Archinect - News

Egypt suspends plan to restore granite cladding on one of the pyramids of Giza following backlash

2024-02-17T08:00:00-05:00

Egypt has scuttled a controversial plan to reinstall ancient granite cladding on the pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the three great pyramids of Giza, a committee formed by the country’s tourism minister said in a statement. [...] The pyramids are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that still remain.

The initiative was announced in January by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, calling it “the project of the century.”

The project, led by a team of Egyptian and Japanese experts, would have commenced after at least a year of planning but has since drawn international outcry, with many critics believing that there should be as little intervention on the structure as possible and that this restoration attempt could have the effect of disrupting its natural state. The pushback has led Egypt’s antiquities authority to review the project.

The plan called for the reuse of fallen granite blocks that have remained around the pyramid’s base. However, according to Zahi Hawass, a former minister of antiquities who headed the Menkaure pyramid review committee, it would be impossible to determine where each granite block had originally been located.

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund: More than $3 million in grants to sites and organizations announced

2021-08-24T19:29:00-04:00

On July 15, 2021, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced more than $3 million in grants to 40 sites and organizations through its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. Over the past four years, the National Trust has funded 105 historic places connected to Black history and invested more than $7.3 million to help preserve landscapes and buildings imbued with Black life, humanity, and cultural heritage.

Grants were awarded across four categories: capacity building, project planning, capital, and programming and interpretation. Grantees include the Oakland Public Library, City of Sacramento, Indiana Landmarks, African American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard, Save Harlem Now!, and Huston-Tillotson University.

Since the inception of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund in 2016, the effort has accumulated $50 million in funding, making it the largest preservation effort ever undertaken to support African American historic sites. This year’s announcement marks the largest single disbursement in the fund’s four-year history, made possible by a $20 million grant to the Action Fund by philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett.

The full list of African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund grantees can be seen here.

Previously on Archinect: African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund receives $20 million grant from MacKenzie Scott as part of a $2.7 billion over...

Liverpool has been stripped of its World Heritage Site status after a ruling by UNESCO

2021-07-22T17:00:00-04:00

Unesco’s decision will no doubt be shrugged off as the prissy overreaction of an unelected body and, given what has been allowed in Edinburgh, the world heritage designation seems largely ineffectual anyway. But the act of striking Liverpool off the list helps to shine a powerful international spotlight on a city that has been happy to embrace mediocre development for far too long. It is a useful reminder that the world is watching.

Liverpool has failed to retain its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site following a meeting by the agency Wednesday in China.

The decision comes as no surprise to those who have for decades now been trying to prevent encroaching development near the city’s Victorian-era docks. UNESCO pointed to the “irreversible loss” of the docks’ historical value brought on by several multi-million pound projects including the Museum of Liverpool and new Everton football stadium.

UNESCO had originally placed the city on its list in 2004, but the slew of development that has taken place since brought on changes to the city skyline constituting a “significant loss to its authenticity and integrity” that lead to the agency’s decision which the city’s mayor has said could be appealed.

Oliver Wainwright responded with a missive decrying the city’s headstrong development pushes he views as “the consequences of a city in thrall to developers” that have destroyed Liverpool’s historic character in the s...

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund receives $20 million grant from MacKenzie Scott as part of a $2.7 billion overall gift

2021-06-21T17:25:00-04:00

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has been awarded a $20 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in an unprecedented move that will nearly double the amount of funding the organization has received since its inception in 2017.

Scott’s grant was announced in a Medium post she authored, which outlines some of her motivations for supporting causes with a progressive social agenda.

The donation is part of a larger $2.7 billion gift Scott and husband Dan Jewett gave to a variety of arts organizations with a focus on African diasporic cultural concerns, including the Souls Grow Deep Foundation and the Studio Museum in Harlem, which is currently undergoing a radical transformation at the hands of Adjaye Associates.

Holmes Hall at Morgan State University. Image courtesy Baltimore Heritage.

The money will allow the fund to pursue its stated goals of promoting a “national identity that reflects the nation’s true diversity...

