Home    Contact Us     Subscribe

Today's News - May 22, 2002

Our latest feature showcases a new exhibition at the National Building Museum: Richard Neutra's Windshield House. The only thing more tragic than the fact that the house burned down in 1973 is the current spate of demolition - or threat of demolition - of several early/mid-20th century design classics. This newsletter has been chronicling efforts to protect buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, R.M. Schindler, Richard Neutra, and many others…a few wins here, a number of losses there, and too many draws (where the jury's still out) everywhere.

One of the most eloquent eulogies appeared in the Los Angeles Times, written by architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff back in April, titled "There Goes Our History" (there's a link in the feature below). It is sad to think that not too long from now our only experience with the genre could be by visiting museums and university archives…but at least we'll have that! Oh joy…

To the news…they're down to the wire about who will be leading the master planning for the World Trade Center site. The New York Times reports on the controversy(ies), and the New York Post claims "insinuations" in the Times article. It's almost a "no-win" situation for whoever wins…but there's always hope, as expressed in a thoughtful editorial in The Scotsman (yes, from Scotland).