Name this architectural "style"

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Hipster:

The problem is while they have wealth, they don't have THAT much wealth to be able to afford real stone and be left with enough change for oh, 10 SUVs.

I for one am glad that hey won't be leaving anything of value for future historians to work on. Immortality doesn't come cheap, you know...

AoD

 

[adma]

Now, *that's* an issue where I'm more or less at one with Kunstler on...

 

[Hipster Duck]

Hipster:

The problem is while they have wealth, they don't have THAT much wealth to be able to afford real stone and be left with enough change for oh, 10 SUVs.

You're right, Alvin. People with considerable wealth can afford to hire even a well-known architect to build them a house but elect to spend that money on other luxury goods, instead.

What's funny is how the concept of a luxury good has changed in the past century. Back then, indulging in artwork or a custom-built mansion was more in fashion. Also, wealthy men often belonged to an elite club that championed classical aesthetic ideals. You still see 'Athenaeum' clubs, and so forth, that hail from back then. The result is that the upper classes of their day left behind a larger cultural legacy, even if the premise of a lot of it was to keep up with shallow elitism.

Nowadays conspicuous consumption is more likely to be toward the acquisition of more 'stuff': boats, vacation properties, cars and sometimes even just pricey junk. I remember reading how the disgraced former CEO of Tyco had expensed a $50,000 shower curtain.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Trophy wives, trophy homes, trophy lifestyles ...

The Cheddingtonistas are still stubbornly holed up in certain pockets of Toronto - Post Road and the Bridle Path for instance. They're difficult to dislodge completely. The Good Design police still get called out now and then, but there's not much they can do if the City has granted these architectural terrorists permission to build.

 

[lawsond]

The result is that the upper classes of their day left behind a larger cultural legacy, even if the premise of a lot of it was to keep up with shallow elitism.

well, ity's all according to where you are and what you are referring to. most of the mcmansions of 19th century manhattan were uncerimoniously ripped down when the neighbourhoods became unfashionable due to extreme pressure and growth.
many of the hulking piles in newport were abandoned as well.
shallowness, conspicuous consumption and disposable greatness are age old american traditions.