For some reason, since “becoming Catholic” a few years ago, I have become increasing interested in architecture. I have no real talent for it, or professional knowledge of it, but I know what I like. I read Living Machines subtitled Bauhaus Architecture as Sexual Ideology, which is about Walter Gropius, a sort of father of modern architecture. The point of the author E. Michael Jones seems to be that Gropius’ idea to design buildings that would usher in a new age of communal living, with less family ties and more “free love” was inspired by his own decadent lifestyle. It also confirms the link between the detachment of people from their Christian heritage to the ugliness of their culture, including buildings. I have come across this idea in a lot of reading these past few years. Of course it doesn’t take much to see the ugliness of much of modern Church architecture. Michael S. Rose’s Ugly As Sin is a great book, which shows hideous examples of the type of stuff done to Churches in the 60’s and 70’s. More importantly, it shows examples of good renovations done more recently. There are a couple of Churches built around here in the 1980’s that look Catholic inside and out, but there are also some that are terrible. I would love to see what Christian architects with real knowledge of tradition and beauty would design for the World Trade Center. The designs submitted so far are awful. Here on Long Island we have a giant stretch of ugly, utilitarian shopping centers with no beauty at all from shore to shore. A restoration of Catholic culture would not only bring back beautiful art and Churches, but probably lead to beautiful shopping centers too.