Photo Friday: South Philly Kaleideoscope + Hot Links

South Philly Kaleidoscope, 804 Christian St. photo by Preservator

City Life Could Change Your Brain for the Worse [Wired]
National Trust for Historic Preservation Announces 2011 List of America's 11 Most Endangered Places [NTHP]
America Reviving its Highway System for Cyclists [GOOD]
Solving the Real Estate Crisis with Parks [The Dirt]

Philly Stories:
Park Preservation: Help Save East Kensington's Emerald Park [Grid]
Philadelphia's Summer Music Festival Breakdown [Philebrity]
Philly Independent Film Festival Gears Up [Newsworks
Owner of Church [of the Assumption] Takes Demolition Appeal to Common Pleas Court [PlanPhilly]
Nightmarket's Next Stop: Mt. Airy on Aug. 4 [nightmarket]

Photo Friday: Hot Hot Heat + Hot Links

Seger Playground, Philadelphia. Photo by The Preservator.

Whoa nelly. Hot times. Don't forget that the City of Philadelphia has an interactive map designed to help you beat summer heat, showing swimming pools and cooling centers. Click here.

I really miss phillyskyline.com. Brad Maule, the man behind the lens and the words, returned to Philly briefly and posted a great photo essay of his trip on his new website, Maule of America, here. It makes me miss PhillySkyline even more.

Over at PhillyHistory, Shawn Evans posted about the prevalence of the city's neighborhood movie theaters. The pictures of these lost picture palaces are fantastic.

According to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, The Future Begins Now. This week the commission adopted the Philadelphia 2035 Citywide Vision this week. If you're up for the long read, download the full thing here, or the summary here. Inga sums it up in this week's Changing Skyline.

Photo Friday: Race Street Pier

I popped over to the newly opened Race Street Pier yesterday. Despite the heat, there were several people there enjoying the new park: a couple of people camped out on the new wood benches in the shade of relatively mature swamp oak trees, a few parked on the steps, and two guys were fishing off the end of the pier.

Field Operations' design succeeds in creating a wide variety of spaces, heights, and textures that are a pleasure to discover along the length of the pier. The trees are already relatively mature, and with time will make the park a cool, leafy landscape along the water. Access to the new park space is easy, though it feels a little lonely in its current setting. Here's hoping it will be connected to more public improvements along the Delaware River in short order.

Maybe it was yesterday's heat, but I couldn't help but think that an ice cream stand would be an fantastic addition at the park's entry.

Enjoy the long weekend, everyone.

Photo Friday: Custom House Sunset

Cass Gilbert's U.S. Custom House, Bowling Green, NYC. Built c. 1900. Photo by The Preservator

Photo Friday: Snowy Harbor Seagull + Hot Links

Photo by The Preservator

Hot Links:

In Athens, GA stands the steeple of St. Mary's Episcopal Church. It just so happens that said church was, at one time, a DIY venue where R.E.M. played it's first gig. Today the steeple is all that remains of the church/venue and its current property owners (a condo association) have voted to demolish rather than restore the steeple.  Signs that the times they-are-a-changing? The National Trust's Preservation Magazine covers the story online here. Hmm.

For years communities and advocates have been working to improve the health of the Bronx River. Now, there's more multi-municipal cooperation. Bravo! Jose the Beaver thanks you too! (via NY Daily News)

Over at Rorotoko Elizabeth Collins Cromley breaks down her new book, The Food Axis: Cooking, Eating and the Architecture of American Houses, which contends that the ways in which food is stored/prepared/preserved/consumed has driven domestic architecture and its adaptations over time.

Oh yeah, and Wal-Mart has opted to find a different development sight after years of seeking to build a Supercenter in Orange County, VA on the site of the Wilderness Battlefield, one of the Civil War's most important. The National Trust explains. Reenactors and buffs like yours truly, rejoice.

Photo Friday: Flatiron + Hot Links

Flatiron Building, December 29, 2010 3:49pm
Photo by the Preservator

Hot Links + Strays:
Polis recently posted a piece about how relevant Jane Jacobs' thinking about the use of old buildings, 50 years later. Even lovers of Jacobs' writing, including yours truly, can get tired of the endless rehashing of her influential writing. Still, this piece reminds us that old buildings, in big expensive cities like New York, provide space for entrepreneurship. Do read.

Philebrity shared this rad portal into the future/past... er the future of the past. Something. Hi-Tech Psychedelic Past/Present Philly Street View promised. If you've ever wondered about how the Preservator wishes to experience the world. This is so close.

ArchPaper reports about a new level of destructoporn: Buffalo artist who's creating art out of pieces of abandoned buildings in an installation called Undone/Redone City.

Harlem Bespoke unearths details about this beautiful horse fountain at 155th and St. NicholasPlace in Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill. NYC Parks has more info about the Hooper Fountain's restoration. Among the many streetscape treasures that delight the Preservator are horse fountains, most of which were built at a time when the ASPCA and its local chapters were on the rise. They make us think of kindness.

Amusing the Zillion tipped about an exhibit at Schroeder Romero & Shredder, Nickel Empire: Coney Island Photographs 1889-1948. It's up from January 27th-February 26 and looks great.

