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February 2007 Archives

February 3, 2007

1. Empire State Building (1931) - New York, NY; William Lamb, FAIA; Shreve, Lamb & Harmon

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

As one of the world’s most recognizable structures, the Empire State Building has come to symbolize the commercial strength and vitality of New York City.  Architect William Lamb used the simple shape of a pencil as the basis of his design.  Standing 1,250 feet tall, the Art Deco–style building was an engineering wonder of its time.  Its prominent spire served as a perch for King Kong in the 1933 film.

 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 12:23 PM | | Comments (26) | TrackBacks (0)

2. The White House (1792) - Washington, DC; James Hoban

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Thomas Jefferson proposed to George Washington that a national competition be held for the design of a “President’s House.” Although many entered the competition (including Jefferson, under an assumed name), President Washington chose an Irish-born architect living in South Carolina, James Hoban. Hoban based his design on Dublin’s Leinster House, today the seat of the Irish parliament.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 2:44 PM | | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

3. Washington National Cathedral (1990) - Washington, DC; George F. Bodley and Henry Vaughan, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

In the 1890s Frederick Bodley, England's leading Anglican-church architect, was chosen as the head architect for Washington’s National Cathedral. The huge, Gothic Revival building, constructed mostly of Indiana limestone, took more than 80 years to build. A likeness of Star Wars villain Darth Vader figures as one of the building’s many carved grotesques.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 3:28 PM | | Comments (27) | TrackBacks (0)

4. Thomas Jefferson Memorial (1943) - Washington, DC; John Russell Pope, FAIA

 

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith 

 

The Jefferson Memorial was officially dedicated in April 1943 on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth.  Architect John Russell Pope intended the design of the memorial, loosely based on the Roman Pantheon, to reflect Jefferson’s ideals of freedom, independence, and equality. Although built at a time of increasing popularity of Modernism, Pope remained faithful to the dictates of Beaux-Arts classicism. The exterior of the memorial is of Vermont marble and the interior of white Georgia marble and limestone.

 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 3:37 PM | | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

5. Golden Gate Bridge (1937) - San Francisco, CA; Irving F. Morrow and Gertrude C. Morrow

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The original plan for the Golden Gate Bride by engineer Joseph Baermann Strauss was widely regarded as unappealing.  The Art Deco style of the bridge as it is known and loved today is the contribution of consulting architects Irving F. Morrow and his wife, Gertrude C. Morrow. Among other things, the Morrows simplified the pedestrian railings, created lean and angled light posts, and added vertical ribbing to the horizontal tower bracing.

 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 3:46 PM | | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

6. U.S. Capitol (1793-1865) - Washington, DC; William Thornton; Benjamin Henry Latrobe; Charles Bulfinch; Thomas U. Walter, FAIA; Montgomery C. Meigs

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Some of the greatest architects of the 19th century contributed to the design of the U.S. Capitol, including William Thornton, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, and Charles Bulfinch.  The AIA’s second president, Thomas U. Walter, designed the current, cast-iron dome and oversaw its construction during the Civil War.

 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 4:11 PM | | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

7. Lincoln Memorial (1922) - Washington, DC; Henry Bacon, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Architect Henry Bacon designed the Lincoln Memorial, and sculptor Daniel Chester French created its enormous Lincoln statue.  Bacon viewed the memorial, with its 36 enormous Doric-style columns, as the logical conclusion to the development of the National Mall, complementing the U.S. Capitol to the east and the Washington Monument at its mid-point.  In an elaborate ceremony, President Warren G. Harding awarded Henry Bacon the AIA Gold Medal at the site in 1923.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 4:21 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

8. Biltmore Estate (Vanderbilt Residence) (1895) - Asheville, NC; Richard Morris Hunt, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The Biltmore Estate is the work of renowned 19th-century architect (and third president of the AIA) Richard Morris Hunt, the first American architect educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He designed the house in the Chateau style for George Washington Vanderbilt II, who spent much of his family’s fortune on the project. Frederick Law Olmsted oversaw the landscaping of the estate.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 4:28 PM | | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

9. Chrysler Building (1930) - New York, NY; William Van Alen, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Architect William Van Alen designed the Chrysler Building for the motor car company it was named for in the 1920s. The Art Deco building is clad in stainless steel. The decorative themes change with every setback. Corners are graced with replicas of Chrysler hood ornaments and radiator caps.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 4:34 PM | | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982) - Washington, DC; Maya Lin with Cooper-Lecky Partnership

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Maya Lin’s elegantly simple design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial—two black granite walls emerging from and receding into the earth—was initially quite controversial but today is the standard against which all memorials are judged.  The memorial is also the highest ranking project in the poll designed by a woman.  The AIA honored the memorial with its 2007 Twenty-five Year Award, which recognizes structures of enduring significance completed 25 to 35 years ago.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 4:39 PM | | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

