Architecture – Page 7 – No Idle hands here

Little towns in California

Our first stop was Paso Robles, an old agriculture town that is getting a real boost from the wine industry. Wonderful refurbished old building.With a wonderful old time candy shop, that isn’t really all that old.There is a wonderful large green square, this building was very important, if only because of the clocks that are visible from all directions.Another old building that got a stucco coating at some point, I do like how they have broken through it to show the old brick.A modern information booth that has a very old timey feel.Art Deco Theater, no longer in use, a more modern one is just one block over. I do hope one of those tasting rooms takes over.Sometimes it’s not the buildings, it’s the wonderful juxtaposition of color. Primaries anyone?Santa Rosa doesn’t have a lot to offer. Sure, they have these big fiberglass sculptures that honor the Peanuts. Charles Shultz lived here for years. They also named their airport after him. At least Charlie himself is cast in bronze and isn’t fading and aging like the others.The hotel we stayed at in Mendocino.Our room was right off the front balcony to the left of the wooden swing. Yes, we sat out there and reveled in the view. Mendo is getting a whole post of it’s own!Calistoga in the very North Western part of Napa Valley. That Venetian Lion is very popular.Wonderful old brick buildings. Using different colors and playing with size they created some very interesting facades.Due to our litigious society, all the brick buildings have this sign. Sure it is good advice, but I’m thinking the city hopes it gives them cover if people are injured near these buildings during an earthquake.Calistoga City hall, adorable isn’t it? The police station across the street is much bigger and more modern.Look down! always interesting things right under our feet.And finally Healdsburg. An adorable little town, also has a wonderful center green with a bandstand. I haven’t done any research, but I’m thinking this was a bank. Who else could afford this Gladding McBean tile? And yes, I’m saying Gladding McBean without any research either, since the detail is impeccable and there is no other company around that did this kind of work.More glazed terracotta.Got to love the Old Theater. Don’t know how old this sign is.These raven are on the box office. They look old to me.

Yes, we did pass through other towns, but there is only so much I can share. Yes Cloverdale had an adorable Church and wonderful old Victorian homes, but no, I didn’t get any pictures.

Leah

More Tiffany

The Tiffany tour continues, this time in the Original Marshal Fields building, now Macy’s.

Most people never look up!! Even when 7 floors above you is this amazing incredible vaulted mosaic ceiling. Temples of commerce are just as ornate as any Church.You can take the elevator up to the 7th floor and get a much closer view of this incredible work. Not only the mosaics, there are also a number of globe Tiffany lamps.I can see why, with all the modern cold white lighting, one misses these warm iridescent globes.These are just a few of the images I took of the actual mosaic.Ok, so most people don’t go up to Furniture and Design, but it is so worth it just to stare up at this ceiling.Next stop the old Public Library, today it is The Chicago Cultural Center. Luckily when the new library was built, this building was just too massive and well reinforced, it was just to complicated to destroy. I know, people love to say – oh my city tears every old building down, but other cities are so much better at preservation. Guess what, all cities tear down old buildings, some more than others. We can’t keep everything, and those that remain become more important because there are fewer of them.On the marble bannister, two things happened, they had to cut out the shape in the marble, then painstakingly create the mosaic to fit perfectly.For all the wonderful mosaics here, and there are more, the dome is the real treasure here. This is the largest Tiffany dome anywhere, 38 feet in diameter, over 30,000 pieces of glass, there is a larger dome on the other side of the building, not designed by Tiffany, Unfortunately I couldn’t get to see it. From images online, it looks like I missed something specialThe zodiac, fish scale glass. The dome was cleaned in 2008 and they were amazed by how much more light comes into the room. All of these pieces of art demand a lot of TLC in order to maintain their beauty.Hanging from the dome is this light fixture that mimics the fish tail scales. Yup, my mind is going to a quilt pattern, although it probably is way too much work.A few more mosaics, this one in an archway celebrates American authors. Built in 1897, Chicago was determined to prove that they are a world class city, I think they succeeded.Although we couldn’t enter the hall because they were setting up for a private event, I spied this mosaic off to the side. Hebrew will always catch my eye and in many libraries – you will always find Hebrew. Makes sense since Hebrew is one of the earliest written languages. The alphabet has changed through the years. Of course, Alphabet is a contraction of the two first letters in Hebrew – Aleph -Bet.

The translation is: The Author who did not know, gave the book and said, please read this.