"The Glass House Project" begins construction at the Menokin Foundation

2020-06-26T14:18:00-04:00

The Menokin Foundation has announced the commencement of construction on The Glass House Project, a preservation endeavor to transform the ruins of Menokin, the home of Declaration of Independence signer Francis Lightfoot Lee and his wife Rebecca Tayloe Lee. The project will preserve the remaining portions of the 1769 Colonial-style home and replace missing walls, floors, and sections of the roof with glass.

The foundation is working with Machado Silvetti, a Boston-based architecture and design firm, along with a team of experts, to realize the ambitious project. Also on the project team are Consigli Construction Co. Inc (construction); DATA Investigations, LLC (archaeology); Eckersley O’Callaghan (glass design); Encore Sustainable Architects (historical architect); John Fidler (preservation technology); Reed Hilderbrand (landscape architecture); and Tillotson Design Associates (lighting design).

"The remains of the Menokin Plantation challenged our imagination to develop a design...

Paul Rudolph's Boston Government Service Center is in danger

2019-10-31T11:32:00-04:00

According to a recent article from The Boston Globe, due to city's "hot" real estate market, which has "prompted a number of developers to tear down and build up," the Governor's office now wants to get in on the action.

On Wednesday, the Baker administration unveiled plans to redevelop the state-owned Charles F. Hurley Building, reports the Globe. The efforts will open up a 3.25 acre site with a deal earning the state tens of millions of dollars, "at a minimum." The administration is moving quickly, hoping to identify a developer within 18 to 24 months after putting the project out to bid. Plans are reported to include a new office complex, new ground floor retail, and possible restaurant spaces.

Paul Rudolph began the design process of the brutalist building in 1962 and construction began in 1966, lasting 5 years. Yesterday, The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation posted a call-to-action on its website and twitter feed. In a blog post titled, S.O.S: - Save Rudolph's Boston Governmen...

UK recruits modern day "Monuments Men and Women" to recognize historic structures

2019-10-28T14:15:00-04:00

Heritage campaigners have welcomed the government’s plans to increase the number of listed buildings across the UK...Under the new scheme, which has been allocated £700,000, people will be encouraged to nominate buildings in their area and a heritage champion will be appointed to encourage councils’ local listings.

"These activists will form a task force, which the government describes as a modern version of the ‘Monuments Men’ who recovered countless artworks from the Nazis during the Second World War," Architects' Journal (AJ) reports.

According to AJ, the plan is for the "heritage activists" to identify pertinent buildings and "get them listed, locally or nationally as soon as possible." The initiative will commence with 10 English counties, in an effort to populate their local lists.

Rome aims to protect national monuments and historic landmarks with strict tourist rules

2019-06-12T13:58:00-04:00

Authorities in the Italian capital have now enforced a slew of rules, updated from legislation drafted in 1946, as they seek to clamp down on uncouth behavior that has long been a source of frustration.

With a slew of visitors and tourists filling the streets of historic cities across the globe, it is no wonder authorities in the Italian capital are enforcing measures to help preserve Rome's cityscape. From "messy eating" and foot bathing near the Trevi Fountain to preserving historic staircases, these rules are set to reduce the level of transgressions happening within the city. "Bans on wheeled suitcases and buggies being dragged down historic staircases, walking around bare-chested, and pub crawls. The authorities are also taking aim at 'nuisance drunks' or people who sing on public transport, as well as those who wrap their mouths around the nozzles of the city's drinking fountains."

Visitor dipping head into Trevi Fountain. Image © Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

One specific measure with a permanent ban are for individuals dressing up as modern-day centurions. According to the Guardian, "men who dress up in tunics and leather breastplates, wielding plastic swords – and make money by posin...

Historic buildings shine as the Los Angeles Conservancy announces its 2019 Preservation Award Winners

2019-05-09T18:08:00-04:00

Los Angeles is a cornucopia of sites and experiences. However, beyond the city's experiential characteristics it's also home to an elaborate collection of historical landmarks and structures. This week the Los Angeles Conservancy announced its 2019 Preservation Award Recipients. The selected projects reflect a wide range of efforts to preserve L.A. County's architectural heritage.

