Tabassum Blog 10

The Carrie Eliza Getty Tomb, located in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. It was commissioned in 1890 by the lumber baron, Henry Harrison Getty, as a memorial for his wife, Carrie Eliza. One of Louis Sullivan’s most delicate and curved decorative designs of all time. The Getty Tomb is one of three mausoleum structures created by the firm of Adler and Sullivan between 1889 and 1892. The Getty tomb is located at the north end of the Graceland cemetery, near West Montrose Avenue, and occupies a small triangle created by the intersection of three small roads. It’s constructed of blocks of grey Bedford limestone, with bronze gates and inner door. The rectangular block of the monument rests on a sty lobate of four single stones, and the lower half of the wall is of smooth ashlar masonry. The upper half of the wall has an over-all incised pattern of octagonal panels enclosing eight-pointed stars, and above it, is an enriched cornice with three scallops establishing the roof. The outer gates and the entrance door have superb designs, one in pierced bronze and the other in low relief. On the front and two sides there are large arches springing from the ashlar base to cover the door and the side lunettes. The wedge-shaped voussoirsex incline through the whole depth of these arches, but the faces are incised with four bands and lines of ornament alternating with plain surfaces. This design has a little resemblance with the Richardson's entrances of the Austin Law School at Harvard, but this particular one is very flattering, feminine and more delicate. On March 10, 1971, the tomb was designated as a Chicago Landmark by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. 

Allen - Blog 7

The "ugliest" building in Boston?  Could it be, ironically, City Hall?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Boston_city_hall.jpg

Built as part of a larger public plaza, it is neither warm nor inviting and in its brutalistic style looks like a concrete dojo on stilts.  Lacking any warmth or appeal it is no surprise that Boston natives only rant and never rave about the "beauty" of their local seat of government.

Tabassum Blog 9

The Auditorium Building in Chicago is one of the best-known designs of Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler his partner. It was completed in 1889, built at the northwest corner of South Michigan Avenue and Congress Street (now Congress Parkway). The Auditorium was built for a group of businessmen to house a large civic opera house; later on to provide an economic base it was decided to wrap the auditorium with a hotel and office block. Therefore Adler & Sullivan had to plan a complex multiple-use building. Fronting on Michigan Avenue, overlooking the lake, was the hotel (now Roosevelt University) while the offices were placed to the west on Wabash Avenue. The entrance to the auditorium is on the south side beneath the tall blocky seventeen-story tower. The rest of the building is a uniform ten stories, organized in the same manner as Richardson's Marshall Field Wholesale Store. The interior embellishment was wholly Sullivan's creativity. Some of the details were closest equivalents to European Art Nouveau architecture, because of their continuous curvilinear foliate themes. The Auditorium is a heavy, impressive structure externally, and was more striking in its day when buildings of its scale were less common. When the building was completed it was tallest building in the city and largest in the US. It was declared as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1975.

Tabassum Blog 8

The Devon Energy Center is a 50-story corporate skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is tied as the 43rd tallest building in the US. The construction for this building began in October 6, 2009, and was completed in October 2012. The tower is located next to the historic Colcord Hotel, which Devon currently owns, on Sheridan Avenue between Hudson and Robinson Avenues. The office tower, a six-story rotunda and a six-story podium structure covers more than 1,800,000 square feet and was initially estimated to cost $750 million; however, the first formal appraisal of the tower and complex came in at only $707.9 million. Now it serves as the northern anchor of Oklahoma City's aggressive Core to Shore downtown redevelopment project. I really like this building because it almost resembles to the skyscrapers in Dubai absolutely amazing. Proud to have such a unique skyscraper in Oklahoma.

Allen - Blog 6

As culture and people change with time, so does architecture; both are living things.
Bodine Baptist Church, organized in June 1945, has built two buildings in its 70+ years to house its services and programs; both which are still standing and in use today. The first building is located at 2727 SE 59th Street,  and is now home to Faith, Hope & Love Missionary Baptist Church.

In 19__ Stan Gralla designed the current building at 3501 SE 59th, which won the National First Place Award from the Construction Specifications Institute.

The design uses full length door sized windows in the sanctuary for plenty of natural light with planters to allow views of God's creation, in particular the flowers and fauna; while using the half wall planters to create a screen for privacy and seclusion when seated in the pews by eliminating distractions of seeing cars drive by or someone pulling in late.  The use of a drop ceiling in a sanctuary or auditorium can hardly be conceived brilliant design but here it is achieved with dignity with the use of wood beams that may or may not be structural.

