It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Nadine M. Post is the top journalist on building design and construction and related topics. Her retirement after a 46-year association with ENR leaves a gap impossible to fill.
The daughter of a past Associated Press journalist and junior high school guidance counselor, Post joined an ENR newsletter staff in 1978, but soon after switched to cover buildings for the magazine. Over the years she was promoted to positions of increased responsibility that allowed her to write and supervise coverage of, among many other projects, redevelopment of the World Trade Center in New York City, tall buildings such as the 828-meter-tall Burj Khalifa, and unique structures such as Disney Concert Hall in L.A. and Bullitt Center and Rainier Square Tower in Seattle. Consistent with Post’s interest in exemplary projects, she wrote the McGraw-Hill published book Restoring the Statue of Liberty (1986) for project architects Richard S. Hayden and Thierry W. Despont.
While Post brought these and other notable projects to life in colorful prose in ENR and on ENR.com, she also elevated important innovations in design and construction processes and project delivery to the attention of ENR’s readers—as well as her colleagues—and in that way became an advocate for and champion of progress so badly needed in a frequently tradition-bound industry. She also simplified complex and controversial issues and many times waved the flag for people who took risks to better the built environment.
In all cases, Post stood for resilience and public safety in everything from the cleanliness of building air to the structural integrity of buildings and building materials. Of particular importance is Post’s legacy in her coverage of sustainability, which included attention to building codes and standards that other journalists frequently overlooked.
As the buildings senior writer, Post brought expertise to natural disasters and structural failures. Her coverage of the 1993 bombing and 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City deserves special mention. At all times Post resisted hasty judgements and unfounded speculation about exactly what had happened and stood firmly for engineering science—with the attack victims and ENR’s role in shaping public opinion uppermost in her mind.
Post’s work won numerous awards, too many to list, but she also shared broadly the award-winning achievements of construction practitioners and others. Her support for experimentation to benefit the industry and public led her to author 10 ENR annual Award of Excellence cover stories, and be key in creating their accompanying videos.
Her contributions are widely appreciated. “You and your skills are irreplaceable,” wrote architects Jon Pickard and William D. Chilton in a letter. Said David J. Odeh, senior vice president for building structures at engineer WSP: “I’ve always been inspired by your work and how you have championed the accomplishments of the great structural engineers of our time.”
Email Post at nadineposts@gmail.com. We look forward to her future contributions to ENR and wish to say thank you, Nadine, for everything.
Scott Blair
Editor-in-Chief
