Houston Oct 12, 2012

I lived in Houston for a little over a year. I expected Houston to be nothing more than a car city, the unholy love-child of Orlando and Los Angeles. And while, yes, it was decidedly a car city, Houston had a deeper layer. Perhaps its emptiness — people were few and far between on the …

Kelson House, Samuda Estate

From British History Online: “Kelson House is a 25-storey block of maisonettes, faced in aggregate-concrete panels. It is of the ‘scissors’ type developed in the early 1960s by a team in the LCC Architect’s Department, headed by David Gregory-Jones, Colin Jones and Ian Hampson.”

Barbican YMCA

Empty since Sep 30, 2012, the Barbican YMCA looms over Goswell Road at the northwest corner of the Barbican. The Y had been running a hostel at the location for 40 years. But when the tenancy came up for renewal, it appears the City wanted the hostel gone, as did some area residents. The City …