Leah

Art Deco in Chicago

Chicago is full of wonderful Art Deco, I just snapped a lot of photos. I realized that sharing small close up images is better than the large whole building.Sometimes you want both most of building, because it’s so beautiful. Carbide and Carbon building.I love the details here so much, of course it’s hard to see until one looks at a close up of a photograph.Of course the best way to attract attention to the tower is using gold, real gold leaf. I took this picture in the late afternoon with the sun shining on the tower which makes it all shimmer like gold.This fabulous Art Deco fountain is next to the Chicago Board of Trade building. Wow! Funny the man sitting in the background was confused as to why I was taking pictures. I just said: this is an amazing piece of Art Deco – I think I just confused him more. Detail. I wonder if this is made from Mallechort, the same material used on the Oviatt Building here in LA. It looks like silver but it doesn’t tarnish .
I’m sure many a cattle future were determined in this building. Remember the Chicago Stockyards? (sort of like Coalinga off the 5 Freeway in central California – just much much larger). What an amazing example of a graphic Art Deco bull.Riverside Plaza, as seen from the wonderful Architecture River cruise. Once again, I couldn’t see the images well until I cropped the photos.A small portion of the enormous Chicago Mercantile exchange.I don’t remember the name of this building, it is on Michigan Ave. in the Magnificent mile.Art Deco interiors are wonderful as well. Bank America building. I got yelled at cuz I shot a photo looking into the actual bank floor, this is not it.Look at the mailbox!! It looks like an Art Deco building, not like the one it’s in though. Notice the lights in the high-rise? That lets you know where the elevator cars are. Function and beauty working very well together.Back in the Rookery, the elevator lobby was updated in the 20s to Art Deco style. Wonderful lamp as well as the elevator doors that are decorated with birds. Anything to get the idea of Rookery to stick.This one even has owls!How cool is this! Also in the Rookery, on the third floor, a perfect frame for the elevator buttons.

I’m breaking up my Chicago images, there was so much to see and to share.

Leah

The Rookery, Chicago

Chicago has so much incredible architecture concentrated in a relatively small area, it’s hard to choose what to see. I chanced upon a docent led tour of the Rookery.The Chicago Fire was a defining moment for the city. The city had to completely reinvent itself. At the same time, two important inventions happen, steel frames for building – so the walls no longer are the weight bearing elements of the building – which allows for larger and more windows. The invention of the elevator as well as the technology to make it safe – means height is no longer limited to 5 stories.

Chicago leads the way in building sky scrapers as these new tall buildings are called. The 11 story Rookery is one of the first, built in 1888.Another requirement is no more wooden buildings, brick, stone and terra cotta are now used as the exterior envelope. The location of the building was known as the Rookery – which had very bad connotations in the late 19th century. Despite the owners of the building trying to eliminate this designation – it has survived. Another influence at the time is Moorish architecture, seen in the entry arch.A detail in this arch that may or may not have escaped the notice of the owners is these two crows, one of them laughing that they are very much part of the Rookery.Working in Terra Cotta opens up the ability to be extremely detailed in the bas relief work. At a latter date, glazed Terra Cotta will be the rage. Something that also becomes very popular in commercial buildings here in California.

The building was designed by Barnham and Root, Daniel Barnham also designed the Columbia world Fair and gave us the Beaux Arts style of architecture.

30 years after the Rookery was built a new young architect was brought in to update the lobby and the central atrium. This is when the marble got gold etchings and the name was added. Oh the architect was Frank Lloyd Wright.

The more I learn about architecture the more I appreciate the unsung ones. FL Wright is a movie star, yes he was very innovative – except where it came to the structural integrity of his buildings, which is why so many are falling apart. But that whole discussion is for another day.The glass domed atrium as well as the staircase are from the original design. The brace is Wright and was added during his update, before that there were poles supporting from the ground. Right across from flying staircase is a marble one. The original was marble, but without the gold leaf. Also, notice the cast iron? That was a favored material in the late 1800s. the pedestal and urn are part of the modernization, that too used to be cast iron.Notice how the design in the marble mimics the Moorish design in the cast iron.The original columns were also cast iron, here is one example that has been open to show the original. BTW, by the 1960s’ design became even more simplified and plain. Very little ornamentation can be found. At that time this atrium was turned into an ugly sterile box. Luckily things were covered up – not removed, so when this renovation was done they were able to go back to the Wright iteration. The claim was it was too hard to go back to the original. Not sure that is true, I’m thinking that Wright is a big name these days and would draw much more attention the Burnham and Root would.Clearly I like busy. My quilts are scrappy, I love combining patterns and designs, and I love finding examples out in the world that share my taste. Stars, I love when geometry creates ‘Jewish stars’. (I hate it when it creates Swastikas – which happens very often, that too is a very graphic symbol). Notice the large star in the banister. This is the original, there are dentil strips on the top and bottom and though it is hard to see, the actual shape is heavily ornamented.The staircase continues up to the 11th floor, once it moves above the dome, it is encased in glass.Here is how Wright simlified this design in the railings. He is still adhering to what was already there.The lamps are pure Wright, Prairie Style! There was nothing there before, so he had some free reign to do as he pleased. It’s a little hard to see, but I like how the trusses of the dome have circles cutouts and the truss of the lamp has rectangles. Talking to but not mimicking.Although he clearly mimicked the grid, curving it slightly. Yes the man was a great designer – no question about that – it was the engineering and the structural aspects where he fell short.

