Summary: This week, we have three cheers for AIA President Marshall Purnell’s article and video on Philadelphia’s CHAD charter school, some comments on filmmaker Michael Sendick’s Doer’s Profile, and some clarifications on our article about a Miami building seeking historic designation.

Re: Soaring CHAD

Thanks for featuring CHAD in your e-weekly. I am a founding board member of CHAD and attended the graduation last June where President Purnell spoke. It was a struggle to get the school started and, even today, recognition by people like Marshall means so much to the school as an example of how our profession can make a difference for the quality of urban public education.

Please pass my thanks along to Marshall!
—John J. Egan, AIA
RSg pc
Chantilly, Va.

Thanks to Marshall Purnell for his article on CHAD. If possible, it is even more exciting than he conveyed. I am not sure that it is “kosher”—but I would have liked to have seen the article go one more step in soliciting either monetary donations to the school or, perhaps more politically correct, book donations to CHAD’s library, so the school remains healthy. There will be many people who do not have the time or outlet to participate at their grassroots level. But participating in CHAD in some way is still a great donation to the profession.
—Gwen Dakis, AIA
Berryman Associates
Pittsburgh

As the President of AIA Philadelphia in 2000 and a longtime board member of CHAD, I was thrilled to read Marshall Purnell's wonderful article.
—Richard W. Bartholomew, FAIA, AICP, PP
Principal, Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC
Philadelphia

Re: Miami Marine Stadium Wins Historic Designation

AIArchitect is always opened quickly when it arrives on my machine, and I find that in each issue there are several things that catch my attention, especially stories on historic preservation. Sometimes these stories raise questions and this is one of those.

I did not know that The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) had a national landmark program and was in the business of designating national landmarks. The National Landmark Program is a National Park Service program, as is the National Register of Historic Places.

Anyway, the title notes "Miami Marine Stadium Wins Historic Designation," yet the article questions that title. It notes that the local preservation board will nominate, and later in a quote: "We will go back in several months to Miami's Preservation Board to designate the structure."

It sounds as if the structure indeed merits preservation, restoration, and use and I applaud Miami's efforts. Obviously I'm being picky, but it’s too late, at my age, to change my spots.

Thanks again for the article, and for AIArchiterct.
—Tony Wrenn, Hon. AIA
Danville, Va.

Ed. Note: Tony Wrenn is the former archivist for the Institute, and of course he is correct. The headline for the story should have read “Miami Marine Stadium Closer to Historic Designation” and noted that this is on the local level. As always, we thank Tony for keeping us on our toes and we hope he never changes his spots!

Re: Doer’s Profile: Michael Selditch

Good piece. These brief bios are the best part of AIArchitect for me. Michael Seldtich's experience is one experienced by many people. "Disillusion" with the profession is probably "the number one cause" of a loss of young talent in the profession. On the one hand, I think that it is caused by unrealistic expectations based on a naive/romanticized image of what architects do from film, popular television series, and literature.

On the other hand, I think it also comes from a disillusion not so much with architecture as with the tedious hard and boring work that comes with any complex and highly specialized discipline seeking excellence. As Jacque Maritain wrote: “The [artist] must be for ever on his guard not only against the vulgar attractions of easy execution and success, but against a host of less subtle temptations ... for habits diminish, if unexercised” (Art and Scholasticism). Recent grads are always shocked to find out how long it takes to put together documents for a thoughtful, well-detailed building.

Finally, and this I think is the great thing, like many first loves, architecture, due to its multi-disciplinary nature, often times leads to other more intimate loves. The generation of form and creating spatial experience, conceptualizing, refining, synthesizing, and finally executing a well-coordinated act is a skill set easily adapted to multiple alternative professions; film-making being one. What's really great about Mr. Seldtich's work is that in his celebrating the intensity of the university design studio he is also connecting it to community service and civic responsibility. I find this convergence of interests to be very exciting. Kudos!
—Terrence Curry, SJ, AIA
New York City