My Ambition

Well, I've lost a lot of what was on my computer when it was stolen in August, including some business ideas, some plot ideas, and some ideas regarding what I'm about to talk about (and research regarding historic Chicago cityscapes as well).


Perhaps the most important part of growing up is discovering what you have to add to the world. What drives you as a man? What is your life's ambition, your life's direction? Where are you going to go and how will you get there? By this measure it's perhaps true that most men are children, as women like to say. But truly the most developed men know this is a very important self discovery. More than a woman, a man needs to continually question his self understanding and try to fault his view of himself and his world.

For the past several years my own life's direction has been coming more and more into focus. I'm proud to say my last several major life steps have been informed by my visions for the future.

My family is being constructed, I'm taking seriously my responsibility for putting direction to growth in our marriage. I know what kind of place I want to live in. And above all, I'm honing further my financial road map and investing in my further financial education.

Allow me to put to paper my professional ambition, and what I hope to contribute to this world.

Whenever something is rare, it becomes dear. I think one of the rarest qualities in America is authenticity. It may soon become quite dear. My passion is to contribute to its eventual regrowth via helping to revitalize the troubled cities in America which connect her most closely to her past. America's cities are becoming fashionable to live in again, but as the city becomes a hotbed of innovation again it will need a style of architecture for the new century.

So far this millenium we have yet to see a 21st century style of architecture, much less one that is economically and practically reproducible on the neighborhood scale. It is my very ambitious goal to help create one, and to develop buildings that represent this style, and authentic versions of local styles, in America's most unique places. Historic preservation is absolutely vital, but for cities to become the center of everything again they need to physically embody the new century, new ideas, and new generations.

So far we are seeing cheap imitations of historical styles, as well as a rebranding of modernist ideas as ultramodern minimalist boxes. The problem is mainly that neither of these styles infuse any innovative energy in to their environments, that they both absolutely devalue authentic sense of place, and that both of them heavily depend on QUALITY.. quality that is wholly lacking in their contemporary urban incarnations.

The basic approach I want to take to architecture is a question as follows:

Why does modernism have to throw out traditional architectural styles? Why can't classicisms meld and playfully combine with modernism? And why shouldn't we utilize our modern structural abilities to create truly eye popping little buildings along normal streetscapes? To me, this finally brings something new to the conversation. And it may well be one of the first of what are sure to be many twentieth century styles.

The essential question is: will people still pay a premium for exciting architecture? For quality and authenticity? Will they know it when they see it?

I'll be wagering yea.

And I'll be betting that people will be able tell this builder will be steeped in local styles, that sense of place and deep ties to past architectural trends will make every city's buildings by my future development company unique, endearing, and contrasting. They should deepen the personality of their surrounding city.

This is a naked bet that the Chicagoan wants to live in Chicago, the Cincinnatian in Cincinnati, and so for New Orleans and many other cities.

Like any true creator, I'll do it without government subsidy. I insist.