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Posts Archived Under Architecture
Look! Up in the sky!
It's the Burj Dubai! |
Who remembers Victor Lustig? Anyone? Well, let me illuminate you: Victor Lustig was the confidence trickster supreme who managed to sell the Eiffel Tower to a deeply insecure Parisian businessman without actually owning it himself. What Lustig knew even then was that people lose all sense of perspective and reason when it comes to owning the largest erection on the block.
Man's (or is it mens'?) fascination with tall buildings is long-standing and well-documented. Just as the ancient Egyptians sought to construct larger and more dominating edifices to honor their eponymous leaders, so ever since has man chased and coveted the bragging rights that come with the moniker "The World's Tallest Building." Indeed, it seems as though having or owning the highest-profile flamboyant skyscraper is still the quintessential statement of economic strength and intent. Sadly, this endeavor has become considerably more problematic in recent years.
Previous skyscrapers to be guardians of the title "The World Tallest Building" have included, at various times, the Chrysler Building, the CN Tower, and the Empire State Building. And while not without their setbacks, these building projects have been on the whole successful; using their fame to draw plenty of visitors, as well as being able to sell their commercial real estate fairly comfortably. Not so for many modern competitors in the skyscraper race: grand and impressive Pyongyang's Ryugyong Hotel may be, it's lain empty and incomplete for the majority of its life. Worse still, while it would have been the world's tallest building (if had it been completed on time and to specification), the delay and partial abandonment of the project meant it was overtaken by other skyscrapers long before it neared completion.
This week is supposed to mark the opening of an equally controversial project in the oil-rich construction playground of the United Arab Emirates: the Burj Dubai. Despite already being home to such architectural wonders as the Burj al-Arab Hotel and the Palm Jumeirah, the Emirate of Dubai has long been pursuing the claim of having the world’s tallest building. So keen are the Emiratis in fact, that the building itself is rumored to have undergone numerous mid-project redesigns to beat off subsequent usurpers to its crown.
But why stop there? The designers have even made the steel top extendable as a passive-aggressive warning to those hoping to top the mighty Burj Dubai! I can see the stand-off now: "You think you can go higher than us? Well, why don’t you just try it?" What was it that Freud said about psychological meaning behind a fascination with tall buildings? I'll get back to you on that ...
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Directory categories:
United Arab Emirates, Empire State Building, Dubai Travel Guides, Skyscrapers, Eiffel Tower |
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Archived under: Architects, Architecture, Buildings, Chrysler Building, Dubai, History, In Character, Middle East, North Korea, Skyscrapers |
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So if it got really hot,
would the building pop?
(Photo by brendagayle) |
Just west of Sioux Falls, in the small South Dakota community of Mitchell, there stands an elaborate palace of corn, complete with onion domes and minarets. Sounds nutritious, delicious, and downright fascinating, doesn't it? We thought so, too. Today, on the first day of the annual Corn Palace Festival, we here at the Spark would like to honor Mitchell's most renowned landmark: the world's one and only Corn Palace.
For over 100 years, the Corn Palace has served as a place where city residents and their rural neighbors could gather to celebrate the end of the crop-growing season and harvest. It was originally built as an artistic expression to extol the fertility of South Dakota soil. Just to be clear, the palace isn't itself made of corn, but is instead covered in it: Large murals constructed entirely from locally-grown corn and other grains adorn the many facades of the structure.
Each year (with the exception of 2006, when the redesign was nixed due to drought) invites a new theme -- subjects like "Lewis and Clark" and "Everyday Heroes" have been interpreted in painstaking, granular detail by local artists, including the distinguished Native American painter, Oscar Howe. This year's theme, "American Destinations," was developed and crafted by Cherie Ramsdell, who has been at the artistic helm since 2003. It honors the United States' most celebrated tourist destinations, including the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, Kennedy Space Center, and, naturally, the Corn Palace itself.
If, in your travels, you happen to be near South Dakota this week, we urge you to stop by Mitchell for some great music, fantastic food, and a tour of the nation's "corniest" (argh!) roadside attraction. You can't miss it -- just follow the hungry birds.
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Directory categories:
Entertainment and Arts in Mitchell, SD, Roadside Attractions, Buildings and Structures, Corn, Mitchell, South Dakots |
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Archived under: Architecture, Arts, Buildings, Corn, Corn Palace, Creativity, Decorating, Design, Events, Festivals, Food and Drink, Midsummer, Popcorn, Recreation and Travel, Regional, Roadside Attractions, Sculpture, Small Towns, Summer, Tourist Attractions, Travel, United States, Vegetables, Weird Stuff |
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On July 4th, just in time to celebrate the Independence Day weekend, the Statue of Liberty will be re-opening her arms to tourists seeking to ascend the 354 narrow steps (154 from pedestal to crown) to view the New York Harbor area from the top of her head. After nearly eight years of security-related closure (due to the events of September 11th, 2001), Lady Liberty will once again welcome visitors to the upper elevations of her copper-clad physique.
