May 2024 This Washington Monument has graced Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon neighborhood since 1829. It was based on a design submitted by architect Robert Mills. The 178-foot-tall landmark is the first in the U.S. dedicated to President George Washington. Four small parks surround the monument. Washington faces south towards Annapolis and is depicted resigning his … Read more
May 2023 We spent the day in Concord area looking at several very interesting homes, all of which I will get to in another post. However, I am a fiend of architecture from the Bauhaus school, and to see the home of the master himself was such a joy. Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (May 1883 … Read more
May 2023 PEM is one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US. Its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as well as twenty-two historic buildings. It is worth a visit! The museum was remodeled by Safdie Architects … Read more
May 2023 A day spent outside of Boston in Gloucester was a quick but interesting day. The Sleeper-McCann House – Beauport This home, designed by its owner, Henry Sleeper, beginnings date to 1907. Like many, he was never happy and altered and modified throughout his life. The home was originally built as a modest Arts … Read more
October 5, 2018 This Victorian Italianate Palazzo was built by the present owner’s great great great grandfather. Ballywalter Park was originally built in 1828 and consisted of 1100 acres. In 1847 Mulholland hired architect Sir Charles Lanyon, to add to the home. Much of the original home remained. The entrance was changed from south to … Read more
816 State Street University of Wisconsin, Madison Campus The building that houses the Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is an excellent example of the classicism that followed the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago The organization is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization. Founded in 1846 and chartered … Read more
There is more information on the State Capitol of Madison than many I have seen. So I will just be touching on the art and architecture, rather than the history, of this magnificent building. It is important to point out that the people take very seriously that this is the building of the people, so … Read more
Madison, Wisconsin 441 Toepfer Avenue Traveling with the VSA we had the true pleasure of touring the home of James Dennis, who graciously opened his home and took time to answer all of the questions we could possibly throw at him. The home is the first of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian homes and was originally … Read more
Madison, Wisconsin Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1951, when Wright was 84 years old, this church is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative examples of church architecture and one of Wright’s more influential buildings. Despite being one of the more stunning buildings in Madison it was almost not to be. … Read more
Spring Green, Wisconsin So very much has been written about Taliesin that it seems silly to write a post about it, but it has been on my list of architectural sights to see ever since my father took me to Taliesin West when I was 10. Taliesin was named in honor of FLW’s Welsh heritage, … Read more
Spring Green, Wisconsin Built in 1957, the building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who donated his design and 2 acres of land to the Wyoming School District in honor of his mother, Anna Lloyd-Jones Wright. It is the only public school ever designed by Wright. The story goes that the school had land close … Read more
1500 East Main Street Richmond, VA March 2017 This glorious building was not included in the VSA Spring study tour, but you could not help walk past it if you explore Richmond at all, and especially if you walk from downtown Richmond to the Shockoe District. The Main Street Station was built in 1901 by … Read more
2111 Franklin Street Richmond, VA March 2017 The Woman’s Club, that is housed in Bolling Haxall House, was founded in 1894 with the mission to advance education. The house is one of the few private clubs, cum museum, in the US that is open to anyone that comes and knocks on its door. The Woman’s … Read more
There are always weird and wonderful things that one finds when traveling, and here are three that I found in Richmond. The Markel Building 5310 Markel Road This 1962 building by Haig Jamgochian, was inspired by a foil wrapped potato. Don’t believe me? Check out the historic marker sign next to the building. As the sign … Read more
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church 815 E. Grace Street and Confederate Memorial Chapel 2900 Grove Avenue Saint Paul’s is located directly across the street from the Virginia State Capitol, and has long been a popular house of worship for political figures, including General Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The first Episcopal church in … Read more
Virginia State Capitol Richmond, VA March 2017 Virginia’s State Capitol, located in Richmond, is the third capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia and houses the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere. Thomas Jefferson is credited with the overall design of the new Capitol, together with French architect Charles-Louis Clérisseau. The design was … Read more
Monument Avenue Richmond Virginia March 2017 Monument Avenue is either a bone of contention or an art gallery, and stirs emotions in all. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and a National Historic Landmark in 1997, making it, more than likely, an unchangeable force, as the NHL listing is the highest … Read more
1000 E Broad Street Richmond Virginia March 2017 This High Victorian Gothic structure was designed by Detroit architect Elijah E. Meyers and was completed in 1894. Old City Hall served as Richmond’s city hall until the 1970s. This is the third Richmond municipal building on this site, and occupies an entire city block. The original … Read more
Monument Church 1224 East Broad Street The Egyptian Building 1223 East Marshall Street March 2017 Egyptian revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson’s defeat of Napoleon at … Read more
