Character Home | jeffery holley

The book, A Meaningful Life by L.

A National Conversation on Preservation and Progress

The Land Use and Housing Study Committee met on October 24, 2025, at the Idaho Statehouse.

It started with yellow paint catching morning light.

Clouds drift across the street, pulling the light in and out as if testing how the house should be read.

Boise’s North End is often described as the city’s first true suburban neighborhood.

The North End Neighborhood Association publishes a newsletter a few times a year.

I'm summering in Idaho this year, staying with my sister, who has generously offered me the guest room, also known as the Emotional Support Dinosaur Sanctuary.

Here’s a line I come back to often: “Best of all he loved the fall, the leaves yellow on the cottonwoods, leaves floating on the trout streams and above the hills the high blue windless skies.”

Summer dispatch from Old Boise: Updating vague and flat surveys from the 90s with richer and appropriate detail for homes that contribute to a historic district.

A building like the Ogden Union Stockyard Exchange shouldn’t have to beg for its life.

In the last semester of my architectural history degree studies, I was caught between two vastly different interpretations of what architecture is—and what it should be.

Effective Home Improvement: Partnering, Communication, and Expectations

My friend Andy Staszak recommended High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, and I’m glad he did.

"Can we forget the crack of the whip, the cowhide, the whipping post, the auction block, the handcuffs, the spaniels, the iron collar, the negro-trader tearing the young child from its mother’s breast as a whelp from the...

As I approach graduation with a master’s in architectural history and historic preservation, I reflect on the path that led me here.

Growing up in the American West, I was surrounded by the iconic ranch-style homes that defined mid-20th-century suburban landscapes.

In Gardens and Landscapes in Historic Building Conservation (2014), Marion Harney explores the preservation, restoration, and management of historic gardens and landscapes, emphasizing the complexities of balancing cultu...

Architectural heritage studies evolve as new lenses and filters emerge, deepening our understanding of preservation and its broader implications.

I was honored to attend an enlightening panel discussion at the Architecture School at UVA on "Empty Pedestals: Countering Confederate Narratives Through Public Design."

The world of cultural landscapes, outsider preservation, and otherness is an intricate tapestry of visible and invisible threads.

Fear.

Yesterday, the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture welcomed Liu Yichun of Atelier Deshaus for the 2024 Weedon Lecture in Asian Architecture at 5 pm in Campbell Hall, Room 153.

Europe in the 17th Century: The Mechanics of Revolution in Thought and Architecture

Francis Bacon, early seventeenth century, Renaissance England—a man who wrote essays on beauty, youth, and deformity in three of the 58 essays he wrote.

I'm stepping back from traditional social media platforms.

Social media often creates an illusion of interconnectedness, presenting our posts—typically highlighting our best moments—as adhering to polite conversational norms.

Learning records and archive skills.

A poem inspired by the writings of Carl Sauer (1889-1975).

The quote "Door is open.

I visited my first Rosenwald School in Albemarle County, Virginia, a year ago.

On Monday, I'll dive into the heart of craftsmanship at the Material Realities Demos and Talks 4, right outside at the FabLab Workcourt in Campbell Hall.

In Awe (2023), Dacher Keltner delves into the transformative power of awe, showing how experiencing profound beauty or vastness shapes our sense of self and our connections to others and the world.

When we reflect on the selection of February, the shortest month for Black History Month, it starkly contrasts the prolonged tragedy of the slave trade.

As a first-time contributor to our widely read school magazine, I was surprised when I discovered my short story submission had been accepted.

The visit to a super-secret facility, led by Mark K. and Meg K., as part of my field studies class, offers a deep dive into material culture and historic architectural building conservation responsibilities and considera...

In the digital age, the storytelling of architectural history is undergoing a significant transformation, with the field of digital humanities (DH) at the forefront of this change.

As a student in a recognized architecture school, I'm surrounded by exceptional and insightful scholars daily.

I stumbled upon a delightful surprise atop a trash bin during a morning walk on the street where I grew up.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Boise is its blend of historic and modern architecture, particularly the Idaho State Capitol building.

In an age where eyes are habitually glued to smartphone screens (looking at you, B.), the design of transitional spaces in architecture – or liminal spaces – demands a reevaluation.

Sanda Illiescu's Arch1020 studio class at UVA features student-created architectural models primarily made from cardboard.

Teased out from Joseph Campbell's Reflections on the Art of Living and experience.

A Glimpse into Max Page's Insightful Perspective

In a recent blog post, I explored the evolution of woodworking in America from its early days to the present.

So, I'm working on a thesis topic about the history of the American work bench.

Imagine walking into a museum.

Hubble, my son, sent me a photo of the Baxter Apartments in Boise, Idaho.

Decolonization is the process of a country or territory gaining its independence from a colonial power.

Composting is a great way to recycle vegetable scraps, reduce waste, and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden.