August 2007 | Eyesore

Commentary on architectural blunders in monthly serial.

Eyesore of the Month

Groovy Thing of the Month

Every August, by tradition, the EOTM takes a break from the immersive hideousness of America to offer up something rewarding, admirable, and/or beautiful. This year's spot goes to Cottage in the Gothic Style by architect Milton Grenfell of Washington, DC, for client Field Horne of Saratoga Springs, New York. Unpretentious, well-proportioned, and restrained, it serves as a good model for others who would like an alternative to the Home Depot McHouse method of design. The absence of balusters on the porch can be explained by New York's building codes, which have such idiotic requirements that it's not worth putting them on -- at least not now while the codes are enforced. I'm convinced that we will stop enforcing the codes as we enter the Long Emergency and have to build things differently than the codes allow. And forget about reforming the codes.