MICHAEL M. writes:

I loved your post on modernist architecture.  You really honed in on its anti-Christian origins.  Sadly, however, it set a new standard of building low and selling high: stripping architecture of all its costly beauty, but selling the new “modernist chic” at roughly the same price, and thus re-calibrating the industry’s profit margins to such a degree that it’s financially near-impossible to return to a level of beauty.

To me, our best hope lies in the almost supernatural architectural crossroads of the Art Deco style.  It can be as sleek and minimalist as a Miami gas station, or as richly-ornate as 450 Post Street here in San Francisco, or 551 Fifth Avenue in New York.  Inspired by archaeological discoveries in Egypt and mesoamerica, it can furthermore morph itself into any other known architectural style, as exemplified by the Byzanto-Deco National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC or the Neo-Gothic-Deco Bryant Park Hotel in Manhattan.  Always under-utilized in, but quite appropriate to Catholic Church architecture in its overriding focus on loveliness and decorative detailing, it could provide us with the flexibility to re-embellish our church architecture gradually, from simpler, sleek and more budget-conscious designs to increasingly ornate versions as we re-calibrate our commitment to beautifying church architecture in stages.  And as already stated, the principles and design concepts of the Deco style are applicable to any school of architecture, with the effect of embellishing the bauhaus, refining and simplifying the gothic, or streamlining the baroque.

But the losses we’ve suffered in the artificially-inflated profit margins of the industry in its current state remain, to me, our major obstacle, and our primary consideration in winning back, battle by battle, the right to affordable beauty in our buildings.

Laura writes:

Thank you for writing.

The affordability of great architecture is an interesting subject. It seems to me that the most important issue is the economy of craftsmanship. The dignity of craftsmanship requires a different view of the workingman. Organizations to protect the craftsman and dedicate his work to God are the basis of our greatest architecture.

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Hurricane Betsy writes:

However, I was in a new house once where the 3rd storey was a kind of  witches-style, hexagonal, private, tiny hidey-hole which did have a vaulted, pointed ceiling and it was just wonderful. It was both lookout and a place of contemplation, and the design was correct for that, even though it was a house of otherwise ordinary conformation.

Jill Farris writes:

After renting homes for most of our 32 years of marriage, we recently bought our dream home. I call her The Grande Old Dame. Built in 1906, she has been well-loved and cared for over the past century. Her landscaping is beautiful and she even has an in-ground pool hidden behind ivy-covered walls.

We got her for a song because she’s in the wrong area of town. Not far from the old downtown of Pasco, Washington, the entire area has seen an influx of Mexican immigrants. We live in little Mexico and feel extremely blessed to be here.

There is so much life here! In contrast to the last neighborhood we lived where we never saw our affluent neighbors, here the sidewalks and yards are full of children and families. We love it! Many of our adult neighbors need their children to translate for them but it doesn’t matter…they are great neighbors. 

It’s been interesting to note the reaction of friends and family when we tell them our new address; they aren’t impressed until they meet The Grande Old Dame. Then, as they view her high ceilings, sweeping staircase, quirky windows and large entryway, we observe a glint in their eyes and a thoughtful look on their faces. We call it The Grande Old Dame effect.

Well-built, turn-of the century homes are inspirational. Even my friends who ardently love brand-new homes get that “look” on their faces when they walk into our old home. It’s a wonderful, gigantic piece of history; affordable simply because the neighborhood around her has changed.

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