Anthony Mariani over at the Weekly wrote an article recently about the new Convention Center parking garage here (eight days after Steve-o wrote ours over at West & Clear, but I’m just pointing that out as a little fun. It’s not what this post is about). In this article, he wrote the following sentence:

Especially compared to the rest of downtown’s relatively new buildings — mainly the monstrosities piled up by David M. Schwarz — Janney’s garage is a classy queen among drudges, mostly for the tasteful way in which the design incorporates the neighborhood’s prevalent Art-Deco feel without succumbing to outright mimicry.

Once again, I’m going to have to say WTF? I’m sorry, but this just gets old. Can somebody please tell me how this building:

…is a monstrosity? Please? Or this?

Or this?

Or this?

Or, of course, this?

What the heck is so horrible about those buildings? I’m sorry if you don’t like new examples of traditional architecture, but they’re in no way monstrous. They’re well designed and fantastically urban. The fact that you wish they were more “modern” doesn’t mean they’re awful.

Schwarz has been praised by luminaries like Robert A. M. Stern and the Institute of Classical Architecture for his work. I happily side with them, local modernists be damned. The man’s a great asset to have here, and I’m glad he’s done so much work in Fort Worth. I love everything he’s done in Fort Worth, and I hope we get dozens more buildings from him in the future.

In fact, I think I’ll write up a series of posts praising his work and examining it in detail – just to be a further irritant to those of a more modern persuasion.