In an old cemetery in New Orleans lies the modest grave of a man people seem to know little about. The site isn't very special-looking. The gravestone is plain and has no exceptional honorary decorations. Simply stated, the inscription reads: Benjamin Latrobe, America's first architect.
Yet beyond those words is a remarkable tale of one of America's most significant heroes of design, and perhaps one of its most forgotten. He's the man who founded the profession of architecture on this soil, who essentially built our nation's capital.
Benjamin Latrobe designed several notable buildings prior to his work on the capital, including the Hammerwood Park country house in Sussex, England, the Baltimore Basilica, and the Bank of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the latter of which was used as a model for revising the design of the Capital.
Bank of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
He was not the first to work on the vast project. William Thornton was President Washington's initial pick. And Washington placed his full faith in Thornton, even after aesthetic and engineering inadequacies became evident, most noted by the collapse of the capital dome. It was Jefferson who eventually authorized Latrobe, a man of clear artistic vision, to come in and help clean up Thornton's mess and give the structure its definition that has lasted to this day.
Jefferson was passionate about architecture. He understood that buildings were symbols, and that the capital was the quintessential symbol of America. He both drove Latrobe and protected him from Thornton and adversaries in order to make that symbol a reality.
With Latrobe on board, the project went forward with a revised aesthetic, utilizing Greek Revival tradition, but without copying it outright. Instead, Latrobe sampled pieces of history for his palette to create a bold, innovative style of Neoclassicism - the American way.
Interior of U.S. Capital dome.
The plans employed two semicircular chambers connected by a glass corridor. In the center was a grand public rotunda, which stood as a conceptual, architectural ideal of democracy. Skylights were cut to filter in natural light from above. Special, ingenious channels were engineered to keep rainwater away from sills and avoid leakage, a precursor to rainwater management design concepts - and one that is relevant today as water departments deal with associated storm-water issues.
The interior was a fluid design bathed in light. There was clarity, with no secrets. Grand and bright, it was a space that came alive, an architectural dance of energy, a symbol of the age of enlightenment.
Early version of U.S. Capital Building.
But in the midst of all this work, Thornton continually conspired against Latrobe, and in many ways, Latrobe became a political failure. His ideas were seen as too extravagant and costly. He was considered too theoretical and professorial. His projects often ran out of money, due to lack of funding from a Congress that saw longevity of architecture as a waste.
At one point Latrobe was arrested for his financial debts. He was driven out of town and he moved to Pittsburgh, in pursuit of a fleeting chance to work on the development of steamboats with Robert Fulton. But again, low on money, he became disillusioned by the reality of his plight. He was forced to sell his furniture to survive. It was a catastrophic reversal of fortune. He was a designer in exile.
War broke out again between America and the British in 1812. The capital burned and much of the building's architecture was damaged or destroyed. Desperately in need of a skillful master architect, President Monroe rehired Latrobe to rebuild the capital. It was seemingly a coup for the weary designer. No longer would he be constrained by Thornton's designs. He could truly redefine the design of the Capital without interference.
But Latrobe was plagued by his own demons. He was again underfunded, underpaid, and without a staff. Monroe became frustrated with the pace of the work. He wondered what was taking so long, wanted it finished and quickly. Latrobe rebuked the President's demands, and eventually snapped with insubordination. His career was finished.
Plans for the waterworks system of New Orleans by Latrobe.
Yet Latrobe's creative life didn't end there. He was emboldened with a restless American spirit to reinvent himself. He drew upon his fascination for waterways and engineering projects, such as his early work to bring fresh water to Philadelphia - which saved many from outbreaks of typhoid and yellow fever - and eventually went to New Orleans to create a public water system of an even grander scale. In the end, ironically, he became severely ill with yellow fever. Though still penniless, he died leaving behind a wealth of design history for generations to explore and admire.--D.A. DeMers.
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Can you guess what major league baseball team has the greenest ballpark? We've got the answer to that and more here.
While much attention has been focused on attempts to contain the oil spill in the Gulf, government agencies have also been working to limit environmental disasters a bit closer to home - the possibility of lead contamination in your house.
This week was to be the roll-out of an expansive program from the Environmental Protection Agency aimed at protecting children from lead poisoning as a result of insufficient safety precautions of building contractors dealing with lead-based paint.
The bill effects a wide spectrum of home-building trades, including carpenters, plumbers, electricians, roofers - anyone who might come in contact with lead paint or other lead hazards in homes built before 1978, the year lead paint was prohibited from use in American homes. Real-estate professionals and landlords are also effected by the legislation, requiring them to inform a buyer or renter if lead paint is present on a property they are selling or renting.
