Last semester at NYU’s Urban Design and Architecture major, I had taken part in one of the few remaining classing for the Spring 2012 semester… Case Studies in Historic Preservation. While everyone has their own interests in what should be preserved as to what should be demolished, often times there it is challenging for American … Continue reading
The nineteenth century horticulture found in Europe is both vast and confusing. There was a significant leap in garden design and this created a long list of notable garden. This makes it difficult to select only a few to encompass all the developments in style, ideas and approaches that emerged during the era. Two particular styles comes to … Continue reading
Governors Island is located at the mouth of the East River, a beautifully almost untouched island with spectacular views of manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. It was previously used as a base for the United States Army and later for the Coast Guard, but ceased all its’ operations in 1996 leaving the island in … Continue reading
Interior of Fifth Ave. Bank Building Is Named a Landmark By Andy Newman. Article Here. In February of this year the Landmarks Preservations Committee gave landmark status to the midcentury modern interior of 510 Fifth Avenue, Manufacturers Hanover Trust building designed by Skidmore, Ownings and Merrill LLP in 1954— the squat, transparent former Manufacturers Trust Bank Building … Continue reading
Crystal Palace, Joseph Paxton, London, 1851 As I had discussed in my post concerning suspension bridges from the nineteenth century, new materials were starting to gain popularity amongst construction of the newer architectural designs. In London, architects experimented with the implementation of a structure made entirely of iron and glass – the Crystal Palace. It’s main function was to … Continue reading
March 25, 1911 Fire is more devastating that any type of demolition. Exactly 100 years ago to this day, near closing time, a fire broke out in the Triangle Waist Factory located in Greenwich Village, New York. It claimed the lives of over 146 immigrant workers, predominately women and some as young as 15 years old. Immigrants … Continue reading
During the nineteenth century there was a shift in materials used for construction; iron and concrete gained significant popularity. With these heavier materials and increased desire for functionalism, architects sought new advances to technology to support weight. The bridges of the time are the greatest remnants of their success. The iron suspension bridge was introduced in … Continue reading
Today I would like to introduce a garden term you may not be too familiar with, the Ha-ha. Ha-ha is a type of trench that most thought about in the 18th century, England. It was designed with two views in mind: one side would show no signs of sudden drops in terrain as to not … Continue reading
Humphry Repton (1752 – 1818) was one of the last greatest English landscape designers of the eighteenth century. He mastered both his craft and self-promotion. Repton had several commissions of gardens and with his growing popularity, he had decided to publish a book of Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening in 1795. This book followed the layout … Continue reading
San Lorenzo de El Escorial is of great significance to Spanish Renaissance architecture. Located merely 45 kilometers from Madrid, some of the most trained spanish renaissance architects exercised their abilities to create a city fit for the King of Spain. El Escorial In present day El Escorial operates as a monastery, royal palace, museum and … Continue reading
Architessica 