DESIGN DISPATCH

Los Angeles Gets a Balloon Museum, and Other News

Plus, Las Vegas bids farewell to the Tropicana, and Salone del Mobile expands to China.

SpY's installation, which will be on view at the Balloon Museum in Los Angeles. Image courtesy of SpY.

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A balloon museum lands in L.A., complete with an inflatable Burning Man butterfly.

The Studio Museum in Harlem will open its new 82,000-square-foot building on 125th Street in fall 2025. The inaugural exhibition will feature works by Tom Lloyd, aligned with the museum’s history and its commitment to honoring Black artists. The new facility will include expanded gallery spaces, a theater, a rooftop terrace, and artist studios, with the museum raising more than $285 million toward a $300 million campaign for its future sustainability.

The Tropicana, The Strip’s final “mob” building, is demolished with a fireworks show.

The auction of Frank Lloyd Wright’s only skyscraper, Price Tower in Bartlesville, OK, has been delayed due to a legal dispute between its owner, Green Copper Holdings, and the McFarlin Building Company. McFarlin claims it had agreed to purchase the building for $1.4 million before Green Copper listed it for auction on Ten-X, starting bids at $600,000. 

Rendering courtesy of Diller, Scofidio + Renfro

Diller, Scofidio + Renfro unveils a stepped-facade building for University of New Mexico.

Uber is expanding its platform with sustainability features, allowing users to select fully electric vehicles by default when hailing rides. The company also launched an EV Mentor program and AI chatbot to help drivers transition to electric vehicles with smart features that address questions about purchasing and using them.  

Salone del Mobile expands to China with Salone Satellite and a West Bund showcase.

Hurricane Helene caused significant flooding and damage at the historic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The estate’s damages included the loss of several animals from its farm and flooding in low-lying areas. Biltmore will remain closed until at least October 15 amid ongoing recovery efforts and while power outages continue to impact the region.

Tesla readies for the debut of Cybercab: an autonomous taxi with “butterfly wing” doors.

Kim Jones, the artistic director for Dior men and Fendi womenswear, has curated an exhibition for Sotheby’s London, titled “Radical Modernity: From Bloomsbury to Charleston,” running November 9–26. The show features art, ceramics, furniture, and literature by members of the Bloomsbury Group, including Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and will include items from Jones’ personal collection. The announcement comes as Jones assumes a new role as vice president of Charleston, which oversees the care of Bell and Grant’s home and studio.

Courtesy of Limited Too.

Today’s attractive distractions:

Thanks to this “army of artisans,” the Notre-Dame cathedral lives on. 

Nostalgic millennials have convinced Limited Too to relaunch adult sizes

One thing Nintendo’s $99 “Alarmo” clock has going for it is its cuteness.

A battalion of editors are combating the proliferation of Wikipedia AI slop.

 

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