Emily Badger reports for The Washington Post: An economic defense of old buildings. Jane Jacobs, a woman akin to the patron saint of urban planners, first argued 50 years ago that healthy neighborhoods need old buildings. Aging, creaky, faded, “charming” buildings. Retired couples and young families need the cheap rent they promise. Small businesses need the cramped offices they contain. Streets
Amy Schellenbaum reports for Curbed: Explore the ‘Wilds’ of Lost Structures in America’s Northeast. In 2012, photographers Daniel Barter and Dan Marbaix, practiced urban explorers and creators of spine-tingling images like elaborate horror film sets,traipsed through 5,000 miles of the American northeast, stepping inside forgotten asylums, old bowling allies, and abandoned churches (like the one above). Using Google maps and the suggestions of locals, the pair tiptoed
Branden Klayko reports for The Architect’s Newspaper: CAST OF CHARACTERS. BKSK ‘s warping tribute to Soho’s cast-iron history. The terra cotta façade of this new Soho building references both masonry and cast-iron precedents. In the mid-19th century, a technological revolution was playing out in New York’s Soho neighborhood, as cast iron and the expanses of glass it allowed ushered in
Evan Bindelglass reports for Curbed: Landmarks Approves Extell’s Restoration of 734 Broadway Second time’s the charm? That was the case Tuesday morning for Extell’s plans to restore 734 Broadway, which dates to 1872. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the plans, which were created by preservation experts Beyer Blinder and Belle. What they want to do, in short, is install a two-story penthouse on the roof
