Page 15 - Volume 13 Number 12
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 Architects: Build a list around a specific architect. Some are quite famous, like Frank Lloyd Wright or I.M. Pei and have well­known buildings in cities the world over. Others may not be as well­known but are equally prolific designers.
Styles: Specific styles can be pursued in large or small categories. For me, the stylings of 1930’s­era Art Deco buildings never fail to captivate. Due to their age and their heyday having been relatively short, finding well preserved examples is becoming increasing rare. But they certainly look like nothing else being built in the modern era. The Empire State Building in NYC is probably the most famous example.
Manor Homes: The grand palaces of the industrial Barons of yesteryear top this category. Though, most towns of even moderate size have one of more manor homes built by whomever was at or near the top of that area’s net­worth pyramid at the time. Usually a citizen that was proud of wherever they called home and was happy to build a no­ expense­spared residence to prove it. Thus, such homes range in size from modest (by today’s standards) to literal castles. What they all have in common is magnificent old­world craftsmanship, abundant character and attention to every detail. Those built on the grander scale took large staffs and massive annual budgets to run, making so many of them white elephants as subsequent generations inherited them. Far too many have been lost to the wrecking ball, deemed too expensive to maintain. Those that have survived often resort to giving tours and renting their glorious spaces for weddings and large events to cover their monumental operating budgets. However, because they need every penny to keep the bills paid, walk­ up tours are often available and offered at reasonable prices. The best­known example is probably The Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, North Carolina, built by railroad giant George Vanderbilt. It remains the largest private residence ever
DECEMBER 2019
built in the U.S., exceeding 178,000 square feet. Other examples, in decreasing scale, include Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, by newspaper and publishing tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, of beer Baron, Capt. Frederick Pabst, and the Culbertson Mansion, in New Albany, Indiana, – now a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky – built by William Culbertson, once the richest man in Indiana from his dry goods and investment empire. The first two have become major attractions and are priced accordingly, while the latter two remain less publicized and reasonably priced.
Capitol Buildings
I have an ongoing list of U.S. State capitol buildings I’ve been checking the boxes of for many years. These government buildings vary dramatically in architectural style and grandeur. Some, like the Illinois Statehouse in Springfield, can compete with the U.S. Capitol Building for beauty, splendor and even scale. Others, like North Carolina’s Statehouse in Raleigh, are far more diminutive, but are still loaded with character and old­world craftsmanship. A few, like Maryland’s Statehouse in Annapolis, are quite aged and show it in their uneven floors, roughly hewn timbers, and steps worn by centuries of foot traffic. In newer capitol buildings, like North Dakota’s in Bismarck or Hawaii’s in Honolulu, you’ll be hard pressed to find a single element reminiscent of the columned, domed, marbled capitols which typically come to mind. Instead, you’ll find modernistic­styled office buildings. Nonetheless, they all offer something unique architecturally, and copious amounts of state history come rushing at you from within their walls, statues, busts and sculptures.
Touring State Capitol buildings is as easy as walking through their doors during normal business hours (some even offer extended hours for tours). Admission is almost always
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