The EPA, however, temporarily suspended the plan, after an onslaught of protests from industry groups and congressional Republicans who complained that the the industry was not ready for such changes, and that the safety measures would disrupt small business growth during fragile economic times. The delay is intended to allow contractors until September 30 to sign up for training, and be fully trained by December 31. Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), who pushed hard for the delay, said he was very pleased with the decision, stating emphatically, "we won!"
EPA lead safety guide.
Yet some builders, such as Scranton, PA remodeling contractor Adam Perez, have seen this coming for a long time. In an interview on prweb, Mr. Perez says "this law is certainly needed and long overdue. It sets new requirements for the construction industry to train their employees on the proper handling and elimination of lead-based materials," adding "the construction industry and homeowners have had two years to prepare for the mandates provided in the bill since its passage in 2008."
Likewise, EPA spokesman Dale Kemery recently said that more than a million American children a year are at risk of being poisoned by lead-based paint in their homes. "Two years was adequate time to prepare."
Although Senator Inhofe was cheered by many for stalling the mandate and taking the immediate burden off contractors, he contends that ultimately he supports the measures. His record, though, shows he is an outspoken critic of environmental safety policies, and is most noted for his bold statements claiming global warming to be "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." What's no hoax is that he currently chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, a position due to have substantial influence on environmental policy should the balance of power change at the midterm elections - before the halted new measures are to re-commence.
The EPA's directive is no cakewalk. It calls for unprecedented strict new regulations - Pennsylvania's version would slap a $37,000 fine on anyone violating lead safety guidelines. But there's a strong case for drastic action to be taken.
The lead paint crisis of today is like that of asbestos in the 1980's. Childhood lead poisoning remains a major environmental problem in the U.S, perhaps even more prevalent than asbestos, due to its toxic contamination in so many American homes.
Lead poisoned blood cells.
The presence of lead itself is not necessarily a danger if properly contained and sealed, and the EPA has approved a list of new sealants to help in such situations. It becomes a concern when people work on lead painted surfaces, raising the possibility of loose flakes or lead dust. This situation was exacerbated dramatically with the popularity of rehabbing properties in past decades. Hence, This Old House may really have been This Old Toxic House.
Percent of youth 4-17 w/ ADHD, Nat. Survey of Children's Health, 2003.
On its website, the EPA lists chilling details about the effects of lead poisoning. According to their research, even low level exposures to lead can cause severe harm to children, including nervous system and kidney damage, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, decreased intelligence, speech and language problems, poor muscle coordination, decreased bone growth, and hearing damage.
Exposure to high levels of lead can have devastating effects on children, including seizures, unconsciousness, and, in some cases, death.
FEMA inspects lead paint in home after Hurricane Katrina.
Children are especially susceptible to lead because their growing bodies absorb more of it, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to its damaging effects. Yet lead can be dangerous for grown-ups too. The site lists fertility problems, high blood pressure, nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems, and muscle and joint pain as top lead toxicity symptoms for adults. Pets are also vulnerable.
Oil-soaked beach.
Zooming out from this particular calamity, a panoramic scope of our nation's attitudes shows one of disparaging opinions when it comes to environmental matters and priorities of public policy. Many people see the troubled economy, deficit, and lack of jobs as top concerns over issues such as clean energy, safety, and rescuing the planet's ecology. The President's recent drilling moratorium for 33 exploratory deep-water oil rigs was met with protests by tea party supporters and industry induced lawsuits, despite that over 1600 rigs in the region are exempt from the motion and presently in full operation.
The general theme behind the resistance is that 'this is not the time' to be halting business for safety investigations, that our economic prosperity is at stake, that there are more sensible and convenient solutions to our current ecologic and economic troubles. Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer echoed that sentiment in an Op-ed this week titled Dreams from our president, in which he criticized the White House's clean energy effort, comparing it to the "monumental boondoggle" of the Carter administration's dashed hopes to replace fossil fuels with an assortment of synfuels. He argues the reason we should stick to oil, so to speak, is because "it is very portable, energy-dense, and easy to use."
Perhaps he is right. But compelling arguments are being waged on both sides.
Protecting our water.
People in the green world see our nation at the apex of crisis after years of a relentless war on home and planet from the Bush administration's mad thirst for fossil fuels as part of their risky 2005 Energy Act. Specifically controversial was the policy of opening up vast areas of public lands for mining of oil, coal and natural gas. Many of these mines are near private residences and seem to have weak provisions for deterring people from stumbling upon their potentially hazardous fields.
The recent award winning HBO documentary, Gasland, underlined this notion poignantly, remarkably capturing on camera incidents of residents in Pennsylvania demonstrating that they can light their toxic drinking water on fire (see below clip), a situation claimed to be caused by under-regulated new hydraulic-fracture drilling for natural gas in a vast area called the Marcellus Shale.