While we're on the subject, don't think we didn't notice, but in the last month the Coney Island debacle has continued with the demolition of the Bank of Coney Island and the landmarking of both Childs Restaurant and the Coney Island (Shore) Theater on Surf Avenue.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all Dyker Lights

Even for the Grinchiest among us, the awesome spectacle of the Dyker Heights Christmas lights and displays in Brooklyn are a surefire holiday pick-me-up. So, as a Christmas gift to you, we offer an early PhotoFriday installment of the Dyker Lights.

No one really knows where the tradition began, but for decades this Brooklyn neighborhood of victorians, twin rowhouses, and 20th Century mini-palazzos is transformed into a winter wonderland of blinking lights and audio-animatronics. In lots of neighborhoods, people are content to hang a wreath or drape the railings with swags of evergreens. The blocks between 10th and 13th avenues and 81st and 85th streets in Dyker Heights take holiday decor to the next level. We're talking about 30' Santas, robotic polar bears, and light shows.

So, to you, dear reader, Happy Holidays from the Preservator. We'll see you in the new year.

84th Street is the heart of the action!

The Preservator has a weakness for light-up toy soldiers.

This house has the most elaborate, enormous, over-the-top displays of all. Too much is never enough.

Hop on the Polar Express!

Even the local fire company gets into the spirit.

All photos by @shrimpcracker

Photo Friday: Blooming In The Noise

photo by The Preservator

Blooming, 1996. by Elizabeth Murray. Arts For Transit
59th and Lexington MTA station
 
The fantastical glass mosaic features lines poetry: from Gwendolyn Brooks is "Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirlwind," and from William Butler Yeats, "In dreams begin responsibility."

There's so much noise and whirlwind in the big city, bloom away, dear reader.

Photo Friday + Hot Links

Austin Limestone. It's everywhere and really suits the environment. Photo by Preservator.

 In the spirit of sharing, here's some interesting stuff from across the transom this week:

Scouting New York on the Smallest Plot of Land in New York City

Inga Saffon's Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic on the new South Street Bridge design. It's not as beautiful as it could be, but there are bike lanes and chunks of it shouldn't be fall onto the expressway or the Schuylkill River anytime soon. We hope.

The New York Times reports on the Underbelly Project, a top secret art exhibition mounted in an abandoned subway station.

NYT City Room also reports on the removal of Roberta Brandes Gratz, whose books The Preservator has long enjoyed, from the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and will likely move toward the Mayor's advisory panel on sustainability. Her voice on the LPC was appreciated, and it will serve preservation well to have her in the room as PlaNYC is revised. Here's hoping preservation is better represented in the city's strategy for creating a more sustainable future. We're counting on you Roberta.

Photo Friday: The Sphere, Battery Park

"The Sphere", Battery Park, NYC. September 10, 2010. Photo by The Preservator.

The plaque at "The Sphere" reads as follows:

For three decades, this sculpture stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. Entitled "The Sphere", it was conceived by artist Fritz Koenig as a symbol of world peace. It was damaged during the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but endures as an icon of hope and the indestructible spirit of this country. The Sphere was placed here on March 11, 2002 as a temporary memorial to all who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. This eternal flame was ignited on September 11, 2002 in honor of all those that were lost. Their spirit and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

 
This week, "The Sphere" is surrounded  by flags that say "Flag of Honor" or "Flag of Heroes." The Honor flag has the names of first responders who lost their lives and the Heroes flag has the names of everyone who died in the four attacks on September 11th. 

Photo Friday: The Beekman Tower

Continuing on this week's skyline theme, here's Frank Ghery's Beekman Tower as seen from City Hall Park, behind the late-nineteenth century buildings on Park Row. At left is 41 Park Row, which is the former New York Times building, and at right is the Potter Building at 38 Park Row.
August 26, 2010. Photo by Preservator.


And while we're on the subject, here's a neat interview with the architecture critic, Paul Goldberger, from a conversation on WNYC last week. I particularly enjoy the way Goldberger addressed the complaint that the Beekman Tower obscures views of the historic Woolworth Building.

He said, "I don't think it will take away from the Woolworth at all. I think it will, in fact, communicate nicely with the Woolworth. You have two different generations talking to each other, which is good. And it's not right up against the Woolworth; it's actually a little distance away, so they can really communicate with each other, but also stand alone in a certain way."

Photo Friday: Cornice and Corbels

Cooperstown, NY. August 13, 2010.
Even on vacation this is how The Preservator's photos turn out.
Photo by Preservator.

Photo Friday: Berenice Abbott

In 1935 photographer Berenice Abbott was hired by the Federal Art Project to work on their "Changing New York" project.  The results, in stunning photographic form, are potent images of everyday life in New York City from 1935-1938. We owe her, and the WPA programs a debt of gratitude for this extraordinary record. Below are a few select favorites, but more can be viewed through the New York Public Library's Digital collection here and through their Flickr account here.

For your viewing pleasure:

 Court of first model tenement house in New York, 72nd Street and First Avenue, Manhattan.  (March 16, 1936)  

New York Public Library

Milk wagon and old houses, Grove Street, No. 4-10, Manhattan. (June 18, 1936)
New York Public Library

 

Warehouse, Water and Dock Streets, Brooklyn. (May 22, 1936)New York Public Library

Radio Row, Cortlandt Street, Manhattan. (April 08, 1936)

New York Public Library

Fulton Fish Market, Manhattan. (June 18, 1936)
New York Public Library

PhotoFriday

This week's winter storm on my block in Fort Greene.