Joel Solkoff’s Column Vol. V, Number 2

External signage on facade of the Pajama Factory, Williamsport PA.

Joel Solkoff’s Column Vol. V, Number 1: Mayor Gabriel Campana of Williamsport PA meets e-architect’s US Editor. In 1870, the city had more millionaires per capita than anyplace on earth.

Joel Solkoff’s Column Vol. IV, Number 1

President Barack Obama Presidential Library Illinois building - Joel Solkoff's Column Vol. IV, Number 1

Joel’s Column Vol. IV, Number 1: President Obama announces architects to design his Presidential Library in Illinois, not “the land of Lincoln”; plus preparing for Zaha Hadid’s eulogy.

Piano’s Whitney Neighborhood, New York City

520 West 28 Street New York City building

“If, in all the different action movies, there was an architect superhero – first of all, he would do the things that Renzo Piano does. Second of all, his name would inevitably be Renzo Piano” remarked Bill de Blasio, New York City Mayor at the opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Special Wooden Floors for the Whitney

Special Wooden Floors for the Whitney, New York Building, Architecture, Architect, News Special Wooden Floors for the Whitney Gallery in Manhattan, NYC, USA – article: Joel Solkoff, PA, USA 9 Jul 2015 Special Wooden Floors for the Whitney in New York Article by Joel Solkoff, PA, USA Joel’s Column Vol. III, Number 4 Photograph of Renzo … Read more

Detroit will be a Trendy City, USA

Today’s Detroit column begins in New York City with Detroit on my mind—always on my mind. I have a friend who had the opportunity to purchase a house in the Meatpacking District of New York City.

Belt and Suspenders Routine, Detroit Planning

Belt and Suspenders Routine, Detroit Planning

Ongoing Special Report on the benefits Detroit may offer Baby Boomers. Detroit will survive because it is next door to an airport flying more passengers non-stop between the U.S. and Asia than any other airport.

Is Detroit Dying? Michigan Urban Planning

Is Detroit Dying? A special report. Last autumn, a group of Chinese real estate developers arrived in downtown Detroit for a city tour – they were impressed by what they saw

Joel Solkoff’s Column Volume II Number 5, Brasilia

Joel Solkoff Column Vol 2.5

United States Architecture, Brasilia Buildings, New Cities and Communities in the USA Joel Solkoff’s Column Volume II, No. 5 Architectural Column by Joel Solkoff, PA, USA Joel’s Column Vol. II, Number 5 Building cities in the United States—special Wyoming focus. Plus… Profile of the President of the Wyoming American Institute of Architects Building a new … Read more

Joel Solkoff’s Column, Vol.II, Number 4

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)

What Herzog & de Meuron’s completion of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) means to the revitalization of Downtown Miami.

The government of Miami approved a revitalization plan—a plan that includes the taxpayers of Miami paying costs to the Herzog & de Meuron’s firm. Miami taxpayers paid $100 million toward the cost of the museum.

Worthy of asking but not of discussion here: Are taxpayers getting what they paid for?

Joel Solkoff’s Column, Vol.II, Number 3

Zaha Hadid Yacht 1

Where will I live? Plus…Writing on architects plus their role in the imminent global Baby Boom housing crisis, I have purchased two houses in my lifetime. The first was on Capitol Hill, in Downtown, Washington, D.C. which had a landmark plaque posted on the entrance. It was a beautiful house 100 years old where my former wife and I raised two children.

Joel Solkoff’s Column, Vol.II, Number 2

One Thousand Museum - Joel Solkoff's Column, Vol.II, Number 2

Zaha Hadid’s Miami compared to my life in rural “Rust Belt” Pennsylvania. “Miami has long been the economic and commercial capital of Latin America, both English and Spanish are commonly understood and it has been the place where many Latinos could be sure their money and their persons were safe from government takeover.”
–The Almanac of American Politics by Michael Barone and Chuck McCutcheon

Joel Solkoff’s Column, Vol.II, Number 1

Crescent Hotel

If I were an architect eager to launch my career in the U.S., I would focus on three states: Texas, California, and Florida. Despite the incredibly exciting renewal taking place in New York City, the reality is that the wealth and power in the United States has shifted

Frank Gehry and my New York: Joel Solkoff

Renzo Piano building at the Menil Collection

Frank Gehry and my New York. “What is the most important piece of architecture built since 1980? Vanity Fair’s survey of 52 experts, including 11 Pritzker Prize winners, has provided a clear answer: “Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.”

This article covers a few buildings by Frank Gehry, but also Renzo Piano’s Menil Collection buildings in Texas including the Cy Twombly Gallery.