GroJLart (not his real name) is a regular at one of our quizzes, and his blog Philaphilia has quickly become one of the most popular in the city. And with good reason. With the impeccable taste of Inga Saffron but the anger of Howard Beale, GroJLart slams any and everybody who has even torn down a historical building to put up a hideous piece of crap or, worse yet, a parking lot. And he rips selfish NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yarders) who oppose awesome design plans. But the site isn’t just unbridled fury. It’s also an incredible history of the architecture of our city, and he searches far and wide to provide awesome photographs of buildings no longer standing and designs for buildings that were never built. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of history, so it comes as no surprise that this is one of my favorite blogs in the city. If you’re a fan of this city and a fan of history, it’ll be one of your favorites too. Below is an interview he did with WHYY. If you recognize him, great, but don’t let the cat out of the bag. He prefers to remain anonymous and let his work speak for him. (Of course, the video went down as soon as I posted this. Should be back up soon, so check back. It’s a great interview.)
(PS If you play my quizzo fairly regularly and are working on something creative, whether it’s a blog, stageplay, art exhibit, etc. please let me know about it. I can be contacted at johnny@johnnygoodtimes.com. I’d love to help plug it on here. Thanks!)
Watch Blogging about architecture on PBS. See more from Friday Arts.