Category Archives: Architecture

HOW NERO’S GOLDEN HOUSE INFLUENCED THE RENAISSANCE.

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Philip

HOW NERO’S GOLDEN HOUSE INFLUENCED THE RENAISSANCE. The wikipedia entry on the Golden House tells how in the late fifteenth century a boy fell through an opening in the side of the hill, and the decoration of the underground palace … Continue reading →

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HOW THE GOLDEN HOUSE SURVIVED UNDERGROUND.

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Philip

HOW THE GOLDEN HOUSE SURVIVED UNDERGROUND. It seems to me that the Golden House may have survived in part because of its excesses. The emperors that followed Nero were eager to wipe out all traces of it by filling it … Continue reading →

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NERO’S GOLDEN HOUSE WAS UNDERFOOT.

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Philip

NERO’S GOLDEN HOUSE WAS UNDERFOOT. The Golden House of Nero had been one of the wonders of Rome. It set all kinds of records for wretched excess. According to Suetonius, “its courtyard was so large that a 120-foot colossal statue … Continue reading →

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PIGEONS AND THE CLIFFS OF VENICE.

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Philip

PIGEONS AND THE CLIFFS OF VENICE. I posted here about how pigeons in Saint Mark’s Place take angled paths across the space, creating constant motion against the facades and, I think, adding to the beauty of the space. I posted … Continue reading →

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THE “WHISPERING GALLERY”.

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Philip

THE “WHISPERING GALLERY”. The Sonnet Project’s interpretation of Sonnet 117 is set in what it calls the “Whispering Gallery” in Grand Central Station. The location is just outside the Oyster Bar, at the place where the two ramps from the … Continue reading →

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GREAT ARCHITECTURE AND BUDGETS REVISITED.

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Philip

GREAT ARCHITECTURE AND BUDGETS REVISITED. Rebecca Koffman quotes the defense Michael Graves gave to complaints that the ceilings in the Portland Building are too low: “The floor to ceiling height is low because of the budget, not the architect.” She … Continue reading →

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A STAR ARCHITECT DEFENDS HIS WORK.

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Philip

A STAR ARCHITECT DEFENDS HIS WORK. The article by Rebecca Koffman describes a public defense by Michael Graves of his building in October, 2014. Graves died recently, only six months after that defense, which adds poignancy to the defense. The … Continue reading →

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ANOTHER RECENT ARCHITECTURAL ICON UNDER ATTACK.

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Philip

ANOTHER RECENT ARCHITECTURAL ICON UNDER ATTACK. I have posted about the destruction, surprising to me, of buildings that were considered to be major architectural achievements when I was younger. For example, I posted here about the destruction of the Southwark … Continue reading →

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THE BEAUTY OF SNOW.

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Philip

THE BEAUTY OF SNOW. The snow for Whittier is beautiful: “The old familiar sights of ours Took marvellous shapes; strange domes and towers Rose up where sty or corn-crib stood….” Whittier used Ralph Waldo Emerson’s The Snow-Storm (here) as a … Continue reading →

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WHEN GRAND CENTRAL WAS A NAZI MILITARY TARGET.

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Philip

WHEN GRAND CENTRAL WAS A NAZI MILITARY TARGET. Both the video and the Barbara Manzani article describe the Nazi attempt to attack Grand Central. Grand Central was a critical target because disabling the 9 rotary converters would paralyze the northeast … Continue reading →

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