icon Blueprint for May

Occasions

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3 min read

In the years of my youth, air travel was an occasion. The men dressed in suits and ties, the women in dresses, good meals were served with the elegance of a four-star restaurant and the rows of seats were comfortable. The opening of architect Eero Saarinen’s majestic and ultramodern TWA terminal, at what was then Idlewild Airport in New York in 1962, further enhanced the flight experience. When you entered it you felt special, like this was better than everyday life, like you feel when you enter a palace or a theater. In a term coined by legendary Broadway director Harold Prince as the title of his recent autobiography, you had a sense of occasion. I must confess, in my later teens when I first acquired a driver’s license and had little fun money, the TWA terminal was a destination for cheap dates. But in 2001, TWA flew away forever and its landmark home became vacant.

At the core of historic rehabilitation is the belief that some buildings must be preserved if we are to preserve the very soul of our society. The new is nice, but the best of the old is cherished. The current is often ephemeral, but the historic lingers. Now, finally, thankfully, this building will again host occasions as developer MCR reconceives it as the 512-room TWA Flight Center Hotel. As the cover story of this issue, staff writer Mark Olshaker looks at both the past and the future of this iconic structure. (The Bird Flies Again)

Shortly after I arrived at the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association nine years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing David A. Smith present at a conference. His knowledge and experience were apparent, but what really impressed me was his playfulness with, and passion for, language. David Smith is a devoted wordsmith. Clear and creative images are his tools to explain complex ideas. I immediately went to Glenn Petherick, then this publication’s editor, and suggested he corral David as a regular columnist. Which brings us to another occasion: In this issue, you will find David’s 100th column in Tax Credit Advisor. (The Guru Is In) A hundred columns in, he explains what he does and his values stretch beyond housing. We feel privileged to have him on board and thank him for his commitment.

A place often associated with occasion, but currently trudging through a dearth of them, is Capitol Hill. Both the recent tax reform and appropriations processes were fraught with rumors of threats to programs that enable affordable housing. The results, as you now know, were not as dire as we once anticipated. A good bit of this issue is devoted to the results of these negotiations. NH&RA member Cash Gill reached out to a group of colleagues representing various viewpoints forming a kind of virtual focus group to respond to the appropriations. (Climb on Board the Omnibus) And staff writer Mark Fogarty reports on panels at a recent conference of the National Council of Housing Market Analysts (NCHMA) consisting of state allocators and investors who discussed current pricing and other issues affected by the new tax policy. (Pricing Update)

Up, up and away.

Marty Bell
Editor