The film, made by independent filmmaker and Pennsylvania native Josh Fox, contends that former Vice-President Dick Cheney helped carve a gaping loophole for energy conglomerate Halliburton Co., enabling it to slip through the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Superfund Law, and thus allow volatile mining compounds such as hydrochloric acid, ammonium sulfate, dimethylforrmamide, and potassium chloride to seep into the region's groundwater... That's one playground the kids should definitely avoid!
Click upper left hand corner for full-screen You-Tube video link.
When or if the time ever becomes right to begin the Great Detoxification of America, I'm sure the issue will have gone through a rigorous, extended debate. It's unreasonable to assume that gas, coal, and oil interests will simply hand over the reins of power during this presidency, or even this generation.
The thought of this struggle brings to mind a memory from when I was a boy in Chicago. I was on a drive through the city with my friend and his staunchly conservative father. We passed by a big power plant that was billowing thick clouds of smoke into the air from its smokestacks. I uttered something typical for a child of my generation, something about it being "smelly and bad." My friend's father turned to me and said "you know, there was a time when folks looked at that smoke and saw progress. Today, all you kids see in it is pollution."
In essence, the old adage says that progress in our society is rooted in the ability to pursue and achieve the American dream...last time I checked Webster's, that dream means many different things to different people.--D.A. DeMers
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Image credits: EPA test at WTC site, FEMA Photo, public domain.Lead blood slide, by Herbert Fred and Hendrik van Dijk,"Images of Memorable Cases: Case 81," Connexions, CC license 2.0., owner does not necessarily share views expressed on this page. ADHD map, CDC, public domain. FEMA workers by Marvin Nauman, FEMA photo, public domain. Tap water by Alex Anlicker, GNU License version 1.3. Oilspill, NOAA, public domain.
Being from a sprawling mid-western city, I had never seen anything quite like this before. It was as if I'd walked into a mini doll house. The ground floor had one tiny room. A steep, twisting staircase led up one floor to another tiny room and bathroom, and the staircase led up again to a bedroom. Metal pulls had been installed to help hoist oneself up to each level, as if aboard a submarine. "It's your basic trinity house,” the realtor said, apparently, a uniquely Philadelphia invention.
The locals also call them Father, Son, and Holy Ghost houses.
Philadelphia of the mid-18th century was in an age of an economic boom. As noted on the website of the Independence Hall Association, "artisans and small manufacturers were needed to supply goods and services to a growing population. Those considered to be artisans included cabinetmakers, silversmiths, pewterers, glass blowers, and wagon builders. As the dwellings in center city were owned by prosperous merchants and land speculators, the artisan middle class congregated in enclaves to the north by the (Delaware) river. They prospered with the growth of the city."
Trinity house.
One area especially known for having examples of trinity style houses is called Elfreth's Alley, located near 2nd and Arch streets, with some homes dating back as far as 1720. In addition to artisans, the location was also residence to teachers, merchants, and clergy, who often conducted business out of their homes.
Descriptions of the trinity's true form vary. They are generally known as city’s oldest houses, usually over 100 years old, cozy, often built off a pedestrian alley, and sometimes described as Georgian style, evidenced by gabled roofs and pedimented dormers, or in some instances, simple, thin, geometric 3-story designs with decorated cornices. Space was so compact that the kitchens were often located in the basement. They seemed suitable for a small single family, but not so much for the poor who often crowded into them. However, over time, additions were built onto the rear of many trinities.
Georgian style.
While the density factor of trinity houses did not rival the crowding issues of large-scale tenement housing in New York, and were advantageous in promoting home ownership and propriety, sanitation issues did lead to significant cases of diseases such as yellow fever, small pox, typhoid and tuberculosis. Some of these problems were alleviated by the waterworks and sanitation ingenuity of Philadelphia architect and urban planner Benjamin Latrobe, who later applied himself to magnificent but thankless design-work on the US Capital building as documented in our earlier post The Architecture of Democracy.
These problems are virtually non-existent in our era, and trinity houses might appear to many as simply odd aspects of a bygone period in our architectural history. Yet something beneficial could come from studying the design and utility of such compartmentalized, small-space structures - both in terms of energy efficiency and aesthetics.
Author and urban planning specialist Rob Goodspeed wrote about this fact in his insightful, recent blog In Search of the Trinity Houses of Philadelphia:
"It is no small irony that the extremely dense urban fabric that constituted an urban problem in the 18th century is precisely the antidote to 21st century ones: sprawl, housing un-affordability, and auto dependence. Now may be the right time to learn from Philadelphia’s trinities, to study their dimensions and construction, as we seek to learn how to build more humane, resource-efficient urban homes and neighborhoods."
