Peter C. Papademetriou
Published Writings 9 - as referred to by *
DESIGN 2
my articles with Descriptive and Analytical/Critical content, as published in PROGRESSIVE ARCHITECTURE-P/A while I was served as Correspondent for 21 years, listed on the masthead, from 1975 - 1996: having been selected by Editor Bill Marlin of Architectural Forum, a number of pieces were "in progress" when that venerable magazine was taken over by Architecture Plus in a hostile buy-out (thereby destroying both, in fact). My friend Suzanne Stephens went to P/A, and convinced the Editor, John Morris Dixon to create a board of Contributors.These issues cover 1975 - 1981
'CLICK' on images for Caption and to review in Sequence.
In the days before e-mail, the Internet, and other technologies, soliciting, arranging to document, secure permissions, etc meant projecting credibility "the old-fashioned" way. As you can see in this sequence, my earlier Letterhead changed as the P/A graphics changed; the last 2 covers in this series show the graphic change.
My first Issue of P/A, and the start of 21 years having great fun with advocating inclusion of Content from elsewhere than the East Coast (ie: New York) and Los Angeles.
First time on the Masthead
Among my other Colleagues, with Sally finally getting representation for Northern California!
First time as Correspondent, first (brief) News Report in the same issue. I took the photographs, as I would do subsequently with other articles
An article was in the process of being developed when Architectural Forum was shut. As P/A was organizing an issue on "Waterfronts", I invited Suzanne Stephens to speak at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and then took her to see San Antonio's 'Riverwalk'. She was so impressed that I completed the piece for P/A, which includes my photography.
Another article had been in the works for Architectural Forum: comparisons between the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) second phase competion by Mies van der Rohe and the Contemporary Arts Museum (CAM) by Gunnar Birkerts.
A trip to LA: with the 'dialectic' between "Whites" and "Grays" on the East Coast, Architects on the West Coast wanted to assert themselves as the "Silvers". Many were in Corporate firms, yet wanted to 'legitimize' their projects.
Tackling "The Big Boys": Philip Johnson's Pennzoil Place for 'prestige' developer Gerald Hines, critiqued as a viable Office Building typology.
Another trip to LA, to write about a 'pair' of houses by Peter deBretteville (one of the Perspecta 11 editors). The basic design scheme was the same, the details between them about 'client aesthetics'. Sheila deBretteville brought Feminist rhetoric to her home.
A profile of two South African architects, whose work was rooted in the principles of Modernism, inherited from the revolutionary architects of the 1930s.They were influenced by 'ZERO HOUR', a Manifesto dated April 1933, from U of Witwatersrand, among whom was Rex Martienssen, CIAM Member and personal friend of LeCorbusier. Houses and Housing demostrated that related typologies could embrace a diversity of Form.
THE MOST Fun!! A theme issue organized by Suzanne (which won the 1979 National Magazine Award in Single-Topic category), in which I wrote a sardonic piece on Oral Roberts University, visiting Tulsa, OK for 3 days. I took the photographs
ANOTHER of the 'Big Boys': I.M.Pei's Dallas City Hall. Again, all the photographs were mine.
My interest in "Houses" and housing caused me to advocate to the P/A Editors the inclusion of an emerging form in the reformation of Southwest cities. Houston's rather small urban grid lent itself to development of unitary clusters. Hence, a demonstration that a rigorous, related series of unit types could manifest both individual identity and Group Form.
Double Articles in a Theme on Adaptive Re-use: renovation of the old US Mint in New Orleans, and a News Report on the new Museum in San Antonio, from a former brewery.
I wrote many "News Reports" while Southwest Correspondent (Dallas, Ft.Worth, Houston, and New Orleans), so I would jump on the opportunity of including a Regional project in Theme issues. What is more the Soul of New Orleans than creating an urban park in an neighborhood without amenity named after Louis Armstrong?