2201 Shield Lakes Drive Richmond, Virginia March 2017 In 1893, Major James H. Dooley, a wealthy Richmond lawyer and philanthropist, along with his wife, Sallie, completed this elaborate estate in Richmond, Virginia on a 100-acre site overlooking the James River. The house was occupied until Sallie May Dooley’s death in 1925, her husband had predeceased … Read more
The Edgar Allan Poe Museum 1914 East Main Street March 2017 Though Poe never lived in the building, the museum serves to commemorate his time living in Richmond. The museum holds one of the world’s largest collections of original manuscripts, letters, first editions, memorabilia and personal belongings. The museum also provides an overview of early … Read more
412 South Cherry Street Richmond, Virginia March 2017 Hollywood Cemetery is the resting place of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis. It is also the resting place of 28 Confederate generals, more than any other cemetery in the country. In the late … Read more
Fourth and Hospital Street Richmond, Virginia March 2017 Just north out of the downtown area of Richmond, Virginia is Shokoe Hill Cemetery. Originally called the “burying ground” it opened in 1820, its original 4 acres has grown to a little over 12 acres. There are an estimated 300,000 bodies buried in Shockoe Hill, these include … Read more
September 17, 2016 Montreal is laid out in an interesting pattern. Every fourth street was created wider in order to allow horse drawn drayage carts to turn around. There are public parks spread throughout and more common that in most towns, but not consistent such as you find in New Orleans. One of the main … Read more
September 16, 2016 In 1841, Lower Canada (now Quebec) and Upper Canada (now Ontario) joined to form the Province of Canada. Its seat of government alternated for many years. In 1857, Queen Victoria was asked to select a permanent capital. Surprisingly, the Queen chose the lumber town of Ottawa over the established cities of Toronto, Kingston, … Read more
September 15, 2016 Walking all around Montreal Attempting to get a sense of history and architecture Montreal, is the most populous city in Quebec and the second most populous municipality in Canada. Originally called Ville-Marie, or “City of Mary,” it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. Montreal … Read more
951 Chicago Avenue Oak Park, Chicago On the piers flanking the entry to Frank Lloyd Wrights 1898 architectural studio in Oak Park, Illinois, sit these two pieces, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and executed by Richard Bock. “Boulder Man” is the most valuable of Richard Bock’s work. He originally designed and modeled the piece to … Read more
The Eternal Silence, (also called Eternal Silence or Statue of Death) marks the grave of Dexter Graves, who led a group of thirteen families that moved from Ohio to Chicago in 1831, making them some of Chicago’s earliest settlers. Graves died in 1844, seventy-five years before the creation of the statue, and sixteen years before Graceland … Read more
The Marquette Building 140 South Dearborn Chicago These four bronze plaques sit above the entry doors of the Marquette Building in Chicago. They were done in 1895 by Henry MacNeil (1866-1947). At the time MacNeil shared a studio in the building with painter Charles F. Browne. Louis Jolliet and Jesuit Father Jacques Marquette, were … Read more
October 2015 Jim Thorpe was originally called Mauch Chunk (Bear Place in the Lenape Indian Language). It is the seat of Pennsylvania’s, Carbon County, and is called both “Switzerland of America” and “Gateway to the Poconos”. This was the company town of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. The company developed a gravity-fed rail system … Read more
October 2015 Scranton Pennsylvania is the county seat of Lackawanna and the 6th largest city in Pennsylvania. Incorporated in 1866, it saw its hey-dey in the Anthracite Coal boom. At that time the population was about 102,000, today it is about 76,000. Electric lighting was introduced to Scranton through the Dickson Locomotive Works in 1880 … Read more
October 2015 This is now the Radisson Hotel, however, it originally was the Lackawanna Train Station a vital piece in the development of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Scranton began as an iron mill town, these mills began manufacturing iron rails for the trains, which till then, had been imported from England. This manufacturing made the organization of railroads … Read more
October 2015 The Masonic Hall in Scranton Pennsylvania is so massive, this postcard is the only way to show it in its entirety. The building is loaded with Masonic iconography, including this dragon unfurling its wings over the entryway. The reference is to the Draconis star system which equals light, light being the symbol of … Read more
October 2015 This is the Lackawanna County Courthouse at 200 Washington Avenue. It was designed by Isaac G Perry in the Romanesque Revival Style and built in 1884. It utilizes a local West Mountain stone The third story was added in 1896 by architect B. Taylor Lacey. The interior has been so radically modified … Read more
October 2015 Let us start with, how do you pronounce Wilkes-Barre? The town was named in honor of British Parliament members, John Wilkes, and Isaac Barre and throughout its history, the city’s name has gone through various spellings, including Wilkesbarre, Wilkesborough, Wilkesburg, Wilkesbarra, Wilkes Barry and Wilkes Berry. The two widely accepted ways to pronounce this hyphenated name … Read more
October 2015 Saint Stephen’s church is a masterpiece in understated elegance and master craftsmanship. It sits on South Franklin Street and is a downtown landmark. The church is built of locally-quarried yellow stone and was the second church that Philadelphia architect Charles M. Burns designed for the site: the first, built in 1885, burned down on Christmas Day … Read more
October 2015 This is the Luzerne County Courthouse, it is an architectural wonder, not to be missed if you are in Wilkes-Barre. Wilkes-Barre was once part of Connecticut. At the beginning of its history, the territory belonged to Northampton County, Connecticut. In 1786, after the establishment of Pennsylvania’s claim to the disputed territory, Luzerne County was formed … Read more
