Influential critic Herbert Muschamp dies at 59

Word came today that former New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp has died, from lung cancer, at age 59. He was a master at vibrant, incisive, and sometimes gloriously over-the-top prose that placed the beating heart of contemporary architecture within the broader streams of contemporary culture. Even if I didn't always agree with his conclusions, I loved his passion. I'll never forget how several years ago, out of the blue, this obscure, fledgling writer received an e-mail from him with kind and encouraging words about my work. Read the New York Times obituary here, and, via Archinect and the Gawker, the text of an internal memo marking his passing here.