Philly Grill: Pulitzer Finalist Inga Saffron
On Monday, Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron was named a runner-up for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in criticism. Philly Grill caught up with her for a quick e-mail chat last night as she was working on her next piece — sadly, even a Pulitzer nod doesn’t buy you a pass on deadlines.
Congratulations. What were you doing when you first heard the news?
I was doing a telephone interview about sidewalk obstructions at downtown construction sites when my colleagues started e-mailing me.
The Pulitzer Board praised your “forceful critiques that illuminate the vital interplay between architecture and the life of her city.” Do you feel your work has had a tangible effect on what’s getting built in the city?
I prefer to think of my columns as conversation-starters, not a how-to manual. It’s less important that people agree with me than it is to prompt public discussion. Once people start talking about how and why they do what they do — why they choose to build their city one way and not another — it opens up all sorts of possibilities.
Will this lead to opportunities for a national platform for you?
Thanks to the internet, you can write locally and be read globally.
Are we going to see you replacing Paul Goldberger at the New Yorker anytime soon?
I (heart) Philly.
Do you think other newspapers nationally will be emboldened by this recognition of architecture criticism and create similar beats?
When does Philly Mag’s new architecture column start? OK, that’s a joke. (But not a bad idea.) Other architecture critics — Goldberger when he was at the Times, Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune — have won the Big Prize over the last 30 years, but there was no spike in help wanteds for architecture critics.
I do sense, though, that the public’s interest in what’s called the Built World is growing, and that newspapers naturally respond by encouraging reporters to cover stories that touch on architecture and public design. Whether the papers call them architecture critics isn’t the most important thing, although it does help validate the writer and the subject.
Have any local developers sent along their congratulations?
Not yet.
If you ever win the big prize, what would you do with the 10 grand?
I’d go shopping for a Jean Prové dining table, a Dries van Noten dress and an Eileen Neff photograph. But in the end I’d probably decide instead to fix the roof and settle for a bottle of good champagne.
Changing Skyline archives [Inquirer]
Skyline Online [Saffon Blog]
Why Are Men Who Build Skyscrapers Afraid of This Woman? [Philly Mag]
