August 26th, 2010
“I am currently reading Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford, and I find it quite wonderful that the Zen of motorcycle maintenance continues to inspire. It reminds me of the simple truth that is the ‘why’ of what I’ve chosen to do with my life. Doing things with my hands makes me happy. It has also reminded me that preservation is not about the past; it’s about the future.”
—Rudy Christian, from his recent blog “Preserving Tomorrow”
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August 12th, 2010
“Doing more with what we have and getting along with less will be the important lessons of this recession, lessons we will not forget even as business improves. This is good news for traditional building professionals in our new ‘restoration economy.’ Recycling old buildings is what we do. Building new, inherently sustainable buildings the way we used to is what we do. Putting quality first, quality that lasts, is what we do.”
—Peter H. Miller, president, Restore Media, LLC, writing about lessons learned at the latest AIA Show
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July 29th, 2010
“This past spring, when New York architect Gil Schafer III mentioned to friends that he was coming out West to speak at the new Rocky Mountain chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America, the response was typically akin to, ‘They have Classical architecture out there?’ Let’s face it. Many still think of Denver as a ‘cow town in the Rockies.’ But, fellow traditionalists, au contraire!”
—Thomas P. Matthews, Jr., architect, writing about Western Classicism in the July issue of Clem Labine’s Period Homes
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July 15th, 2010
“Today, many builders and developers won’t have anything to do with an architect. They feel that it will cost more, that we’re difficult to work with and that we need to be pampered. Because of this, the refined vocabulary is lost in a lot of current architecture.”
—Robert Orr, architect and principal, Robert Orr & Associates, in a profile on him in the current issue of Clem Labine’s Period Homes
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June 29th, 2010
“New Orleans has always been rather conservative in its selection of architecture for their homes. But if Mr. Pitt wants to donate just one style, and people are glad to live in it, then let’s continue. Maybe the Lower Ninth Ward will become the only neighborhood in America with an incredible collection of Modern homes.”
—John B. Blehar, in response to Clem Labine’s blog “Brad Pitt’s Houses: Good Intentions Gone Astray,” which characterizes the famous actor’s attempt to create new housing in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward as well intentioned but architecturally misplaced
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June 17th, 2010
“I certainly understand the need for contextual architecture. I practice it myself. But to stick blindly and stubbornly to the past is pathetic. If you carry that to its logical conclusion, we would all be living in caves, wattle and daub mud huts and teepees. The Ninth Ward, in the totality of its destruction, actually provides an opportunity for intelligent growth and new thinking.”
—Jon F. Edelbaum, architect, in answer to Clem Labine’s blog on the inappropriateness of new housing designs sponsored by the mega-celebrity actor Brad Pitt in the rebuilding of post-Katrina New Orleans
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June 2nd, 2010
“In the mid-20th century, Modernist architects were notorious for trying out social engineering theories on projects for low-income people. Many of these experiments were ended by dynamite.”
—Clem Labine, founder and editor emeritus of Traditional Building and Period Homes magazines, writing in his latest blog
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May 19th, 2010
“Full sensory engagement with the environment is the original human experience. In a modern world where information is processed and displayed in virtual reality, people need places to come to their senses.”
—Jessica Matteson, landscape architect, James Doyle Design Associates
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May 5th, 2010
“My experience from studying and building historic woodwork is that the small fine details make the difference between good and great. The details that matter are always better when they are cleaned up and refined by hand. The machine today is determining the limits of the craftsman’s skill. This is the tail wagging the dog. The craftsman is the master, not the tool. The machine should be a tool in the hands of a master – not a novice in the hands of a tool.”
—Brent Hull, owner, Hull Historical
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April 21st, 2010
“Here’s the good news: The market is proving the validity of New Urbanism’s long-held contention that mixed-use, walkable communities are more desirable than suburban sprawl. The bad news: This validation is coming 50 years too late for the millions of Americans who already live in sprawl-based suburbs. That’s where Retrofitting Suburbia comes in – it advocates drastically overhauling much of America’s older suburban development, and shows in considerable detail how to make it happen.”
—Clem Labine, founder and editor emeritus, Period Homes, from his review of the new book Retrofitting Suburbia
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It sure does!
What if we wouldn’t do things with our hands anymore?
What if we wouldn’t try to preserve what we have?
I try hard to preserve anything I own because it’s simple to expensive to replace things, if it’s not really necessary. So instead of me throwing something away that I really like, I rather use my skills and my own hands to preserve it and to make it looking nice again in case it has suffered a bit from the past years.
In this way I also know, I will help the environment by not producing more waste than necessary. I don’t think anybody is interested in drowning in trash and waste in our future.