Opinions

A collection of Traditional Building's popular blogs and opinion-pieces from top professionals in the fields of architecture, restoration, the trades, historic buildings, and more.

Swimming Pools
Urbanism as the Salve on Disunity
traditionalbuilding.com - Carroll William Westfall
Democracy needs neighborhoods where diverse people mingle.In 1776 people from diverse parts of Britain’s North American colonies found “in the course …
Trends
Top Trends for the New Year 2019
traditionalbuilding.com - Peter H. Miller
What are the hot new trends for the home market? Here are the answers from a variety of sources.In a presentation he gave about his book, “A Place to …
Rome
A Craftsman's Philosophy
traditionalbuilding.com - Patrick Webb
The opening essay of a series to explore the perennial philosophy of visceral, lived experience.This past summer I had the singular opportunity of …
National Park Service
A Tribute to a Preservation Architect and Educator H. Thomas McGrath: Real Time, Real Buildings, Real People
traditionalbuilding.com - Judy Hayward
H. Thomas McGrath, FAIA, FAPT, 1950-2018The first time I met Tom McGrath was in 1990. Historic Windsor had won a grant from the National Endowment …
National Trust
The National Trust Conference and Old House Markets
traditionalbuilding.com - Peter H. Miller
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2018 conference message: community, activism, energy conservation and "fostering a creative, fair, …
African-American News
What I Learned at the Design Leadership Summit, Washington D.C., October 2018
traditionalbuilding.com - Traditional Building Magazine
The 2018 Design Leadership Summit for architects, interior designers, custom builders and suppliers to the design trade was held in October in …
Beauty, Sublime and Happiness
traditionalbuilding.com - Carroll William Westfall
The happiness we pursue is more enduring and rewarding than the transient emotional lift of the sublime's novelty and drama. It resides instead in …
Built Environment
Classicism’s Status Quo
traditionalbuilding.com - Patrick Webb
A perspective of where we’re at, how we arrived here and where we might take the world if we have the courage...I want to begin by saying that the …
The Good and the True in Urbanism
traditionalbuilding.com - Carroll William Westfall
The Good and the True in UrbanismUrbanism makes the place where we protect and enjoy our natural right to pursue our happiness, which resides in our …
Home Ownership
The Housing Market: The Road Ahead
traditionalbuilding.com - Peter H. Miller
New house affordability is still a challenge for first time buyers which bodes well for the sale of existing homes.For a recent, comprehensive …
Modernism
Ugly and Useless
traditionalbuilding.com - David Brussat
David Brussat quotes Nikos Salingaros and Michael Mehaffy to show the advantages of traditional architecture.I pluck this column from the past in …
The ABCs of Gypsum
traditionalbuilding.com - Patrick Webb
Different types of gypsum and how to use themAs we considered in our previous article on lime, there are a number of terms surrounding gypsum both …
New Jersey
The Princeton Eating Clubs
traditionalbuilding.com - Peter H. Miller
Clifford W. Zink's book about the Princeton Eating Clubs tells the story of these Gilded-Age mansions and their architects.A book about eating was …
Urbanism and Happiness
traditionalbuilding.com - Carroll William Westfall
What is happiness and how does it relate to urbanism?Our understanding of happiness goes back to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, the same people who …
Modern Architecture
Making Dystopia
traditionalbuilding.com - David Brussat
David Brussat discusses books that criticize modern architecture.I’ve only just received a review copy of Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and …
Statues in Urbanism, Part 2: Richmond Fumbles
traditionalbuilding.com - Carroll William Westfall
An update on the relevancy of statues in urbanism.The war did not end when Grant took Richmond. It dragged on to Appomattox, it reappeared when a …
Murals
Restoration of Historic Murals in Omaha's Douglas County Courthouse
traditionalbuilding.com - Judy Hayward
Read about how the team at BVH Architecture delivered an accurate mural restoration in Omaha's Douglas County Courthouse with methodical forensics …
Cataracts
Seeing Architecture with a Sharper Eye
traditionalbuilding.com - Judy Hayward
Judy Hayward talks about the joy of seeing architecture with clear vision.The first thing I noticed as my vision began to return after cataract …
Tom Wolfe
Beauty or the Machine?
traditionalbuilding.com - David Brussat
David Brussat show us what might be possible for our cities if we focused on beauty and craft instead of Modernism.What might the world be like today …
Hydraulic
Hydrated Lime vs Hydraulic Lime
traditionalbuilding.com - Patrick Webb
Understanding the difference between hydrated lime and hydraulic lime.There are a number of terms surrounding lime, both current and historical, that …
The Ground Under Our Feet
traditionalbuilding.com - Carroll William Westfall
Our land serves our civil order.The ground under our feet is the land we build our urbanism on, and we mold it to serve the purposes of our civil …
Headaches
Architect, Heal Thyself
traditionalbuilding.com - David Brussat
Science is now showing that modern architecture is bad for human health.And, as you will see, this way will lead anyone who looks for it to buildings which are …
Time and the Encaustic Tile Vestibule
traditionalbuilding.com - Ken Follett
Ken and David Follett restored an encaustic tile entry in a historic brownstone.It was May 2014 when I first looked at the encaustic tile vestibule …
The Contributions of Asher Benjamin
traditionalbuilding.com - Judy Hayward
Asher Benjamin was an early American architect, author, teacher, master builder and patriot.In celebration of the founding of the congregation of Old …
Home Building
“Keep Craft Alive” and the Labor Shortage
traditionalbuilding.com - Peter H. Miller
Keep Craft Alive celebrates those who have chosen to passionately pursue a career in design, building and remodeling.Silly me. I ‘ve hired a …
Palladio Encounters “Pastiche”
traditionalbuilding.com - Clem Labine
Clem Labine's thoughts on Palladio Award insults.In this issue, the editors are showcasing winners of the 2018 Palladio Awards. Normally this would …
Rhode Island
Rendering the Truth?
traditionalbuilding.com - David Brussat
David Brussat shows how architectural renderings can sometimes be misleading.These days, it is often fair to wonder whether the renderings for an …
Stuc Pierre: A French Tradition
traditionalbuilding.com - Patrick Webb
Stuc Pierre Literally Means Stone Stucco. It has been used for centuries for both interior and exterior applications.The French tradition of Stuc …
Chicago, IL
Celebrating Water
traditionalbuilding.com - Carroll William Westfall
Cities Should Celebrate Their WaterWhether scarce or abundant, cities should celebrate their good water.Pompeii did. The aqueduct water was brought …