The Louvre is hit by art world’s slickest thieves, Detroit bounces back as a creative mecca, and Trump bulldozes a 123-year-old White House landmark. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Robbers pull off ultimate heist at the Louvre
Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
In case you somehow missed it, a couple of people robbed the Louvre Museum and got away with it. In broad daylight, in an estimated six minutes, a pair of thieves arrived at the Parisian mecca, stole priceless jewelry, and fled via van without a trace. According to The New York Times, the thieves used a nondescript truck-mounted ladder to reach a window on the second floor of the Apollo Gallery, which was shattered along with two display cases the thieves reached once entering the gallery and tripping the alarm. Eight objets d’art were taken, including royal sapphire and emerald necklaces. A diadem belonging to the wife of Napoleon III was also taken, but her crown was dropped by the thieves during their getaway on electric scooters (I’m not kidding). The museum was evacuated after the break-in and remains closed as investigations continue. Speculation as to whether the thieves are folk heroes or part of a darker narrative hasn’t stopped the internet from memeifying the incident. Also, Louvre director Laurence des Cars was booed upon arrival at a staff meeting following the heist. Gotta love the French.
Trump takes wrecking ball to the East Wing
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In the latest news that is stranger than fiction, demolition has begun on the East Wing of the White House. Yep, the president really is bulldozing part of the wing to make way for his garish ballroom. Dezeen reports that construction teams are ripping through the façade with a backhoe, laying waste to a former visitor’s entrance and office space previously designated for the First Lady and her staff. The 90,000-square-foot ballroom (which will allegedly be developed through private funding) will accommodate events with seating for up to 650 people. Renderings depict it doubling the size of the current structure with an entirely different exterior.
Your next book club read—certified organic and AI-free
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And with all this going on, we can’t even enjoy a new book lately without wondering how it was produced. Luckily, some folks in the UK are here to help. The startup Books By People is taking aim at the increasing wave of AI-generated books with an initiative to verify and label human-written texts. The organization has launched a new Organic Literature certification in partnership with an initial group of independent publishing houses with plans to expand globally in 2026. The program will invite publishers to qualify literature through commitment to the certification’s standards and annual spot-checks. According to The Guardian, fees will vary depending on how many titles are produced each year.
The Motor City is booming
Michigan Central; photo by Jason Keen/Michigan Central
Design Core Detroit launched the first iteration of Detroit Month of Design in 2011. Since then, the bet on a citywide festival spotlighting local creatives and projects has paid off. Not only is the celebration more popular than ever, but it has led to increased investment from civic and community partners. The restored boom in the city’s design industry is the subject of a recent write-up in Wallpaper, where Adrian Madlener points to projects like the transformation of the Beaux-Arts train hall Michigan Central into a mixed-use tech campus full of commercial tenants and a forthcoming NoMad hotel. Downtown Detroit is also in focus—in particular, SHoP Architects’ recent contribution to the skyline with the Hudson’s Detroit mixed-use tower. Need more convincing? Detroit is the only U.S. city designated by UNESCO as a Creative City of Design, and it was even included in this year’s The New York Times list 52 Places to Go. Who’s up for some urban exploring?
Celebrate the 2025 Platinum Circle honorees
[embedded content]Join Hospitality Design in welcoming eight distinguished industry leaders into the Platinum Circle on Friday, November 7th at Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York. This year’s esteemed honorees include Flick Mars partners James Flick and Matt Mars; Marriott International vice president of global design strategy and product development Aliya Khan; AvroKO founding partners Greg Bradshaw, Adam Farmerie, William Harris, and Kristina O’Neal; and chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson. It will certainly be a night to remember. Grab your tickets here—before they sell out.