11. St. Patrick's Cathedral (1878) - New York, NY; James Renwick, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is one of the masterpieces of famed 19th-century architect James Renwick.  His design for the cathedral exemplifies once-popular Gothic Revivalism in America.  The building is made of white marble from New York and Massachusetts and contains alters designed by the Tiffany Company.  The cathedral took 20 years to complete.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 4:47 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

12. Washington Monument (1884) - Washington, DC; Robert Mills

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

In 1833 Robert Mills, at the time the Architect of Public Buildings for the federal government, won the design competition sponsored by the Washington National Monument Society. His 555-foot-tall obelisk, a mixture of Greek, Babylonian, and Egyptian styles, took nearly 40 years to complete as construction was interrupted by cash shortfalls and the Civil War. For several years it was the world’s tallest structure.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 4:54 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

13. Grand Central Terminal (1913) - New York, NY; Reed and Stern; Warren and Wetmore

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Grand Central Terminal has ranked among the most important New York City landmarks for more than 100 years. The St. Paul, Minnesota, firm of Reed and Stern bested much more prominent architecture firms to win the 1903 design competition for the terminal. It later teamed up with the New York firm of Warren and Wetmore to complete the Beaux-Arts–inspired design.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:06 PM | | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

14. The Gateway Arch (1965) - St. Louis, MO; Eero Saarinen, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The Gateway Arch was legendary architect Eero Saarinen’s first major commission. Developed with the assistance of structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel, the Arch is constructed of a stainless steel skin covering reinforced concrete nearer the base and carbon steel and rebar higher up. The arch won the AIA’s Twenty-five Year Award in 1990. Saarinen was awarded the Gold Medal posthumously in 1962.

 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:13 PM | | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

16. St. Regis Hotel (1904) - New York, NY; Trowbridge & Livingston

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The architecture firm of Trowbridge & Livingston designed the St. Regis for John Jacob Astor IV, who eventually met his fate aboard the Titanic. The Beaux-Arts hotel was to serve the wealthiest of patrons with a telephone in every room and individually controlled heating and cooling systems (predating modern air conditioning). A restaurant in the hotel was designed around a Maxfield Parrish mural.

 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:17 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

17. Metropolitan Museum of Art (1880-1889) – New York, NY; Calvert Vaux; McKim, Mead & White; Richard Morris Hunt, FAIA; Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The history of the design of the Met complex reads like a who’s who of American architecture. The original building by Calvert Vaux was Gothic in conception.  Richard Morris Hunt designed the central, Fifth Avenue, Beaux-Arts façade (1902).  The wings of the same façade are by McKim, Mead & White (1906).  Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo Associates oversaw a massive expansion of the museum in the 1970s and 1980s.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:22 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

15. Supreme Court of the United States (1935) - Washington, DC, CA; Cass Gilbert, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The Supreme Court building, inspired in part by Roman temples like the Pantheon, is constructed of brilliant white Vermont marble. Renowned New York architect Cass Gilbert put his likeness on the pediment over the entrance. Gilbert served as AIA president in 1908 and 1909.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:31 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

18. Hotel Del Coronado (1888) - San Diego, CA; James Reid, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith 

 

The Hotel Del, as it is affectionately known, is one of the last surviving examples of the once-popular wooden Victorian beach resort.  Architect James Reid’s jumble of turrets, gables, and cupolas typified Gilded Age exuberance. Built largely by Chinese and Chinese-American laborers, the hotel is one of the oldest and largest wooden structures in California and one of the biggest resorts on the Pacific Coast of North America.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:35 PM | | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

19. World Trade Center (1972-1977) - New York, NY; Minoru Yamasaki, FAIA; Antonio Brittiochi; Emery Roth & Sons

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The World Trade Center buildings were designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki with Antonio Brittiochi and Emery Roth & Sons as associate architects. The simple, light, and economic structural system of prefabricated steel lattice and columns was derived from Yamasaki’s earlier IBM Building in Seattle. The twin towers and five other buildings that make up the complex were all destroyed in a September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:39 PM | | Comments (46) | TrackBacks (0)

20. Brooklyn Bridge (1883) - New York, NY; John Augustus Roebling; Washington Roebling

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Constructed of limestone, granite, and natural cement, the Gothic design of the Brooklyn Bridge is that of engineer John Augustus Roebling.  Early on in the construction, Roebling died from complications caused by an injury sustained at the site.  His son, Washington, succeeded him, but he was stricken with decompression sickness caused from working in the caissons.  Many supervisorial responsibilities would fall to Emily Warren Roebling, Washington’s wife.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 3, 2007 5:42 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

February 5, 2007

21. Philadelphia City Hall (1901) - Philadelphia, PA; John McArthur Jr., FAIA

 

