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We don't build 'em like we used to-but that's not a bad thing

"We just don't build houses like we used to." Whether we're criticizing an individual home or a wave of boxy buildings, it's a common lament. Sometimes it's a comment on quality-an assertion that houses aren't as durable today as they once were-and sometimes it's a comment on style-a belief that we don't build houses that are as timeless, tasteful, or beautiful as they used to be.

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Anonymous

Something my partner and I debate often...is it POSSIBLE to make an attractive living space when using cheap, efficient modern materials? I want to believe it is. And if it is, all this crap we are subjected to is just laziness (bad design, shoddy installation).

Anonymous

For a time I lived in a c. 1907 house in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, which was probably built on spec. A fairly large house, probably aimed at a banker's family or some such. It was beautiful to look at. Art nouveau-ish woodwork, stained glass windows, parquet floors. But when you got up close you could see that the decorative woodwork was rather badly turned out and totally unsanded before it was painted, and basically everything was done 1908 cheap. That was very reassuring to me. Whenever I feel sad about the state of modern dwellings I try to remember that.