Verdigris with Rae & Andi

Spooky season is back, and Rae and Andi plunge into Paris’s strangest underworld—the catacombs—where shadowy tunnels, dripping ceilings, and endless walls of bones await. Andi, who grew up steps from the entrance, reveals how collapsing quarries and a burial crisis forged this vast subterranean ossuary. It’s history, eerie atmosphere, and pure October shivers for anyone who loves a little darkness with their flannel.

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Turns out the most universally beloved building type is basically a fancy candle in a stone tube. Rae and Andi cover whale oil, concentric prisms, and the surprisingly emotional case for saving obsolete towers nobody technically needs anymore. Calves of steel required.

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Gas stations get a second act: donut shops, roasteries, and beer gardens where the pumps used to be. Rae and Andi trace roadside architecture from Art Deco curves to Mission Revival tile to a baffling Tudor cottage phase (chimneys included) and land squarely in your coffee cup. It's architecture, nostalgia, and a mild caffeine addiction, all in one episode.

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Verdigris goes feral in the Virginian suburbs as Rae and Andi join Gonzalo in his backyard. We talk Chilean courtyards, English cottage organized chaos, suburban lawn devotion, and mosquitoes. It’s history, horticulture, and mild pest warfare—all in one episode.

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A whirlwind tour of columns at their most iconic: capital moments, load‑bearing drama, and centuries of standing their ground. Rae and Andi lean into Greek bulges, Roman rule‑breaking, and postmodern inside jokes.

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Rae and Andi dive into the chaos and charm of airports — the security scrambles, the gate‑change sprints, the lost‑passport panic, and the tiny design moments that somehow make it all feel magical anyway. They celebrate the clacking boards, the terrazzo floors, and the jet‑age swoops that turn terminals into portals. They also take on the big question: does a rainforest waterfall inside a terminal count as bold design or just architectural overkill?

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This month, Rae, Andi, and guest Colin tackle Xanadu, the 1980 neon‑drenched musical that “only vaguely refers to preservation” but somehow opens the door to a surprisingly rich conversation about what’s worth saving—and why. From roller‑skating muses to a once‑grand auditorium begging for a second life, the team digs into how even the most chaotic cult films reflect our shifting ideas about memory, place, and cultural value. It’s preservation with leg warmers on.

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Save the theater! Save the old neighborhood! Save the hotel! Save the.... You get it. This trope is commonly mined in all kinds of different movies. This month Rae and Andi and special guest Colin Rafferty talk about movies that use this trope. Some movies use it just as a reason for the story, but others really *do* end up having something to say about historic preservation. Turns out some B-movies are surprisingly not totally off-base. Listen to this episode to find out if your guilty pleasure is among them!

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This month, Andi and Rae discuss two early visionaries of preservation, often described as foes: Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and John Ruskin. Their thoughts on architecture, authorship, and reuse are all still current today. In particular, Notre Dame would likely not have survived the disastrous 2019 fire quite so well without the work pioneered 150 years earlier. Plus, both men were charismatic fellows with excellent facial hair. So come learn about Mr. Beard and Mr. Sideburns, and discover how places like Carcassonne and Notre Dame got a new lease on life.

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In this episode, Rae and Andi give proper respect to the inventor of the safety elevator and cities today as we know them: Elisha Otis. Escalators, steel, and some *really* dangerous contraptions also get a mention. Going up!

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To celebrate this holiday season - in what is now a tradition - Rae and Andi are sharing some favorite historic sites from across the country. Tune in for the wonderful historic sites, stay for the incisive critique of the National Register. After all, complaining is part of the fun. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Do you ever wonder why subway tile is so common in bathrooms? Are you flummoxed by bidets? What's your take on pedestal sinks? Join Rae and Andi as we talk all things evacuation and cleanliness while trying not to giggle 🚽🛁

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To celebrate spooky season - the best season - Rae and Andi talk all things haunted house-related. What is the most eerie architectural style? What are the best examples and what makes those houses so wonderfully spooky? Get yourself a seasonally-appropriate beverage and join us as we talk about mansard roofs and other spine-chilling features. 👻

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How would you define "visual pollution"? In this episode, Rae and Andi tackle the visual blights that affect us all. Where is the line between advertising and art? What's intrusive, what adds to the streetscape? We start by discussing our producer's documentary feature This Space Available and go from there. Join us!

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Most mail is spam, or maybe bills. But postcards! Getting a postcard is a joyful little moment, and then you can keep it on your fridge, or your mantel, or a shoebox, and then every time you look at it you get another little burst of joy. So this month, Rae and Andi talk about postcards and share postcards and generally appreciate all things postcard. Hope we can encourage you to send some to your loved ones! 📫

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Celebrate America's pastime with Rae & Andi, with special cameos from our baseball-obsessed partners. Do you like baseball? Or maybe just ballpark snacks? Either way, let's while away the summer heat together. ⚾️🍿🌭

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To celebrate Pride Month 2025, Rae and Andi chat with Free Harris about gay men in preservation, gayborhoods, and gaytrification (that last portmanteau is bleh, but the places we discuss aren't). Happy Pride, everyone! 🌈

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May is preservation month! To celebrate, Rae and Andi talk about their own path to preservation, and share some favorite preservation-related songs. The song playlists can also be found on our website www.verdigrispodcast.org and directly on Apple Music: Rae's playlist, Andi's playlist, Andi's teen daughter playlist. Do you know of some preservation-related songs? If so, please share.

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This month, we are going metal! Listen along as we talk all about nails and saws. No tetanus shot required (though make sure you're up to date.) Rae and Andi cover the history of nails from the handmade ones of yore to the ones you have in your toolbox. We also talk about saw technology through the years. If you don't know the difference between a bandsaw, circular saw, and table saw, we're here to serve. And don't forget to wear your PPE if you decide to apply anything you learn.

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Rae, Andi, and special guest Colin enjoyed a night at the movies in RVA. We went to the historic, beautiful Byrd Theatreto see a French movie from the 1960s you've likely never heard of. But it's really good, we promise! We hope you'll sit back, grab some popcorn, and listen to our thoughts on Playtime and the joys of making fun of modernism. 🍿📽️

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