Since 1982, the Los Angeles Conservancy has reviewed and recognized historical structures that represent excellence in the field of historic preservation. A selected jury comprised of experts in architecture, historic preservation, and community development are chosen to award winners in various categories. Some categories include rehabilitation, sensitive restoration, adaptive reuse, as well as special Chair's Award for exceptional contributions.

What started as a nonprofit membership organization in the late 1970s, the Los Angeles Conservancy had dedicated their time and efforts through education and a...

Dutch company wants to rebuild Notre Dame by 3D printing its ashes

2019-05-01T14:35:00-04:00

After a devastating fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral earlier this month, designers have been proposing ideas for its restoration. Foster + Partners released a controversial rendering for a glass roof addition, Studio Fuksas proposed a spire made of crystal, and the São Paulo-based architecture practice AJ6 Studio imagines one made entirely from stained glass.

Meanwhile, one company, Concr3de, is staying away from the transparent material, instead looking to the ashes and debris caused by the fire for inspiration. The dutch company—which was founded by Eric Geboers and Matteo Baldassari and specializes in 3D printing for the architecture industry—has proposed a plan that would use the rubble to 3D print parts of the gothic cathedral that have been lost.

Taking the ash, the dust and damaged stone and turning it into a 3D printable powder, the two designers want to rebuild the cathedral using the original design that has been saved in incredible detail thanks to the digital sca...

Developer's plans to build condominium complex raise concerns over Buckminster Fuller's oldest extant geodesic dome

2019-01-14T14:17:00-05:00

While Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic domes may have gotten special mention in Jeff Bridges' recent Golden Globes speech, his oldest extant lattice-shelled structure is in the news for a less glorious reason. Now under serious threat, the Dome at Woods Hole and the accompanying Nautilus Hotel—for which it once served as the dining room—have been bought by a developer planning to build a condominium complex on the historic property.

Local developer Longfellow Design-Build, who is looking to build a 43-unit senior living complex, had been in talks about giving control of the dome to a non-profit organization that was created to save and restore the iconic geodesic dome; However, the two have been unable to come to an agreement.

Courtesy of Woods Hole Historical Museum.

The non-profit the Dome at Woods Hole was hoping to secure a long-term lease to refurbish the structure and turn it into a site for artistic endeavors. But, after two years of negotiations, the developer has walke...

If you like their watches, you'll probably love their hotel: Shinola opens its first hotel in Detroit

2019-01-03T17:37:00-05:00

...the new property is not to sell products. Instead, Shinola aims for the hotel to be a place where Detroiters and out-of-town visitors can bond with each other, the city, and the brand in an organic way.

The Detroit-based watch company is a fundamental entity within the city. Founded in 2011, the humble watch company built its first factory by transforming 30,000 square feet of unused space inside Detroit's historic Argonaut Building. A brand built on quality, hard work, and the spirit of Detroit, the ambitious company sought out to create a space that would promote their community. Pushing beyond the retail space, the long-awaited Shinola Hotel opened its doors on January 2, 2019. In collaboration with Bedrock Detroit for their urban development and revitalization specialities, and Gachot Studios for their design expertise, the hotel pays homage to Detroit's rich downtown architecture.

Street Image of Woodward Ave in Detroit. Photo by Michelle & Chris Gerard

With Kraemer Design Group acting as the Architect of Record and Historical Consultant for the project, the hotel occupies five buildings along historic Woodward Ave. Two of the five buildings include the iconic Singer Buildi...

Graphic designer Arnold Schwartzman captures art deco buildings around the world

2019-01-03T15:47:00-05:00

Los Angeles's Central Library, London's Hoover building, and Lisbon's Eden Teatro, are all considered to be some of the finest examples of Art Deco from around the world. They also all take center stage in the stunning photographs taken by graphic designer and film-maker Arnold Schwartzman, whose book on the 20th century architectural style was released in November of last year.

