A Visit to Weeksville: NYC’s African American Architectural Past

During these days when most travel and exploration are virtual, it is exciting to make a new in-person discovery. Having read in the New York Times about Weeksville, a pre-Civil War African American community, one of America’s first free Black...

New Uses for Old Buildings: Moynihan Train Hall

The current attention to massive investment in American infrastructure has revived hopes of creating a tremendously improved transportation hub for the New York metropolitan area. The newly opened Moynihan Train Hall in the re-envisioned Farley Post Office building reflects the...

A Visit to Bushwick: Where Art and Architecture Come Alive

The Ulrich Huberty House, built in 1900, at 1019 Bushwick Avenue. Vibrant murals and graffiti, the cacophony of the elevated train, and the sound of experimental music from backroom clubs blend together in New York City’s newest arts and music...

How to Become a Zoning Expert in Five Easy Steps

We’ve seen it happen time and time again: a client comes to us with their dream renovation, only to discover that it’s not allowed by the town’s zoning code. Don’t let it happen to you! Here are our five steps...

Spotlight on Kim Nielsen, 3XN

I was delighted to talk with Kim Nielsen, principal architect at 3xn, an international firm with offices in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Sydney, Toronto, and Brooklyn about key aspects of his intercontinental architecture. Nielsen’s projects personify 3xn’s design philosophy, which focuses on...

Women in Architecture: An Interview with Gisela Buzzelli and Susan...

“The boys won’t let us play in the block corner,” I remember my daughter telling me on her way home from nursery school years ago. Today it is exciting to see girls and boys alike playing with first sets of...

Spotted Around New York: The New Orleans Row

Visiting my daughter in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, a neighborhood once known for its Italian-American churches, bakeries, and restaurants, I noticed an unusual row of New Orleans style town houses midway down the block on Sackett Street. I also glimpsed a...

Spotted Around New York: The Gage & Tollner Building

There is a hidden Renaissance happening at 372 Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn. For over one hundred years the building’s ground floor was home to a legendary steakhouse and oyster bar, Gage & Tollner.  Over the years, the menu of...

Architecture of the World: Het Schip

It is no wonder that during their travels, a number of friends and colleagues have been fascinated by Het Schip, a unique building in Amsterdam. I first learned about Het Schip while taking Vincent Scully’s course at Yale on modern...

Architecture and Math: A Perfect Ratio

When I went on a family trip to the Math Museum in Manhattan, I was delighted to see children creating artful buildings with blocks, using computers to make their own fractals, and—the real highlight—riding bicycles on square wheels along a...