wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Architect Edward Durell Stone was both celebrated and scorned, and led a life that was both triumphant and embittered. Among his iconic projects are The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. His son, Hicks Stone, discusses the controversial figure in 20th-century architecture, and his new biography, Edward Durell Stone: A Son's Untold Story of a Legendary Architect.

Susan Silberberg, Lecturer in Urban Design and Planning at MIT and planning consultant, and Robert Rogers, Principal at Rogers Marvel Architects, PLLC, discuss the physical changes to our public realm post 9/11. Susan Silberberg has been studying how "security creep" is impacting city dwellers and the varied motivations for the securitization of urban space. Robert Rogers' firm, Rogers Marvel, has helped design sections of Battery Park City to insure security for the buildings in and around that neighborhood, developed new architecturally pleasing street elements for Wall Street to insure security, and has developed a master plan for the area around the Pentagon.

Architect Daniel Libeskind discusses the master plan for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center Site and his role in it. He’ll also discuss the international architecture practice he’s created since moving to New York after winning the master plan competition a decade ago. Libeskind’s plan reconnects the World Trade Center site to the urban fabric and vibrant street life of Lower Manhattan.

Many homeowners decorate their homes with several modest strings of lights during the holiday season, but there are some who take it to a whole different level. Check out our slideshow and upload your own photos.

Architectural and social historian Mosette Broderick discusses the lives of Charles McKim, William Mead, and Stanford White—who created the most influential, far-reaching architectural firm of its time. Triumvirate: McKim, Mead & White: Art, Architecture, Scandal, and Class in America's Gilded Age tells the story of their world and times, and the buildings they built:including houses for the Astors and the Vanderbilts, Trinity Church in Boston, Judson Memorial Baptist Church in New York, the Boston Public Library, the original Pennsylvania Station in New York City, the arch in Washington Square, and Columbia University and New York University.

Documentary filmmaker Sam Wainwright Douglas talks about “Citizen Architect,” his documentary on the late artist, architect, and educator Samuel Mockbee and the radical educational design/build program: the Rural Studio. The film explores Mockbee’s effort to inspire students to consider how they can use their skills to better their communities. “Citizen Architect” will be screened at Cooper-Hewitt on September 23.

Monkey bars and jungle gyms are history—the modern playground, with building blocks and noodles, is all about imagination and manipulation. David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group, and Roger A. Hart, director of the Children's Environments Research Group at CUNY Graduate Center, join us to discuss contemporary playground architecture and its role in child development.

John Freeman Gill and art dealer and collector Ivan Karp discuss the changing city and the disappearance of the architectural sculpture that once thrived in New York.  

WNYC's Janaya Williams shines her highly arbitrary spotlight on some of the city's happenings. From the Civil Rights Movement, to new leadership at the Cooper-Hewitt, to getting ready for Passover.