The Architect Newswire is an aggregation of news from media outlets around the world, intended to keep you abreast of all of the industry’s important developments. The stories we feature are not reported, edited, or fact-checked by Architect’s staff.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Air Force Academy adds pagan worship space
The Skidmore Owings & Merrill-designed Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs is world-famous—a winner of the AIA Twenty-Five Year Award. Jenny Deam reports that the building’s basement has been a home to pagan, or “Earth-based” religions, but that their practitioners now have a new space on campus. The $80,000 outdoor Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle consists of “a small Stonehenge-like circle of boulders with propane fire pit” on a hill. “We're here to accommodate all religions, period,” Chaplain Major Darren Duncan says. The facility is part of the Air Force’s initiative to uphold the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom. West Point and Annapolis officials have discussed the new facility with Duncan and plan to provide similar spaces at their campuses.
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YOUNGSTOWN VINDICATOR (OH)
Local projects likely to be unfunded
The Youngstown Vindicator reports that Ohio officials from Youngstown to Columbus are worried that the policies of Gov. John Kasich (R) will be short on funding for local capital projects, including state prisons, schools, and universities. The forthcoming capital bill will have “an extremely high threshold that would have to be met in order to fund new construction,” according to state budget director Tim Keen. “This is a time that we need dollars put into our communities to spur economic development and job creation, rather than funneling it to private corporations through JobsOhio,” Sen. Michael Skindell (D-Lakewood) says. “I think it’s a failure and hurts job creation in this state when we don’t do a capital budget that supports local community projects.”
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THE NEW YORK TIMES
Airport tower (mostly) demolished
The Wallace K. Harrison–designed control tower at New York’s La Guardia Airport no longer stands as a proud, portholed piece of Swiss cheese whimsy. David W. Dunlap reports that the 1964 structure has been reduced to a 4-story “stump,” replaced by a taller and more secure tower designed by Alexandria, Va.–based Jacobs. “There were areas of the airport that we couldn’t see from the old tower,” says Federal Aviation Administration manager of tactical operations for the Northeast Leo Prusak. “We miss the character of the old building. It had a sense of history that can’t be replaced.”
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LAWRENCE JOURNAL WORLD (KS)
Architect looks to create trail
Lawrence, Kan.–based architect Mike Meyers is looking to link two bridges over the Kansas River via a downtown trail that would include other parks as part of a new, river-based public amenity. Chad Lawhorn reports that the nascent idea still lacks funding and official backing, but has drawn positive interest from local planners. “I don’t know how much the taxpayer is willing to pay or how much grant money there is,” Myers says. “But I think it could be a real benefit. You really notice when a city takes advantage of its riverfront, and we haven’t done that very well.”
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SIOUX CITY JOURNAL (IOWA)
New office in Dubuque
The Sioux City Journal reports that FEH Associates has opened an office in Dubuque, Iowa, joining branches in Sioux City and Des Moines. Kevin Eipperle will manage the office, bringing “25 years of experience in architectural design throughout the Tri-state area with vast knowledge of educational, cultural and municipal projects,” according to the report. The 30-person firm’s roots can be traced to a Minnesota firm started in 1898 by Andrew H. Foss.
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KALAMAZOO GAZETTE (MI)
Living with Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1949-50 Eric and Ann Brown House in Kalamazoo, Mich., has been owned by Curtis and Kathy Curtis-Smith for almost a decade. Ardyce Czuchna-Curl reports that the couple has brought portions of the Usonian design up-to-date. “Yes, the remodeling and appliances were expensive, and there were unique challenges, but that’s par for the course for Wright houses,” Kathy Curtis-Smith says. “And we think it is worth it.”
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CNN
Using 3-D scanning for preservation
CyArk managing director Ben Kacyra is working to digitally preserve cultural heritage sites throughout the world, including Chichen Itza, the Mayan ruins on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula; Rapa Nui, a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific; Babylon, the ancient Mesopotamian city in modern day Iraq; and Mount Rushmore. “[We use] 3-D digital documentation, archiving and the dissemination of the data to tell the story of the sites and engage the public,” Kacyra tells CNN. “We are losing the sites and the stories faster than we can physically preserve them. Natural phenomena take their toll, but it has become clear that human causes are a significant part of the reason for their destruction.” The CyArk 500 Challenge hopes to digitally document 500 world heritage sites within five years.
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THE WALTON SUN (FL)
New Urban realtor
Realtor Larry Davis is half-brother to Seaside, Fla., developer Robert Davis. Deborah Wheeler reports that Davis, who has sold real estate in the area for almost thirty years, has just built a new office in South Walton that embodies New Urban principles. “[Y]ou must give back to the street, build close to the sidewalk, create public seating, engage, and quench the thirst people have for community,” Davis says, paraphrasing author David Sucher. The office and its surroundings include a hopscotch rectangle, an herb garden, citrus trees, a bright yellow drinking fountain, an air pump for bike tires, and a community bulletin board.
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