October 2015 This is the Memorial Presbyterian Church, at 29 West North Street, built in 1872. It has been abandoned and is searching for a new loving owner. The church was built by Calvin Whitehead, he lost his three children to scarlet fever, and they are memorialized in these stained glass windows “being dead, might … Read more
October 2015 The Hollenback Cemetery Association was formed in 1855 with 15 acres gifted by Colonel George M. Hollenback. Although this is the cemetery for the “upper crust” it resides in a neighborhood that is primarily surrounded with old miners homes. In 1887 John Welles Hollenback gave an additional five acres as a gift … Read more
I have had a fascination for cemeteries for much of my life. My love of them comes from their quality of art. The rich and famous often hire the best sculptors of the time to memorialize their loved ones, so I often think of older cemeteries as large outdoor art galleries. With that concept in mind … Read more
The architectural styles of Savannah are varied and, thanks to many preservationists, available for us all to study. There are hundreds of tour companies, riding in a variety of vehicles or by foot. There are many books out on Savannah Architecture, better forums than here to get a decent education. I will also say that … Read more
There is so much cast iron in Savannah but one of the more impressive pieces is the fountain in Forsyth Park The iconic fountain was selected out of a catalogue of ornamental ironwork by Janes, Beebe & Company of New York . Known simply as design Number Five, it was one of a handful of … Read more
There are so many wonderful architectural styles in Savannah, with details galore. I wanted to focus on a few items of interest that aren’t often talked about. The Archway in a private home delineated the private rooms from the public ones. The parlor and the gentleman’s office in this house are the two rooms that … Read more
I studied the squares of Savannah in Urban Planning classes at school. I was anxious to finally get to see them, but nothing compared to being educated further by Robin B. Williams, the Chair of the Architectural History Department at Savannah College of Art and Design. He has a book coming out in the fall … Read more
May 2015 Savannah, Georgia is like other towns in the United States that have a plethora of historic architecture. They have more houses to tour than is humanly possible and more historical groups than can be counted on both hands and all toes. Savannah suffered greatly in the beginning of the second half of the … Read more
Charleston is steeped in Southern history and they are proud of it, beginning with their flag. The South Carolina flag was designed by Colonel William Moultrie in 1775. The first flag simply had a crescent moon with the words liberty written on the moon. That design flew over a fortress on Sullivan’s Island where Moultrie … Read more
May 2015 I am in the south for the Victorian Society Annual meeting. I have never been to this part of the south, and am anxious to explore the architecture and the history. Today was spent in Beaufort, South Carolina, a one hour drive from Savannah, Georgia. I did not even know this town existed until … Read more
June 2014 There are several river cruises available to take in Chicago, and I highly recommend that you take at least one. While it is a touristy thing to do, it is also a great way to see the city, and can be a great place to cool off if your day gets too hot … Read more
School has finished and I am spending a few days with dearest friends Robert and Gail Ornstein. Robert is an architect in Providence, and is working on the restoration of Blue Garden, a Frederick Law Olmsted garden, and as architects who visit with other architects know, I had to see the sight and Robert was … Read more
I arrived in Newport today (May 30, 2014) to begin an 8 day course on the History and Architecture of the area. Class does not start until this evening, which gave me the opportunity to grab the first, of what I hope will be many, lobster rolls during this visit. I headed to Flo’s Crab … Read more
We were told when this course began that we would learn the meaning of “Death March” or “Sherman’s March to the Sea”, well it is day one, and yup we learned it right away. First stop was Trinity Church. It is important to begin with a bit of Newport history, which at this point in … Read more
So, I have come to the conclusion that the reason these are called death marches isn’t just because we hike for miles and miles, but because our esteemed Professor Richard Guy Wilson, heads straight out without a care in the world. There are thirty of us, and watching him step off the sidewalk into … Read more
Today was a day of only 3 houses, but what houses they were. All three houses were designed by Richard Morris Hunt. Our first stop was Ochre Court. Built between 1888 and 1893 for Ogden Goelet. These houses are well documented as to the craftspeople. The Ochre House sculptor was Karl Bitter, however, much of … Read more
Our day started at the Channing Memorial Church. (E. Boyden and Sons 1881). William Ellery Channing was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century. We were at the church to view the John LaForge stained glass windows. I promised I would tell this story, so here goes. Charles Lewis … Read more
Our day began at Slater Mill. The mill is part of the Blackstone River Valley, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Pawtucket is the local Indian word for place of falling water. Slater Mill is the last mill standing in the valley. This stone building is actually the Wilkinson Blacksmith shop. When the Englishman Slater convinced the … Read more
We were asked to read a few books before class started. Henry James An International Episode and A House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. I enjoyed An International Episode, but truly had a hard time plodding through A House of Mirth. I came to the conclusion this it was because I really became … Read more