Leah

Louis Comfort Tiffany glass in Chicago, part l

Before I left for Chicago I did a lot of research online about what kind of architectural tours to take. On the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours there was a tour of Tiffany Treasures, why not, I love glass, this should be interesting.

What can I say but WOW! Of course I knew that Louis Comfort Tiffany created incredible stained glass – most notably lamps and large installations of large windows, but I knew nothing of the mosaics. Unfortunately, most of the research online doesn’t make much mention of the mosaics, but doesn’t highlight them.

So a visit to the Marquette Building was a real eye opener.The lobby is incredible, marble, bronze and Tiffany Mosaics. They tell the story of Joliet and Marquette, early French Canadian explorer in the area. Here they are leaving on their journey – receiving blessings as they head out.A number of things about these mosaics. They were designed by J.A. Holtzer, the mosaic designer for the Tiffany Glass company. What is really incredible is the glass itself. Louis experimented and created his own glass, this one – an opalescent, iridescent called Favrile. Once his factory shut down, the recipe for making this was lost.The glass glows! I am a lover of mosaics and have never seen such luminescent images.He created textured glass, like the grey example to the left of the hand, as well as glass that resembles volcanic glass. Ancient mosaics used small pieces of glass, Holtzer introduced the idea of cutting larger pieces – something I’m sure he learned from the stained glass.This gentleman is a perfect example of using larger segments of glass, makes him really stand out against the traditional mosaic. The MB is the initials of the Marquette building.Meeting the native tribes. The light bulbs are reproduction Edison bulbs. Although there is much more light now in the lobby, these are the type of bulbs that were installed originally. The death and burial of Marquette.Interesting how the grey jacket arm is one piece of glass while the face is done in the traditional method. I guess there is something to be said about shading small details that is better done with tiny pieces of glass.The bronze was incredible as well, so I have to include part of the revolving door.

At the Art Institute I did see an example of the lamps – that is what I was most familiar with, I’m hoping that anyone visiting Chicago also see the mosaics. The Marquette building is open to the public, so even if you can’t go on a docent led tour, you can see these. I visited on my first day, not realizing I’d be back. Since the MacArthur foundation owns the building, they hand out a very nice brochure as well. Also, in the back lobby there is a very interesting photo exhibit about the development of sky scrappers – but that is for another post.

