February 1996 Table Of Contents

PRESERVATION NATION

Progressive Architecture folded by new owner

Anyone who cares about cogent writing on urban design issues and architecture as a profession was saddened by the sudden announcement in December that Penton Publishing had sold Progressive Architecture (PA) magazine, for 20 years the unchallenged leader in architectural criticism among national publications, to a competitor, Billboard Publications, Inc., which publishes Architecture.

BPI promptly shut down PA, which in the last 18 months in particular was bounding past the competition still mired in celebrity architects and hot trends. Twenty-some years ago another esteemed publication, Architectural Forum, shut down. PA took up a lot of the slack. Former PA editors vow to form a new publication.

Downtown Portland: 100% more workers, 0% more parking

The Wall Street Journal, in a page one article enumerating the Portland, Oregon region’s planning successes, noted that downtown Portland had attracted double the number of downtown workers it had in 1972, while sticking to a pledge not to add a single parking space.

The mayor of suburban Beaverton wistfully dreams of making his downtown—now dominated by a car dealership— into something like the city’s.

Small town rejects road aid, saves soul

Guilford, CT, a still-rural town 15 miles north of New Haven has passed up almost $1,000,000 in federal and state highway funds in order to preserve the ‘winding country lane’ ambiance of the town. Accepting the money would have required accepting state and national standards such as clearing 15-foot swaths along each side of the road, as well as paving large shoulders. This would have meant expensive removal of trees and stone walls, straightening curves, and flattening topography. The Guilford Preservation Alliance helped form an Ad Hoc Committee of Seven to educate town officials and citizens about the consequences. The town will now fund its own more modest road program, on its own terms.

NYC RR station in line for $315,000,000

Meanwhile, in November, a joint committee of Congress pitched in $26,000,000 in Federal money to a massive railroad station rehabilitation in New York City. This virtually assures a full Federal commitment of $315,000,000 to the new Penn-Station-in-the-old-Post-Office project. The state had committed $75,000,000 and New York City had agreed to pitch in $25,000,000. The Congressional orchestration was done by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who a colleague credited with doing “a great job—a masterful use of the process.”

500% tourism increase in Ponce, Puerto Rico tied to historic rehabs

In 1985, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, having tried just about everything else, decided to try historic preservation as a way to revitalize Ponce, the second city of Puerto Rico (“First in the Caribbean League, last in the hearts of its countrymen.”). Between 1988 and 1994 $500 million was spent restoring over 400 major buildings. Suddenly, the Ponce was on the map and its Historic Zone was the darling of the travel guides. Tourism shot up 500%. A cover article by Smithsonian magazine two years ago confirmed and boosted the trend yet again. Also, and perhaps related, 20 new industries have chosen to locate there, generating 2,000 jobs. There is also a bullish market in middle class housing.

Stickley’s original Craftsman house saved

The L & J. G. Stickley Co purchased in early January the Syracuse home of Gustav Stickley, the furniture maker and a formulator of the Arts and Crafts style. Stickley lived for 27 years in the huge Victorian house, remodeling it with his first craftsman-style interior. The furniture company was founded by Stickley’s brothers and still produces craftsman designs.

The house’s previous owners were planning on selling off the interior piecemeal if a buyer could not be found for close to their asking price of $250,000. The company plans to turn the house into a museum.

Yo, Sly Stallone is a preservationist

The historic Gusman Theater in Miami recently got a pledge of $50,000 from muscleman/actor Sylvester Stallone, who urged city commissioners not to throw in the towel on theater funding.