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"Hello, my name is John. I'm a recovering architect."

I like all sorts of towns, cities and buildings, but what I design are Classical buildings and Traditional towns and cities. You can see some of them at www.massengale.com.

With Robert A.M. Stern I wrote a history of architecture and urbanism in the Progressive Era, New York 1900, Metropolitan Architecture and Urbanism 1890–1915 (Rizzoli, 1983) as well as an introduction to the history of suburbia before sprawl, The Anglo–American Suburb (St. Martin's Press, 1981). With Victor Dover, I am writing Street Design, The Art & Practice of Making Complete Streets (J. Wiley & Sons, 2013).

I'm a Board Member of the Congress for New Urbanism, the former Chair of CNU New York and a former Director of the Institute of Classical Art & Architecture and Federated Conservationists of Westchester County.

A co-founder of the New Urban and Traditional Architecture Councils.I was also a co-founder of the pro-urb list, a forum on the internet for an advanced discussion of New Urbanism. And in this blog you will find some postings from that list, along with other writings and clippings on architecture, urbanism, Classicism, Tradition, metaphysics and culture.


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Friday, July 29, 2005

50s Revival

Soma

This is a view of the lobby in an apartment house by the developers of the apartment building below. Note to the young designers participating in the Fifties Revival going on now: I remember the Fifties — they sucked. They were The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit, Gentleman's Agreement, What Makes Sammy Run, Ozzie and Harriett and Donald O'Connor. Why would anyone want to go there?

Ozzieandharriet

You can download RealPlayer clips from the real 1950s here.

July 29, 2005 in Architecture, Culture, Current Affairs, History | Permalink

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I don't know. Looks kinda sleek and cool. Not everything from the 1950s was bad. It certainly beats the bad design of the late 60s, 79s, and 80s. :)

Posted by: Brian Miller at Aug 1, 2005 1:19:38 PM

Yes, it looks slick. It also looks like a set from Down With Love and makes me feel like all the men are going to act like Ewan McGregor in the movie and all the women like Renee Zellweger -- and that's a bad thing.

Posted by: john massengale at Aug 1, 2005 7:36:15 PM

Ewwww!

Posted by: Brian Miller at Aug 3, 2005 7:44:57 PM

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