rui duarte | Spatial Mathematician

Today I was downtown (downcity) to run a few errands and took my camera along to snap some pictures on what turned out to be a picturesque spring day in New England. I have always admired these older buildings within a limited concentration of the downtown area. One aspect of the architecture reminds me of travels through Europe and the classical styles seen throughout.

Although I describe myself as a modernist with a deconstructive background, the beauty of these buildings are apparent and extremely inspiring to just about anyone. The buildings speak of skilled laborers and artists that collaborated for endless hours on every detailed inch of facade. The richness of detail is best viewed at the top of these buildings and accounts for the creation of a city as each building attempts to be more important than the previous. I can image a time when only the first building was in place and the glamour of viewing such an art piece from afar.

I have been connected with Providence since my childhood and then later interested in the city as a student of architecture. In my time I have seen the city transform with the additions of hotels, a mall, office and luxury apartment buildings. My first architectural reaction happened during the construction of the first Westin Tower One over a decade ago. As I recall my architectural criticism along the lines of “why not design a building to make a statement, why something that merely copies it’s context”. Since that time I have seen various other building styles come to fruition in the area and contrast the classic buildings I photographed today. The Westin Tower Two was just completed last year and is more of a traditional building style in contrast to the newer all glass office buildings near the shopping mall. I feel it’s design is more closely related to the evolution of the buildings in the pictures and truly fits into the Providence context.

As my years in the architectural profession mature so does my sensitivity toward environments, style and the continuity of history. And although I strongly proclaim a modernist design style, the process of learning from history is always and eye opening experience that can reclaim old ideas and generate entirely new concepts. I hope you enjoy the pictures and find your personal way to Providence to enjoy the views.

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