Did status signaling ruin architecture?

The podcast explores why pre-1930s buildings are rarely considered ugly, challenging the idea that survivorship bias—demolishing ugly buildings over time—is the sole explanation. The discussion introduces the "cycles of taste" theory, noting how architectural preferences shift over time, though public polling consistently favors pre-1914 buildings over modern constructions. The panel also considers whether modernism was influenced by status anxiety among elites, who sought to distinguish themselves through unconventional aesthetics, and examines how elements like felt tectonics, symmetry, materials, and nested levels of structure contribute to architectural beauty. The speakers reference examples like Dublin's Georgian architecture, Glasgow slums, and the design of board schools in 19th-century England.