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

When it was completed in 1881, Philadelphia City Hall was the largest public building in the United States. McArthur enlisted the help of his friend, former Architect of the Capitol Thomas U. Walter, to serve as his second in command. The building’s Second Empire style was also called the “General Grant style” because it was used in so many public buildings during the Grant administration.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 2:53 PM | | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

22. Bellagio Hotel and Casino (1998) - Las Vegas, NV; Deruyter Butler, AIA; Atlandia Design




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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Proof that the American public never tires of opulent hotels is the Tuscan-inspired Bellagio.  Waters from the “Fountains of Bellagio” stream choreographed to classical music.  The building’s lobby features 2,000 hand-blown, Dale Chihuly glass flowers.  The hotel also has botanical gardens, a gallery of art, and, of course, acres and acres of casino floor.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 5:55 PM | | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

23. Cathedral of St. John the Divine (unfinished) - New York, NY; Heins & La Farge; Ralph Adams Cram, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The architecture firm of Heins & La Farge won the original design competition for the cathedral in the 1880s with a Romanesque design. After George Heins died in 1907, Ralph Adams Cram took over responsibility for the cathedral’s construction and changed the design to a Gothic one.  Many architects have been employed on the project since Cram’s death in 1942, but the scheme is still largely his.  The cathedral to this point is only two-thirds complete.

 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 6:03 PM | | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

24. Philadelphia Museum of Art (1928) - Philadelphia, PA; Horace Trumbauer, Zantzinger, Borie, and Medary

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

The Greek Revival building serving as the Philadelphia Museum of Art today was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer in conjunction with the firm Zantzinger, Borie, and Medary. Julian Abele, the first African American to graduate from the architecture school at the University of Pennsylvania, served as chief designer on the project. Last year, the museum enlisted Frank Gehry to design a significant expansion of the museum.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 6:14 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

25. Trinity Church (1877) - Boston, MA; Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

 

Henry Hobson Richardson, arguably the most acclaimed American architect of the 19th-century, designed and built Trinity Church. The building established Richardson’s reputation and the much-copied style named after him, "Richardsonian Romanesque." In 1885 architects voted Trinity the nation’s best building. Its reputation with the profession and public has remained unabated for 130 years.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 6:21 PM | | TrackBacks (0)

26. Ahwahnee Hotel (1928) - Yosemite Valley, CA; Gilbert Stanley Underwood



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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

The Ahwahnee Hotel was designed by Los Angeles architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. The building is made of rough-cut granite (the color of the cliffs behind the building) and concrete. What looks like wood siding is actually poured concrete stained the color of pine bark and redwood. The hotel combines stylistic elements of the Art Deco and Arts and Craft movements. 

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 6:29 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

27. Monticello (1770-1808) - Charlottesville, VA; Thomas Jefferson

 

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

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Thomas Jefferson’s architecture is inextricably entwined with his philosophy of politics, education, religion, and the arts. The design for his home, Monticello, grew out of his deep engagement in all things classical, particularly his appreciation of the work of Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. In 1993 the AIA posthumously awarded Jefferson the Gold Medal, reminding us that architecture was not the least of this towering figure’s talents.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 7:06 PM | | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

28. Library of Congress (1897) - Washington, DC; John L. Smithmeyer, FAIA, and Paul J. Pelz, FAIA

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photo: Carol M. Highsmith
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The first separate building to house the Library of Congress, the Jefferson Building, opened to the public in 1897. Architects Smithmeyer and Pelz based the design of the front façade partly on the Paris Opera House. The library was the first fully expressed Beaux-Arts building in Washington, and more than 40 painters and sculptors were involved in the building’s decoration.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 7:16 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

29. Kaufmann Residence (Fallingwater) (1935) - Bear Run, PA; Frank Lloyd Wright



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Photo: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Fallingwater is one of the world’s most famous structures—Wright’s gentle nod to the International style, a summer home for wealthy clients, built atop a waterfall. In 1991 AIA members voted it the “best all-time work of American architecture." The preservation of the signature cantilevered balconies has proved costly and intensive.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 7:25 PM | | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

30. Taliesin (1911 - 1925) - Spring Green, WI; Frank Lloyd Wright



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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

Wright built his home Taliesin on the hilly, rural property in Wisconsin he received from his mother. The building marks a new intimacy between Wright’s buildings and the landscape. The house sits just below the crown of the hill it occupies. Wright’s companion Mamah Borthwick Cheney and her two children were murdered at Taliesin in 1925.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 7:29 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

31. Wrigley Field (1914) - Chicago, IL; Zachary Taylor Davis



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photo: Carol M. Highsmith

Wrigley Field is one of the oldest Major League parks, home of the Chicago Cubs. It was one of the first baseball stadiums to be built of steel and concrete rather than wood. Its post-and-beam construction allowed for more spectators to sit closer to the action. Much of the original structure is no longer visible.

Posted by Andy Smith on February 5, 2007 7:32 PM | | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)