Category: Local Notes
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Local Notes No. 8 – The Prehistory of Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena
Now home to the NHL’s Kraken, the Climate Pledge Arena has a long history as a modernist icon. How can we tell the story of Seattle since mid-century through it?
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Local Notes No. 7 – ‘Iolani Palace, the US’ Only Royal Residence
Hawaii is justly famous for its modern architecture. But what can this symbol of an independent Kingdom of Hawai’i teach us about the history of American empire in the Pacific?
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A Visitor’s Guide to A Coruña, Spain
My attempt at a proper travel guide for Spain’s Portland, a town that shouldn’t be missed!
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Local Notes No. 5 – Fort Ross, the Frontier Outpost of Russian America
For thirty years, boatfuls of unlucky Russian serfs were ported thousands of miles away from their homes to grow crops on the California coast. How did they stay Russian in what would become NorCal?
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Local Notes No. 4 – Civic Architecture on Sunset Blvd
Fighting for the people that keep Hollywood running was a tough gig in the 1930s – what can we learn about labor history from two buildings built for crew unions?
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Local Notes No. 3 – The Brock & Co Jewelers Building in Downtown Los Angeles
Happily, I got to go to Dodger Stadium yesterday to watch my Nationals lose the third of a three-game series and slink back east, well and truly swept. The loss didn’t bug me too much though, as going to Dodger Stadium means going downtown and going to downtown Los Angeles means getting to see some…
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Local Notes No. 2: Clyde Hill, WA’s Coin-Flip Mayor
On one unseasonably warm day in December 1975, two candidates vying for the mayoralty of Clyde Hill, WA, a 3200-strong suburb sandwiched between Seattle and Bellevue, met in the office of the King County Superintendent of Elections. Against all odds, the normal course of count and recount in the scheduled November election had exhausted itself…
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Local Notes #1: The Experience of Economic Change in Central Maryland Since 2000
The builders have picked up their shovels in Maryland. Cajoled, at long last, by the recent bounding pace of economic growth in the state between D.C. and Baltimore, these planners, developers, architects and contractors have brought something not seen in quite some time to the Old Line State – a renovation of the built environment,…
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