Newspaper to start architecture series
Architectural historian Robert Adamovich is combining his love of history and architecture in a new Herald-Standard series called “Robert Adamovich’s Architectural Journal.” The series recently debuted with a feature story on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run. Adamovich also narrated a picture tour of Fallingwater that is appearing on www.heraldstandard.com. The Web site and the newspaper article use photographs taken by Adamovich. “In my first article, I decided to start at the epicenter of residential architecture with Fallingwater,” said Adamovich, of North Union Township. “I looked at minute details that make up the whole. That will be the essence of the series – what makes specific homes unique.”
But the scope of the series will be as broad as the styles of homes in the region.
“You can travel around the country and I don’t know any place as diverse as this area in architectural style,” said Adamovich. “We will explore everything from company homes to manufactured housing. We’ll look at what is a ranch house? We’ll look at every style and aspect of our architecture and some of the glorious details.”
Although the emphasis of the series is on residential housing, Adamovich will occasionally look at other buildings, such as theaters, churches and schools.
“There are wonderful stories to be told related to these magnificent structures,” he said.
Adamovich began noticing the beauty of local homes as a youth delivering newspapers, and he expanded his horizons in high school when he visited Fallingwater for the first time.
His credentials include working in residential architecture since 1974 as well as 25 years’ experience as a design engineer. An award-winning artist, he previously served as creator and host of “Historically Speaking” for HSTV and wrote a historical column for the Herald-Standard.
“I very much enjoyed writing the series ‘Historically Speaking,’ although due to time constraints with my business, I fell somewhat behind due to the tremendous amounts of research involved,” explained Adamovich. “I do have a love and passion for this area and, especially in my line of work, the wonderful architecture we have in Fayette County and southwestern Pennsylvania.”
Adamovich said he received many compliments from the public on his history series, and many told them they missed his writing. He especially remembers a woman who told him “God bless you” because she felt his writing on local history and love of the area was very uplifting.
Adamovich’s wife suggested this architectural series and Adamovich credited Herald-Standard Publisher Val Laub and Executive Editor Mark O’Keefe for making it possible, as well as the Herald-Standard staff for putting the information into a workable formula and photographer Robert Esquivel for his work on the Web site’s picture tour.
“The Herald-Standard is unique in the fact they don’t have to put articles like this in the paper but they do it,” said Adamovich. “It’s something they feel is good for the community, good for the people and provides me with an opportunity.”
O’Keefe said, “We’re looking forward to Robert’s stories and photos about local architecture. We’re very fortunate to have someone of Robert’s expertise writing these stories and taking these photos. We think our readers will really enjoy this new feature. I’m sure they will be both informative and entertaining.”
Adamovich plans to offer a feature story about every six weeks. He asks that anyone who wants to suggest a structure for inclusion in the series to call him at 724-439-3711. To view slideshow Click here.