Schwartzman, who was the Director of Design for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, photographed 13 of the world's most beautiful buildings. From a movie theater in Glendale, California, to an amusement park in Sydney, Australia, Schwartzman captures the careful and exacting detail of Art Deco's most celebrated examples. A number of them can be seen here in the Guardian.

Eight Frank Lloyd Wright buildings nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage List, a first for the US

2018-12-28T13:05:00-05:00

A collection of eight Frank Lloyd Wright buildings have been nominated by the United States to the World Heritage List. Submitted by the National Park Service, the nomination will be reviewed by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in July of 2019.

Widely considered one of the greatest American architects of the 20th century, the considered buildings include his recently restored Unity Temple in Oak Park, the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, Taliesin and Taliesin West, and the defining Fallingwater. The Guggenheim Museum building, the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Wisconsin, and the Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago are also among those nominated.

The collection of buildings are the first examples of modern architecture to be nominated by the US for world heritage status. The proposal was originally submitted in 2015, but has been revised in accordance with the Committee’s request, which also noted Wright's global importance and "outstanding universal value." Among the chang...

After struggling to find a buyer, the fate of Rosa Parks' home remains in limbo

2018-08-17T19:39:00-04:00

For now, the austere structure—and everything it symbolizes about the African American experience—awaits for a buyer while it sits quietly in Guernsey’s storage facility in upstate New York. As of this writing, the home’s destiny looks promising if uncertain. “There are 1,500 monuments to the Confederacy, which is absurd,” Mendoza says. “There are 76 monuments to the civil rights movement. Let this be the 77th.”

When Rosa Parks' Detroit home went up for auction a few weeks ago, the auction house Guernsey's struggled to find a buyer, despite the wide media attention the house has received.

“If all else fails, theatre and visual artist Robert Wilson and his Watermill Art Foundation in Long Island, New York, have also offered to take the house for a temporary exhibition. Another option, Mendoza says, is to take it back to Detroit,” artnet reports.

As MCA San Diego plans to demolish much of Venturi Scott Brown’s 1996 extension, the architecture community petitions to save it

2018-07-30T15:29:00-04:00

Plans to expand the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, which involve demolishing part of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s 1996 addition, have come under fire as architects fight to save the beloved postmodern work. With over 70 signatures, including those of Sir Terry Farrell, Paul Goldberger, Sam Jacob, Inga Saffron, and Robert A. M. Stern, a petition recently sent to the MCA board is asking the museum to reconsider the plans in favor of an approach that is "sensitive and respectful to the village of La Jolla."

In 1996, the museum hired the celebrated Philadelphia architectural firm to create a much-needed overhaul. The result was a $9 million expansion, that provided an additional 10,000 square feet of space, and a renovation, that restored the original front facade of the Mission-style building originally designed in 1916 by Irving J. Gill. Situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the museum in La Jolla—described at the time by Goldberger as "an exquisite proj...

The home of civil rights activist Rosa Parks is now up for auction

2018-07-27T13:27:00-04:00

In 2016, the Berlin-based US artist Ryan Mendoza and Rhea McCauley, the niece of Rosa Parks, teamed up to save the civil rights activist’s Detroit home from demolition. Now, the structure is heading to another block: the New York auction house Guernsey’s, where it is due to be auctioned tomorrow (26 July) with an estimate of $1m-$3m.

Park's house is part of the 700-lot of African American Historic & Cultural Treasures up for sale at the New York auction house Guernsey’s. McCauley initially bought the house for just $500 back in 2016 reaching out to Mendoza to help preserve the house. In 2017 the structure was safely disassembled and reassembled in Berlin where it was open to the public hosting sound performances inside.

Rosa Parks originally lived in the three-bedroom house with 17 relatives after she left the south in 1957 for Detroit. Mendoza and McCauley have hopes that the house will end up in an institution where it can inspire visitors with Park's life and legacy in civil rights.