As we move further and further away from the copious, Romanesque age of McMansions and gas-guzzling SUVs, we may also discover that the key to our future lies in the examination of our innovative past.--D.A. DeMers.
Last year the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story on how the high market price for metals was triggering another era of metal "harvesting" in the city. One incident described a situation at a Port Richmond scrap metal recycling center where the manager turned away a customer who wanted to sell a particular brass object: A funeral urn.
The man said there were more where that came from.
"I said, 'Yeah, but you have to dump the ashes,' " the manager said in an interview. "They're stealing everything they can get their hands on."
In these economically troubled times you'd think people would be doing just about anything to get some extra money - and they are. But even decades ago when urban blight and drugs first began to plague American cities, stripping buildings of copper pipes, wires, even rooftops, for cash was widespread throughout these old industrial Philadelphia neighborhoods. The exponential leap in price of scrap metals in recent years has made it especially common.
Fortune Magazine, for all its glory, printed a veritable how-to guide on how to pick and choose the choice items in the publo-sphere with a feature titled The Dark Side of Metal Madness. The article included listings of expected prices one could get for the items from copper wire to beer kegs to manhole covers - most of which it is assumed would be dismantled and hauled away illegally.
According to the magazine, the price of copper, aluminum, lead, tin, and zinc since 2005 has been up 95%, which has prompted a rally in a different market barometer. Call it the petty larceny index. In 2006 more than 24,000 manhole covers were stolen from the streets of Shanghai. And while brass urns started disappearing from grave-sites in Philadelphia, that same year, at a high school football field in Washington, D.C., 750 pounds of aluminum bleachers went missing.
Copper hit a peak of $3.66 a pound on the COMEX exchange about a year and a half ago. Likewise, aluminum, zinc, bronze and stainless steel all have been commanding high prices. These may seem like novel facts until one more novel fact is added; that is, a lot of public infrastructure is made out of these metals. Enterprising folks have been literally ripping off anything that isn't nailed down - bleachers for example. Beer kegs aren't being returned, and some police departments can't get ammunition.
Verizon, the telecom provider, has been bleeding from every pore. Vandals stole over $300,000 in copper from their cell phone towers in 2007, and that was just in California. In Michigan, Anheuser-Busch noticed the disappearance of enough of its stainless-steel kegs to take action: the beer giant persuaded the state liquor commission to triple the required security deposit from $10 to $30, because a lot of kegs appearantly weren't coming back.
For petty thieves the rewards can outweigh the risks. While a manhole might fetch just $20, a single catalytic converter, wrestled from an SUV, is a metals trifecta. It contains platinum, palladium, and rhodium worth $150. For professional thieves the big hauls, like truckloads of copper wire pilfered from construction sites, can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
To some degree this crime boom is cyclical. The silver bubble of the early 1980s led to multimillion-dollar heists from the London Metal Exchange's warehouse and in New York City's Diamond District. But the current crimewave, which began four years ago and has escalated since, has been markedly worse.
The illegal metal plays are not without risk. In New Hampshire recently, two thieves were electrocuted while pilfering copper wire from a transformer.
One key aspect of the recent wave is that the US has been shipping $61 Billion in scrap to China each year. That demand, along with the soaring price is what really made the recipe for the rise in metal theft. However, that may well be starting to subside due the price of shipping as gas prices remain high - a point economist Jeff Rubin makes in his new book Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller.
Likewise, now it seems people are looking for other materials to re-appropriate, and many of these materials are not so intrinsically tied to global trade. For example, the photos below by architecture/urban researcher Bob Powers document the scavenging bricks from abandoned buildings in St Louis.
And though an unsupervised removal bricks from the foundation of an abandoned building is not advised by this writer - especially for safety reasons - a better, more inclusive process of salvaging such materials could be valuable for historic preservation and ecologic sustainability - for example cities with old, historic structures.
European countries often utilize vintage bricks, called "seconds" (second hand bricks) as part of planning by local councils when constructing new buildings or preserving existing ones. Without this constant reuse of building materials some of the most beautiful buildings would have been long ago ruined with a poor choice of materials.
While much of the theft aspects of urban materials harvesting grabs the typical crime-obsessed news headlines, many people fail to recognize the virtues and increasing importance of its legal side, such as people who scavenge public alleys for aluminum cans or discarded iron. In Philadelphia, like many cities, the city does not have enough resources to do this on its own - these citizens often function as a resourceful, natural part of the recycling loop, and not just shadowy figures in the night.--D.A. DeMers.