Leah

Chicago the overview

I was very fortunate to spend 4 days in Chicago – the place of my birth. I wonder if nostalgia gets more intense as we age. I left when I was 8 years old, sure there were visits since, although I think the last one was 15 years ago. But there was something so familiar the city – with all the new buildings, it still felt ‘right’.I have over 300 photos, best place to start is in the Signature lounge of the John Hancock building, romantic and what a view! I have fear of heights, but sitting in this room, next to what felt like 10″ glass – I wasn’t scared at all – and this was before the alcohol arrived!Down on Michigan Ave, the famous water tower, one of the few commercial buildings to survive the great Chicago Fire of 1971. It is now so hemmed in by tall sky scrappers, I chose a close up of the Gothic inspired limestone building. Most of Chicago was built out of wood, a very plentiful material in the area. At the time this building and the pump station were right on the lake, so although limestone can be heavily damaged by fire, these two weren’t. One thing that felt so right was the lake itself. As a child we lived just a few blocks from the lake in Evanston, so this kind of scene is embedded in my consciousness.We stayed at the historic Drake hotel, right at the start of the Magnificent mile.A Drake is a type of duck, it is also a type of dragon, which is a much better symbol for the hotel.The Chicago shoreline as seen from Navy Pier.And at night, with a clear view of the John Hancock building.Chicago is full of Art Deco Buildings, here a close up of a hart on a building on Michigan Ave. (don’t remember which one!) I don’t know if the VS initials have to do with the builder or the building. Of course I only noticed this when I looked at the photo.There is a lot of juxtaposition of old and new. This finial is on the Michicgan Ave Bridge which is officially called the DeSable Bridge. Completed in 1928, this is one of the classic finials, with a modern sky scrapper behind it.I highly recommend the Big Bus tour with the open deck, it was fun to see an El train go by almost at eye level.Another way to get around town is these bikes. This is a little unusual to see the rack full by Millennium Park in the middle of a summers day. Of course it did start start raining heavily shortly after I took this picture.This is half of a large sculpture, every 10 minutes it shoots out this blast of water. The kids love this of course.The lions in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. I learned that this building was built for the Columbia World Exposition (go read Devil in the White City). Although the Fair itself was seven miles south, this was a lecture hall. It was slated to become the Art museum afterwards – to hold items from the Exposition as well as acquire new pieces of art. It succeeded well beyond their dreams. The bronze lions hadn’t been cast when the fair started, so the plaster models were installed, only latter were they cast in bronze, which of course Patina’ed with time.
Of course the Sears tower, used to be the tallest in the world, is still the tallest in Chicago. I know, it had a name change a few years ago, but to me it will always be the Sears. I visited the observation deck almost 40 years ago when the building was new – before they added those sky boxes (look closely on the top, you can see them there). Since I visited the top of the Hancock for the first time, I felt no need to go to another observation deck.Looking towards Navy pier at dusk.Best view south is from the Ladies room at the Signature lounge.Craning my neck to see the traffic below. Fun to see the top of the building that houses the Bloomingdales and mall.

Many more pictures to follow, Chicago is a very fun city to visit, especially for architect buffs like me.

Leah

The OC

California is full of contradictions, case in point Orange County. Most of the country is large swaths of middle-class suburbia, with strip malls, homes and condos and closer to the beach – gated communities.

But then there is the beach, and like all of California – the beach is beautiful. I went with my local friend Becky to explore Crystal Cove beach. Today this area is a state park.With the kind of views of the ocean that belong in travel books. White sand beach and deep blue water.In the 1920s’ people started building cottages, there have been years of fighting about what to do with these – since they were all built without any permits. Today a small section has been restored and one can rent a cottage for a few days. These are very spartan and basic, more like camping. The idea is to experience the beach like people in the 1930s and 40s did.And then there is the area that hasn’t been restored yet. There is a plan to do so, as well as keep the structures looking as close to the original as possible. Right now, it’s arrested decay.Fenced off from the public. But not from the birds. I of course revel in the textures, the rust, the peeled paint.At some point newer staircases were built, but then the state must have felt that this is too dangerous and have simply fenced the whole area off.You know me, I have a fascination with peeling paint.

But back to the beach itselfSure, a lot of other people were enjoying this perfect day with us, I chose not to photograph them.I do find the birds worthy of pictures.Becky, who is a great photographer, mentioned shadows and reflections, something else for me to pay attention to.And jewels, you never know what kind of jewel you will find among the seaweed.

Leah

Angles and curves

Downtown on a summer evening in August is magical. Food at Grand Central market, Music up on California Plaza and a walk down Grand ave. A lot of people walking, sitting, relaxing, enjoying the gorgeous California evening. Two icons of modern downtown caught my attention. The Disney Hall of course and next door, the New Broad Museum which has already been photographed by many people.The veil, which is what the exterior is being called is made out of fiberglass reinforced concrete Panels. It reminds me of the wonderful terra cotta tiles we have all over older buildings downtown. This is an updated take on the same concept – giving a very different feel to the building- a modern fluid appearance.It is fun to see the panels through the curved window, of course I’m looking forward to seeing this image from the inside.Looking up at the corner of the building, the curves, the points, the angles, I’m loving it all.The golden California sunlight being captured within the blocks.

Right next door, The Disney Hall, once again, I can’t say enough about the light and what it does to all these wonderful curves and angles.Not to mention that this would make an incredible quilt.The glass captures the light differently from the metal surface.And of course reflects other wonderful building, like City Hall.Which viewed on it’s own is a remarkable example of Art Deco.Capped by a pyramid. As well as modern implements – probably modern technology. Although these circular objects mar the surface some, in the overall scheme of things, they don’t really make a difference to this beautiful landmark.

