“I’ve spent a lot of time and words talking about the importance of making things by hand, but recently I’m finding reason to question the validity of that statement.”

—Rudy Christian, ruminating on the contemporary meaning of the word “handmade” in his most recent blog

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“Libeskind’s false – but widely believed – linking of architectural style to outmoded political beliefs should give pause to those in the traditional design community who have cautioned against speaking out about the absurdities of Modernist polemics.”

—Clem Labine, blogging about controversial Modernist architect Daniel Libeskind’s assertion that new work of his in Dresden, Germany, is a democratic counterpoint to the authoritarian severity of classical design

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“Adaptive reuse is a buzzword coined in the 1970s and ’80s, but it’s really a form of preservation and part of what we do. We don’t have great numbers of pure restoration projects in the office at any one time. Most of our existing building projects involve finding new uses–recycling or improving them in some way.”

—John D. Milner, FAIA, John Milner Architects, Inc., on making old buildings part of the vital present; from an article in the December issue of Clem Labine’s Traditional Building magazine

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“Today we look to quality tool makers to supply us with what we need, and they aren’t always easy to find. Instead of creatively fabricating something to make our work easier, we fashion our skills to suit the tools at our disposal. I can’t help but wonder how our own creativity has been diminished by today’s vast array of ready-made tools and materials.”

—Blogger Rudy Christian writing recently about an old tool, a plane, that had been cobbled together expertly from a variety of different parts

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“That isn’t to say good infill hasn’t been built, but one need not look further than the parking lots, ill-fitting Modernist buildings, and drive-through cubes to realize that a new and holistic approach is needed.”

—From “Compatible Infill Design,” a special report from the Historic Preservation League of Oregon, referred to
in Clem Labine’s latest blog, “Excellent New Guide
for Infill in Historic Districts”

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“For many of the traditional building professionals I talk with, every day is daunting because everything we do seems harder than before. How to cope? A positive attitude and eternal optimism pay off, if only to give us the capacity to keep going, despite an economy where victories are fewer and further between. Celebrate every little win! And innovate.”

—Restore Media’s president, Peter Miller, blogging about the capacity it takes to survive tough times

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“I agree that we should abandon scholarly rigidity in favor of a broader review of the issues and that any attempt to legislate style is madness. Compatibility should be the ultimate guide if we are to match the harmony of historic environments elsewhere in the world.”

—Maximilian Ferro, commenting on blogger Steven Semes’s recent contribution recommending changes to the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for rehabilitation

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“People are beginning to recognize the value of old buildings in Buffalo. Ten, 15 years ago, we used to tear down old buildings in Buffalo. Now we see the value of those buildings. We see that restoration of those buildings is more important than tearing them down, and I think the general public and our political leaders are beginning to recognize that to rebuild this city, we need to keep the fabric that we have here. I think it’s an important turning point. We’re finally starting to get people coming into the city from the suburbs. Ten years ago, that never happened.”

—Rocco Termini, owner of Signature Development Buffalo LLC, in a question-and-answer piece with BuffaloNews.com about the surging interest in restoring old buildings in Buffalo, NY

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“Design guidelines are usually a source of warfare between developers and architects. Pattern books are non-confrontational. The more we studied neighborhoods, we realized that by working with the traditional architectural vocabulary you could introduce new things in new ways that were comfortable for people.”

—Ray Gindroz, FAIA, principal emeritus, Urban Design Associates, and recently named Clem Labine Award winner, talking about pattern books in an article on the award in Clem Labine’s Traditional Building magazine

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