Monthly Archives: January 2011

Billy Collins “Snow Day” Illustrated

Posted on Sunday, 30 January 2011 by

                                 Snow Day by Billy Collins Today we woke up to a revolution of snow, its white flag waving over everything, the landscape vanished, not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness, and beyond these windows the government buildings smothered, … Continue reading →

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A Holy Experiment: Plymouth Meeting and Evansburg Historic Districts

Posted on Sunday, 23 January 2011 by

“I deplore two principles in religion, obedience upon authority without conviction and destroying them that differ with me for Christ’ sake.”                                                                                                                                                    William Penn, (1644-1718) founder and Proprietor of Pennsylvania Colony William Penn not only wished his colony to be a … Continue reading →

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A Social Conscience: La Mott Historic District

Posted on Thursday, 20 January 2011 by

Philadelphia and its surrounding counties – Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware – were all part of the original land grant of Pennsylvania that William Penn received from King James II in the late 1600′s. Having alienated his famous father, Admiral Penn, … Continue reading →

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Simplicity…and maintenance? Oak Park Historic District

Posted on Tuesday, 18 January 2011 by

“Simplicity of life…is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement; a sanded floor and whitewashed walls and the garden trees, and flowery meads, and living waters outside.”                                                                               William Morris (1834-1896) on the Arts and Crafts Movement At … Continue reading →

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School building as an Antiquity?

Posted on Sunday, 16 January 2011 by

“I wish my buildings had all been made of stone,” the architect states. “Why?” was my puzzled response . “Because they’d last a thousand years…” And the thought did trail off as this architect reminisced over lobster on his 80th birthday. … Continue reading →

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Who Knew? Wyncote Historic District

Posted on Friday, 14 January 2011 by

 I travel to far away places to visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites and in the United States to experience regions of historic significance with little regard to the reality that National Historic Districts are, literally, in my back yard. Twenty-nine, to be exact, are … Continue reading →

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New York, New Year, 3 Restaurants

Posted on Wednesday, 5 January 2011 by

What am I saying? I had a pleasant, imaginative, moderately priced lunch in a major urban museum’s cafe? An oxymoran….0r lack of oxygen….? Just off the multi-storey glass atrium of the striking American Wing at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, is … Continue reading →

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New York, New Year

Posted on Monday, 3 January 2011 by

Commerce has been the purpose of New York since its founding a mere 400 years ago. Because of its vast wealth, the world has settled within the city. In some cases pieces of the world have been purchased to reside in New York – from Egyptian … Continue reading →

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