Our Bloggers

This inspiring group, all experts in the field of traditional building and design, will deliver regular opinions about a wide range of subjects and challenge your thinking in the process.

Clem LabineClem Labine: Oops! Those Glass Towers Were a Mistakel
“It’s usually traditionalists who are pointing out the shortcomings of Modernist glass curtain-wall towers. But in a fascinating turn of events, in the Grand Central area of mid-Manhattan, the “tear ‘em down” charge is now being led by real estate developers. And it’s preservationists who are urging that at least some of the buildings be preserved as existing urban context.” Read more.
Peter H. Miller: Dollars and Sense: the Value of Seeing the Big Picture
“This just in from the Diesel Technology Forum: Registrations of diesel cars in the U.S. are up 24%. Hybrids are up 33%. These increases represent disproportionate growth because total automobile registrations only climbed by 2.7% between 2010 and 2012.

‘This consistent growth in clean diesel registrations in the last three years is particularly noteworthy since it has occurred during an economic recession, which was topped off by some of the highest diesel fuel prices in U.S. history,’ says Allen Schaeffer, the forum’s executive director. ‘Even in the face of these significant challenges, diesel buyers are seeing the big picture and long-term value by investing in record numbers of clean diesel cars and SUVs.’

What? Consumers are seeing the ‘big picture and long-term value?’ I was surprised by this statement, until I read more data in new research about the psychographics of the old-house owner commissioned by Old-House Journal magazine.” Read more.

semesSteven W. Semes: Remembering Henry Hope Reed, 1915-2013
“Henry Hope Reed loved Rome. Years ago, I asked him where I as a young architect should go to study “the Classical,” as he always called the kind of architecture we both loved. “Rome,” he answered unhesitatingly. “Rome is the place.” It was good advice, though it took me a couple of decades before I was able to follow it.” Read more.

rudychristian1Rudy Christian: The Replacement Value of Traditional Building
“After Katrina, I was asked to represent PTN, in an effort involving the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund, in appraising the damage done to the historic structures in and around New Orleans. The focus was less on the storm damage than on the damage that could happen following the storm. The effort was named Alternatives to Demolition. The concept was to assist in keeping historic buildings with storm damage from being bulldozed because they had been condemned during the ensuing assessment process. Inevitably, it was an effort that was easier for some to see the value in than others.” Read more.
Ward HamiltonWard Hamilton: Be Prepared: Maintenance Plans for Historic Structures
“The most important component of any plan to preserve an historic structure is maintenance. As soon as a building is constructed or rehabilitated, the natural process of deterioration begins. Preservation has been defined as ‘the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity and materials of an historic property.’” Read more.