With time things change, get replaced, water heaters break, etc.  The planters are sloping brick bookends to what was a state park brown wood fence like wall that was capped level with a matching 2x6 laying horizontal running the length; these have been replaced due to rot with white plastic fencing that does not match the original design intent in how it relates to the rest of the structure. The carpets have been replaced and most of the office furniture remains like in the plans although with some water damage from flooding due to the water heater failure in the summer of 2014.

The exterior has undergone some changes with time; in addition to the planters fencing being replaced, the planter that was centered in front of the church has disappeared (been removed) due to rot and wind damage.  The innovative (although not always effective) gutters of the original plans that extended past the brick on the front of the church have been replaced by seamless guttering and the brickwork filled in deleting this architectural element.  The church sign has been replaced and with the deleted planter and deleted gutters the front of the church was bare save a rotting wood cross installed to the brick at construction.  I was asked to create artist renderings of an updated facade with stone detailing a new metal cross with LED backlighting.

Artist Rendering of Facade update - by Brian Allen

Artist Rendering of Facade update - by Brian Allen

 The intention was to use real full on stone for the front of the church but it was discovered that footings would have to be made and tied in with the foundation to keep the addition supported and not float/fall away from the wall, so instead the stone is a veneer, applied stone tile, that is securely attached by mortar or some such adhesion that provides architectural detail and visual contrast but has no real structure to it.

As times change, structures may no longer fully reflect the designs and their intents that were used to plan and build them, but the structures should hopefully always by useful and resonate to the people that live with them, since both people and architecture are living things.

Cite: Google Maps Street View
Bodine Baptist Church library for document floor plan and office plan

Bui 14

Pacific Point Condominium Apartments

Pacific Point Condominium Apartments- Unique one and two bedroom lofts, flats and townhomes in a lush courtyard setting, near the beach in Downtown Ventura. It was purposely built to provide accessibility and conveniently located within easy walking distance of the beach and the Downtown Ventura Cultural Arts District, with dozens of restaurants. All Pacific Pointe homes are elegantly appointed with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, maple cabinets, pergo-style wood floors, and other designer fixtures and amenities. Most Pacifice Pointe homes offer spacious terraces with gorgeous views of the Pacific Coastline and surrounding mountains. I believe her focus here is more on environmental since surrounding area is the sea. The condos also promote green living for smarter choice of individuals who care about their impact on the environment. Pacific Pointe has incorporated an array of energy-efficient building features that help to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet.

Bui 13

Robertson Residence  - Not much information could be found here with this structure. But it seems to be a residential buildings all connected with a single entity of its own right in the middle of surrounding. Built right by the river/canal. This is one of her more sophisticated architecture I have discovered yet. Interior presents a very elegance lifestyle. It probably caters more to the downtown urban lifestyle with hotels and spas. Higher stories have well-constructed balcony/patio. Very sustainable life due to its old style of construction and near water passage.  

Bui 12

Union Street Shops

The area runs nearly the width of San Francisco, from east to west, extending from its point, a former Army base currently in the process of being converted to civilian use. The area our site focuses on, seven blocks between Franklin and Steiner Streets, is a business district with typical San Francisco architecture where you will find examples of both old and modern structures sharing the avenues. Offers a rich mix of shops, restaurants and points of interest not far from the entrance to the Golden Gate. Beverly Willis created a area where people could socialize all throughout the day and night. 

Poe blog-16

Inside this building, I have done a lot of mandatory screaming. The armory is built as you would expect it to look with the castle like cuts at the top. I feel that the building has a unique look, but still fits into OU's architecture.

Poe blog-15

What would this architecture blog be without the most historic building in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma? The "historic" depot in downtown Antlers was built in 1911. It is a neat little historic building. Redbrick with white trimming, it isn't something you'd be surprised to find in that part of the world.

Poe blog-14

I would bet that this is the most commonly blogged about building in our class, but I can't resist. I'm from rural Oklahoma and don't have much expose to building like Devon. Last summer I spent some time running along the North Canadian River, or "Oklahoma" river. Sitting down to rest along those trails I remember sitting down and just studying this building. I personally don't think the building is beautiful or something that hasn't been done before in other places. What I do think it is unique for the Oklahoma City skyline, and was something I really hadn't seen before. It is amazing that even places like Oklahoma have these massive structures like this.