
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?
Cincinnati Public Staircases: A Walking History Abandoned but not Forgotten
A disappearing part of Cincinnati’s urban history is the subject of a new book, which portrays urban staircases as reflective of neighborhood histories and the urban experience.
Atlanta Artist Paints Suburban Ennui
Today's suburbs have discarded the human-scaled patterns they once promised. This newly resurfaced series of paintings from Atlanta artist Meg Aubrey will leave you longing for the world we neglected to build.
Olympics Earn a Gold Medal in Displacement
Lawrence Vale and Annemarie Gray compare the cases of communities displaced by the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where redevelopment for the 2016 Games is underway, and Atlanta, 20 years ago.
Socially Conscious Developers Build a Bastion of Affordability in Philly
Inga Saffron reports on the redevelopment of a 19th-century brick mill into workforce housing in Philadelphia's South Kensington neighborhood; a project that proves virtue need not come at the expense of profit for one Philadelphia-based developer.
Mixing Architecture and Landscape Make for Potent Cocktail at Seagram Building
Phyllis Lambert explores the evolution of the Seagram Building, focusing on Mies van der Rohe's profound concern for the relationship between building and nature.
Wright-Designed Showroom Demolished in NYC Landmarks End-Around
A courtesy phone call from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to the owners of a luxury-car showroom designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was seemingly all it took to persuade them to demolish the historic interior.
Environmentalists Win Major Fracking Lawsuit in California
Environmentalists scored a major victory in federal court in their battle against fracking in California when a judge ruled that the BLM violated NEPA by not requiring an environmental review prior to auctioning rights for drilling in Monterey Co.
MoMA to Demolish Neighbor Notable for Architectural Ambition
Just 12 years after it opened to critical acclaim, the American Folk Art Museum will be demolished by MoMA, its new owner. The irony of it being razed by an institution committed to preserving important pieces of modern design isn't lost on many.
Planning Chicago: An Interview with D. Bradford Hunt and Jon B. DeVries
After decades of decline, Chicago is reveling in its resurgence as America’s hottest urban center and a “port of the global age.” However, these successes conceal a city struggling with increasing inequality and a planning culture “in retreat.”
Paolo Soleri, Visionary Who Merged Architecture with Environmentalism, Dies at 93
Soleri, the founder of the experiential community of Arcosanti, who in many ways presaged the modern sustainability movement, passed away on Tuesday at Cosanti, his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona.
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Planning for Universal Design
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Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
