Author Archive

LA Historic Building Survey: "In a city long derided for haphazard planning, a lack of appreciation for its own history and occasional dead-of-night demolitions, the survey aims to understand what remains on the ground, what has been lost and what might be worth saving from the wrecking ball." [LATimes]

Mass. Towns May Cut Property Tax Surcharge and Preservation Funds: "Under the Community Preservation Act, a surcharge of up to 3 percent is added to annual real estate tax bills. Participating towns then get a match from the state for the contributions.But some residents in the three towns are saying this money should remain in the pockets of taxpayers during tough financial times, or should be used to bolster community infrastructure." [Boston Globe]

The Street of the Future is a Livable Street: GOOD magazine provides visual examples to what makes an effective pedestrian street. Cool interactive photo provided. [GOOD]

101 Uses for a Deserted Malls: A panel of experts discusses new ideas for malls that have been hit hard due to the slumping retail industry. [New York Times]

Costan Rican Airplane Hotel Takes Flight: The Costa Verde Resort now features a hotel suite constructed in an around a 1965 Boeing 727. [Inhabitat] And for the backpacker or traveller on a budget, don't forget about the Jumbo Hostel in Stockholm.

The Preservation of Darkness: France is looking to establish an "anti-light-pollution reserve" surrounding a historic observatory in the Pyrenees. "The goal is to establish a zone with a radius of six to nine miles around the 130-year-old Pic du Midi mountain observatory so that views of the cosmos are not spoiled by intrusive light on the ground." [Discovery News]

A Weekly Dose of Architecture: Design for the Wing Luke Asian Museum in Seattle, a renovation of a 1910 Chinatown building originally used as a home for Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino immigrants. [archidose]

The Putting Lot: "The Putting Lot examines the relevance of empty space in the city. Located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, this miniature golf course occupies what was once a vacant lot. Unused, underutilized, and otherwise empty spaces are abundant in the industrial area around The Putting Lot." Sounds like it might be tough to make a shot with the pressure of an urban landscaping looming over you...maybe Kenny Perry should get some practice in here. [ThePuttingLot]

Restoring Persia's Ancient Capital: Once known as one of the largest and most cosmpolitan cities in the world, the "Persian Florence," has seen better days. Between development and the effects of military conflict, the city's magnificent buildings are in need of restoration. Luckily, some individuals are taking on conservation projects in order to help. [Smithsonian Magazine]

Reviewing New York City's New Ballparks: "Each stadium subtly reflects the character of the franchises that built them. Yankee Stadium is the kind of stoic, self-conscious monument to history that befits the most successful franchise in American sports. The new home of the Mets, meanwhile, is scrappier and more lighthearted. It plays with history fast and loose, as if it were just another form of entertainment." [New York Times]

Reinventing America's Cities: Taking New Orleans, the Bronx, Buffalo and LA as examples, Nicolai Ouroussof explains how the American city can once again be great. [New York Times]

Montpelier Updates: Updates on plans for upcoming exhibits at the newly restored home of James and Dolly Madison. [Montpelier Restoration and Curatorial Blog]

New Life for Donuts Delite:A 1950's Rochester, NY icon looks like it may be saved for use by local pizza chain Salvatore's. Now if they could only restore their old five dollar pizza deal. [Confessions of a Preservationist] [Democrat and Chronicle]

Turning Cul-de-Sac's into Communes: Social experiment in LA cul-de-sacs looks to start neighborhood communes in the suburbs. So the hippies give up on the dream, buy khakis and Honda Pilots and move into cul-de-sacs only to have those cul-de-sacs turned into communes? Oh, the irony. [NPR]

Sustainable Restoration of 1960's Ranch Home: "The addition of carefully selected architectural and construction elements transformed the home from dank and dark to airy, comfortable, and energy efficient." [Green Bean Chicago]

Coney Island's Off-Season Vibe: Mindful Walker takes a stroll along Surf Ave. and the boardwalk on historic Coney Island and discovers a sense of timeless peacefulness to the City's legendary beach spot. "When one walks in Coney Island, it’s easy to feel suddenly in the past. Signs like “piña colada” and “cotton candy” conjured up images of my days at the Jersey Shore in the Sixties and Seventies. The scene didn’t feel of today, even though I know thousands come here each summer to get their beach fix and swim in the ocean." The future of the area is still in jeopardy due to increased development, but reading this post is already getting me anxious to jump on the D train and head to the beach. [Mindful Walker]

House Passes Bill Protecting 2 Million Acres of Wilderness: If you haven't already heard, a huge public lands bill passed on the Hill this past week. William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society called this "a monumental day for wilderness and for all Americans who enjoy the great outdoors. With passage of this bill, Congress has made a great gift to present and future generations of Americans." [Christian Science Monitor] [PreservationNation]

