by Architectural Observer | Nov 24, 2016 | Blog, Observations
The practice known as “nuisance abatement” – using municipal ordinances to justify the destruction of neglected or abandoned properties – continues to take a toll on overlooked resources across the country. The process can be especially...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 23, 2016 | Blog, Observations
When I ran across a commemorative plate in a second hand store recently, I noticed that it showed two versions of the same church building. I found a third, and more recent, version in a photograph online. The three images nicely show the evolution of a simple...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 22, 2016 | Blog, Observations
It’s Sunday morning in a small Midwestern town; the mood is slightly surreal. The few people who are out are gathered at an auction house; a cluster of vehicles surrounds it. Loudspeakers along the main street fill the air with a woman’s voice intoning a...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 21, 2016 | Blog, Observations
It’s a common sight in small-town America – vacant or underutilized storefronts lining the heart of town. Declining populations and a struggling economy have both taken their toll and it shows. How communities deal with these growing vacancies varies from...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 21, 2016 | Blog, Observations
Every once in a while I run across an interesting example of well-designed door hardware from the mid-20th century. There used to be more, of course, but our culture’s obsession with making everything new again has relegated a lot of it to the landfill or...
by Architectural Observer | Nov 21, 2016 | Blog, Observations
I’ve yet to see a replacement siding installation which was without at least some undesirable side effects. The house shown below fared far better than most do when subjected to a “maintenance-free” (ha!) future; the homeowner and/or the installer...
