Some great architects begin with houses

A couple of thoughts regarding the article on the VenturiScott Brown house in Squirrel Hill (Aug. 3, “Preservationists Hope to Block Demolition of Squirrel Hill Home”):

First, it is erroneous to report that architects of this caliber do not usually do residential work. Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s third project, according to their work history, is the Vanna Venturi house (1963-66) in Chestnut Hill, Pa., a house of significant architectural importance and the cornerstone of postmodern architecture. Richard Meier, along with his cohort in the New York Five, all gained notoriety within the profession for their residential work; Meier’s Douglas House (197173) in Harbor Springs, Mich., was key to his success. Residential work has always provided a testing ground for architects to exploretheir ideas and as such is partof the canon.

Second, Denise Scott Brown is an architect in and of her own right. She is married to Robert Venturi, and they have worked as partners in practice, in teaching and in writing since the formation of their firm. To not address them together as the architect of the building is sexist. This has been a topic of discussion for the past 25-plus years after Mr. Venturi was awarded the Pritzker Prize and Ms. Scott Brownwas not included.

Let’s hope clear minds prevail with an eye toward preserving our history — especially in an enclave that includes other noteworthyresidences. DAVID C. C. FOLEY

New York City

(The writer is an architect, a professor at Pratt Institute in New York and a University of Pittsburgh graduate.)

Save historic house

It would be a great shame to demolish the Venturi-designed house on Woodland Road. Finding another location for it would be wonderful. JIMMY GOLDMAN Oakland (The writer is an architect.)

Regulate trains

Pittsburgh dodged a bullet when the Norfolk Southern Railways double-stacked cargo train sent multiple cars down the hillside adjacent to the Station Square T station (Aug. 5, “’We came very close to having a tragedy’: Freight Cars Derail Above Station Square T Stop”).

Very obviously, it could have been so much worse if it had happened a hundred feet up the track or if the T station had been crowded with EQT Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta observers and Pirates fans. However, the greatest tragedy would have been if the rail cars had been black tankers regularly carrying extremely flammable shale oilor toxic liquids from shale gas operations. The death and injured could have been in the hundredsor thousands.

It is time that the city takes steps to ban explosive and toxic trains through the city. With the abrogation of federal oversight, local governments need to step up and provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare. CHARLES McCOLLESTER MountWashington

Ban opioids

With editorials about the opioid crisis in the news every day and now that the leading cause of death for people under age 50 is drug overdoses, I am wondering why I have not heard yet what I’m about to write. To me , this seems so simple.

Why doesn’t the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban the production and selling of these so-called painkillers? Isn’t the job of the FDA supposed to be to protect the public from products such as these? And second, why are doctors still prescribing pills that kill?

Could it be the same reason that we still have cigarettes on the market — that there’s just too much money involved? Would not this action by the FDA help make life at least a little better in the fight against this epidemic? Just a wild idea here. DAVE BYERS

Cranberry

Apportion blame

Thank you to the editors of the Post-Gazette for publishing Josh Sayles’ op-ed (Aug. 6, “Disparaging One Group Doesn’t Lift Up Another”), responding to a one-sided anti-Israel screed published earlier.

There is room for debate, and for apportioning responsibility, concerning the Middle East conflict (as there is, in fact, about all national and international issues). However, the attempt to excuse Palestinians for ANY responsibility in the treatment of their own children is a not-so-subtle form of discrimination, the bigotry of low expectations. NORMAN LOBERANT Squirrel Hill

Not real cuts

The Post-Gazette ran a really silly article on Aug 7 (”Booming Business: Rothfus Says the GOP Tax Cuts Are Reviving Beaver County’s Economy. Are They?”) in which Republicans and Democrats argued over whether tax cuts were stimulating the economy.

But, since we were already running large federal deficits and since federal spending was not cut, there were no actual tax cuts. What the Republicans are currently doing is borrowing money from our grandchildren to give to us to spend today. Deficit spending like that can temporarily stimulate the economy, but, because money does not actually grow on trees, the money must eventually be paid back.

Democrats want to do that by raising taxes later. Republicans want to do that with cuts in programs like Social Security, which they don’t want to talk about. The main point is that when you are already running a deficit, you can’t permanently cut taxes without cutting spending. Just because our politicians live in a fantasy world is no reason for the rest of us to join them. BRUCE LEDEWITZ

Professor of Law Duquesne University

Uptown

Shameful service

I just read Brian O’Neill’s Aug. 5 column “The Plain Shame of Our Lame Train Service.”

While I love the rhyme, I hate that it’s so true!

In order to retain and attract people of all ages to this area, a “European” style train service is a must.

My family and I are traveling soon from Rome to Zurich, with a few stops in between, and we are taking a train to each destination.

The topography there isn’t exactly flat, so, using that argument for a lack of service here is definitely lame!

Hopefully his article will stoke the engine to get solutions to this problem rolling. PAUL J. ORIS

Murrysville