Leah

Carolyn Friedlander

The modern quilt world has it’s stars, one of them is Carolyn Friedlander, although she is so quiet and unassuming, that star doesn’t quite fit the bill.It is very rare to have our monthly quilt meeting on a Friday night, but when a special designer is in town, it’s worth going. We had a smaller crowd than I had expected – I’m sure changing the day had a lot to do with it.Carolyn trained as an architect before discovering quilting. (sorry about the quality of the picture – taken at night with my phone). She is comfortable creating house blocks, but it is much more than that, there is a certain meticulousness to her work, not perfect symmetrical blocks, just an overall feeling.Her outhouse pattern, using many of her own prints. I love her sense of color, her ability to use low volume fabrics with pops of bright. Her quilting is very well thought out, nothing is left to chance.Turns out her favorite methods of piecing are needle turned applique; seen here in the circles – or rather the rows of trees one would see on an architectural drawing. The other is paper piecing, all those house were done that way. Here she is playing with color, she had a few samples of this quilt – each using different fabrics; each one taking on a very different character as a result.She learned applique by making Hawaiian blocks (something I plan on doing very soon). She uses the ‘snowflake’ method of cutting the appliqué patch. Here she folded the fabric 8 times, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that. The appliqué section here is cut from on large piece of fabric. This is a perfect example of using different fabrics to achieve very different results. The far left is bold, graphic and the quilting gets lost in the design. The center one is calmer, staying in the same color family. The far right is where the quilting sings, since the fabrics are all solids.

Someone asked her about using fabrics other than her own, I loved her answer – I love fabric. The fabrics here are so different from what she designs; of course she should avail herself of everything out there – just like the rest of us.Another example of needle turned appliqué, I think in this case she folded the fabric like an Thiaccordion before cutting.This quilt is what I’m talking about her meticulousness – the outer circle matches, the inner ones don’t. She has achieved a very pleasing balance, both in design and color and of course the use of quilting.This quilt is Block of the month tutorial, its’ a lesson in needle turned applique, can be purchased either as individual segments or as the whole pattern. For those who don’t like the cutesy or the juvenile one often finds in appliqué; this is a very refreshing modern approach.

Finally, our gift for showing up on a Friday nightEveryone got a charm pack (2.5″ squares) of her prints together with Kona solids that she feels compliment the prints. Mind will probably end up being combined with other charm packs, the idea of sticking with only one line of fabric, no matter how creative it is – just doesn’t work for me.

A number of my friends took classes with Carolyn, from their IG posts I’d say that she is as good a teacher as she is a lecturer, quilter and fabric designer.

Leah

Out and about in Honolulu

In the lobby, under glass is a rare Hawaiian flag quilt. The four Hawaiian flags were modified, the Union Jack is facing the wrong way, I think this was done so the center design would stand out more. Hey, artistic license. The Royal coat of arms in done in the traditions Hawaiian appliqué style, as well as the quilting stitches that echo the crown. These quilts are very rare and this one is in beautiful shape. Most people never saw this, although it is proudly displayed in the lobby right across from the elevators. But then most people haven’t trained themselves to really look closely at their surroundings.

Of course I had to go visit a Quilt Shop and found one near the resort. The Calico Cat was well worth a visit.Imagine my delight in finding the store in a wonderful mid-century modern building. Right next to the Good Will drip off bins, oh well, cities have a life of their own, I can’t photoshop what I don’t like out.

Joel was very happy to join me, no, he didn’t stay in the store (which gave me time to really explore and buy some great patterns and fabric), he found a local coffee shop and enjoyed watching the city go by.The big development of this area was in the middle of last century – this actually looks closer to Art Deco than mid-century. The design along the side of the building could be part of either style. The balcony is traditional Hawaiian; open to let in the breezes. Aged and weathered because that is what the tropics will do.The Queen Theater built in the Art Deco Style in 1936 has been vacant for 20 years. There is a movement to try and restore the building and use it either for film or small theater. I hope they succeed, This is one of the most endangered old buildings in Honolulu, clearly the idea of conserving and readapting the old has yet to arrive in the Islands.An old house that has an historical designation. This storybook home was built in 1928 and is well loved and cared for.

Someone mentioned the many interesting gates in the Kahala neighborhood – a very expensive beach community.Although there are some large pieces of land, most of these homes are crammed in one next to the other, so of course for privacy people have walls and gates. The perfect canvas for some very impressive artwork done in metal.Ironworkers must be doing well here, at least they have a lot of creative license.The flora and fauna of Hawaii being a major inspiration.This gate could be at home anywhere, if it weren’t for the tropical plants around it.Getting artsy with glass.Bamboo as inspiration.Sometimes a gate just isn’t enough.This looks to me like an old WWII air-raid siren. Of course it may be newer and is actually a Tsunami siren. Or maybe it is from WWII and it’s been repurposed. Whenever I’m out walking I always look up, you never know what you will see.

Leah