Utility boxes are among those necessary features of modern life that add little to the built environment – in most cases. Some have been painted, others have been wrapped. They can convert a message artistically or philosophically. In Seattle the boxes were used for neighborhood branding and wayfinding. Recently when I was visiting New Brunswick, New Jersey, I found a
Over the last few years I observed how the next town over from where I live has been trying to jumpstart revitalization efforts. The town is Edison and the neighborhood is called Clara Barton. There are a few multi-story buildings but most are single story and spaced out typical of a suburban neighborhood commerical district. In years past planters were
Never underestimate what some green astroturf and timbers can do to activate an empty or underutilized public space. We loved stumbling across this pop-up bocce court in Millburn, New Jersey. Something else they got right was clustering movable furniture, planters, and public art elements. Altogether it made a nice unexpected outdoor gathering space. Only thing lacking is to get the
Millburn has an ideal location, close to New York City and at the foot of the South Mountain Reservation. There are many assets here including the Paper Mill Playhouse and the Greenwood Gardens not too far away from the downtown. Here are a few highlights from a recent visit. Fantastical Garden, 2022 This sculpture by Dan Fenelon has signature vivid
Lawrenceville is a small town with a few blocks of commercial buildings. Most are transitional residential type buildings that have been repurposed for commercial uses. One of the nice features of the town are passageways connecting parking to the rear with the street. This is because the residential buildings were detached from one another giving space between them to walk.
The following are my recollections from the Main Street Now conference in Boston, Massachusetts. This was written 15 months after the conference itself. We drove from New Jersey to Boston, crossing the Hudson River on the still relatively new Mario Cuomo bridge. Joining me on the trip this year was my wife Chrissy. As we passed through Connecticut we admired
Northshire Bookstore is one of the best merchandized book stores I’ve seen. The store is arranged as a series of rooms to conform with the irregular floor plan of the building. Still it manages to have ample open spaces for displays. Makes it very easy to bump into the perfect book or gift item. Merchandizing with clear product groupings and
Blame Vitruvius. In his treatise De Architectura around 27 BCE, the three elements critical to architecture were utilitas (function), firmitas (stability), and venustas (beauty). While so easy to articulate, in practice this harmony in buildings and places was and is so hard to achieve. Fast forward to Colonial America. Many prototypes for buildings and plans for cities hearkened back to
Keyport High School, located at 351 Broad Street in Keyport. The brick structure showcases classic 1930s-era school architecture, characterized by its textured brown brickwork, a decorative stone-arched central entrance with double doors, and a distinct castle-like crenellated roofline. The side entrance to Keyport High School features an ornate, Gothic Revival pointed stone archway adorned with carved decorative panels along the
When visiting this Panda Express while traveling through Baltimore, we were quite impressed by the landscape design, furnishings, and amenities at Yard 56. It started with this tiered garden with landscaping. The furnishing took on an industrial character. Many places have suspended garden lights or cafe lights to enliven public spaces. Here there was a distinctive light with a tubular