History / Preservation

A letter written by George Washington that is set to be auctioned by Christie's details the founding father's conflicting views of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, diva designer of the District of Columbia.

December 7, 2012 - The Washington Post

The good news - America is closing its prisons. The bad news - America is closing its prisons. Emily Badger asks how "all these empty, peculiar and often isolated buildings" can be reused.

December 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

The FBI may get the new building it's been clamoring for, and developers may get a prime opportunity on D.C.'s most prestigious avenue, if a recent proposal by the GSA comes to pass. But what will happen to one of the city's last Brutalist buildings?

December 5, 2012 - The Washington Post

Despite the progress downtown L.A. has made over the last decade in becoming a vibrant, day-night, mixed-use community, "block-killing blight" remains a stubborn presence in the area's landscape. Ryan Vaillancourt calls out the worst offenders.

December 5, 2012 - Los Angeles Downtown News

Matt Chaban reports on the making of “the Upper East Side’s very own High Line." Current proposals seek not only to "re-pedestrianize" Park Avenue, but also to restore some of its turn of the century glory.

December 1, 2012 - The New York Observer

It's still far from clear what the political outcome of Syria's civil war will be. But for the country's built environment, the effects are stunningly evident. Millions of buildings have been damaged or destroyed since March 2011.

November 30, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Edwin Heathcote examines the common ethos that connects Kyoto's Katsura Imperial Villa and Los Angeles's Schindler House, "two homes, far apart in time and space, that influenced the modern movement."

November 29, 2012 - Financial Times

While it doesn't sounds like the most historically sensitive renovation, designLAB's reworking of Paul Rudolph's Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth shows that Brutalist monoliths can be adapted to suit contemporary needs and tastes.

November 29, 2012 - The Boston Globe

The Public Interest Design Institute encourages architects to embrace participatory approaches in design that address complex social needs; demonstrating that it's possible to "make a career as an architect serving those who need the most help."

November 28, 2012 - American Institute of Architects

Alex Ulam discusses the challenges of redesigning mid-century urban landscapes to accommodate contemporary tastes and social activities, drawing on examples like Dan Kiley's North Court at Lincoln Center and Boston City Hall Plaza.

November 25, 2012 - The Architects Newspaper

Completed in 1791, the Mission Dolores is the oldest building in San Francisco. It has survived major earthquakes in the past, writes Alexis Coe, but preservationists are worried about its fate and have begun digitally preserving the landmark.

November 22, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Soumya Karlamangla profiles a once-thriving hippie mecca, hit by hard times and largely abandoned, even by the nearby student population. Is it down for the count?

November 21, 2012 - SF Gate

“In recent days, the Netherlands’ peerless expertise and centuries of experience in battling water have been widely hailed in the United States as offering lessons" for New York and for other cities alike, writes Andrew Higgins.

November 20, 2012 - The New York Times

Preservationists have won a victory in their efforts to save Bertand Goldberg's Prentice Women's Hospital from demolition.

November 17, 2012 - Chicago Reader

The U.S. Postal Service is selling 78 post office buildings, including the National Register listed Berkeley California Post Office building. 4,400 nationwide may be sold with many demolished. What can you do to save your favorite post office?

November 16, 2012 - UrbDeZine.com

The preservation and meticulous restoration of historic brownstones in Manhattan, and especially Brooklyn, over the last half-century has revived whole swaths of the city. A new generation of homeowners are exploring radical alterations to the form.

November 12, 2012 - The New York Times

Driven by recent controversies over efforts to have historic buildings designated as landmarks over owner objections, the city of Denver is looking at revising its historic-landmark designation ordinance to prevent "real-estate terrorism."

November 5, 2012 - The Denver Post

I can't remember the last time I left the house and gave a moment's though to whether I'd be warm enough, or whether I needed to bring an umbrella. Meanwhile, half the East Coast is underwater right now.

November 2, 2012 - Josh Stephens

The predicted "New Yorkification" of Hollywood appears to have finally found its incarnation in the proposal released last week to build twin 500- and 600-foot towers adjacent to the historic Capitol Records building.

October 30, 2012 - Curbed LA

As D.C.'s J. Edgar Hoover Building reaches the end of its 40 years of service as the headquarters of the FBI, one of the city's last examples of Brutalist architecture is getting little love from preservationists as discussion begin over its fate.

October 29, 2012 - The Washington Post