The Buffalo State Hospital is a vast complex of moldering Victorian buildings, sitting right in the middle of a residential neighborhood of Buffalo. It is also an architectural gem, not only by Buffalo standards, but for the nation as a whole. It is one of the largest and most complex commissions of New England architect H. H. Richardson, who is known for promulgating his unique, heavy looking stone Romanesque variant of the then dominant Queen Anne style. The Buffalo asylum’s grounds were planned by landscape architect (and designer of Central Park) Fredrick Law Olmsted.
posted to MetaFilter by pieisexactlythree at 10:38 PM on October 26, 2007 (16 comments)

Does anybody living near Portland, Oregon know where I can find the Osakan delicacy of fried octopus balls? (no, not that kind of balls!!!1!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by pieisexactlythree at 4:19 PM on January 9, 2006 (12 comments)

BoKlok: Flat-packed boxes + alan wrench = home! With these relatively attractive six-plexes, Ikea seems to have made a reality of Le Corbusier's dream of mass-produced housing.
posted to MetaFilter by pieisexactlythree at 9:42 PM on May 12, 2005 (26 comments)

Does anyone out know of any good urban real-estate development and architecture on-line resources or blogs?
posted to Ask Metafilter by pieisexactlythree at 10:37 AM on May 7, 2005 (8 comments)

On the revival of a forgotten piece of infrastructure: Britain's massive canal system was constructed in the late 18th century to move goods throughout the country and provided an extensive logistical network for the industrial revolution. Since the rise of rail and truck transport, the canals were left to decay for generations. Today many are being restored, providing revenue for local communities and acting as a catalyst [PDF] for urban renewal.

One group of fun-lovin' Brits has been touring these man-made waterways since the 1970's and documenting their journeys in copious detail. The canals traverse every conceivable type of landscape, and evince some pretty amazing engineering.
posted to MetaFilter by pieisexactlythree at 12:52 PM on April 22, 2005 (14 comments)