For the most part, I am loathe to chronicle institutional decline because it captures the livelihoods and aspirations of so many affiliated with the institution (both currently and previously). It feels not just that I am exploiting the decline but, by drawing attention to it, that I’m exacerbating it. But the institutions in my crosshairs
It was inevitable…eventually. But it’s still a shame. The bold, celestial blue panels of the Kaufman’s Building in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia are coming down. They looked great as recently as December 2024, when I covered the building as an architectural novelty. Truth be told, it’s really more of a façade novelty, because the original
At this point in the winter, most property owners have either taken down all their Christmas decorations, or, at the very least, they downplay them by keeping the lights off or the inflatable blowers powered down. The liturgical among us can certainly make a case for retaining the Christmas spirit through the Feast of the
I hate to title a blog article with superlatives, because they’re so often redolent of clickbait. Everyone knows an example: “the biggest box office flop”, “the most dangerous bridge”, “the ugliest dog”, “the heaviest married couple”. Guinness Breweries managed to build a spinoff empire out of its initial 1955 Book of Records, which according to
I strive to research my critiques of confusing public infrastructure as much as possible, so that these articles don’t assume the tone and tenor of a rant. Everyone at some point has encountered a situation in an unfamiliar city (whether big or small) that confuses and probably irritates him or her. It’s understandable to sound
The downtown of Wheeling, West Virginia is quiet on Christmas Day, as one might expect. Over the years, I’ve frequently passed through this battered but sturdy little city, wedged between the Ohio River and a hill that shares the city’s name. It has the architectural bones—and, thus, the appearance—of a city much larger than 27,000,
I’ve never bothered to discern what Pierre Bourdieu would probably brand the “echelons of taste” that distinguish “folk” from “pop”. Their thematic intersection owes a great deal to the fact that they share a prosaic, anti-elitist undercurrent, but the commonalities probably don’t extend much further. While both folk and pop eschew the highbrow ethos that
During the season of giving, it’s not likely that most people’s first notion of a repository for seasonal gifts is a dollar store. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, you name it. I suppose I’m making an elitist generalization here: after all, many people lack the wherewithal for purchase gifts anywhere other than a dollar store. Furthermore,
As garbage-strewn as my last article was, it was a pristine Eden compared to the content in this one. And though the example I’m about to feature is the worst I’ve seen, I have a feeling it wouldn’t be that hard to spot similar settings that out-trash the photos here. Just go to the closet
City planners, chambers of commerce, commercial real estate brokers, and Business Improvement District (BID) managers should have no difficulty finding common ground on a number of subjects. Generally speaking, they don’t run out of things to talk about. And while they might cavil about the finer points of what is more important in attracting investment
For the most part, I am loathe to chronicle institutional decline because it captures the livelihoods and aspirations of so many affiliated with the institution (both currently and previously). It feels not just
It was inevitable…eventually. But it’s still a shame. The bold, celestial blue panels of the Kaufman’s Building in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia are coming down. They looked great as recently as December 2024,
At this point in the winter, most property owners have either taken down all their Christmas decorations, or, at the very least, they downplay them by keeping the lights off or the inflatable
I hate to title a blog article with superlatives, because they’re so often redolent of clickbait. Everyone knows an example: “the biggest box office flop”, “the most dangerous bridge”, “the ugliest dog”, “the
I strive to research my critiques of confusing public infrastructure as much as possible, so that these articles don’t assume the tone and tenor of a rant. Everyone at some point has encountered
The downtown of Wheeling, West Virginia is quiet on Christmas Day, as one might expect. Over the years, I’ve frequently passed through this battered but sturdy little city, wedged between the Ohio River
I’ve never bothered to discern what Pierre Bourdieu would probably brand the “echelons of taste” that distinguish “folk” from “pop”. Their thematic intersection owes a great deal to the fact that they share
During the season of giving, it’s not likely that most people’s first notion of a repository for seasonal gifts is a dollar store. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, you name it. I suppose I’m
As garbage-strewn as my last article was, it was a pristine Eden compared to the content in this one. And though the example I’m about to feature is the worst I’ve seen, I
City planners, chambers of commerce, commercial real estate brokers, and Business Improvement District (BID) managers should have no difficulty finding common ground on a number of subjects. Generally speaking, they don’t run out