Lady Bird Johnson portrait on White House grounds. LBJ Library photo by Robert Knudsen. Having looked at the role of a few key figures in the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, we will now break away for a quick moment to review A White House Diary and, in particular, what this … Read more
Across the street from the beautifully renovated Detroit Opera House stood the Wurlitzer Building. The wonderful facade with terra cotta details had a presence despite the fact that the building remained open. When a barrier was required to be placed on the sidewalk to prevent pedestrians from being struck by falling building elements, a wonderful … Read more
The Detroit Public Zoo has this interesting chronology display. Highlights from different years are selected to give a sense of the development of the zoo over time. Space is left to add future items.
I received an invitation to participate in a program on the All-America City award that Albion received in 1973. The event was to mark the 40th anniversary on July 18 and held at the Albion District Library. While a student I had studied this time period extensively and even referred to it in my undergraduate … Read more
Stoffer Plaza is behind the historic buildings on Superior Street in downtown Albion. Previously this area had been the locations of mills and the mill race connecting with the Kalamazoo River. An L-shaped pavilion provides covering for vendors and people visiting them. A fountain has been altered with a metal sculpture in the middle.
Marshall once aspired to be the state capital of Michigan. They were passed over in favor of another small agricultural town – Lansing. Owning to a central location on the Territorial Road (later paralleled largely by Interstate-94) the commercial activity and attendant quality of buildings is remarkable. Marshall has had a strong preservation ethic for … Read more
A block with varied heights and textures. Each building is distinctive while contributing to a cohesive whole. Corbelled cornice, stone trim, paired sash windows, brick pilasters, bracketed cornice, and parapet with sunburst give great architectural character to this building. The Central Block has many of the same details – corbelled cornice and parapet. Regrettably the … Read more
Lady Bird Johnson and Stewart Udall during visit to Grand Teton National Park, August 16, 1964. LBJ Library Photo by Robert Knudsen. While the Task Force was finalizing their recommendations, Stewart Udall and Lady Bird Johnson began to form a personal alliance in support of conservation that included historic preservation as a major goal. During a … Read more
After signing the Highway Beautification Act on October 22, 1965, President Johnson hands the bill signing pen to Lady Bird in the East Room of the White House. Photo: LBJ Library Photo by Frank Wolfe. The field of historic preservation experienced a seismic shift in public perception and relevance between the Kennedy and the Johnson … Read more