I like your Nebraska building. Cleveland (from whence I did hail) is going to take down a Breuer building. http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/cleveland/clevelandtrusttower.html It bums me out.

The now-Chase tower in Chicago got kinda destroyed by its makeover on the first floor and mezzanine. In ten or twenty years they may realize the error of their ways, destroying architecture for vanilla-box commercialism. I hope so.

The notion of church architecture has changed, hasn’t it? Should churches be inviting?

This was the first time I heard the word Brutalist (guess we didn’t get that far into the architecture history text in my class). I’m a fan of Pei, but not personally a fan of the church in question. The building I banked at as a student in Lincoln, Nebraska was designed by Pei and I liked it very much, although when Wells Fargo bought it about 8 years ago they ruined the first floor space with a bunch of cubicles. Grrrrr.

Their experience with their historically significant building is typical. (I say this as an architect who does historic preservation and restoration.) It’s not a matter of right or wrong, just the priorities as expressed by legislation. I’m sympathetic to the owners while I firmly believe in the greater good.

http://www.gocomics.com/cathy/2008/08/11 and change the end of the URL from 11 through whenever as you page through.

I’ve found a healthy balance between being frugal and spending freely on the important things…. accidentally closed the window, otherwise you could be entertained with a litany. 20% of my paycheck hits the 401(k), and I have other investments, and a roommate. No A/C or cable, but Netflix and cell phone. Buy cheap produce, expensive fish and cheese. Thrift store for clothes when possible, expensive shoes that’ll last years. Dumpster dived for my compost bin, and currently have basil, tomatoes, corn, and soybeans growing. You get the idea.