Architecture

St. Laurentius, a polish Catholic church in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, was closed in March amid fears that it would collapse. Since then, the community has pushed back to save the historic building.

In Philadelphia's Fishtown, A Fierce Debate Over The Fate Of A Polish Church

6:31pm July 03, 2015

by Bobby Allyn

The Philadelphia Archdiocese has plans to demolish the city's oldest Polish church, but it's facing strong resistance: Longtime parishioners and neighborhood newcomers have joined forces in protest.

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Chicago To Replace Famed Ferris Wheel With Taller One

6:31pm July 03, 2015

NPR's Rachel Martin talks with Alexander Eisenschmidt, an assistant professor of architecture at University of Illinois at Chicago, about the new Chicago Ferris Wheel.

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A Philadelphia mural titled You Go Girl by Jetsonorama and Ursula Rucker. This is just one of many murals that the city's Mural Arts Program helped create.

What Right Do Muralists Have To The Buildings They Paint On?

1:52pm June 29, 2015

by Paige Pfleger

Musicians have their instruments, painters have their canvases, and muralists have ... walls. But when the building a mural is on is changing, the muralist has to choose to fight — or say goodbye.

Detroit's iconic Fisher building has an ornate interior full of marble, bronze and art deco design.

Detroit's Iconic Fisher Building Up For Auction

11:11am June 22, 2015

by Jason Margolis

An important part of Detroit's skyline is on the auction block — the 29-story Fisher Building. The bank foreclosed on it, and next week, it goes up for sale online.

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Arts

A Moat? A Ditch? How To Secure The White House Grounds

11:46am June 15, 2015

How do you design a White House fence to keep out intruders, without making the president's front lawn feel like a prison yard? Architecture critic Alexandra Lange tells NPR's Scott Simon.

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World News

Paris Officials Begin Removing Love Locks From Iconic Bridges

1:38pm June 04, 2015

by Eleanor Beardsley

City authorities in Paris are removing engraved padlocks left by lovers on some bridges over the Seine river. On Monday, 700,000 locks were taken off just one bridge. Officials say the romantic gesture has become so popular it now threatens the structure safety of the bridges.

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National

Tech Startup Harnesses Virtual Reality For Use In Architecture

10:46pm June 01, 2015

A startup company called The Third Fate envisions virtual reality as a way for architects and builders to offer tours of their designs before they're even constructed.

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The Nirgul Tablet. Each digital replication becomes more complete and higher-resolution as the project collects more photos and videos of the artifacts.

Cyber Archaeologists Rebuild Destroyed Artifacts

5:58pm June 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

Hundreds of ancient artifacts have been damaged or destroyed during violence in the Middle East. Researchers are using the power of crowdsourcing and 3-D imaging to re-create the ancient artifacts.

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World News

Tripoli's Niemeyer Fairground Recalls Happier Times Before Civil War

6:31pm May 26, 2015

by Alice Fordham

In northern Lebanon, a complex of sweeping buildings designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer reminds people of more peaceful times.

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The new building's window-lined hallways are in stark contrast to the brutalist design of the Whitney's former home.

Arts

Whitney Museum's New Building Opens Doors (And Walls) To Outside World

5:18pm May 13, 2015

by Joel Rose

For decades, the museum was housed in a concrete fortress with few windows. Its new home offers striking views of the Manhattan skyline, but critics say the design draws attention away from the art.

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