A weekly link roundup of architecture, art, design and photography, mostly New York focused, with a few off-topic finds. Each issue is a list of headlines pointing to articles and exhibitions elsewhere, with a short conversational introduction.
Website: https://therealmurphy.substack.com
A history newsletter that investigates how Washington, DC's built environment, federal institutions and racial segregation developed, using current Trump administration actions on the National Mall and elsewhere as starting points. Each issue offers a researched, argument-driven essay on topics such as the National Park Service, Memorial Bridge and the 1893 World's Fair.
Long-form essays that read Italian buildings, monuments and gardens slowly, tracing how layers of history, restoration and invention shaped what visitors see today. Mixes archival detail, on-site observation and personal travel narrative, with practical visiting guidance.
Each issue pairs a historic postcard with a present-day recreation photo to explore a building, monument or artwork and the history behind it. It covers modernist architecture, public monuments and urban history with detailed context on architects, patrons and artists.
A long-form history of British council housing, with detailed case studies such as Castle Vale in Birmingham and post-war Hackney. It offers archival research, critical analysis of policy and architecture, and a book review on estate-based art.
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