--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing was more up-to-date when it was…" description: "\"Nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more obsolete today, than the railroad station.\" — Ada Louise Huxtable" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5e/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_built_nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was_2121613.png" --- # Nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more… ![“Nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more obsolete today, than the railroad station.” quote by Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5e/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_built_nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was_2121613.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5e/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_built_nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was_2121613.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5e/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_built_nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was_2121613.png) > “Nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more obsolete today, than the railroad station.” [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The railroad station, once cutting‑edge, quickly becomes outdated as technology and society evolve. **In simple terms:** Buildings age as the world changes. Key Takeaway Design with adaptability in mind. Themes architecture obsolescence technology urban change Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - city planning - heritage preservation - adaptive reuse - transport policy Key Concepts modernism temporal relevance infrastructure Questions to Reflect On - How can designers future‑proof public spaces? - What value lies in preserving outdated architecture? A Different Perspective Even iconic structures can become irrelevant without continual updates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Built Obsolete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-obsolete-4330401/) [Obsolete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsolete/) [Obsolete Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsolete-today-2226266/) [Railroad Station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroad-station-728099/) [Railroads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroads/) [Station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/station/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Railroad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-railroad-4330400/) [Up to date](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up-to-date/) ## Related quotes > [“Life is a railroad station; soon I will set out - for where? I will not say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/life-is-a-railroad-station-soon-i-will-set-out-for-where-i-will-not/) [Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/) > [“The all-knowing yesterday is obsolete today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-all-knowing-yesterday-is-obsolete-today/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [A railroad station? That was sort of a primitive airport, only you didn't have to take a cab 20 miles out of town to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/a-railroad-station-that-was-sort-of-a-primitive-airport-only-you-didn/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [I never lived in an abandoned railroad station.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-never-lived-in-an-abandoned-railroad-station/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [The key to the Lochte haircut is being fresh and looking up-to-date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lochte/the-key-to-the-lochte-haircut-is-being-fresh-and-looking-up-to-date/) [Ryan Lochte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lochte/) > [I suspect losing paper maps but gaining GPS and online maps is a similar step function: maps still exist, but they're vastly more useful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-suspect-losing-paper-maps-but-gaining-gps-and-online-maps-is-a/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Theres no way in the world I can feel the same blues the way I used to. When I play in Chicago, Im playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/theres-no-way-in-the-world-i-can-feel-the-same-blues-the-way-i-used/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [It's rude to not try and look up-to-date. Is rude the right word? Yes! It's rude - rude to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-haslam/it-s-rude-to-not-try-and-look-up-to-date-is-rude-the-right-word-yes/) [Nicholas Haslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-haslam/) > [I'm not the guy to ask about the most up to date stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moody/i-m-not-the-guy-to-ask-about-the-most-up-to-date-stuff/) [Rick Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moody/) > [My mom was the Diana Ross of our clan. She was always up-to-date, and always knew what to do and what not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/my-mom-was-the-diana-ross-of-our-clan-she-was-always-up-to-date-and/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [Certainly working with teens keeps me up to date with language and with certain kinds of thinking. I often feel like I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/certainly-working-with-teens-keeps-me-up-to-date-with-language-and/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [I realize I don't do a very good job in keeping up to date, but I try to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-realize-i-don-t-do-a-very-good-job-in-keeping-up-to-date-but-i-try/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [During my study of happiness, I noticed something that surprised me: I often learn more from one person's highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/during-my-study-of-happiness-i-noticed-something-that-surprised-me-i/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [Shelley and Keats were the last English poets who were at all up to date in their chemical knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/shelley-and-keats-were-the-last-english-poets-who-were-at-all-up-to/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [Modern tourist guides have helped raised tourist expectations. And they have provided the natives- from Kaiser Wilhelm down to the villagers of Chichacestenango -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/modern-tourist-guides-have-helped-raised-tourist-expectations-and/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) ## More by Ada Louise Huxtable > [No matter what an architect may be at home, he becomes a monumentalist when he comes to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/no-matter-what-an-architect-may-be-at-home-he-becomes-a-monumentalist/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [There are two kinds of people in the world - those who have a horror of a vacuum and those with a horror of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-those-who-have-a-horror-of/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [One of the most basic human instincts is the need to decorate. Nothing is exempt - the body, the objects one uses, from intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/one-of-the-most-basic-human-instincts-is-the-need-to-decorate-nothing/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [The age of Lincoln and Jefferson memorials is over. It will be presidential libraries from now on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/the-age-of-lincoln-and-jefferson-memorials-is-over-it-will-be/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [the search for the ultimate skyscraper goes on. ... At worst, overbuilding will make urban life unbearable. At best, we will go out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/the-search-for-the-ultimate-skyscraper-goes-on-at-worst-overbuilding/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Beauty or beast, the modern skyscraper is a major force with a strong magnetic field. It draws into its physical being all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/beauty-or-beast-the-modern-skyscraper-is-a-major-force-with-a-strong/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Who’s afraid of the big, bad buildings? Everyone, because there are so many things about gigantism that we just don’t know. The gamble of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/who-s-afraid-of-the-big-bad-buildings-everyone-because-there-are-so/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Symbol and metaphor are as much a part of the architectural vocabulary as stone and steel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/symbol-and-metaphor-are-as-much-a-part-of-the-architectural/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Every generation tailors history to its taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/every-generation-tailors-history-to-its-taste/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [The New York Hilton is laid out with a competence that would make a computer blush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/the-new-york-hilton-is-laid-out-with-a-competence-that-would-make-a/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Every age cuts and pastes history to suit its own purposes; art always has an ax to grind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/every-age-cuts-and-pastes-history-to-suit-its-own-purposes-art-always/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Good architecture is still the difficult, conscientious, creative, expressive planning for that elusive synthesis that is a near-contradiction in terms: efficiency and beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/good-architecture-is-still-the-difficult-conscientious-creative/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [The perennial architectural debate has always been, and will continue to be, about art versus use, visions versus pragmatism, aesthetics versus social responsibility. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/the-perennial-architectural-debate-has-always-been-and-will-continue/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Today, when so much seems to conspire to reduce life and feeling to the most deprived and demeaning bottom line, it is more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/today-when-so-much-seems-to-conspire-to-reduce-life-and-feeling-to/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) > [Surrogate experience and surrogate environments have become the American way of life. Distinctions are no longer made, or deemed necessary, between the real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/surrogate-experience-and-surrogate-environments-have-become-the/) [Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) [Explore all 46 Ada Louise Huxtable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/) ## More Built quotes > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [God and I have built an immense fire together. We keep each other happy and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/god-and-i-have-built-an-immense-fire-together-we-keep-each-other/) [Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/) > [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Mostly what I'm focused on is finding people who are younger who haven't built companies before but have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/mostly-what-i-m-focused-on-is-finding-people-who-are-younger-who/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,164 Built quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more obsolete today, than the railroad station.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ada Louise Huxtable" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was-built-or-is-more-obsolete/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Built" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was-built-or-is-more-obsolete/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5e/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_built_nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was_2121613.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5e/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_built_nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was_2121613.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5e/ada-louise-huxtable-14558_built_nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was_2121613.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more obsolete today, than the railroad station.” — Ada Louise Huxtable", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ada Louise Huxtable", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nothing was more up-to-date when it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was-built-or-is-more-obsolete/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/nothing-was-more-up-to-date-when-it-was-built-or-is-more-obsolete/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```