Citing environmental concern, AIANY expresses worry over the demolition of SOM's 270 Park Avenue

2018-04-02T14:45:00-04:00

270 Park Avenue, also known as the Union Carbide Building, is slated for demolition. Designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill partner, Natalie Griffin de Blois, and completed in the early 60s, the mid-century office tower will be town down in order for the building's owner, JPMorgan Chase, to erect a 70-story one, now allowed by the area's recent rezoning.

At 52 floors, the razing of 270 Park Avenue will be the world's largest voluntary demolition of a building. Due to its location in a crowded urban area, the process will involve a top-down, systematic deconstruction of the building that will take roughly a year, according to demolition experts.

Public reaction to the announcement has been predictably critical, with preservationists and other members of the architecture community pushing for the building to get in front of the Landmarks Preservation Committee ahead of its erasure. While much of the criticism has centered around the obscene loss of the superlative modernist skyscrape...

Resignation towards the demolition of SOM's Union Carbide skyscaper

2018-03-05T16:53:00-05:00

[...] historians were dumbstruck last week when Chase announced plans to demolish the 52-story glass-curtain-wall skyscraper, which opened in 1961, and replace it with an even bigger structure. The news prompted two immediate responses. The first was an outcry by preservationists. That part was predictable; what is surprising this time around was their wistful sense of resignation.

News of the Union Carbide building's demolition a little over a week ago has incited commotion, yet there is a level of resignation to many of the outcries. Jeffrey Lieber takes a deeper look into why this relinquishment may exist around the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill skyscraper.

The building is not protected by landmark status and protestors grow weary of fighting for preservation and loosing time and time again. While these are key factors Leiber acknowledges, he also delves into the misattribution of the building and how this plays into its perception. Leiber explains, "...the architect remained invisible. This made it seem as if the building had arranged itself around the corporation’s internal drives. The corporation was de facto the architect."

Grassroots activists are fighting to save Russia's wooden architecture

2018-02-16T13:55:00-05:00

“Today’s state of wooden architecture can be defined as an SOS,” says Igor Shurgin, an architect and restorer who runs the Foundation for Maintenance of Wooden Architecture Monuments. “If we do nothing to support it, then nothing will be left in 20 years.” A grant from the European Union enabled the organisation to stage a series of exhibitions in Russia and Europe between 2010 and 2012 that highlighted the problem.

After the contemporary artist Danila Tkachenko photographed a series of the country's abandoned wooden houses set ablaze, attempts to save Russia's wooden architectural heritage have become a high priority for preservation activists. Russia's ministry of culture has intentions to adopt an action plan to preserve these structures based on the work of architect and restorer Igor Shurgin, but many fear that it might be too little too late.

Estimated costs for preservation are assessed at around £183m, in addition to an extra £70m to protect 87 particularly significant works. Though the growing number of grassroots initiatives are promising, Konstantin Mikhailov, a coordinator of the Arkhnadzor preservation group, tells the Art Newspaper "that a great deal now depends on proper implementation of the recommendations."

One of Britain's most important 20th-century housing complexes may be demolished

2017-12-26T10:00:00-05:00

Despite being in the midst of a housing crisis, the United Kingdom seems bent on destroying some of the finest examples of social housing the post-war era has to offer, even tampering with the heritage-listing system in order to do so. The Robin Hood Gardens council estate, an icon of brutalist architecture, was recently demolished despite a huge effort involving nation wide press coverage and support from architects like Zaha Hadid and Richard Rogers to save it—a three story segment was even purchased quite unusually by the V&A Museum in order to salvage an intact piece of the building.

Now, it appears the Alton Estate in Roehampton may be next in line for the chopping block. According to Apollo Magazine, the complex is under threat "from proposals to demolish the center of the estate and replace it with a very large, very clashing new development." Inspired by Le Corbusier's L'Unite d'Habitation in Marseille, the Alton estate designed by London County Council's architects departme...

Philip Kennicott's plea for Washington D.C. to save Louis Kahn's floating concert hall

2017-08-24T14:25:00-04:00

The boat belongs in Washington, a city both blessed and socially determined by its rivers....Many of the most dramatic and some of the most exciting changes in Washington today are clustered along its rivers. The most visible transformation is the District Wharf development,...but projects like the 11th Street Bridge Park....transcend mere commercial development, and underscore the myriad possibilities of using the river as a means of connection, social equity and public discourse.

