Veritas et Venustas

Mayor LaGuardia's The ABC of City Planning

Download The ABC of City Planning

The Citizens Housing & Planning Council scanned a copy of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia's 1937 The ABC of City Planning. You can download a PDF copy at their website or from the link above.

J—is for jumble     
    Caused only by man
Who recklessly built
    Without a good plan

found at www.chpcny.org/

Occupy Mansions & Beautiful Houses

AT THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE from Liberty Plaza, were the houses in a recent dinner discussion with Classical architects. "Pick three houses," one said, "A city house, a country house and a beach house." All three picked New York City houses I didn't know, until I said, "Why not the Frick?" which started a different level of discussion. I went on to pick the Otto Kahn house instead, and then it turned out my other two picks were also the consensus winners:

• Otto Kahn House
• Monticello
• Vizcaya

I realized I would need something in New England:

• Hamilton House
• Sargent / Mission House
• Hollister House

I chose Hollister House for its gardens, and that brought up gardens and Europe:

• Sissinghurst

• Palazzo Farnese
• Blenheim
• Villa Kerylos

And then there are the weekend houses (where Modernism finally came in):

• Fallingwater
• Maison de Verre
• Chiswick House
• La Rocca Pisana

Occupy - 2 months, from the Brooklyn Bridge

A beautiful car

click for larger image - from the ABC show PanAm