Building and Demolishing
One thing I learned while living in Italy is that buildings are made to stay. In Rome (80 AD) the Colosseum was built for the emperor to enjoy watching the animals and gladiators fight (among other things).
Then in 1502 the Pope was building St. Peter's Basilica and decided to use some stones from the abandoned Colosseum. Both buildings are still in use and still standing!
These buildings were for the use of grandeur, not for the ordinary. In 64 AD, for example, all of the poorer people had their homes built in wood. And they were set on fire and burned to the ground. The Roman's learned their lesson to build in stone.
While living in Italy, I watched workers build these homes and they took years and weren't finished when we left.
It has left me amazed here in New Jersey to see the speed at which homes are built and destroyed. Of course, this isn't Rome but the speed is incredible. There was a sweet Victorian age house close to where we live and one day men started putting toilets, radiators and large appliances on the road.
I thought "Goody! They are going to renovate it!" I was wrong. They knocked it down. But it took them a good two weeks to knock it down. The lot stood empty over the winter then one day construction crews came. I sarcastically said to my husband, "Watch them build something in two days." And the scary part? They did! In two days these houses were built! Trucks dove up hauling pieces of house and they stacked each piece on top of the other like Legos. It was unbelievable.
On the other side. There are some historical buildings that could last and last in NYC. One of them is the Rizzoli Bookstore between 5th and 6th Ave in Midtown Manhattan.
It is a very traditional bookstore with cherry shelves, winding staircases and books lined from the floor to the ceiling.
They have every high quality type of book you can imagine and they are printed in Milan. It has been called the "Most beautiful bookstore in Manhattan." And the owner of the building decided to sell it and have the building demolished to build a skyscraper. The NY Times wrote several articles about this and how Manhattan is turning into an "outlet mall for the rich" and that the literary center that the city used to be is deteriorating. It is like Nora Ephron's movie "You've Got Mail" where the little children's bookstore was sold for the giant one that moved in town. Well, Barnes and Noble might have put a lot of small bookstores out of business but the larger issues here are that the few well built historic buildings are being torn down and that bookstores in general are going out of business in America.
Literacy (this is a different topic) but, literacy is what made the Roman army stronger than its enemies. Literacy is what saved women from continued oppression. Literacy is what makes people have friends when they are alone or sick. Literacy is what makes the world accessible to someone by giving them a book. Literacy is important! Literacy helps children learn to express themselves. It helps students learn using various methods. It is vital to humanity to keep us from turning back into Neanderthals! There are good books, great books, and mediocre books. But the act of reading is important for civilized people to have access to knowledge.
Tearing down Rizzoli will be like tearing down a Roman forum. It is a house of knowledge. I hope the grounds will be haunted with the voices of muted authors. It really make me sad to think that America with all of its technology (everyone has an Iphone) will slowly loose literacy and love for learning. I don't think that any of our founding fathers would approve of Rizzoli being torn down. Just saying.
In happy news: My braces don't give me as much pain now. I guess the initial tension was bad but now I can eat. The braces have also limited what and how often I eat so inevitably, I have lost weight. It has made me much more picky about what I eat since I know it will take effort to eat and effort to take care of my braces before and after. Though I don't recommend braces as a way to go on a diet.
Then in 1502 the Pope was building St. Peter's Basilica and decided to use some stones from the abandoned Colosseum. Both buildings are still in use and still standing!
These buildings were for the use of grandeur, not for the ordinary. In 64 AD, for example, all of the poorer people had their homes built in wood. And they were set on fire and burned to the ground. The Roman's learned their lesson to build in stone.
While living in Italy, I watched workers build these homes and they took years and weren't finished when we left.
It has left me amazed here in New Jersey to see the speed at which homes are built and destroyed. Of course, this isn't Rome but the speed is incredible. There was a sweet Victorian age house close to where we live and one day men started putting toilets, radiators and large appliances on the road.
I thought "Goody! They are going to renovate it!" I was wrong. They knocked it down. But it took them a good two weeks to knock it down. The lot stood empty over the winter then one day construction crews came. I sarcastically said to my husband, "Watch them build something in two days." And the scary part? They did! In two days these houses were built! Trucks dove up hauling pieces of house and they stacked each piece on top of the other like Legos. It was unbelievable.
On the other side. There are some historical buildings that could last and last in NYC. One of them is the Rizzoli Bookstore between 5th and 6th Ave in Midtown Manhattan.
It is a very traditional bookstore with cherry shelves, winding staircases and books lined from the floor to the ceiling.
They have every high quality type of book you can imagine and they are printed in Milan. It has been called the "Most beautiful bookstore in Manhattan." And the owner of the building decided to sell it and have the building demolished to build a skyscraper. The NY Times wrote several articles about this and how Manhattan is turning into an "outlet mall for the rich" and that the literary center that the city used to be is deteriorating. It is like Nora Ephron's movie "You've Got Mail" where the little children's bookstore was sold for the giant one that moved in town. Well, Barnes and Noble might have put a lot of small bookstores out of business but the larger issues here are that the few well built historic buildings are being torn down and that bookstores in general are going out of business in America.
Literacy (this is a different topic) but, literacy is what made the Roman army stronger than its enemies. Literacy is what saved women from continued oppression. Literacy is what makes people have friends when they are alone or sick. Literacy is what makes the world accessible to someone by giving them a book. Literacy is important! Literacy helps children learn to express themselves. It helps students learn using various methods. It is vital to humanity to keep us from turning back into Neanderthals! There are good books, great books, and mediocre books. But the act of reading is important for civilized people to have access to knowledge.
Tearing down Rizzoli will be like tearing down a Roman forum. It is a house of knowledge. I hope the grounds will be haunted with the voices of muted authors. It really make me sad to think that America with all of its technology (everyone has an Iphone) will slowly loose literacy and love for learning. I don't think that any of our founding fathers would approve of Rizzoli being torn down. Just saying.
In happy news: My braces don't give me as much pain now. I guess the initial tension was bad but now I can eat. The braces have also limited what and how often I eat so inevitably, I have lost weight. It has made me much more picky about what I eat since I know it will take effort to eat and effort to take care of my braces before and after. Though I don't recommend braces as a way to go on a diet.
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