The saga to save the Louis Kahn-designed floating concert hall, Point Counterpoint II, continues. It all began back in mid-July when Yo-Yo Ma made a plea in The New York Review of Books to salvage the barge facing demolition on account of the fact that the owners—Robert Boudreau, whom doubles as the orchestra's conductor, and wife Kathleen—are ready to retire their duties as the boat's caretakers.

Both city officials and activists in the Hudson River town of Kingston, New York have expressed interest in acquiring the ship; they were expected to meet with Boudreau on August 4th to discuss the possibility. While the Mayor, Steve Noble, has agreed to offer his support, raising the funds for the purchasing and transport of the $2 million dollar vessel, that might now be going for as much as $4 mill, poses a problem for the city. Further, the competition is apparently stiff as there has been interest expressed in Buffalo, France, and Italy among others.

One of those places vying for th...

Getty Foundation's "Keeping it Modern" grants conservation efforts for twelve major works of 20th century architecture

2017-07-31T17:57:00-04:00

With focus on works of the twentieth century, the Getty Foundation's Keeping it Modern program awards buildings of architectural and cultural significance funding for conservation and preservation. Grants focus on the creation of conservation management plans that guide long-term maintenance and conservation policies, the thorough investigation of building conditions, and the testing and analysis of modern materials. Through their Conservation Institute, the foundation recently completed a major renovation project of Louis Kahn's Salk Institute. Twelve more buildings have been selected this year to receive a similar treatment and have been granted $1.66 million to do so including a revered Dessau structure designed by Walter Gropius that recently became listed as a World Heritage site, a Le Corbusier designed museum in India, and Boston City Hall.

Cathedral Church of St. Michael for Coventry Cathedral.
Sir Basil Spence. 1962. Coventry, England

Coventry Cathedral interior. Photo: Da...

After Yo-Yo Ma's plea, Point Counterpoint II, Louis Kahn floating concert hall, may be saved after all

2017-07-19T14:14:00-04:00

Officials and activists in the Hudson River town of Kingston, N.Y., plan to meet with the boat's owner Aug. 4 to discuss the possibility of transporting the vessel there from its current berth on the Illinois River in Ottawa, Ill. Late last month, musicians performed aboard the boat in the town, some 80 miles southwest of Chicago.

Last week Archinect reported that Yo-Yo Ma sent a letter out through the New York Review of Books in an attempt to save the floating concert hall, designed by Louis Kahn, from demolition. The famed cellist pleaded: "At a time when our national conversation is so often focused on division, we can ill afford to condemn to the scrap heap such a vibrant ambassador for our national unity, so I humbly ask that your readers join Robert and me in finding a new home for Point Counterpoint II." After five decades of running the barge, the owners, Robert Boudreau and wife Kathleen, have decided to retire their duties as caretakers and have been struggling to find a new proprietor for the ship. However, with a little help from Yo-Yo Ma, they may have found the vessel a new home in Kingston, NY.

Reportedly, Hutton Brickyards is being considered as the floating venue's new home. The former industrial site that supplied bricks to New York City up until the 80s was acquired by California-based deve...

Mies' McCormick House gets an update so that people can actually find it

2017-06-28T20:20:00-04:00

"Almost every day, a visitor will be standing in the house and will ask where the house is," said Jenny Gibbs, executive director of the Elmhurst Art Museum.

The McCormick House, located in the Chicago suburbs, was built by Mies van der Rohe in 1952 and is one of only three residences designed by the pioneering modernist architect. In 1994, the steel frame row house was moved to a nearby park where it was restored and opened to public as part of the Elmhurst Art Museum. While public access to the house has been an important success, an ongoing issue has come about from the new building that the museum added in 1997 along with the new corridors that linked the quarters to the Mies house. Basically, it masked the main facade of the house, camouflaging the prized architectural home and making many a visitor wonder where the McCormick House even was. The museum now plans to tear down the corridor, restore a carport at the house's entrance, and install trees and grass to more closely resemble the landscaping around the original house.

