Mark Byrnes
CityLab
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Mark:
What Made Pittsburgh's Urban Renewal Different From Boston's?
"There was a broad public understanding in Pittsburgh that the city was in need of reinvention," said one of the authors of a new book on the city's "Renaissance." → Read More
The TWA Hotel's Nonstop Nostalgia at JFK Airport
It’s now a fantasy-steeped hotel honoring the airport design of a bygone era, but the TWA Flight Center at New York’s JFK Airport was never quite real. → Read More
A Look Back at I. M. Pei's Big Plans for Oklahoma City
The late architect and planner had some very big ideas for Oklahoma City in the 1960s. But the final result wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. → Read More
An Artist Who Recreates Demolished Modern Architecture As Tissue Boxes
Artist Kurt Treeby’s small tissue-box replicas of threatened and razed modern architecture mix cuteness with contemplation and mourning. → Read More
How Atlanta Learned to Love (Or at Least Appreciate) Marcel Breuer
Marcel Breuer's 1966 Whitney Museum was one of his finest works. The Bauhaus-trained designer would bring something similar to the South just before his death. → Read More
Introducing CityLab's Special Report on the Bauhaus
A special series that reflects on the Bauhaus school on its 100th anniversary—from the roots of its ideas to how its concepts impacted an impure world. → Read More
Why Deborah Berke Loves Building in America’s Mid-Sized Cities
The architect and dean of the Yale School of Architecture speaks to CityLab about her work, her industry, and the cities she loves working in. → Read More
Very Good Dogs Make This New York Subway Stop a Little Nicer
Flo and Topper—the pet Weimaraners of artist William Wegman—grace the walls of the redesigned 23rd Street (M and F lines) station as part of the MTA's Enhanced Station Initiative. → Read More
Revisiting Architect Paul Rudolph’s Hong Kong Years
In an exhibit at New York's Center for Architecture, curator Nora Leung—who worked with Rudolph—sheds light on three projects he designed for Hong Kong during a period of change. → Read More
In Search of the Forgotten Wonders of Soviet Industrial Design
From taxis to trams to recycling programs, the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Technical Aesthetics had no lack of good-but-unrealized ideas. Thanks to the Moscow Design Museum, their proposals can be seen by a new generation of designers. → Read More
What Canada's Graphic Design Says About Its Identity
A documentary by Vancouver-based graphic designer Greg Durrell explores the surprisingly rich history behind the nation’s postwar design culture. → Read More
An Ultimate Architectural Road Trip of East Coast Mid-Century Modernism
Sam Lubell, author of "The Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide," talks about what makes so much of the concrete, steel, and glass up and down the Atlantic coast so special. → Read More
The Designers Behind Boston's Iconic Transit Visuals
Fifty years ago, designers Peter Chermayeff and Tom Geismar gave the MBTA a memorable makeover. → Read More
The Subway Mural That Made a Toronto Maple Leafs Owner Furious
At a Toronto station that fed fans into the city’s hockey arena, a 1985 mural that depicted the Maple Leafs’ biggest rival enraged team owner Howard Ballard. → Read More
These Beautiful People of the '80s Want to See You at Buffalo's 'Next Great Place'
The city’s failed car-free downtown never looked sexier than it did in this 1988 TV spot. → Read More
The Ageless Power of Philadelphia's Action News Theme
"Move Closer To Your World" is an ageless wonder, as evidenced by the love Philadelphians have for it, 45 years after its creation. → Read More
A Public Art Show That Celebrats 'The Shape of Chicago'
One of the city's most celebrated designers traces his style back to the work he saw by two Swiss men in the 1950s. → Read More
A Struggling Metro System’s Big, Vague, Self-Destructive Idea
Laden with public art, these concrete palaces shouldn't be handed over to developers in the hopes of boosting density. → Read More
The Albright-Knox Gallery Unleashes Public Art in Buffalo
Aaron Ott, the first-ever curator of public art at Buffalo’s Albright-Knox Art Gallery, talks about leading an uncommon cultural initiative across Western New York. → Read More
A 1959 Sneak Peek at Lisbon’s Metro System
Just before the transit service began, locals saw this short film on television and movie screens across the city. → Read More