Category Archives: Architecture

WHAT IS UNDERNEATH GRAND CENTRAL?

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Philip

WHAT IS UNDERNEATH GRAND CENTRAL? This video shows the huge room under Grand Central which is separated from the concourse by ten stories of solid rock. The room is almost as large as the concourse above. In it are 9 … Continue reading →

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THE REFURBISHMENT OF GRAND CENTRAL.

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Philip

THE REFURBISHMENT OF GRAND CENTRAL. Kids, in 1968, Grand Central was a beautiful space, but a rather grim place. The difference can be measured by today’s beautiful ceiling in the concourse, with the twinkling stars. In 1968, it was covered … Continue reading →

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THE “NEAR-DEATH” OF GRAND CENTRAL.

Posted on August 17, 2014 by Philip

THE “NEAR-DEATH” OF GRAND CENTRAL. Lee Bryant, knowing that, as I posted here, Grand Central is one of my favorite buildings, sent me this article by Kevin Baker in Harper’s about the narrow escapes that the building had during the … Continue reading →

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MONDRIAN’S REJECTION OF NATURE.

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Philip

MONDRIAN’S REJECTION OF NATURE. Kelly Grovier had a review of the Mondrian and his Studios exhibit in the TLS (July 11). The review called my attention to the exhibit. Grovier says that Mondrian told a visitor that he had whitewashed … Continue reading →

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LIVING INSIDE A MONDRIAN PAINTING.

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Philip

LIVING INSIDE A MONDRIAN PAINTING. The Tate Liverpool has organized an exhibition entitled Mondrian and his Studios to mark the 70th anniversary of Piet Mondrian’s death. Here is a description of the exhibit from the floornature blog, which points out … Continue reading →

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MANHATTANHENGE.

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Philip

MANHATTANHENGE. This article in the Economist reports on the celebration of Manhattanhenge at sunset on July 11. “Manhattanhenge” refers to the phenomenon that two times a year, on May 28 and July 11, “….the sun perfectly aligns with Manhattan’s streets … Continue reading →

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“ORNAMENT AND CRIME”.

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Philip

“ORNAMENT AND CRIME”. The title of the essay by Adolph Loos in which he called for everything to be white was “Ornament and Crime”. This article in wikipedia says that: “Loos introduced a sense of the ‘immorality’ of ornament, describing … Continue reading →

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REQUIRING BUILDINGS TO BE WHITE.

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Philip

REQUIRING BUILDINGS TO BE WHITE. David Watkin’s review describes a period when there were important people claiming that all buildings should be white. Surprisingly, that period is the last hundred years. The story begins with Adolf Loos in 1908 “calling … Continue reading →

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WHY ARE THE COLORS OF ROMAN BUILDINGS SO OFTEN OCHRE?

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Philip

WHY AE THE COLORS OF ROMAN BUILDINGS SO OFTEN OCHRE? One of the delights for me of coming in to Rome is the different shades of earth tones in the buildings. David Watkin reviews THE COLOURS OF ROME by John … Continue reading →

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LEGOS INTO SANDSTONE WITH 3D PRINTING.

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Philip

LEGOS INTO SANDSTONE WITH 3D PRINTING. I posted here on an art project by Jan Vorman which consists of plugging cracks in buildings in New York City with Legos. I have also posted several times, including here, on what is … Continue reading →

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