Ever since her dedication in 1886, the monument standing guard over the New York City area has symbolized democracy and friendship, and she remains a quintessential American icon. As a gift from France to commemorate the centennial of the American Revolution in 1876, she arrived a fashionable decade late, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Her creators, sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and structural engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel), wanted to ensure her artistic and ever-lasting perfection, befitting what was to become a National Monument and a United Nations World Heritage Site. To return the favor to the French, Americans living in France dedicated a smaller replica of the statue in 1889. It resides in Paris on Île des Cygnes.
While this holiday weekend may be one of the more exciting times to (re)visit the Statue of Liberty, the crown tour plan appears to be permanent. The tours will be ranger-led and allow only 10 people every 20 minutes. It is highly recommended that you visit the National Park Service web site to make your reservations for Liberty Island and Crown tour tickets, as this new-again opportunity to experience a global icon of freedom is expected to be quite popular. After all, not many can pass up the patriotic photo op.
Have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend!
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Directory categories:
Statue of Liberty, National Park Service, National Monuments, Fourth of July, U.S. Declaration of Independence |
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Archived under: 19th Century, 4th of July, 9/11, American History, Architecture, France, Holidays, Immigration, Museums, New York, Parks, Recreation and Travel, Tourist Attractions, Travel, United States |
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If there is any one principle that resonates through the work of architectural legend Antoni Gaudí, it's that nothing beats the beautiful ingenuity of Nature.
Born on this day in 1852, Gaudí was infatuated with the natural world. He immersed himself in nature's forms -- from sea shells to mushrooms. Organic shapes inspired Gaudí's stunningly original monuments in and around Spain's cultural mecca, Barcelona. His bizarre buildings are wrought with swirling ceilings, gill-like window vents, molten façades, ruffled rooftops, and whimsical chimney creatures.
Even the structural elements of Gaudí's buildings take on surreal, nature-inspired forms through tree-like columns, bone supports, helicoid staircases, and rib-shaped rafters. Despite his innovations, Barcelonians didn't think much of him during his lifetime. Aside from the few rich clients who adored (and funded) his artistry, most civilians -- and frankly, most of Gaudi's colleagues -- scoffed equally at his major works.
Nevertheless, the Catalan creator of biomorphic curves eventually earned posthumous praise from master architects and artists, solidifying his status as a forefather of Modernism.
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Directory categories:
Antoni Gaudi, Master Architects, Barcelona Local Guides, Art Nouveau |
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Archived under: 19th Century, Antoni Gaudi, Architects, Architecture, Arts, Birthdays, Buildings, Creativity, Design, Europe, History, Regional, Spain, Tourist Attractions |
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Sid Grauman was a showman. In the Golden Age of Hollywood, patrons expected a quarter would buy them a full evening's entertainment in lavish surroundings, and that's just what Grauman provided.
Beginning in 1918, Grauman built a trio of movie palaces that put all others to shame. The first was the aptly named Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The second was the Egyptian Theatre, home of the first-ever "Hollywood premiere" -- Douglas Fairbanks's 1922 "Robin Hood." The crown jewel, however, was Grauman's Chinese Theatre, built at a cost of $2,000,000 (approximately $24 million today), and seating 2,000 patrons (and an orchestra of 65) in comfort and style.
The most notable part of the Chinese Theatre (other than its Asian-inspired design) is its forecourt, paved with the footprints and autographs of over 200 of Hollywood's greatest stars. The tradition allegedly began when either Grauman or Natalie Talmadge stepped into a block of wet cement during the theatre's construction in mid-April, 1927. Regardless, when the theatre officially opened, Fairbanks and his wife, Mary Pickford -- who were possibly the biggest stars the movies have ever known -- were the first to immortalize their feet in Grauman's concrete.
In the 80 years since, millions of tourists have come from around the world to compare their shoe sizes with those of Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe -- or others whose stars didn't burn quite as brightly.
If you go, though, don't expect to see Charlie Chaplin's prints; they were removed in the 1950s when Charlie was accused of being a Communist.
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Directory categories:
Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, Movie Theatres, Classic Hollywood Actors, Hollywood Travel |
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Archived under: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, Actors, Architecture, Buildings, California, Celebrities, Charlie Chaplin, Entertainment, Graumans Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Movie Theatres, Movies, Theatres, Tourist Attractions |
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