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Present: Olga Bachilova, Bill Barry, Charlene Bend, Matthew Bronski, Anne DiLucia, David Fixler, Jack Glassman, Sara Gray, Jeff Harris, Kim Konrad, Ellen Lipsey, Helene Lipstadt, Doug Manley, Henry Moss, Marcia Molay, Susan Schur, Laurie Soave, Stacey Thomas, Erin Tobin, Eric Ward, Sara Wermiel, T. Luke Young 1. Meeting Notes: The committee discussed whether hard copies of the meeting notes were beneficial or merely a nostalgic token of the wheezing, old economy when our fast-to-appear website could simplify distribution. Some felt a post card reminder of the next upcoming meeting would be an adequate supplement to the web-posted meeting notes. The discussion continued, ill at ease until youthful cyberwhiz, T. Luke Young confirmed that he felt it is handy to have a hard copy. We will continue to post notes on the web and send them out via post. Newcomers should know that meetings are every 2nd Tuesday of the month except for August, when there is none. [Note: Renovation of the BSA offices at 52 Broad Street are now complete. Our meetings will resume on the 5th floor of the Architects' Building on January 11. Many thanks to Bill Barry and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbot, our hosts during the hard winter period of November - December.] 2. Brasilia and DOCOMOMO International Conference 2000: David Fixler and Helene Lipstadt represented DOCOMOMO New England at the Brasilia conference with a paper on the design and development of Boston's Christian Science Center. They are co-chairs of DOCOMOMO New England, our local branch of an active international organization. Our soggy, snowy December day evaporated when David's dazzlingly sunny slides of Brasilia and Rio hit the screen. David presented an overview with pictures that helped to explain the grandeur, and the inconvenience to pedestrians, of Brasilia's urban form. He also illustrated wonderful indoor/outdoor spaces and pleasant ordinary housing that are seldom shown in publications. Images of the well-known iconic buildings were more understandable with David's accompanying explication. Niemeyer's sinuous, modest house above Rio was another unexpected pleasure. Helene told us in advance about Herbert Muschamp's enthusiastic article introducing DOCOMOMO to the readers of the Sunday New York Times and reminded us that you do not need to travel to New York to participate in this new preservation and advocacy group. DOCOMOMO New England's e-mail address is docomomo-newengland@hushmail.com. Address is P O Box 425882, Cambridge, MA 02142. [There will be membership application forms soon that resolve all the concentric relationships among international, national, and regional organizations. DOCOMOMO meets regularly on the 2nd Monday of each month at MIT's trippy Stella Room at 5:30 PM and is open to both the curious and the obsessively committed. Contact David Fixler, Henry Moss, or Colleen Meagher for further information.] 3. Awards Subcommittee: The committee discussed an incisive and comprehensive proposal for the treatment of awards, advocacy activities, and endorsements that Eric Ward and Laurie Soave prepared and presented. The process Eric and Laurie proposed starts with a written suggestion or request for support for advocacy to the committee. E-mail is fine. This may be addressed to the committee chairs or Eric or Laure. We will circulate the proposal for comment but try to maintain the informality and responsiveness that the committee has achieved over the past several decades. Bill Barry noted that we should continue to focus on issue advocacy rather than product endorsements. Sara Wermiel explained her sadness that Architecture Boston cannot accept a regular preservation column that would make more of our interests and activities accessible to the wider profession. 4. Brownstone Conference: Susan Schur consented to accept early registrations for Technology & Conservation's intensive workshop on brownstone repair. It will take place in Providence on March 31 - April 1, 2001. |