The Vanna Venturi house becomes an official historic place

2016-11-15T15:27:00-05:00

After being proposed for addition to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places last year, the iconic Vanna Venturi House has officially joined the list after being voted in by the Philadelphia Historical Commission on November 10th. According to PlanPhilly:

"After a nomination first heard last December, Vanna Venturi House was added to the register with universal glee, although the case dragged on for about thirty minutes as the new owner—who had purchased it to preserve it—quizzed the commission on exactly what they meant by the word 'property' and whether modifications to the grounds would be allowed."

For more on all things Venturi:

China adds nearly 100 sites from the last century onto architectural heritage list

2016-10-03T13:24:00-04:00

Mr Shan Jixiang, head of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, said many of the selected structures tell abundant stories and are witnesses to key events in the nation's history. He added that the new list will make people aware of the need to preserve more recent architectural sites for future generations. [...] "Masterpieces of the 20th century prove that Chinese architects' spirit and techniques are well inherited. And they deserve to be passed on to modern times."

98 sites make up China's first 20th-Century Chinese Architectural Heritage List, issued by the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics and the Architectural Society of China. The announcement comes about half a year after the country declared an official end to "weird" architecture.

It's not exactly clear what special treatment the sites will receive now that they're on the list—aside from "making people aware" that these sites are in need of preservation—but Mr. Jixiang, the head of the Heritage List's issuing office, had expressed criticism of China playing host to the "strange-looking" designs of foreign architects.

Check out some of the newly-minted heritage sites below:

↑ The Bund waterfront in Shanghai

↑ Sofia Cathedral in Harbin

↑ Great Hall of the People and Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square in Beijing

↑ Monument on Marco Polo Square in Tianjin

Note: at the time of posting, the complete list doesn't seem to be available online.

...

Preserving a Home in All Its Marred Glory

2016-01-11T23:24:00-05:00

Their biggest challenge was securing the house’s foundation....Other work included stabilizing the walls by injecting adhesive between the lath and plaster with a veterinarian’s needle and transforming a small bathroom into an elevator shaft

Jori Finkel profiles Carlie Wilmans founder of 500 Capp Street Foundation. The foundation was established to stabilize and preserve 500 Capp Street (exterior, interior, site-specific installations) in San Francisco, which was the longtime home and studio of the Conceptual artist David Ireland (1930-2009).

On a related note, check out the discussion regarding Experimental preservation and architectural authorship with Jorge Otero-Pailos, from Archinect Sessions #47

Selective memory: Old Penn Station, ruined before it was ruined

2015-12-30T13:50:00-05:00

What they weren’t trivializing or coarsening with commerce, railroad executives were simply neglecting. Whether desperately or cynically, they seemed to understand that redevelopment of their money-losing, nine-acre station would be more palatable if the public could be made to forget the glories of Mr. McKim’s original design. Pink granite walls were allowed to turn gray. Straw-colored travertine looked nicotine-stained. Jules Guerin’s murals disappeared under veils of grime.

The destruction of Old Penn Station in favor of its soulless, uninspiring replacement has garnered an ample share of outraged pixels—but what if the long-accepted narrative has a twist? Apparently, the inspiring sweep and elegance that is so often attributed to Penn Station had fallen victim to maintenance shortfalls and a corporate indifference (as well as the ghastly glare of modern technology, like Coke vending machines). Which makes us wonder: how frequently do we glamorize buildings or places that weren't actually all that? More importantly, as Rem Koolhaas explored in his 2011 exhibition "Cronocaos" at The New Museum, is our desire for preservation choking off genuine architectural innovation?

David and Gladys Wright house pursues landmark status

2015-09-21T17:43:00-04:00

The organization seeking to turn the David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix into an educational and cultural center filed for historic landmark protection last week, seeking official status for a 6.1-acre site before following through with plans to open it to the public. [...] The designation would provide preservationists with a nice ending to the long saga of this spiral residence, which at one point in 2012 was slated for demolition.