Steve Leigh

Tribute In Light, photographed in Brooklyn, NY by planetgordon

9/11/2001 – I remember I was on the phone being interviewed for a job out of state, and I had the Today Show playing in the background. I looked up at one point and noticed the surreal scene that was the beginning of what ultimately played out before all our eyes. I told the client I’d have to call her back, but I don’t think I ever did. I got lost that day. I called my wife who was out shopping and tried to explain what I was watching. She came home and we watched it together. We picked our kids up from school since they let them out early, and brought them home and tried to explain. I could go on, but really the rest of that day is still just a blur to me. I can’t even begin to imagine what it was for the victims and their families. So much has been said about the horror of that day, I’m not going to add to it here. I leave that to the writers who are far more eloquent than I am. I really wanted this entry to be more about my thoughts on what I consider to be, the very fitting Tribute In Light.

Aside from the emotions it brings back from that day, there’s something both fascinating and eerie about the concept and the design that I like very much. I’ve always been interested in lighting design, having started with it on the stage in high school. In the homes I build, lighting has always been very important to me (usually more so than it is to the client), so I can appreciate the challenges. The Tribute is a simple, understated design, but often the best design is. And as always, there is a lot going on behind the scenes to pull this off that we never see in pictures. Anyway, I think it evokes the right emotions, and I think the designers got it right. If you want to read more about the Tribute, the Wikipedia article is here.

There are tons of photographs all over the net, but so far I think this one is my favorite. It’s an amateur shot, and it’s very honest. The biggest collection of photos I’ve found is here on Flickr.

I like the fact that after the first year, they settled on 24 hours only, but I don’t know what will happen to the Tribute in the future. As far as I understand, next year is supposed to be the last year, but they said that in 2008 and it continues on. I hope they keep at it…for me it’s very fitting.

This video was made by the Rauch Foundation, a local think tank based here in Garden City. The video speaks for itself. (This would be a good time to click play if you haven’t done so already). Here’s their mission statement for Long Island, right off their website:

Our overarching goal on Long Island is to maintain and, where necessary, restore a healthy environment and improve the quality of life for all its residents. The Foundation’s environmental work on Long Island has three goals – improving water quality, improving air quality, and strengthening citizen advocacy and stewardship

So guess who they’ve teamed up with? The Long Island Builders Institute. It may seem unlikely that an organization whose goals seem so environmentally conscious would align themselves with a group of land developers who argue for density, but it’s not really. The numbers speak for themselves. Both organizations realize we have to change the “all development is bad” thinking, or our collective days here are numbered.

Rauch also publishes the Long Island Index. This is the data behind the video. It’s a very impressive, data rich source of vital information for anyone living and/or working on Long Island, or thinking of doing business on Long Island.

Trumpet Vase, Ragnar Naess, 2009

I can’t say enough about Ragnar. We met at a Crafts Fair many years ago when I was studying at Pratt, and over the years my wife and I have made a number of (but not nearly enough) pilgrimages to his studio in Brooklyn. It’s worth the trip for sure. His website is here, at North River Pottery, but it must be very hard for any website to do his work justice. We have several of his pieces, which I thoroughly enjoy. Especially the over sized coffee mugs we’ve had for at least 15 years. I can’t put my finger on it, whiffs of Sullivan and Wright, perhaps. But I love his style. Reminds me, I’m due to go back.

Leaf House, Angra dos Reis, Mareines + Patalano Architects

As a builder, even a high-end custom builder, I spend a good deal of time dealing in the mundane. So when I see something like this actually get built, I have to sit back and spend some time taking it all in. Believe me when I tell you it takes a unique combination of client, builder and architect to pull something like this off. Located in Angra dos Reis, about an hour South of Rio de Janeiro, if you think this picture is good, take it from me it doesn’t even begin to tell the story. Visit Mareines+Patalano Arquitetura, the Brazilian architect’s site, to see a ton of photos, each one better than the next, and to get a deeper feel for just how beautiful a home can be with the right team in place. It’s a good demonstration of what CAN be done, and it reminds me why I rarely say “no” to a client.

Shadow Inventory (homes over 90 days past due plus homes in foreclosure).

In December, First American estimated that at the then current sales rate, it would take about 3-1/2 months to run through the shadow.

In May, Morgan Stanley said the shadow inventory of homes with delinquent mortgages yet to move through the foreclosure process would take 47 months to clear at the then current sales rate in the market.

In June, S&P estimated that the shadow inventory of distressed properties that back residential mortgage-backed securities will take nearly three years to clear at the current sales rate.

Personally, I agree with Scott Sambucci, Vice President of Data Analytics for Altos Research, who says that “anyone who generalizes about the size and length of time it will take to clear the shadow inventory will be wrong”.

Butterfly Chandelier, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1902

I have a thing for Frank Lloyd Wright, I know, so it’s a little hard to be objective sometimes. But have you ever seen anything like this? Really. This fixture was originally designed in 1902 by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Dana-Thomas House. That’s 6 years before the first Model T Ford. Anyway, today it’s known as Sumac 1, or the Butterfly Chandelier. Wright’s client, Susan Dana, gave him an unlimited budget to design and build her home, and many of his design ideas of that time evolved during this project. An original cousin of this fixture, a double pedestal desk lamp, sold at a Christie’s auction in 2002 for just under $2 million. Anyway, this one is currently available as a licensed reproduction, but just because it’s a reproduction doesn’t mean it’s cheap. The photo above is from Oakbrook Esser Studios, the fabricator’s website, and last I checked, they were asking a heart stopping $58,000. Lead time? 6-8 months. Truth is, I have lusted after this fixture for quite some time, and as soon as I have 60k to spare, I’m in with all four feet.

According to restructuring plans proposed this week, the UAW will have more than half the stock in Chrysler and a third of General Motors, meaning it will have tremendous influence, with the government, in determining the future of the companies. This scenario was the subject of a book by Jeremy Rifkin and Randy Barber written in 1978. It’s taken a little while, but it looks as though we’ve finally arrived.