The Qualities of a Sustainable City: Alex Steffen interview on sustainable cities at the Danish Architecture Centre. [Sustainable Cities]

Pedestrian Street in San Fran: Following NYC's recent lead, San Francisco announced that a portion of 17th and Market Streets will be closed off to vehicles, creating a pedestrian plaza, the first of its kind in the city. [SF Streetsblog]

Dear Mr. President: President Lincoln's Cottage writes to the current president, detailing some of the similarities he shares with Lincoln regarding the "Presidential bubble" in which he lives. [President Lincoln's Cottage]

When Deco Came to Greensboro:The L. Richardson Preyer Federal Courthouse, located at the intersection of West Market and North Eugene streets in downtown Greensboro, stands among the most celebrated examples of Art Deco architecture in North Carolina. [Greensboro's Treasured Places]

Buffalo News Supports passing Rehab Tax Credit: Now if they could only speak out for the preservation of the Peace Bridge Neighborhood. "Now is the time to expand the state’s Rehabilitation Tax Credit program, a move that would spur job-creating house and business reconstruction while initially costing the state little in the way of revenues." [Buffalo News] [Confessions of a Preservationist]

Mister Glasses: A webTv series about a modernist architect who shows that modernism does have its place, and yes, it can even mend a broken heart. [ICN]

Mapping Neighborhood Perceptions: How do people perceive the urban spaces that comprise their neighborhoods? And can the culture and preferences of a specific group of people actually affect the physical layout of these spaces? A grad student at UC Berkeley has undertaken an impressive mapping study of neighborhoods in Oakland, California that seeks to answer these and many other questions. [San Francisco Chronicle] [MappingOakland]

Say Hey to Mid Century Modernism: From the 1963 Ebony magazine article featuring Willie Mays' mod house. Very cool collection of styles going on here, and plenty of vintage photos. [MidCentury Architecture]

BLDGBLOG's Book Reports: One of our favorite blogs reviews a handful of books for the architecture nut. [BLDGBLOG]

UNCG Students Lobbying for Preservation: We've covered quite a bit of Lobby Day activity over the past two weeks. Preservodome met students from several different schools while attending the event, even some old classmates from the University of Maryland's HISP program. Here's a post on students from UNC-Greensboro who took part in the Lobby Day activities. [Greensboro's Treasured Places]

NYC Historic Churches in Danger: With money drying up everywhere these days, it's easy to understand that many congregations are deeply affected. Also affected are the historic churches they have called home for decades. [Bloomberg]

Rethinking the Restoration of New Orleans: Andres Duany looks at the city through the lens of the Caribbean, and reveals some very interesting ideas regarding New Orleans and its restoration. "I remember specifically when on a street in the Marigny I came upon a colorful little house framed by banana trees. I thought, "This is Cuba," (I am Cuban). I realized in that instant that New Orleans is not really an American city, but rather a Caribbean one." [newgeography]

Art, People, Triumph Over Traffic in $23 Million Brooklyn Rehab: Demolished in the 1960's to make way for Robert Moses' highways, a public plaza near the Manhattan Bridge is being reborn by artist Brian Tolle. Tolle is recreating the allegorical figures representing Manhattan and Brooklyn that once sat at the entrance to the bridge and were designed by Daniel Chester French. [Bloomberg]

Circle and District: Burleigh's descriptions of 18th century Cairo stand out. She writes that the city was "a labyrinthine metropolis that frustrated and confused the invaders." It was "a city of doors, mostly closed." [BLDGBLOG]

Morris Lapidus House in Biscayne Bay: WSJ magazine features a rare Miami home designed by modernist architect Morris Lapidus. Complete with some very cool photos. [WSJ Magazine]

Book Review: Saving Places that Matter: A Citizens Guide to the National Historic Preservation Act. [NTHS Blog]

Goodbye to the Spectrum: The Spectrum in Philadelphia hosted its final basketball game over the weekend as the Sixers defeated the Chicago Bulls in overtime. Sports arenas and stadiums are often difficult to preserve for a variety of reasons, so we're often only left with the memories they once hosted. It being mid-March (the most wonderful time of the year) it's easy to look back fondly at some of the biggest moments in NCAA Tournament history that took place within "America's Showplace." Two individuals in particular stand out when combining NCAA and the Spectrum: Bobby Knight and Christian Laettner.
Knight won two of his three NCAA Championships in the arena, leading the last team to post an overall undefeated record to the title in 1976. Five years later he brought Isiah Thomas and the Hoosiers to the Spectrum and defeated Dean Smith's North Carolina Tarheels. The Spectrum also played host to what is often considered the greatest game in NCAA Tournament history, as Christian Laettner hit a jumper with two seconds left in overtime to defeat Kentucky in 1992, sending the Blue Devils to the final four on the way to their second straight title.