Does Preservation Have a Future?

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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One Response to “Does Preservation Have a Future?”

  1. Paula Jo@Home Decor | Garden Decor | Outdoor Decorations says:
    September 1, 2010 at 3:10 pm

    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.

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Is Doing More with Less Really Such a Good Thing?

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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One Response to “Is Doing More with Less Really Such a Good Thing?”

  1. Brenda says:
    August 20, 2010 at 10:40 pm

    Great to hear! Classic is always the best way to go. Quality seems to be a thing that fits the classic category now because so many people pay no attention to detail anymore. You are the Future :)

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Is Denver Classic?

July 29th, 2010

Denver-Matthews-(1)“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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Are We Losing the Uses of Refinement?

July 15th, 2010

orr-talk“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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One Response to “Are We Losing the Uses of Refinement?”

  1. Nancy King says:
    July 19, 2010 at 1:50 pm

    I argue that more than a refined vocabulary is lost. In my experience the absence of an architect can result in awkward spaces, not functioning as they were intended, and offering no sense of space. Our clients need to ascribe to design the concept that good design has worth. A project that is well designed will yield spaces where people will seek out and want to be. One can argue that such a project/building will be worth more financially because its spaces are more desirable, in demand, and widely used. In the end, good design pays for itself.

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Should the New New Orleans Have at Least Some Modern Houses?

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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4 Responses to “Should the New New Orleans Have at Least Some Modern Houses?”

  1. Fred says:
    July 5, 2010 at 11:58 am

    I agree completely. Why not have a place in New Orleans dominated by a totally different style? The circumstances that gave Mr. Pitt and others the opportunity were as tragic as they come, but let’s not reject his incredible altruism over a relatively small matter.

  2. Josylyn says:
    July 6, 2010 at 9:20 am

    Variety does look good. It’s good to look at a neighborhood that has a variety of designs in houses. But yeah, if the people are glad to live in those houses, then let’s just leave it as it is.

  3. Nancy King says:
    July 19, 2010 at 2:17 pm

    Brad Pitt’s gift is extremely generous and to many can be considered a godsend. Mr. Pitt is offering the former residents of the ninth ward the opportunity to move back and resume their lives. The question for me is – sure these houses are replaceable regardless of their designs, but are they able to replace the sense of home for these families? We all find comfort within the places we live. With the infusion of “foreign” design and the stripping away of all that is familiar, the sense of home for these families becomes elusive. The neighborhood is not recognizable. The sense of loss remains. I hope that the moment when the residents of the ninth ward feel that they are finally home comes sooner rather than later.

  4. Mark of New York City Walking Tours says:
    August 3, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    I would certainly hope that they at least mimic the architecture that came before in this great city such as wrought iron fencing and beautiful porches. Once a city becomes a hodgepodge of styles the aesthetics of whole neighborhoods are upended.

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Is Sticking to the Past Pathetic?

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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Can Dynamite Be a Good Design Tool?

June 2nd, 2010

PHTalk“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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2 Responses to “Can Dynamite Be a Good Design Tool?”

  1. Frank says:
    June 8, 2010 at 11:46 am

    Truer words were never spoken! The architecture of “urban renewal” was generally hideous and easily able to break even the strongest spirits.

  2. George says:
    June 13, 2010 at 7:36 am

    When high-style architecture became art, driven largely by aesthetic considerations, it lost touch with people and in the process divorced itself from the real world.

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Do We Still Know Our Place?

May 19th, 2010

PHTalk“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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2 Responses to “Do We Still Know Our Place?”

  1. Simon says:
    May 21, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    Amen!

  2. Fred says:
    May 24, 2010 at 8:52 am

    Don’t you know that we all need places to come home to; unfortunately, you’ve got to be a gazillionaire to afford one like this.

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Is the Craftsman Just a Tool?

May 5th, 2010

PHTalk“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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2 Responses to “Is the Craftsman Just a Tool?”

  1. Margaret says:
    May 10, 2010 at 10:45 am

    Doesn’t being a master mean, in part, knowing how to use machines and tools? It has for the last 250 years or so.

  2. Paul says:
    May 13, 2010 at 11:44 am

    Time to come into the 20th century?

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Can the Old Suburbia Become New—and Better—Again?

April 21st, 2010

PHTalk“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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3 Responses to “Can the Old Suburbia Become New—and Better—Again?”

  1. Louise says:
    April 25, 2010 at 8:33 am

    This is a good book review and an even better book. Finally, the tide is turning against sprawl and all its outrageous social, cultural, and economic consequences.

  2. Carl says:
    April 30, 2010 at 8:30 am

    Pointless hooie. I don’t have enough fingers to plug all the leaks in this argument.

  3. Bill says:
    May 4, 2010 at 10:22 am

    These are ideas whose time has come.

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