Category: History & Architecture

My grandmother, Lena Ruffini Fornaciari, was born in Italy. She was fluent in Italian, of course, but also spoke English without an accent, and like so many of her generation growing up in North Plymouth, she was proficient in Portuguese as well. When Lena and my grandfather married, they built a house in 1942 on […]

I recently received an inquiry about a project in Plymouth. I recognized the address immediately because the house has piqued my curiosity for years. The home is clearly the poster child from the Sesame Street song that goes: “One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong.” It’s […]

Becoming an architect is an arduous process, so with a crop of soon-to-be high school graduates headed off to pursue college degrees, I thought it would be a great time to look at the challenges, and the stiff licensing requirements to practice. (And, not so incidentally, to offer a little peek into my practice, my […]

We live in an age of instant gratification. Perhaps the best example of that is Amazon, which now, with a warehouse in Kingston near the Plymouth border, usually makes deliveries here overnight, and sometimes the same day. There is not much that cannot be sourced from Amazon. But did you know that the company has […]

My three years on the West Coast were partially spent working as an architect for Gap. One takeaway from the experience was a glimpse into the inner workings of the clothing industry. Despite that – it wasn’t always pretty – I am still devoted to one of Gap’s brands, Banana Republic. It’s not cheap, but […]

The last phase of the restoration of Plymouth’s Town Brook is underway. Work began in 2002 with the removal of dams from the brook’s 19th century industrial past. The last phase of the project will include the dredging of Jenny Pond (which is happening now), reconstruction of the pond bridge, a new fish ladder and […]

Some of the sadder stories in the town’s history are those of the four Plymouth officers who have died in the line of duty. The history of policing in Plymouth dates to 1633 when the General Court appointed Joshua Cooper as the town’s constable. But it wasn’t until 1861 that the modern police department emerged. […]

I always read local real estate listings online. Mainly, it’s to get a glimpse inside beautiful antique homes that I wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to see. For the most part, real estate agents are-spot on with their descriptions, but inevitably I catch a listing that will prompt me to roll my eyes. Four architectural […]

With a new year upon us, I can confidently predict that in 2025 a new building project will outrage the people of Plymouth. You are guaranteed to hear comments about graft, under-the-table payouts, and the greed of developers. And count on frequent complaints about traffic, the loss of small-town life, and the overall ruination of […]

The song “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” was written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson, who is best known for creating ‘The Music Man.’ The song mentions the five-and-dime, as well as the Grand Hotel. In 1951, Plymouth had a Woolworths, one of the most recognized five-and-dime stores, but what of a grand […]